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Penshurst Place holds its Glorious Gardens week 2014

If Chelsea feels like a distant memory and you’re once again pining for petals, then you’re in luck.

Penshurst Place, dating back to 1346, boasts an 11-acre walled garden which has enchanted visitors for hundreds of years. It is marking its Glorious Gardens week from Sunday, June 1, to Sunday, June 8, with several special horticultural events.

Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place

The attraction near Tonbridge will feature a floristry demonstration on its South Lawn on Monday, June 2, at 2pm, led by master florist Lesley Young of Hadlow College. Lesley has been instrumental in the college winning Gold and Silver floristry medals at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and will now be sharing her wisdom.

Professional garden photo journalist Leigh Clapp hosts a photographic workshop on Wednesday, June 4, at 11am. Visitors are invited to bring their cameras along and learn from an expert how to capture the finest details. Leigh’s own work has been featured in Period Homes & Interiors and Home & Country.

A highlight of the week will be when Viscountess Isobel De L’Isle gives a very personal tour of the Grade 1 listed Elizabethan gardens on Friday, June 6, at 2pm.

Lady De L’Isle will share her detailed knowledge with ticket-holders to this event about the evolution of the estate, which fuses heritage and formality with more modern touches and commemorative additions.

The Jubilee Walk at Penshurst Place
The Jubilee Walk at Penshurst Place

Head gardener Cory Furness will begin and end the week with pre-booked tours where he will reveal his future plans for the gardens and highlight work undertaken in recent times. Particularly pleasing aspects of this event will include the famous 100-metre Peony Border with four fragrant varieties of pink peonies, the Jubilee Walk double herbaceous border that underwent a complete renovation in 2012, and a cream tea.

Penshurst manager Ben Thomas said: “Glorious Gardens is a special week of the year for Penshurst Place, which marks a moment in time when the gardens are laden with bloom and scent that fills the grounds.”


The floristry and photography events cost visitors no extra price on top of the standard admission cost. Standard entry is £10 for adults, £6.50 for children and £28 for families.

The Lady De L’Isle’s Garden Tour takes place on Friday, June 6, at 2pm. It costs £25 inclusive of a cream tea. Tickets can be booked at www.penshurstplace.com/etickets or call 01892 870307.

The Head Gardener’s Tour takes place on Sunday, June 1, and Sunday, June 8, at 2pm. Tickets costs £20 inclusive of a cream tea.

Tickets for both events can be booked at www.penshurstplace.com/etickets or call 01892 870307.

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