A Tour/Talk at Ashwood Nursery, Kingswinford

 On Saturday 15th February, I went to a tour of Ashwood Nursery in the West Midlands, with my friends from the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA). In the morning, we had a talk all about Hellebores and how they are bred, propagated and grown on for sale, as well as seeing and being taught the differences between the main cultivars which they produced. Following lunch, we got an exclusive tour of 'John's Garden'. John is the owner of Ashwood Nruseries and has a very interesting, and immaculate garden. He spoke to us about how he likes to raise the canopise of most/all of the trees he plants in his gardens in order to produce conditions underneath for a shrub and herbaceous layer in his planting. Closely mimicking the woodland layers that naturally occur. Although it is only February, there was plenty of interest in his garden from the bulbs, Hellebores, Cornus, and the bark of the silver birch and Acer griseum trees, and the confiers in the garden. Lastly, we had a tour of his greenhouse where he keeps and works on his collection of alpine plants which has taken him across the globe collecting, and learning all about these plants. Another highlight for me was the Hamamelis in the garden. Some photographs below showing the day.