HARDY PLANT SOCIETY OF OREGON’S2019 TOUR

Quint[essential] England for Gardeners: The East of England & Thames Valley

Our Quint[essential] England for Gardeners series continues in another region with this tour - the East of England plus the Thames Valley. The East of England is one of nine official districts, comprising the counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. To these, we add Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, and a bit of Lincolnshire. In ancient times, this area was the most populous in England and, as such, it is a land filled with history. Today, it is mostly a rural landscape dotted with market towns, churches, and picturesque villages. It also has one of best areas for viewing wildlife. Join us on this garden-intensive tour as we explore this wonderful part of England. We include visits to famous places such as Blenheim Palace (birthplace of Winston Churchill) and the Queen’s country residence of Sandringham House. We visit fabulous gardens such as Beth Chatto’s Garden and the Old Vicarage of East Ruston - a “bucket list” garden not to be missed! We enjoy lunch and bird watching while cruising on The Broads. We visit some of England’s prettiest villages and cathedrals. We include seaside hotel accommodations.Our summer tour is the perfect time to visit gardens. Please join us as we travel around the East of England and the Thames Valley.

JULY 4-15, 2019

Day 1 (Thursday, July 4) DArrive in London at Heathrow Airport and make your way to our first tour hotel in Windsor. Early arrivals may wish to book a tour of Windsor Castle or explore the nearby Savill Garden in Great Windsor Park, one of the jewels in Britain’s ornamental garden portfolio. In the evening, join the group at the hotel for our “welcome dinner”. Stay the night in Windsor.

Day 2 (Friday, July 5) - “Through the Thames Valley” B,DFollowing a hearty breakfast, we depart Windsor and head northwest to Bledlow for our first official garden visits, The Manor House and its adjacent Lyde Gardens. These elegant English gardens were created over many years by the Lord & Lady Carrington. After our morning visit, we’ll continue on our journey, stopping next at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace and ancestral home of Winston Churchill. The palace is surrounded by one of the greatest contrived landscapes in Britain (created by Capability Brown) including a 2100-acre park and 100 acres of formal gardens. We will have a guided tour of the palace plus free time for lunch and to explore the walled gardens. After our visit at Blenheim, we’ll head north to a garden on a much smaller scale, Pettifer’s Garden. Here we’ll find a garden filled with rare and unusual plants, collected from all over the world. This garden is full of surprises!

Finally, we hit the road again and make our way to our 5-star hotel in the small town of Rushton (near Kettering in Lincolnshire) where we will stay for the next two nights.

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4 - 15, 2019

Morris dancers

Blenheim Palace

Shown below (left) is the area known as the East of England. (Right) The approximate route of our tour.

Day 3 (Saturday, July 6) BToday we have much less time aboard our bus (or “coach” as they say in England) as we’ll stay fairly close to our new home base in Stamford. Our first garden visit will be to Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens, known for its relaxed charm and haphazard luxuriance. The cottage garden and herbaceous borders reach their peak in June and July, and so our timing should be good to see this garden at its best! Not far from Kelmarsh is Coton Manor Garden, a lovely romantic, quintessentially “English” garden with roses tumbling over brick walls while chickens and flamingos(!) frolic in the open areas on the garden’s edge. [This garden was voted as one of the best visits on HPSO’s 2012 garden tour.] Rounding out our day is an afternoon visit to Cottesbrook Hall with its slightly more formal garden design. The interconnecting walk through garden sections reveals pools and water features, a secret garden, a rose-filled Philosopher’s Garden, and herbaceous borders. Two lakeside walks also are well-designed features of Cottesbrook Hall.Dine on our own this evening. Stay the night in Rushton.

Day 4 (Sunday, July 7) - travel to Norfolk B,DWe say goodbye to our home base in Rushton as we must make our way to the Norfolk seaside by the end of the day. First, however, our focus is on both gardens and great historic houses. We’ll head to Barnsdale Gardens, originally created by Geoff Hamilton, a television host of BBC’s Gardeners’ World and now maintained by his son. Over the 8-acre site are 38 individual gardens, each with its own style. The adjacent nursery adds another

dimension to our visit. Next, we’ll head back near Stamford to visit one of England’s greatest Tudor houses, Burghley House. Built in the late 1500’s by Queen Elizabeth’s “Lord High Treasurer”, the house is surrounded by vast parkland which includes a “garden of surprises” and sculpture garden. However, the main purpose of our visit is to tour this grand house. In the afternoon, we’ll visit one more historic house and garden at Elton Hall. With its Orangerie Garden, topiary garden, flower garden, and lily pond, Elton Hall is sort of a hybrid between our two earlier visits today. In overall style, it would be considered a more typical English manor garden.After our main visits for today, we head to the seaside town of Holt where we stay for the next three nights. Dine as a group this evening.

Day 5 (Monday, July 8) B,DOur two main visits today involve grand houses and gardens, our first stop being at the Queen’s country retreat at Sandringham House. If the Queen is not in residence at the time, we will tour the first floor rooms/apartments before exploring the beautiful gardens on the estate. The horse stables and the museum on the property also make a nice addition to our visit. We have time to grab a light lunch at the cafe at Sandringham House (on our own). In the afternoon, we head nearby to visit the large walled garden and sculpture garden at Houghton Hall. Following our visit, we then have a leisurely drive back to Holt, taking in sights along the coast before reaching our hotel where we can relax a bit before joining as a group for dinner.

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4-15, 2019

Sandringham House

Real flamingos at Coton Manor

Day 6 (Tuesday, July 9) B,L,DAlthough every day of our tour is special, this one is extra special! This morning, we’ll visit one of the finest gardens in all of England, a garden that should be on every gardener’s “bucket list” - the Old Vicarage at East Ruston. A 20-acre private garden, the owners now open it on certain days to the public. But, we have booked a private visit, giving us the garden all to ourselves! The garden is divided into “rooms” - large rooms, each with a different theme, filled with great plants. It truly is quite a marvel. Following our visit here, we head to the Norfolk Broads, a vast and ancient marsh considered a national treasure for native British wildlife. Here we’ll enjoy a group lunch as we cruise on one of the river waterways. After our cruise, we visit one more garden at Hoveton Hall before returning our to seaside hotel for the night. Dine again as a group this evening.

Day 7 (Wednesday, July 10) BToday we make another “geographical jump”. We leave the Norfolk coast and make our way towards the center of the East of England to stay at Bury St. Edmonds. We have free time in Norwich, the main city in this part of England where we can wander the cobblestone streets in the central district, do some shopping, have lunch, and perhaps grab some quiet time in the cathedral. Before we get to Norwich, however, we’ll try to squeeze in a stop to Blickling Hall for a tour of the house and to enjoy the grand double herbaceous borders in the parterre garden. In the afternoon, we visit another garden, Bressingham Gardens - actually two side-by-side gardens - created by the justly famous British gardeners, Alan Bloom and son, Adrian Bloom. This duo created two spectacular display gardens, the showcase for their “Blooms of Bressingham” plant introductions to the horticulture trade. We then proceed nearby to the quaint town of Bury St. Edmunds where we stay for the next three nights. Dine on our own this evening.

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4-15, 2019

Old Vicarage of East Ruston

Day 8 (Thursday, July 11) BWe take a break from garden-viewing today. Instead, we delve into history with visits to castle ruins, an Anglo-Saxon burial site, and a famous half-timbered town.We begin with a visit to Framlingham Castle, a 900 year old fortress, of which only the walls remain today. [Other, newer buildings are contained within its walls, including a new exhibition room.] We walk the ramparts and get a tremendous view of the countryside. Next, we visit Sutton Hoo, an area dotted with burial mounds. In 1939, archeologists discovered the remains of a funerary ship - probably of a king - in one of the larger mounds. We visit the site and its museum,learning what the populace was like

around 600AD. On our return to Bury St. Edmunds, we stop in the picturesque town of Lavenham. Once a thriving town based on the wool industry, it is today still one of the U.K.’s prettiest medieval villages. We have time to explore the shops and half-timbered buildings and perhaps grab afternoon tea. Stay the night in Bury St. Edmunds. Dine on our own this evening.

Day 9 (Friday, July 12) BA bit of an easier pace is on tap for us today. We begin by visiting Fuller’s Mill Garden, “an enchanting and tranquil waterside and woodland garden, situated on the banks of the River Lark.” Mid-day, we make a short stop at the Cathedral of Ely, towering over the surrounding farmland in an area known as the “fens” (former marshland). In the afternoon, we visit a local vineyard and garden, Wyken Hall & Vineyards. A blend of formal and informal garden styles surround the house with orchards and vines nearby. The rest of the day is free for further exploration in Bury St Edmonds. Dine on our own this evening.

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4-15, 2019

Bressingham Gardens: An early summer border (above). One of the many cars in the

automobile collection at Bressingham (below).

Day 10 (Saturday, July 13) B,LToday we depart Bury St Edmonds and continue our clockwise circuit around the East of England. We have three fantastic (and very different) gardens to visit today. The first garden on our list belongs to Beth Chatto, a famous gardener and author of garden books. Ms Chatto and Christopher Lloyd (of Great Dixter fame) were close friends and shared their gardening secrets with the horticulture world primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. Although her staff do most of the garden maintenance today, she was seen on the 2012 HPSO tour still pulling weeds at age 89! She is one of the first gardeners in England to promote the concept of a “dry” garden, converting the original parking lot at her nursery into a show garden. The corresponding other half of her garden has a small lake, surrounded by water-loving plants. Next, we visit Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, actually a private residence that includes three acres of spacious and peaceful gardens in a historic rural setting with the scenic backdrop of of the remains of a 12th century abbey. Our final garden visit today is to one of the regional display gardens of the Royal Horticulture Society, Hyde Hall. Located in one of the driest parts of England, this garden has had some major improvements over the past few years under the ownership of the RHS. We will stop in to see how the Australian and New Zealand gardens are progressing as well as to see the new visitor center and other major developments. We then head to our seaside hotel in Southend-on-sea where we stay for one night.

Day 11 (Sunday, July 14) B,DOn our final full day of our East of England tour, we will head back towards London. After a leisurely morning stroll in our seaside town, we depart to visit two more wonderful gardens. First, we see the Gibberd Garden, an outstanding example of twentieth century garden design. Sir Frederick Gibberd was an architect who enjoyed collecting sculpture and artifacts which he cleverly incorporated throughout the 9-acre garden. Next, we visit Chenies Manor House & Gardens. Here we find an award-winning garden comprised of “rooms” surrounding the manor - the Sunken Garden, White Garden, Rose Border, South Border, Physic Garden, Parterre, and the Kitchen Garden with the orchard and Penitential Maze. In the late afternoon, we arrive at our hotel in Chiswick (London) for our last tour night. In the evening, we’ll have our farewell dinner at the hotel.

Day 12 (Monday, July 15) BAfter breakfast, we say goodbye to our many new friends. Transfers will be provided to London’s Heathrow international airport for those returning to the U.S. [Note: For those of us staying on extra days on our own, we may wish to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, two miles from our hotel.]

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4-15, 2019

The tour is limited and priced to 25 participants. HPSO members only.

Prices are in Great Britain Pounds (£) as follows (with US$ estimates) for tour only:

[As of February 5, 2018, the exchange rate was approx. $1.41 (U.S) to £1.00 (GBP).]

In addition to the prices quoted above will be a contribution of $220 to HPSO.

Because HPSO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your contribution may be tax deductible. Please consult with your tax advisor.

Because the tour is priced in GBP but will be invoiced to you in Dollars, the estimated US$ price may change depending on the currency exchange rate at the time when final payment is made to the agent.

This tour is specially priced below market rates as a benefit of HPSO membership.

Price East of England Tour

East of England tour includes:- 12 days (11 nights) lodging in 4-star & 5-star hotels- All breakfasts, 2 lunches and 6 dinners- Services of a motor coach (bus) and driver- Tour guide (Mr. Gavin Bade)- All gratuities for included meals & services, tour guide, & driver- Admission to featured gardens and attractions

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *Please note: Arrival and departure airfare to/from England is NOT included; participants make their own way to the starting point in Windsor.

Please refer to the last page for additional items not included

What’s Included

Our Tour Guide: Gavin Bade Gavin Bade will be our tour guide/manager for this tour. Mr Bade has worked extensively with HPSO, having previously led fifteen HPSO tours (including several within the U.K.). Although based in the U.K., he travels on an annual basis to Italy, France, and Portugal. He is fluent in three languages and proficient in two more. He has an extensive knowledge of European history and culture, often pulling together bits and pieces to make sense of what we learned in school! We are very lucky to have him as our tour guide/manager for the East of England tour.

Tour Planner, Administrator, & Escort: Bruce Wakefield

A past HPSO president and our current Office Director, Bruce Wakefield, will be the administrative contact and escort for this tour. As an avid gardener, plantsman, and traveler, this will be the 24th tour that Bruce has planned and organized. Also an avid photographer, Bruce has over 62,000 photos from the many HPSO tours he has taken. HPSO members have enjoyed many of his photos in the weekly HPSO email/newsletters. Questions? Contact Bruce at: brucewjg@msn.com

Tour reservations will be accepted online beginning in mid-March

Online reservation form

Download the Tour Waiver & Release

Per Person Sharing a double room Single Rate

GBP £ 2,407 US$ 3,391

GBP £ 3,087 US$ 4,349

Practicalities

The East of England & Thames ValleyJuly 4-15, 2019

The East of England & Thames Valley

Tour Conditions & Other Information

Acceptance of your tour reservation - Tour reservation requests are processed in the order in which they are received. You will be notified by the tour escort once your reservation request has been accepted.

Participants - The tours are designed for a minimum number of participants. If the tour does not fill to the minimum, there is a supplemental charge per person. If this situation occurs, registrants will be advised of the change in pricing and will have the opportunity to reconsider their tour application. Please do not book any non-refundable airfare until you have been notified by your tour escort. Deposit - A $750 deposit is required to hold your reservation once you have been notified of your acceptance on the tour.

The agent/company for this tour is Pathfinder’s/STITA tours of Cheltenham, UK - The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon acts only as representative for the tour participant with respect to communications with the Agent. Liability Waiver - The tour participant must submit a signed Liability Waiver & Release to HPSO within 30 days of acceptance of the tour application.

This is a non-smoking tour. Smoking is not permitted on the coach or during group meals or group activities. However, overseas many people do smoke, and it is not possible to insure that you won’t be exposed to smoke during the tour.

Tour participants must be physically and mentally fit. The success of any tour depends on each person’s ability to participate and to cooperate with other tour members and with the tour guide and tour escort. At times, this tour is moderately physically demanding, involving walking at least 5 or 6 miles over the course of a day.

Travel & Cancellation Insurance - Because unforeseen situations do arise from time to time, participants are encouraged to consider purchasing travel and/or cancellation insurance. Neither HPSO nor Pathfinder’s/STITA tours provides travel or cancellation insurance. However, participants will find many third party companies via the internet that provide this coverage.

The tour is priced in Great Britain Pounds (£). However, you will be invoiced in US dollars at the exchange rate in effect at the time. Payment will be due in two installments. If any overpayment caused

by last-minute fluctuations in the exchange rate, such overpayment will be refunded to you in a timely manner, or else added features and benefits will be included on the itinerary as compensation. Conversely, any shortage will be billed on a supplemental invoice. Late payments of installment invoices in excess of 21 days will be subject to a 10% penalty. If final payment is not received by the supplier’s deadline, all prior payments will be forfeited and the reservation canceled. In addition to the tour price, a $220 contribution to HPSO will be added to your invoice for the main tour.

Payments by credit card - Because this tour is priced at cost, payments by credit card incur a 3.5% service charge to cover bank processing fees.

Land tour costs included: All hotel nights, meals, and visits specified in the itinerary plus a private motor coach and services of a driver, services of a tour guide, hotel porterage of one piece of luggage per person, restaurant gratuities for included meals, and gratuities for the tour guide and driver.

Costs not included - Airfare, items of a personal nature such as wine, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, milk, etc, with meals, telephone calls, laundry and personal services, room service, gratuities for housekeeping/room attendants, etc.

Cancellation and refunds - Regardless of the reason, cancellations result in a costly process of emails, letters, toll calls, and faxes, refund checks, extra bookkeeping expenses, etc., plus often the loss of revenue for the tour company if time doesn’t permit resale. Cancellations can also affect the per-person price of the entire tour since pricing is dependent on the number of people. To offset the expenses and any nonrefundable deposits and/or lost revenue, the cancellation fee is as follows:• If the minimum number for the tour has not yet been

reached, then an administrative fee of $50 may be incurred to process a refund.

• If the tour is full and if the space is subsequently filled from a waiting list, then a $100 fee will be incurred.

• If the tour is full and if the space cannot be filled, then the entire $750 deposit plus installment payments made-to-date may be forfeited. This, in part, may depend on suppliers’ charges and overhead expenses.

• If the tour is canceled by HPSO because the minimum number of participants is not reached by the suppliers’ deadline date, then all money will be refunded.