This Gardens Trust online talk on January 12 at 1 pm Eastern time is sponsored in conjunction with the Kent Gardens Trust, and is £5. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register HERE.
As the Italian Water Garden nears completion visitors can sense how the beauty of the past has inspired this magical blend of house and garden hidden away in the heart of historic Rochester. It is the culmination of 27 years of creative endeavour by owners Robert Tucker and Jonathan Wilmot. A new ‘restoration’ (the house is named for the visit of Charles 2nd in May 1660 on his way to London from Dover) has breathed fresh life, piece by piece, into three quite different areas of the garden, with each component using materials and craftsmanship of the highest order. It required the energy and persistence to battle with the local council and unsympathetic developers, and TO WIN, and then to share the results with the public.
In this talk, Jonathan Wilmot will outline the main features of this invigorating story. Head Gardener, Sarah Pollard will talk about the plants, the parterre, the established trees and the hard work that combine to create a harmonious whole, and about looking after the lemons that now flourish in the Italian garden. Jonathan Wilmot is one of the co-owners of Restoration House, and Sarah Pollard has been Head Gardener for over 10 years.
