Surrey|United Kingdom

July 2020

You might remember that we visited Wisley when the boy was a little babe in arms. Lockdown naturally prevented further visits, until July when the restrictions eased.

We booked our slot online a good few weeks in advance, and hoped for a warm sunny day. We weren’t disappointed!

This beautiful ruby acer was the perfect spot for a cheeky Mum and Dad selfie while the baby napped, and we planned our route round the garden.

It was a shame to have missed spring in full bloom, but summer’s flowers put on a stunning display. Accompanied by so many insects flitting around, lazily feasting and gorging on the nectar.

Now we’re getting that bit older, we’ve been enjoying taking inspiration from the gardens we visit. We have one shady bed in our garden which we’re slowly filling; seeing the candy pink astilbe happily in the shade of a large tree gave us a prompt to visit our local garden centre the next day!

The red admiral (above) and peacock (above left) were the most beautiful, pristine specimens. Is there anything more archetypally bucolic than a packed annual and perennial border, buzzing with bees and butterflies?

And finally, some pictures of our smiley, stripy boy loving family time and our outside adventure.

The useful bits:

• RHS Wisley is near Woking, Surrey, and is located just off the A3 (London to Portsmouth A-road).
• We drove to the Garden (parking is free), but public transport is possible. Plan your visit here.
• If you do use public transport, your entry ticket is a discounted £12.
• Normal entry costs £16.50; we used our membership. Entry is strictly bookings only during this bizarre and unprecedented time - but it’s a quick and easy process online.