• A bench looking out over the gardens in the sun
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    Take a guided meditative well-being walk around our beautiful garden

    Two of our Members and supporters run a fantastic company that offers well-being coaching for everyone and academic coaching for young people, their parents and teachers to empower them to raise aspirations and achieve goals through compassionate and holistic learning. They know how much people are missing Winterbourne and have very generously put together a…

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  • Tall pink foxgloves in the sun

    Plant spotlight – Foxglove

    Our new borders on the Arboretum Lawn are now into their second full summer and really starting to fill out and mature. Tall spires of pink and white foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) planted last year are now beginning to flower for the first time and look fantastic in combination with the giant exploded star shaped flowers…

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  • White queen of the night

    Plant spotlight – Selenicereus grandiflorus, ‘Queen of the night’ Copy

    The first cultivated species of Selenicereus grandiflorus is mentioned by Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) in 1753, where he described it as the largest flowered species of cacti known at the time. However, it was introduced to Europe well before this, with historical records at Hampton Court Gardens mentioning it growing there prior to 1700. Native…

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  • Lots of plant pots filled with auriculas
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    Plant Spotlight – Auriculas

    Auriculas as we know them today are descendants of a hybrid between 2 European alpine primulas; the Primula auricula, or bear’s ear, and Primula hirsuta or European alpine primrose. They are thought to have been grown in UK gardens since the latter half of the 16th century and are mentioned in Gerard’s herbal of 1597.…

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  • Gunnera manicata by the Japanese Bridge at Winterbourne
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    Plant Spotlight – Gunnera

    There is a certain Jurassic and prehistoric look to the leaves of the stately Gunnera manicata, which is why the plant is also nicknamed ‘Dinosaur Food’. The plant itself is thought to be 150 million years old and it is easy to imagine large species of dinosaur munching on its leaves millions of years ago!…

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