RHS Gardens, Wisley - not one, but two visits

My friend Angie and I belong to an online group of lady photographers. We've been following for about a year or so now. They are a worldwide group and often have meetups in various areas. We had seen they often have a meetup on a Sunday at Wisley Gardens so on the last Sunday of July we went along. Wisley had opened its gates at 8am for photographers, although we didn't get there until 9 am (we're not early risers now!). It was nice to be in the gardens when it was relatively quiet before the hoards of visitors.

We made for the new Hilltop Centre which I hadn't visited before. It was all very well laid out, but best of all was the vegetable garden. I had a lot of vegetable envy. All so beautifully grown and looking quite delicious. I hope to visit again soon and take some more general photos there. I was using my new macro lens for the first time, so there are quite a few flower photos here.

A few photos outside the new Hilltop Centre.

After meeting up for coffee with the camera group ladies, we had lunch and then went into the glasshouse.

Outside the glasshouse. I love the prairie-style planting here.

We then made our way to the other side of Wisley which Angie had not been to. We walked along by the river through the pinetum and made our way over to the heather gardens before heading back to the exit and home.

Looking across the river to the golf course.

My second visit a week later was an 'official' one. I was meeting up with the Pelargonium & Geranium Society (PAGS) Chairman, and Emma who runs the propagation area of Wisley. Steve and I were there to view the pelargoniums they have there from the National Collection of Pelargoniums which Wisley has taken over. Other sections of the collection are with other RHS Gardens. Wisley has Dwarf Zonals, Dwarf Stellars, Scented, Species, and Zonartics. We met Will who is in charge of growing the pelargonium collection. Steve and I were impressed with how the plants are being grown. They are obviously not being grown for exhibition, which most of our members do, but to preserve the plants. But they looked good. We did not see the zonals or the zonartics. They are being grown off-site, but we hope to visit them next year. Emma explained some of the plants were struggling with growing in peat-free compost where they had previously been grown in peat-based compost. She felt that once they started cuttings off in peat free, all would be well.

Some of the pelargonium displays around the garden