UK garden tour’s view to a bloom

Britain's Queen Elizabeth walks through a garden during her visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London

Britain's Queen Elizabeth walks through a garden during her visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London

Published Mar 29, 2011

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The 16th annual Kirstenbosch Chelsea Tour holds a special combination of interests.

In addition to private visits to some of the greatest gardens in England, this year’s select group will also see the haunts of some of the leading writers of the past century. Plus another private privilege, an early morning introduction to the world’s greatest horticultural show by David Davidson, designer of the South African stand at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. The visit will also include a champagne breakfast.

Provisional arrangements are being made to visit the imaginative garden of Lord Carrington, who was Margaret Thatcher’s foreign secretary. When he and his wife restored their old house after World War II, Carrington encouraged a group of art students to create sculptures for the various garden areas.

Internationally renowned David Hicks’s beautiful garden at The Grove is another tour highlight.

The group is accommodated, with full English breakfast, at the comfortable Regency Hotel in South Kensington. Departure date is May 21, aboard South African Airways. The group is limited to 14 participants, subject to at least 10 participants, so early booking is advisable.

l Enquiries: Gillian Durrant, Bluesky-Aviation & Tours on 021 683 2838 or 083 261 3961.

- Saturday Star

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