More than 50 Station Adopters from across the Essex and South Suffolk came together last month for a special dry gardening information event at the renowned Beth Chatto Gardens near Alresford.
Around half of those attending chose to travel sustainably by train to Alresford, before making the short onward journey by coach to the gardens. The visit provided volunteers with the opportunity to learn about planting schemes that can thrive in increasingly challenging weather conditions, while sharing ideas and experiences with fellow adopters from across the network.
The group enjoyed a guided tour of the gardens led by Julia Boulton, granddaughter of the late Beth Chatto and current owner of the business. Focusing on Beth Chatto’s pioneering dry gardening principles, the tour highlighted practical techniques for creating attractive, resilient planting schemes that require less water. Julia also shared insights into recent dry garden projects managed by the Beth Chatto team.
Representatives from the Royal Horticultural Society also joined the event, hosting a question-and-answer session with adopters. This gave volunteers the opportunity to seek expert advice and discuss ways the RHS may be able to support station adoption groups in future.
For those travelling by rail, the day also included time to explore Alresford station and admire the impressive gardens developed by the local Station Adopter team, providing further inspiration for planting projects across the partnership area.
Blessed with perfect weather, the event proved to be a great success. Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the day as both informative and inspiring. Volunteers returned to their stations with fresh ideas and practical knowledge to help create planting schemes that are more drought-tolerant and better suited to the changing climate.
What Our Station Adopters Said
“Thanks for organising today’s trip to Beth Chatto. I learned a great deal and will be doing my best to put it into practice.”
“Just a note to thank you for such a special day. We all learnt a lot, networked comfortably, and made new contacts.”
“Thank you so much for an excellent, informative day at Beth Chatto. We all then went back to our station to discuss future planting.”
Events like this help support Station Adopters in developing welcoming, attractive and environmentally sustainable station environments, while strengthening connections between volunteer groups and sharing best practice across the community rail network.
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