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RHS Hyde Hall is a public garden based in Chelmsford, Essex not far from my base. My mother mentioned to me that October 1 was going to be a free open day and if I wanted to visit. I checked the weather, I knew it was going to be raining heavy in the afternoon. So straight after my monthly blood test, off we went.

The 360 acre Hyde Hall site encompasses a range of garden styles, from the Dry Garden with drought resistant plants, to the Hilltop Garden with roses and herbaceous borders. Hyde Hall has had a lot of investment in recent years with the opening of a new Global Growth Vegetable Garden (in 2017) showing vegetables from around the world, a new Winter Garden (in 2018) hosting an RHS Trial of Cornus, a new Welcome building (in 2017), and Hilltop Complex (in 2018) featuring a new restaurant and activity centre.

Designed by Suffolk-based garden and landscape designer Xa Tollemache, the new garden, sponsored by  Witan Investment Trust, opened in summer 2017. Its circular design symbolises a globe with four quarters representing Europe & the Middle East, Asia, North & Central America and South America. At its centre is a bespoke octagonal glasshouse manufactured by Hartley Botanic. The garden features a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables, challenging perceptions of conventional allotments with its range of everyday, exotic, and edible ornamental vegetables from across the globe. Planted in a combination of ground-level and raised beds, it will also test the boundaries of growing tender edibles in a dry Essex climate with heavy clay soil.

I am changing my garden to make it more adaptable. I can not bend down, I even had a mobility scooter in the park that took us to the new section at the back of the garden. I have lots of ideas and I am hoping to return to RHS Hyde Hall in the spring and summer as I am thinking of re joining the RHS. It was a lovely time to visit, and I may even go back in the winter to see what it is like then. I would recommend visiting this place if you are ever in Chelmsford. It really is a lovely spot !