Before I start this post, I thought I’d better
warn you that this is going to be pretty photo heavy and fairly word light!
A couple of weeks ago, my Mum, Dad and I headed
over to RHS Wisley for a little trip to celebrate my Mum’s birthday. The last time I went there
was a few years ago now, but I remembered really enjoying it and thought it
would be something that my Mum would love, being a lover of gardens and
flowers. I had rung in advance to hire a scooter, as the last time I went we
used my manual wheelchair and it was hard work for my Dad! I’m so glad I hired
the scooter, as it made getting round so much more relaxing for both me and my
parents, so I would definitely recommend doing that if you struggle with your
mobility. They ask for a refundable deposit of £5, which I think is
fantastically reasonable.
Despite the weather being perfect in the days
before (and the days after) our trip, on the day we went it was rather rainy.
However, when we arrived at around 11.30am, the car park was still packed, so
the rain obviously doesn’t put people off visiting. Luckily the rain seemed to
ease off during the day, and it definitely didn’t spoil our visit. The first
thing we did after paying to get in, being given my scooter and having a nice
lunch in the café, was to head over to the huge glasshouse, as we’d heard they
had a butterfly exhibit and were desperate to see it. Unfortunately, the
butterflies leave after today, but they are an annual thing, and I would
wholeheartedly recommend checking them out when they return. It was so lovely
going into the tropical climate away from the cold and rain. The glasshouse was
full of amazing plants and colourful flowers, so I thought I would share some
of my photos with you.
After looking round at the flowers and the
waterfall, we made our way into the centre of the glasshouse where the
butterflies were living. We moved around really slowly, in total awe of the
number and size of the butterflies flying around. I literally felt like I was on
some sort of tropical rainforest holiday as butterflies floated silently past
my head. I thought I would be a bit jumpy, but they are so delicate and
beautiful I relaxed really quickly. I didn’t get many photos of the butterflies
unfortunately, as they were so quick! But I did manage to catch a couple while
they rested on the trees, as well as a beautiful blue one that took a fancy to
me! It first decided to land on the back of my scooter seat and settled for
ages, prompting other guests to gather in a circle around me to take their own
photos (I felt a little like a zoo attraction!) A bit further around, another
one came and settled right on my chest, which was a little scary to start with
but I soon began to appreciate just how close I had managed to get to such a
beautiful creature. Again, other people gathered around to check it out!
After our time in the glasshouse, we decided to
have a look around the rest of the gardens. By this point the rain had pretty
much stopped, so it worked out really well, even if it was still a bit chilly.
This isn’t the best time to go if you’re hoping to see loads of beautiful
flowers outside, as everything still looks fairly green. But we found some
adorable little flowers in some of the small greenhouses and a few colours
beginning to emerge around the outdoor areas. There were also the snowdrops
just starting to fade, and carpets of crocuses covering grassy areas. I
definitely want to go back in a few months once everything has come into full
bloom, as I’m sure it will look amazing after seeing everything they’ve got
growing. As well as a few flowers, there were also quite a few metal sculptures
around the grounds, which looked fantastic, especially against the rainy
atmosphere. Some of these were available to buy and there were some with a tiny
hidden ladybird for guests to find.
We finished our trip with a little look around
their garden centre and gift shop (and somehow managed to come away without
buying anything, although Mum and I were very tempted!) Overall, we all really
enjoyed our day out at RHS Wisley and are already planning our next visit.
Have you been to RHS Wisley before? What are
your favourite flowers from my pictures? And what do you think of the
butterflies?!
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