Inside U.K. Worldwide Interest in British Gardens Blossoms By STEVE HILL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
庭園散策とガーデニング イギリスでは庭園散策とガーデニングがブームになっている。庭園公開プログラムで個人の庭を見学したり、美しい庭のある農場や領主館に泊まったり、歴史的な名園を探訪したり、ガーデニングの学校で学んだり…と、いろいろな楽しみ方があるという。

Gardens are one of the great passions of the British ― and visiting them is becoming an increasingly popular pastime.

From the magnificent landscape gardens of Stourhead in western England to the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall and the Castle of Mey in the northeasternmost tip of Scotland, there is something somewhere to suit every conceivable taste.

Ever-growing numbers of tourists are also spending time discovering some of this land's great ― and small ― gardens as more and more people, seemingly all over the world, search for ideas to inspire their own green-finger activities.

Record numbers are enrolling in gardening courses, while sales of shrubs and plants continue to exceed all expectations.

British gardening, confirms Elizabeth Tagge of the National Gardens Scheme, is experiencing a boom. This year the scheme, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, is opening 3,500 private gardens to the public to support a variety of charities.

Visitors to member gardens in England and Wales pay an admission charge and the money enables the NGS to make charitable donations. Last year it handed over some £1.3 million (¥251 million) to a wide range of groups.

"Gardening is an extremely hot topic," said Tagge. "There is a wonderful depth of knowledge here in Britain; we lead the world in terms of gardening expertise and that is reflected in the number of tourists we are now seeing."

While the NGS continues to go from strength to strength, Bed and Breakfast for Garden Lovers is also experiencing something of a boom. Established three years ago with just 25 members, it now lists 82 gardens that welcome overnight paying guests who share a passion for gardens and gardening.

BBGL hosts have earned a reputation for their kindness, courtesy and helpfulness toward visitors as an increasing number of people use the BBGL guide to choose a center for a short break. The properties include farms, manor houses, former rectories, thatched cottages and seaside homes ― with a variety of gardens to match.

Sue Colquhoun of BBGL said: "Our hosts are people who want to share their hobby with their guests. Gardeners are very generous people.

"British gardens and gardeners are exciting a lot of interest right now. People from all over the world are coming here to enjoy the great variety of gardens you can see. It's not just the Chelsea Flower Show or Hampton Court. There are flower shows all over the place these days."

The majority of garden lovers touring Britain, of course, spend their time visiting the grounds of stately homes.

Stourhead, one of the world's earliest landscape gardens and still among the finest, tops most lists of must-sees. It was laid out between 1741 and 1780 by wealthy banker Henry Hoare, who set about "improving upon nature."

The lake at the heart of these spectacular gardens is surrounded by classical temples set among rare mature trees and shrubs. Rhododendrons and azaleas have been planted to provide great swaths of color.

Critics also reel off lists of superlatives when describing Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire, currently undergoing a breathtaking restoration.

Some £12 million (¥2.3 billion) is available for the project, which aims to return Stowe to its condition as of the mid 19th century, when the garden was diversified into a number of distinct scenes. It will be a few years yet before the scheme nears fruition, but a visit to Stowe remains a memorable experience.

Also attracting plenty of interest is the restoration of Heligan in Cornwall. The 57-acre gardens, originally laid in 1603, were virtually untended between 1914 and 1991. The reclamation project launched in 1991 is the largest ongoing restoration in Europe.

Gardening courses, meanwhile, are another boom area.

The English Gardening School, for example, runs a range of courses throughout the year, from one day to 12 months in duration. The school, based at the historic Chelsea Physic Garden in London, covers gardening and garden design as well as such subjects as botanical painting and garden photography.

For more detail about English Gardening School courses, write to EGS, 66 Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4HS, England.

The NGS can be contacted at Hutchlands Park, East Clandon, Surrey GU4 7RT, England.

For a copy of the 1997 BBGL guide, send three international reply coupons with a 22 cm x 11 cm self-addressed envelope to: BBGL, Handywater Farm, Sibford Cower, Banbury, Oxon OX15 5AE, England.

Shukan ST: July 18, 1997

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