Visit this extraordinary garden made from a derelict chalk pit. Volunteers have worked in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council since 2015 restoring the site. What was once a chalk pit is now a leafy dell with mature oaks and lime trees. Over 50,000 spring time bulbs have been planted and one bank is dedicated to wild flowers found in Hertfordshire, some of which are very rare eg Deptford Pink & Corn Chamomile.
The original Fernery contained beds built to provide different zones - acid/alkaline, damp/dry - to enable a diversity of ferns and plants for the delectation of Victorian society. It was designed and built in 1859 by Anthony Parsons, Danesbury House's Head Gardener, and completed in 1860.
No original plans survive but Pulham's promotional catalogue (for artificial rock) details a grotto, dropping well, a pass and a rustic bridge over a gorge. In 1881 the leading gardening journal of the time 'Garden Memoranda', referred to it as 'the best Fernery to be found in the Home Counties'.
Find out more here: https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden...