Summary (by AI): I felt fascinated by the history and unique "Family Apple Tree" at Waterperry Gardens, though my early spring visit was slightly premature for the full blooms and marred by the minor annoyance of a persistent mower.
Blog: Countless times I’ve driven the road between Oxford and Wycombe, passing the sign for Waterperry Gardens so when it came to “G for O”, there was only one choice, and I started to research.
What I found is a truly fascinating place with a deep history. It was founded back in 1932 by a woman named Beatrix Havergal. She was a powerhouse who was adamant that there needed to be better horticultural education for women. At the time, it was a heavily male-dominated industry, so she set it up as a proper horticultural college to give women a foot in the door. She ran the place for about fifty years before it was eventually acquired by the School of Philosophy and Economic Science.
Under the new ownership, the focus shifted slightly. While they kept the gardens going, they transitioned it into a center for contemplative inquiry. You can really feel that when you walk through; there are specific sections laid out as "silent zones" designed to help you get into a zone of quiet contemplation.
I decided to visit earlier this year. I’ve currently got this "thing" about ticking off as many gardens as possible in the spring—it’s such a brilliant time to see everything coming to life. However, at one level, I think I turned up at Waterperry just a little too early.
They are famous for their 200-foot-long herbaceous border, which is usually an incredible explosion of colour from May through October. Since I was there before the peak, I’d actually used some AI to help prep for the visit. The AI suggested that I go and look at the border anyway to see the "bones" of it—to see how it’s structured before the flowers actually arrive. It was actually quite an interesting perspective, seeing the architecture of the garden before the blooms take over.
But the research also pointed me toward something else, far more interesting. They have a fabulous-looking pear orchard, but the real star is the "Family Apple Tree." It’s a single, fantastic tree that has been grafted with forty different apple varieties. It’s got forty different branches hanging off it, and the science actually holds up—those branches continue to grow their own specific varieties. Very cool.
The only slight annoyance was a bloke on a ride-on mower. He just kept going round and round the very area where I was trying to film my video. I’d wait for him to wander off to a different section, I’d hit record, and then—vroom—he’d suddenly reappear right behind me. Git !
Before I left, I made sure to see the National Collection of Silver Saxifrages. They’re essentially alpines, and they were looking lovely even this early in the spring, covered in delicate little white flowers.
As a side note, I also spotted a couple of willow arches. They’ve given me a massive bit of inspiration for my own space—I think I’m finally going to try and build something like that in the back of my garden. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do - watch this space.
The Map: