I am on the May 21 tour, but arriving May 19 and staying at the Radisson. Is anyone else fitting in a few free days earlier? I plan to do the British Museum and V+A.

Hi all,
My wife and I have signed up for the early trip. Got the last double room.
Does anyone know how many people are on this tour?
We are both avid gardeners so we are looking forward to the trip and all it promises.

Roberta and I are planning to go. We have always wanted to see the English gardens, particularly Sissinghurst. We have a North Carolina mountain garden.

Just curious who might be going on the May 22 - June 3, 2012 trip. Where you're from? I and a gardening friend are coming from the Vancouver, WA area.

I have read about Sissinghurst and finally will get to go...altho I am somewhat intimidated by the idea of traveling alone. Most everyone I would normally travel with have either been to this part of England or have no interest in these beautiful gardens, but the benefit to me is gaining some inspiration for my own small landscape. Would love to hear from others who may be traveling solo!

It may be inaccurate, but I am assuming that many of my fellow travelers have gardens at home, although they may be very different from the glorious results of rain, time, and skill we expect to see in England.

My own gardening efforts are shaped by climate (hot, dry, savage) and by physical setting (deer, snakes, armadillo, plentiful bird life); thus plants to attract birds and to discourage Bambi plus native grasses instead of lawn are the focus of my gardening efforts.

One section of our yard displays five native grasses, and prior to overgrazing by cattle these grasses grew higher than a horse’s belly. I mow this patch twice a year to help seeding and reduce cover for snakes (copperhead, water moccasin, rattlesnake).

Vegetable gardening and composting are both challenging, thanks to the energetic attentions of raccoon, opossum, and armadillo; however, container gardens sometimes escape their depredations and I have a metal composter—apparently the only way to repel night visitors, although their engineers are probably at this moment working on how to open it.

If plant names like Lindheimer’s muehly or possumhaw seem unusual or interesting, these are living in my yard which is the near the Brazos River in Texas.

Would others like to describe their gardens? Alice