Houghton Lodge Gardens is hosting a family Apple Day featuring a wide range of activities.
On Sunday September 25, join Chris Bird of Sparsholt College when he returns with some of his colleagues and former students for a day of historic apple wisdom.
There will be plenty of opportunities to ask the experts on fruit tree growing, cultivating and pruning along with the chance to view and taste the many varieties.
Hampshire storyteller, Michael O’Leary will return to entertain visitors with his engaging and immersive folk stories from Hampshire.
Michael has written several books of tales from Hampshire and Sussex, and in ‘Hampshire Folk Tales for Children’ he tells of his terrible experience at the hands (branches) of the Apple Tree Man – from a time when he worked in Hampshire’s Meon Valley.
Children can also follow clues around the garden on the ‘Apple Trail to help solve the stolen golden apple mystery.
Apples will also feature on the tearoom menu with Honesty at Houghton Lodge Gardens serving apple cake, apple traybake and apple and cinnamon muffins. Light refreshments will be available throughout the day.
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As well as these activities, visitors will also be able to wander round the gardens to see over 32 varieties of apple trees, as well as pear, plum, fig and kiwi trees in the kitchen garden and the great espalier pear tree with a span of over fifty feet – and named as Britains widest pear tree and Champion Tree.
There’s also the woodland grotto, Long Border, Peacock gardens with its topiary birds, walled kitchen garden and alpacas set within the water meadows with their riverside walk along the famous Test. The outside of the house itself, the best surviving example in England of an 18th century ‘Cottage Orné’, can also be admired from the gardens.
Gardens open at 10am and the Apple Day will be from 11am-4pm. Storytelling with Michael will take place between those times.
For more information about any of the above events and to book tickets visit www.houghtonlodge.co.uk
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