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Jim Gardiner

Jim Gardiner Curator, RHS Wisley Gardens RHS Garden Wisley

Jim Gardiner is the Curator of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden at Wisley, a position he has held for over twenty years. Before that he was Curator at the Hillier Gardens and Arboretum. His primary interest is in woody plants, in particular Magnolias on which he has written two books, “Magnolias, their Care and Cultivation” and “Magnolias, A Gardener’s Guide”.

  • Date Joined: 12 Jul 2007

Recent Comments

  • Friends reunited with a centenary celebration

    Jim Gardiner on 30 Jul 2008 at 01:48 PM

    Isn't it sad when you've trained or worked somewhere for a while, but then move on to pastures new and leave good friends and colleagues behind.  Well, in 1908, just three years after the RHS moved to its first permanent garden here at Wisley, the Gardens Club was established as a means of keeping students and employees past and present in touch with each other.

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  • Going Bananas!!!

    Jim Gardiner on 23 Jul 2008 at 04:15 PM

    Over the last few months regular visitors to the Glasshouse would have been watching with interest the gradual formation of a big bunch of bananas.  In the middle of the Tropical Zone a banana plant flowered a few months ago and Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ (AAA Group) AGM has been growing bananas ever since.  Yesterday we noticed the first one had ripened, meaning it was time to harvest. 

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  • Your invitation to see the 'secret' science side of Wisley.

    Jim Gardiner on 16 Jul 2008 at 04:29 PM

    A visit to Wisley is a visit to a truly inspirational garden.  There is so much to see here.  But there is also so much that our visitors generally don’t see and that is the behind-the-scenes science that we carry out in the Laboratory, the beautiful 'country house' (actually purpose built as a lab in 1914-1916) at the front of the Garden that provides such a magical backdrop.

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  • Street Party

    Jim Gardiner on 09 Jul 2008 at 02:33 PM

    We had a street party last Thursday evening.  Witan Street is a development of 8 very small gardens up beside the Orchards Café, opposite this year’s Maize Maze (on the site of the old Glasshouse).  The 7th and 8th gardens have just been completed, so we had a ‘party’ to celebrate and commemorate the official opening. 

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  • Scarecrows on Seven Acres

    Jim Gardiner on 01 Jul 2008 at 11:50 AM

    On Tuesday 24th June, Wisley was transformed into a midsummer wonderland by the WI with their scarecrow-inspired evening. The night was in honour of the 90th Anniversary of the Surrey Federation WIs and thousands of WI members from across the county came to celebrate.Click on www.thewi.org.uk/surrey or http://www.thewi.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=11462 for more information.

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