Hamish Sinclair’s Wisley Diary

I have been a volunteer at RHS Garden Wisley, working in the alpine department since 2019.

I am conscious it is over 11 years since Paul Cumbleton posted his last diary, in February 2012, about the activities in the Rock and Alpine garden at Wisley. Whilst I don’t have the considerable skills and knowledge that Paul had and has, there is still an opportunity for me to share some of the wonderful plants that the current team are caring for. I am grateful to Alex Hankey, the Team Leader who is allowing me to do this and who is vetting the content, for accuracy and moderation of content.

I will feature whatever I find interesting, which may or may not be what others would have chosen and my content may vary over time. Since the spring of 2023, I’ve been posting on the AGS Surrey Facebook Group pictures of plants and a few facts about them.

Wisley gets many visitors throughout the year. However, not everyone has the opportunity to visit the garden. This diary intends to show what’s going on in the alpine garden. You might be inspired to grow some of the plants yourselves, or to take some satisfaction from the knowledge that your plants are better!

Why start the diary again? Over the last 4 years I’ve realised how fleeting the flowering time can be for many plants. Not everyone gets the chance to see them. By capturing the images there is an opportunity to see what might have been missed. You can’t capture everything in a picture such as the wonderful scent and other features that might be appreciated if seeing the plants in real life. It is sometimes better than nothing. Hopefully you’ll find something of interest.

My plan is to post every few weeks, provided there is something useful to share. Enjoy!