On an unusually mild and sunny late autumn afternoon I had the chance to visit RHS Wisley and the new Hilltop area. My main point of interest for this visit to this RHS flagship garden is to see the new World Food Garden perched atop the aforementioned Hilltop. Designed by Ann-Marie Powell, in collaboration with the Wisley Edibles team, with inspiration from the likes of Charles Dowding, this new area has been split into three areas: The Edible Flower and Cafe area, Good to Grow beds and The World Maze.
Let me lead you through the three areas that blend seamlessly together, with a rather tranquil water feature at the central point where you can sit and soak in all that is around you!
CARPETS OF FLOWERS
The Herb and Flower area, home to seating for the World Food Cafe, is the first area I passed through. This has a rather charming mix of colourful borders with shimmering jewelled carpets of flowers like nasturtiums and nicotiana in quirky shaped beds, interspaced with tables and chairs. So you are literally sitting in the garden, enjoying the scents that waft by from the rosemary, sage and thyme and the great cafe across from the area in the main building.
There is a central spine to the area: fantastic steel structures, with espaliered apples as the central feature. I spoke with edibles area team leader Paul Kettell who explained that they purposely planted 6ft fruit trees so
