VISIT TO GARDEN OF ALASTAIR FITTER

On Wednesday 30 April Club members visited Alastair Fitter's wonderful wild garden in Huntington.

Alastair and his wife took possession of an abandoned smallholding in 1977 with a farm house built in 1931. They therefore started from scratch to create this delightful garden, stretching down to the River Foss, which is a haven for wild life and contains a wonderful orchard, pond, alpine house and a meadow full of flowers. Some of the trees in the orchard are 100 years old but all the others have been planted or self-seeded. The beautiful group of Betula Papyrifera [Paper Birch] were grown from seed by Alastair. There is a huge Malus [Crabapple] which was at its best with masses of white blossom and a Cercis Sillquastrum [Judas Tree] with deep pink flower. Tree Paeonia in a variety of colours were flourishing as were the magnificent Magnolias and a Cornus Nuttallii.

As shown in the gallery there were many plants [such as the Akebia Quinta [chocolate Vine] and Rubus Spectablilis [Salmonberry] that were new to us.

This is the formal garden by the house