Wow. This is something else. Philippa is completely dwarfed by the magnificent grandeur of the Aviary at Waddesdon Manor. The House and Grounds of Waddesdon Manor are closed at this time of year but Lord Rothschild has kindly let us visit so that we can look at the finer details of the construction and design of the aviary in preparation for building our own (slightly more modest) building for our Victorian Aviary Garden at Chelsea. We are given a warm welcome on an icily cold day by Vicky Darby, who helps to run the garden on behalf of the National Trust and Paul, their Head Gardener. Paul tells us that the Aviary was restored six years ago following a visit by Lord Rothschild to St. Petersburg where he got the idea for the stunning colour scheme of gold and blue. We will be using the same colours at Chelsea.
Tags: chelsea flower show