Hi.
My name is Donna Richardson, and I am a passionate gardener and educator on a mission to share my gardening skills and knowledge. I show people through practical advice and demonstrations how to help and work with Mother Nature. My key focus is on plants that are of use to pollinating insects. My life’s work is to nurture our gardens working with Mother Nature, not against her.
I have been gardening professionally for over 25 years and give lectures and teachings on the problems and issues arising from gardening in this part of Kent. I speak about anything connected to gardening, from soil and seeds to climate change — varying levels of rain and drought all play a major part in our gardening successfully.
I invite everyone to take a wander to the natural habitats of the Enchanted Gardens. The gardens are situated on the grounds of what was once a livestock farm. We have our organic nursery on site too, where we grow perennials from seeds and cuttings only. These beautiful gardens are set in a semi-rural location on the outskirts of Whitstable.
The garden is nestled at the base of a protected wildlife reserve, with natural lawns and herbaceous borders, specimen trees, shrubs and climbing plants. There is a wide range of habitats for different pollinators created throughout the gardens, for bees, butterflies and moths, birds and everything else.
Lectures are given in groups of four to 20 people. I can talk about specific subjects or speak generally about gardening. The cost is £10 per head, which includes tea/coffee and homemade cake. We have entertained groups from the following organisations: Women’s Institute, Mothers Union, Horticultural Societies and the Canterbury Photographic Group.
I work with preservation societies and trusts for bees, butterflies and moths, and bats. We will be holding workshops at Enchanted Gardens throughout our opening period. If you are a volunteer member with any of these groups, you are welcome to join your group when they have a booking for a day of identification/research or recording numbers.
We participate in the open days for the National Garden Scheme (NGS — Little Yellow Book) where members of the public buy a ticket and visit any of the gardens listed on the date in the open book. This scheme generates millions of pounds for various charities each year.
We are open Tuesday to Saturday from April through to October. Our opening times are 10am to 4pm. You are welcome to visit the garden on Sundays, but your visit must be booked in advance by email or text as we are short-staffed at present.
Enchanted Gardens Kent is for everyone who likes nature, flowers, fauna and gardening.
Please contact me for more information:
donna@enchantedgardenskent.co.uk
Or visit our website here:
https://www.enchantedgardenskent.co.uk/
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