Students Dig in to Maintain Historic Gardens
Students at City of Wolverhampton College are digging in to help restore the gardens of an historic manor house.
The 12 students, who are all studying the National Certificate in Horticulture, have joined forces with the National Trust to spruce up the grounds of Wightwick Manor.
The class are involved in general maintenance, as well as historic work, such as pruning back a line of yew trees planted a century ago.
Centre Manager for the college’s Cedars Horticultural Centre Darren Rudge said: “We are delighted to be working with the National Trust at Wightwick Manor. The students spend every Monday at the property and are really benefitting from the experience.
“Maintaining these trees will influence the development of the whole garden so it really is a prestigious project for our students to be working on.”
Wightwick Manor Gardener Daniel Pooler added: “It’s a great opportunity for the National Trust to be making such strong links with the college.
“The pruning of the Yews is vital as they form a significant part of the gardens design, over the years they have become too large and out of scale with the rest of the garden.
“Although this cutting back may initially seem severe, they will soon re shoot, and return to their former glory and look great for another 100 years!”