Our Gardening Group made an afternoon visit on Wednesday 10 July 2024 to the Rose Garden in Bushey, Herts.

Just a 20 minute drive from our base in Kenton, we arrived at the Rose Garden in Bushey and parked in the large car par on the opposite side of the High Street. Once at the entrance of the garden there is an information board with lots of details of events concerning the garden.

The garden is really two gardens in one – a rose garden with a central fountain constructed in tufa, and a garden based on a large lawn surrounded by interesting herbaceous borders which challenged the plant spotters in our group.

Wikipedia reports that it was created in 1913 by the noted garden designer Thomas Hayton Mawson for the artist Hubert von Herkomer. The client reportedly painted a portrait of Mawson in lieu of a fee.^[1] From the 1890s Herkomer lived in a house in Bushey called Lululaund. He also painted a portrait of the architect of the house, H.H. Richardson.^[2]

The garden was laid out next to Lululaund. Herkomer had previously used the site for an art school. The school continued in operation on another site under the direction of Lucy Kemp-Welch.^[3]

Herkomer died in 1914. He was survived by his third wife, Margaret, Lady Herkomer.

The garden was transferred to municipal ownership in the 1930s after the death of Lady Herkomer. The house was also offered to the council, but was declined and only a remnant survives.

After our visit, we relocated to Duran’s Bistro Grill for enjoyable refreshments in a convivial atmosphere. The Gardening Group’s next meeting will be at a member’s home on 24 July 2024 following the Monthly Meeting in HDMC earlier in the day.