A Happy New Year to you from Marylyn and everyone at West Green House. May 2017 be a prosperous one for you and yours.

As you can see, the frequent frosts over Christmas and New Year have added a secret touch of magic across West Green. The Gardens may appear to be asleep at this time of year, but for our gardeners, work never stops. Major tree work is undertaken, there's plenty of mulching to be done to keep the display beds in rude health and constant vigilience is needed to keep repairs and replanting under control.

And while the bushes and beds may be dormant, in the office it is a hive of activity as we plan an enticing season of events throughout the New Year, starting with our celebration of one of this country's finest poets.

There's a reason BURNS NIGHT is so widely celebrated in the darkest days of January. It's a perfect time to move on from the post Christmas detox and warm the soul with traditional fare so do join us for our first ever

BURNS NIGHT SUPPER

on Wednesday, January 25th, relishing all the essential elements of this magnificent culinary and cultural celebration - neeps, tatties and of course the haggis. There will even be a whisky tasting to round off the evening and help banish the winter blues.

The full menu includes:

Cock-a-leekie soup

Gravadlax with Horseradish sauce

Haggis,Whisky Sauce
Neeps and Tatties

Cranachan Sundae
Buttered Shortbread

Coffee

There's a special connection between Burns Night and West Green House.  The originator of West Green, Henry Hawley was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Scotland in 1745. He led the cavalry charge at the Battle of Culloden where the brutality of his dragoons earned him the nickname "Hangman". So there can be no more appropriate place to sink a 'wee dram'... but read on as we may be able to tempt you to more!

Nothing heralds the start of Spring like the delicate and beautiful Snowdrop.

Marlyn has investigated why the wonderful display in front of West Green House has declined in recent years. Her initial thoughts were disease or poor soil, but it turns out the demise of her snowdrops is that terror of many a bulb loving gardener, the squirrel. As a result the garden team will be planting thousands of new snowdrop slips by hand later this year. To mark the occasion, Marylyn has invited the renowned snowdrop specialist Min Wood as guest speaker at the inaugural

SNOWDROP LUNCH on Tuesday 28th February.

This promises to be a treat for all galanthophiles and also offers a sneak preview of the garden ahead of opening the next day. Further details on this very special event can be found on our website but it already promises to be very popular so do book early to secure your place.

We are real romantics at West Green! In the cosy beauty of our lovely Tea Room, we plan the most charming of dinners, with tables spaced at an elegant distance, lit only by candlelight and presenting a truly delicious dinner, hand crafted by our resident chef. West Green was the setting for more weddings, proposals (and christenings) in 2016 than at any time in our history. Discover true love with us this year - but don't delay. We're keeping numbers strictly limited for this lovely evening and tables are going fast. Tuesday February 14th (as if you needed reminding!) 7pm - call now on 01252 844611

How better to treat someone you love (or anyone else, come to that) than with one of our Gift Vouchers, beautifully redesigned for 2017. Valid for a year from the date of purchase, they can be used to buy entry to West Green, refreshments from the tea room, or gifts from the shop.

They can also be used towards any of our Garden Events including those mentioned above or maybe for our special afternoon tea, especially on Mothering Sunday, which is on March 26th this year. Booking for this very popular event is now open and vouchers are on sale through the office as usual.

 

By the end of January, you will be able to book for all West Green House events online. Full details of this exciting new development will follow in our next newsletter.

A huge thank you to the very many people who supported all our Christmas activities, including our new, extended Christmas Fair, the Illuminated Garden (and our plans for next year's lighitng are simply sensational!) and our first ever Winter Festival. We were delighted with the reaction we had to all our new initiatives, including our special Greenhouse Pantomime 'The Princess, the Pea and the Greedy Greedy Goose' whose cast is shown here. If you came to any of our events, do please tell us what you thought - it helps us make them even better next time! Facebook, twitter, email - we'd love to hear from you.

A very Happy New Year to you all and

we much look forward to welcoming you to West Green in 2017