RHS Garden Rosemoor near Bideford is a popular attraction in North Devon and very wheelchair friendly, making it a great place to head to for a day out when you need to get around on high spec mobility scooters. Take a look at our previous blog about other wheelchair-friendly attractions in North Devon.
History
The Rosemoor has been transformed over the last 30 years when it was gifted to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1988 by its owner Lady Anne Palmer. The garden is located in a valley and has heavy clay soil, so the sloping site had to be regraded and smoothed out to achieve what is now a gentle fall to the river. In the first few years, Rosemoor wasn’t much more than a muddy sea, but work continued to create a reservoir, formal gardens, a stream, hedging yews, woodland and Lady Anne’s original garden.
Highlights
RHS Garden Rosemoor is a plantsman’s garden, and the variety of flowers and plants found there will delight even amateur gardeners. Rosemoor is surrounded by woodland and includes ornamental gardens, so there is a lot to explore on a visit.
Fruit and Vegetable Garden
Rosemoor’s Fruit and Vegetable Garden has an assortment of mouth-watering produce grown in a variety of ways that demonstrate the best ways for growing fruit and veg at home. The rustic garden is sheltered by a stone wall and faces south and west, giving the ideal space conditions for growing produce. The restaurant at Rosemoor uses fresh vegetables from the garden in the dishes they serve to visitors. You can also purchase from the shop jams made from soft fruit grown in the garden, chutneys from autumn vegetables and cider from the apples in the orchard.
Cottage Garden
The Cottage Garden at Rosemoor is a riot of colour throughout the year, as the beds are packed with a mix of flowering shrubs, biennials, annuals and perennials. You can enjoy the sweet smells of the roses, lavender, foxgloves and sweet peas in the spring and summer, and the large brick pathways mean it is easy to get around the garden. The Cottage Garden is linked to the Herb Garden and Potager, forming a series of spaces linked by pathways that include both ornamental and productive plants. Around the cottage, made from oak, wattle and daub, there are climbing plants and terracotta pots with seasonal flowers.
Stone Garden
The Stone Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor is one of the oldest, as Lady Anne Palmer’s mother, who originally designed it in 1932, collected the artefacts that can still be found. The courtyard atmosphere makes it a place you want to relax in, and the oriental flare can be seen in the Japanese lantern, ornamental cherries and dwarf trees and shrubs. In spring, the stone garden is dominated by camellias, and as summer arrives, succulents and carnivorous plants are the main features.
Accessibility
At RHS Garden Rosemoor, visitors will find the grounds have a mixture of tarmac, bonded pea gravel paths or brick pathways. The width of the path varies, but are accessible by wheelchairs and mobility scooters. There are some steps, but ramps and alternative routes are provided. Woodland paths are accessible by some mobility vehicles, though are not suitable for wheelchair users. Picnic areas and benches are spread around the garden, providing space to rest should you need it.
The shop and plant centre at Rosemoor is on the ground floor with no obstacles for access, and the shop floor and centre is accessible by wheelchairs. Mobility scooters are requested as being left outside. Catering facilities are also on the ground floor, with the restaurant accessible by wheelchair, though mobility scooters are asked to be left outside.
Attractions such as displays and exhibitions that take place at Rosemoor are all made fully accessible, as they are held in the Garden Room or Lecture Hall. Parking is just 40-60m from the entrance to the garden, and 26 parking bays are designated as easy access.
Accessible toilets can be found on the ground floor and have emergency alerts.
Image credit: Patche99z
