News/Blog
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- Jade Vine 2018
- Blog - Forest Gardens
Using plants to create a self-sustaining community
- Spring 2017 update
Read our Spring newsletter!
- New Gardens Guide 2017!
View our 2017 Walled Gardens of Cannington Guide.
- Winter 2016 Update
Read our latest newsletter here!
- Attracting Wildlife into the Garden
Gardeners can play a key role in helping our wildlife to survive and thrive in their little piece of the world.
- Flora for Father’s Day
Father’s Day is celebrated throughout the world and reminds us to take time out of our hectic lives to give thanks and spend time with the nation’s dads.
- Summer Fair at The Walled Gardens of Cannington
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be celebrating Father’s Day at their free annual Summer Fair on Sunday 19 June, 10am – 4pm.
- Macbeth - Outdoor Theatre Performance Comes to Cannington
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be welcoming back Bridgwater College’s Drama Academy with their open-air production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 June, 7pm.
- Seed of Hope Wildlife Hide Officially Opens
Bridgwater College’s Community Orchard has reached a new milestone with the official opening of the wildlife hide, by Somerset County Councillor, John Edney.
- Don't Miss... Summer in The Walled Gardens
See what the Gardens can offer during summer...
- Santolina National Plant Collection Status
The Walled Gardens of Cannington's Santolina achieves National Collection status!
- VisitEngland
The Walled Gardens of Cannington has once again been classified as 'very good'.
- Festival of Wildlife Returns!
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be holding their third annual Festival of Wildlife on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 May, 10am – 4pm, with free entry.
- Maltese Twinning Event
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently held a Maltese twinning event, where the Maltese National Plant, Palaeocyanus Crassifoloius, was planted in the Mediterranean area of the Botanical Glasshouse.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington Open for Charity
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be opening its doors for charity for the National Gardens Scheme Open Weekend on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April, 10am – 4pm.
- Easter and the Spring Equinox
At this time of year we celebrate Easter and the spring equinox.
- Cannington Community Orchard Receives Extra Funding
Bridgwater College’s Cannington Community Orchard project has come second in the local Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative vote and received an additional £10,000.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington Awarded South West in Bloom Parks Award
Students, volunteers and staff at The Walled Gardens of Cannington were delighted to be awarded a five star award for the South West in Bloom Parks Award.
- Easter Celebrations
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be hosting its annual Easter Weekend on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March.
- Aquaponics has arrived at The Walled Gardens of Cannington
The new Aquaponics Centre, in the Botanical Glasshouse, has been constructed by Fisheries and Horticulture students from Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre.
- Magnolia Flowering
One of the highlights of the year at The Walled Gardens of Cannington is the flowering of the hybrid Magnolia campbellii, a cerise pink, which charts the arrival of spring.
- Don’t Miss… Spring in The Walled Gardens
See what the Gardens can offer during spring...
- Mothering Sunday & Flowers
Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Centuries ago it was believed to be important for people to return to their home or 'mother' church once a year.
- Cannington Community Orchard Receives Funding
Seed of Hope and The Walled Gardens of Cannington help restore the Community Orchard.
- Mother’s Day at The Walled Gardens of Cannington
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be open for Mothering Sunday on Sunday 6 March, 10.30am – 2.30pm.
- The Language of Flowers
Are you struggling to know what message to convey with your choice of flowers this Valentine’s Day?
- Don’t Miss… Winter in The Walled Gardens
See what the Gardens can offer during winter...
- New for 2016
We are excited to announce a range of new features for 2016.
- The Royal Entrance Work Begins
The Walled Gardens of Cannington are currently in the process of designing two new borders - The Royal Entrance and the Priory Border.
- “Very Good Visitor Experience” by VisitEngland
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington’s 2015 assessment from Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme, VisitEngland, has once again named the attraction as 'very good'.
- Halloween Treats at The Walled Gardens of Cannington
The Walled Gardens of Cannington once again held its annual Halloween Event, with over 2,000 people attending, getting through a whopping 612 pumpkins!
- Meare Primary School
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently welcomed a number of classes from Meare Village Primary School, as part of a tour around the Cannington Centre.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington Charity Weekend Success
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently opened its doors for the National Garden Scheme, raising over £520 from entry proceeds which were donated to three charities.
- Cannington in Bloom win Gold at South West in Bloom
Staff, students and volunteers at Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington are celebrating after supporting Cannington in Bloom with their winning entry in South West in Bloom.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington host successful networking event
Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington recently welcomed over 10 businesses and approximately 20 delegates to a special networking event.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington welcome Meare Primary School
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently welcomed Years 5 and 6 from Meare Village Primary School, as part of a tour around the Cannington Centre.
- Halloween Fun comes to The Walled Gardens of Cannington
Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be opening its doors once again for its annual Halloween event, from Monday 26 – Saturday 31 October, 10am – 3pm.
- National Collection Status
The Walled Gardens of Cannington have been awarded National Plant Collection® Status by cultivated plant conservation charity, Plant Heritage, for their Deschampsia collection.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington Open for National Garden Scheme
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will open for two days, (Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September) as part of the National Garden Scheme.
- Plant donation to a local Cannington Primary School
The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently donated £100 worth of plants to Cannington Church of England Primary School to help them develop their new Spiritual Garden.
- Plant donation to Bridgwater’s Blake Museum
The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently donated plants to Bridgwater’s Blake Museum’s courtyard garden for visitors to enjoy.
- Seed of Hope project is launched!
Bridgwater College is pleased to announce the launch of a new mental health gardening project, Seed of Hope, a not-for-profit, social and therapeutic gardening project for people with mental health problems.
- The Wind in the Willows comes to The Walled Gardens of Cannington!
The Folksy Theatre’s outdoor performance of The Wind in the Willows comes to Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington on Saturday 11 July!
- Summer Fair is a Success!
The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently held its second annual Summer Fair and saw over 750 of visitors attend!
- Visitors find their Wild Life at The Walled Gardens of Cannington
The Festival of Wildlife weekend recently returned to The Walled Gardens of Cannington, to celebrate the work of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.
- Walled Gardens Summer Fair Returns!
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will be holding its second annual free entry Summer Fair on Saturday 20 June, from 11am!
- Meare Primary School visits The Walled Gardens of Cannington
Meare Village Primary School pupils recently visited Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington, to develop their understanding of plants in conjunction with their current curriculum.
- Festival of Wildlife returns
The Walled Gardens of Cannington and the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Festival of Wildlife is to return on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May.
- Easter activities
The Walled Gardens of Cannington held a mixture of fun Easter activities, which saw over 600 visitors of all ages attend the Gardens over the Easter weekend.
- Jade vine flowers
A Jade vine, donated to Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington, by Kew Gardens in 2008, has come into flower.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington hosts snail research
The Walled Gardens of Cannington has welcomed snail enthusiast Tom Walker to conduct research in the botanical glasshouse.
- Walled Gardens of Cannington to hold free dementia training
The Walled Gardens of Cannington is to hold free training sessions for those interested in becoming Dementia Friends and learning more about dementia.
- Horticulture success for Cannington in Bloom entry
Horticulture students from Bridgwater College were delighted to hear that Cannington’s entry won three awards at the Britain in Bloom, South West.
- Students take part in Wild About Gardens Event
Level 1 Horticulture students from Bridgwater College, in association with Cannington in Bloom, recently took part in the RHS and Wildlife Trust’s ‘Wild About Gardens’ event at the College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington.
- Walled Gardens of Cannington donate plants to local school
Staff at Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington have recently donated plants to Westover Green Primary School, Bridgwater, to support their entry to Britain in Bloom.
- Event attracts budding horticulturists
Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre recently held a ‘Grow Careers in Horticulture’ event to encourage the next generation of professional horticulturalists.
- Butterfly-friendly planter for Walled Gardens of Cannington
The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently received a donation from Woodblocx in the form of a butterfly-shaped planter for the Tea Rooms’ courtyard designed to attract butterflies.
- Brownies visit Walled Gardens
The 1st Combwich Brownie group, as part of the Big Brownie Birthday Challenges.
- VisitEngland Report
"A very good visitor experience."
- Walled Gardens of Cannington hold Family Day
The Walled Gardens of Cannington are holding a Family Day on Saturday 5 October between 2-4pm.
- Abundance Exhibition
The Walled Gardens of Cannington will host part of the ‘Abundance’ Garden Trail for the Somerset Art Weeks Festival.
- Hedgehog Rehoming
The Walled Gardens rehome five hedgehogs from Secret World.
- Butterflies Bounce Back
In the Walled Gardens
- Valued Volunteers
Alan Hold
- Gardens' Gardner
About our Grounds Manager
- National Plant Collection
Development Progress
- Walled Gardens of Cannington develop collection of plants (August 2013)
Staff, students and volunteers have been busy developing the National Plant Collection in the gardens.
- Volunteer Group Visits the Walled Gardens (June 2013)
Age UK
- Photography Competition
The winners!
- Bridgwater College welcomes new Section Leader (Oct 2012)
For Land and Environmental Management
- Rare plant in flower at Cannington Walled Gardens (Sept 2012)
A great success for the horticultural team!
- Staff help save the Large Blue Butterfly (Sept 2011)
Helping play a part in saving the endangered Large Blue Butterfly.
- The Walled Gardens feature in the Exmoor Magazine (August 2011)
Article on The Walled Gardens featuring in the Exmoor Magazine
- Spectacular Shows in the Walled Gardens of Cannington (August 2011)
Open-aired theatre at The Walled Gardens of Cannington.
- Somerset Garden Festival a hit! (May 2011)
Staff and stallholders at Bridgwater College's Walled Gardens of Cannington welcomed over 1,500 visitors last weekend to its first Somerset Garden Festival.
- Free Garden Festival (May 2011)
The Gardens will be welcoming visitors over the weekend of 21 and 22 May to its Somerset Garden Festival.
- First Wedding Fair at Gardens (May 2011)
Over 100 brides-to-be attended The Walled Gardens of Cannington's first Wedding Fair last Sunday.
- First Mind Body and Spirit Fair at The Walled Gardens of Cannington (May 2011)
Some of the country's best clairvoyants will be offering readings during the day, with tea leaf reading, palmistry, tarot cards, angels and ascended masters.
- Gardens go Tropical! (April 2011)
An audience of over forty attended the tropical themed second meeting of the Cannington Horticultural Group last month, at Bridgwater College's Walled Gardens of Cannington.
- New Horticultural Group a hit! (March 2011)
Over 30 local people attended the launch of the new Cannington Horticultural Group.
- Leaping Lambs at Lambing Sunday! (March 2011)
Lambing Sunday is just the beginning of another busy calendar of events at Cannington.
- Master Performance in Floristry (February 2011)
An audience of more than fifty attended to watch Neil create a series of different floral designs which he explained to the audience as he worked.
- Find us on Facebook! (February 2011)
Keep in touch with all the news from the gardens.
- New floristry short courses (Autumn 2010)
Bridgwater College is pleased to offer a new programme of floristry part-time courses starting January 2011.
- Landscape Design Students Win Double at Taunton Flower Show (August 2010)
Bridgwater College students were proud winners of a gold medal in the ‘Designer Garden’ category at this year’s Taunton Flower Show, beating last year’s fantastic silver gilt medal.
- Arts in the Garden at the Walled Gardens of Cannington (June 2010)
Arts in the Garden is an exhibition of the work of members of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen.
- Wisteria Festival & Horticulture Open Weekend (May 2010)
Walled Gardens welcomed visitors during May to the annual Wisteria Festival and Horticultural Open Weekend.
- Walled Gardens of Cannington gain important tourism accreditation (March 2010)
The Walled Gardens of Cannington have been accredited as a ‘quality assured visitor attraction'.
- The Walled Gardens of Cannington need you! (March 2010)
The Walled Gardens of Cannington are currently looking for more volunteers.
- College Announces Schools Gardening Competition 2010 (Feb 2010)
For the fourth year running, Bridgwater College is inviting all local schools to take part in their annual Gardening competition at the Cannington Centre - with categories and prizes for all age groups, individuals and teams.
- Successful Christmas Craft Fair (December 2009)
Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington in Church Street hosted a very popular Christmas Craft Fair, the first event of its kind at the Gardens.
- Halloween Fun at the Walled Gardens (October 2009)
The Walled Gardens of Cannington were the setting for some spooky but fun children’s activities on Saturday.
- Landscape Design students win Silver Gilt medal at Flower Show (August 2009)
Bridgwater College Foundation Degree in Landscape Design students were proud winners of the Silver Gilt medal in the ‘Designer Garden' category at this year's Taunton Flower Show.
- 100th Birthday Celebrations (August 2009)
After celebrating his 100th birthday with a family party in July, Bill’s extra birthday treat was an outing to the Tea Rooms at the Walled Gardens of Cannington.
- Bishop visits Cannington (June 2009)
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price made a special stop during his celebratory guided tour of Bridgwater College's Cannington Centre.
- Art in the Garden (June 2009)
In conjunction with The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen, Bridgwater College’s Walled Gardens of Cannington became home last week to a vast number of sculptures and art works, designed and created by members of the Guild.
- Summer Open Weekend and Wisteria Festival (May 2009)
Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre was a hive of activity at the weekend, when it opened its gates to visitors for its annual Open Weekend and Wisteria Festival.
- HRH Earl of Wessex enjoys the Walled Gardens (April 2009)
Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward took time out of a busy schedule to visit staff and students of Bridgwater College.
- Classic Gardens in Cannington (March 2009)
Walled Gardens have become one of the Classic Gardens of Somerset.
- Walled Gardens are Open (October 2008)
Bridgwater College's Cannington Centre opened its Walled Gardens for a free open day for Cannington Residents.
Click here to view a selection of photos of The Walled Gardens of Cannington