Merrist Wood

March 2011. Sophie Guinness (garden design lecturer) invited landscape Architecture students to spend the day at Merrist Wood in Guildford, the garden design college which is associated to Kingston University. Ellen, who runs the plants and propagation department started the day off. Many of Ellen’s first months at Merrist Wood were spent reinstating the glasshouse facility, which had been abandoned by previous management. Once all the overgrown plants had been dealt with, minor repairs done and some long overdue cleaning, there is now a much more useable teaching facility. Ellen is now able to exhibit conditions of plants, show disease characteristics, cutting techniques, etc.