Hampton Court Palace always features in our list of suggested trips by members, so it was great that five Belles were able to join with other local WIs for Kington Langley WI's trip to the Tulip Festival there recently.
Over 100,000 tulips are planted in various displays in the formal beds in the grounds plus plenty of planters and other quirky features throughout the Palace complex. There was also a 'library bed display' in the kitchen garden for viewers to identify their favourites, alongside a helpful leaflet packed with top tips on growing and notes on which tulips are suitable for trickier garden situations such as shade.
Luckily for us the forecast rain held off until the very end, so there was plenty of time to view all the displays and explore the various Palace rooms open to the public. We particularly enjoyed the expansive kitchen complex, plus the gory details lapped up by the school party visitors given to them by various guides in period costume!