I’ve just come back from the Hampton Court Flower Show where I met a lady who lived close to Westonbirt. Almost immediately she apologised for never having visited the Arboretum, despite being able to almost walk there.

I rather suspect lots of our readers have never been to Waterperry Gardens, near Wheatley. However, I was reminded how good it was when I was invited to a thoroughly enjoyable head gardeners’ day. Tours were led by garden manager Pat Havers, plant manager Rob Jacobs, orchard manager Chris Lanzack and nursery manager Liz Glasser. And what a day it was!

The sun shone and the gardens looked wonderful, although Waterperry will be very busy this weekend during Art In Action (July 17-20).

Waterperry has a well-documented horticultural heritage because it was a leading ladies’ gardening school, with the emphasis on the word ‘lady’. Some of our most eminent lady gardeners went there. The late Pamela Schwerdt and Sibylle Kreutzberger, who were joint head gardeners at Sissinghurst for 31 years until their retirement in 1990, trained here. The late Valerie Finnis, who founded the Merlin Trust, was also there for 28 years as student and tutor. The very much alive Mary Spiller has only just retired after more than 50 years. I think Waterperry, with its magical setting, must seep into the blood of the people who work there. The school was founded by Miss Beatrix Havergal (1901-1980), a clergyman’s daughter born at Roydon, near Bressingham, in Norfolk. Beatrix, perhaps more man than woman, ran a spartan institution that concentrated on skill and knowledge.

Although most famous for her Royal Sovereign strain of strawberries (her displays won a Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show for many a year) she was also keen on top fruit. Wall-trained trees were a speciality and for many years the school sold fruit in Oxford’s Covered Market. Waterperry helped the war effort and still has an orchard producing apples and bottled juice, both sold in the garden shop.

Although Beatrix died in 1980, aged 79, her principles are followed today. Pat Havers has the job of staking the traditional horticultural border using hazel cut from the estate in snowdrop time. These are stored somewhere cool and damp until needed. If they dry out, they snap as you bend. Staking with hazel sounds simple, but it has to be done when the plant is a third grown so that, as it grows, it camouflages the twigs while still supporting the plant. I think Miss Havergal would approve of Pat’s staking. It’s the best I’ve seen for years.

Rob Jacobs explained the traditional herbaceous border, which is cut down every November, has three stages. It starts with lupins, goes on to delphi-niums and ends with the famous asters or Michaelmas daisies so often photographed. It has stayed true to its original design, so tall grasses are left out. Some of the original rambling and climbing roses, planted in the 1930s, still exist. Every year they’re pruned and tied in and they still flower well despite being veterans. They include the silver-pink ‘New Dawn’, ‘Golden Rambler’ (1894) and ‘Paul’s Scarlet Climber’ (1916 ).

One apple tree has been ‘topworked’ so 50 different varieties, all labelled, grow side by side.

Rob Jacobs amused us all with a funny story. When orchard manager Chris Lanzack selected the appropriate tree he removed most of the branches, leaving a solitary trunk, before going off to collect the scions.

Seeing the denuded tree, a helpful employee, passing by with a digger, thought it would be helpful to finish the job. When Chris came back after lunch with his scions, his tree had gone. Luckily the rest of Waterperry is still there for you to enjoy!

Visit waterperrygardens.co.uk or call 01844 339254