Gardeners asked for opinion on renovation

Restoration work taking place at a Somerset horticultural attraction will take direction from the opinions of interested garden and greenhouse enthusiasts.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the Regency Gardens at Cricket St Thomas Hotel in Chard are asking visitors to help shape the park by giving their opinions on what needs the most work.

A three-year renovation project is underway and bosses at the site plan to react to feedback from customers when deciding what to focus on next.

So far, a number of man-made lakes have been drained to allow 45 years worth of silt to be cleared away.

A new water garden has also been created close to the parks entrance, which has helped add new life to a site that was looking "quite run down", according to head gardener Dave West.

He told the RHS: "We have guests and locals whose children and grandchildren have grown up and remember how it was before, so were trying to involve them to make sure they get a say in what theyd like to see more of."

In other news, the RHS recently noted that scientists may have isolated a bacterium that is causing infection in English oaks.