Somerset gardens ask public for opinions

A Somerset horticultural attraction is asking garden and greenhouse enthusiasts for their opinion on restoration work going on at the site.

The Grade II listed Regency Gardens at Chards Cricket St Thomas Hotel are currently in their first year of a three-year upgrade, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) reported.

Work up until now has consisted of the draining of a number of man-made lakes which have been clogged with decades worth of silt and the creation of a new water garden.

However, owners are keen to give visitors a say in the direction of the attractions future and have asked them to vote for what they would like to see improved next.

Head gardener Dave West explained that the site was "quite run down" until fairly recently.

"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," the RHS reported him as saying.

Meanwhile, the RHS has paid its respects to renowned garden expert Roger Aylett, who passed away recently at the age of 76.