Monmouth garden set for restoration

A city centre horticultural site is to be restored to its former glory throughout the summer, with garden and greenhouse fans being encouraged to come along and watch the work.

The secret garden in the centre of Monmouth will be open to the public once renovations are completed, but visitors will be welcomed on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 BST until 12:00 during the warmer months.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the site is only accessible by walking through a ten-foot tunnel as walls protect it on all sides from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It was once visited by Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, but the 19th-century promenade pathways and hollow hypocaust walls have fallen into disrepair.

However, a team of horticultural volunteers have now made it their mission to restore the garden and have drawn up plans to return it to its Georgian heyday.

Meanwhile, the RHS has noted that there is a new threat to English oak trees in the form of the Acute Oak Decline infection.