A near full coach set out from the society to visit Ness Botanical gardens on the Wirral. We had hoped to see the trees in their autumn colours for which Ness is renown, but due to the mildness of the weather they were not at their peak. However this did have its benefits because the borders were still very colourful and the weather was warm and dry.

Following lunch we were given a guided tour of the grounds by one of the volunteers. We visited areas most of us had missed in the morning and were given the history of the founding of Ness gardens.

It was fascinating to learn that Arthur Bulley a Liverpool cotton merchant had created the gardens in 1898, stipulating that a portion of the garden should be open to local residents. Bulley was interested in introducing new species of plants from abroad and sponsored many expeditions to the Far East. Part of the garden was given over to propagating the seeds from these plants, from which the seed company Bees Ltd began.

Ness Gardens continue to be managed as a botanical garden but now have an emphasis on climate change education and the environment.