Paperwiz

3 Outside The House
4 Wild Flower Valley
Let’s pause a moment and look at the
Our next stop is at the top of
House. What do you notice about it?
Wild Flower Valley
Miss Alice
Paul
“My family was, and still is, one of the
“This is one of my favourite spots
most famous in the world.
to stop and look at all the different
You can find out more about us in the House, but it seems difficult to
plants my gardening team
imagine now that the House and grounds were built as a weekend
have introduced. The valley looks natural, but it’s not really!
retreat where my brother and I could entertain our family and friends.
We have spent many hours cutting back weeds, pruning trees and scattering
Guests usually arrived by carriage up the 3 kilometre drive you have just travelled
different sorts of wild flower seeds. The grass is not cut as short as elsewhere in
yourself.
the gardens, so it forms a good habitat for birds, small mammals and insects
attracted by the flowers.”
That drive had to be cut out, and the top of the hill itself had to be levelled to
make a site for the House. The workmen removed over 12 feet of soil and heavy
clay, which created a good deal of trouble with the foundations. All the materials
for the building were brought up by a purpose-built tramway. But by the end,
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my brother had the house of his dreams, inspired by the great French chateaux
he had loved as a child.”
Look at the valley for 1 minute.
Be careful and think about what you are seeing. Then close your eyes for
5 seconds, turn around and draw what you can remember on the back
Paul
page of the booklet.
“The answer to my riddle was ‘I am a Purple Beech tree.”
Trees only thrive on the correct soils. The underlying rocks here are
What are the most interesting plants you’ve drawn? How would you
called limestone shale (in fact this area was under water, long ago
describe them to a friend?
and we have found fossils to prove it). That means the soil has a
high lime content with a pH of 7.5, which only suits certain trees and plants.
If you don’t know what a plant is called, you can look it up in a plant
identification book or online. You will need to be able to remember the
shape of the plant and the colour of its leaves or petals. Where it is
growing can be a clue as well.
When you are ready please find your way to Stop 4. Whilst you are
walking there see if you can spot one of Miss Alice’s famous plant
When you are ready walk the short distance to the Aviary buildings
sculptures and work out how we keep the plants that make it watered
and find Stop 5.
and fed! Write your answer in the box above.
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