Cosmos study is out of this world

Ashford’s Godinton House has been selected to take part in a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) plant trial.

The study is on cosmos, a late summer flowering annual. The plants are now in bloom at the stately home in Godinton Lane.

Viv Hunt, Godinton’s head gardener, is working with the RHS on the trial for cosmos to provide the opportunity for multiple seed varieties to be grown together, side by side, so they can be compared.

A total of 16 varieties have been planted at Godinton and Viv Hunt will feed back to the RHS information about cultivation, health, performance and weather endurance along with important visitor reaction.

The results will be assessed by an expert RHS forum panel to help them make their decision to grant plants the RHS Award of Garden Merit status.

Visitors to the gardens are being asked to play their part and select their favourite, from sonata pink premium, brightness red, fizzy pink and many more.

People who take part during their visit to the gardens will be entered into a draw to win one garden season ticket to enjoy Godinton for a year.

The gardens are open every day from 1pm. Godinton House itself is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the first house tour at 1.30pm.

Admission to the garden is £5 for adults and £9 for the house and garden. Children under 16 can go for free.

Visitors to Godinton House are being asked to choose their favourite variety of the garden’s collection of cosmos flowers as part of a trial conducted by the Royal Horticultural Society

Godinton House gardens have 16 varieties of cosmos flowers