On a warm sunny afternoon on 22 March a small but dedicated group of BRA members visited this world-famous garden which was looking extraordinarily beautiful. This was in spite of a massive snow fall during the night of 4 to 5 March which broke off many flower-laden branches with the weight of the snow. Our hosts, Adolf and Sheila Winter, woke up early on the 5th and got to work to limit further damage as the gardeners could not get in for another week with the huge amount of snow blocking access to the property.
Amelia Smithers gave a short talk about her father’s ideas for his ‘Shangri-La’, planned many years before he settled in Switzerland. Following the garden tour we enjoyed Sheila and Adolf’s generous hospitality and lively conversation until the late afternoon whilst eating delicious strawberries and other delicacies.
