Date: 20 May 2008
Originally published in: The Comet (UK)
Written by:
A golf club is celebrating its centenary year with a walk on the Wilde side. Knebworth Golf Club is 100 years old and as part of its celebrations a new garden has been created with the help of 80s pop star turned gardener Kim Wilde and her landscaper brother Marty, an ex pro golfer.
Kim, who was the highest-selling British female soloist in the 80s and won Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2005, said: “We had a blank canvas and were quite playful with it. I came up with a planting plan which included references to golf such as spherical plants and blossoms to resemble golf balls.
“It was really great working with my brother and great to give something back to the golf club which has given my family so much. My dad more or less lives there and my brother learnt to become a scratch golfer there. I’m not much of a golfer though.”
Marty, who runs landscaping firm Wildeideaz based in Stevenage, said: “Kim and I wanted to create an area that members could walk through and relax in. We planted a sweeping laurel hedge to lead the eye down to the first hole and to enclose the whole area making it quite intimate. We used large boulders and structural planting to add depth and used a contemporary mix of plants, including box balls and hebes to provide all year round interest.”
Club general manager Steve Barrett said: “The entrance was looking pretty shabby and we wanted to give people a better welcome into the club in our 100th year. The money has come largely from donations from members.”
