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2 in 1 Garden - use it wisely

Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
in Problem solving
We have been to Hidcote and Kiftsgate today. Kiftsgate is in the list of the 2 for 1 Garden Guide. We learned by chance that obviously far more people use the guide this year than ever before. One wonders if the amount of subscribers has so much increased. The other side of this offer is that it leads to problem that the owner gets noticeable less of the needed entrance fee. 
Feeling selfish, I paid my entrance fee when we left the garden. 

I ♥ my garden.

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Posts

  • scrogginscroggin Posts: 437
    edited August 2022
    I'm assuming that all of the gardens enrol in these schemes voluntarily.
    They obviously feel the scheme increases footfall through their onsite shops and cafes which probably counters any loss in revenue from entrance fees. 

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We have used the scheme and not felt that we were doing the owners out of pocket as @scroggin says we did stay and have tea and cake and also bought plants that we wouldn't have done if we hadn't gone.
  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    @scroggin That’s why I said “use it wisely”. 
    There are gardens like Kiftsgate that don’t have those shops where they can make the profit to compensate the loss of the entrance fee.
    I leave the judgment to the staff but I couldn’t ignore it when I heard that there were noticeable more people as 2 for 1 visitors. 
    Regarding the sale of plants, it’s the same at Hidcote, there is no plant sale happening, because people in the South can’t plant them in dry soil, and the hosepipe ban doesn’t make it better. 
    In other words, the gardens struggle a lot and we should remind ourselves what we give them to survive. 

    I mean, first Covid, then a winter that started in spring and this year the drought. One wonders what comes next, and private gardens rely on the entrance fee more than others. 

    Just my thoughts. 

    I ♥ my garden.

  • scrogginscroggin Posts: 437
    @Simone_in_Wiltshire, I understand your point but I also believe that they still will get more paying visitors than before. If I have the option to use a 2-1 scheme, it encourages me to visit a place that otherwise I may not have due to a prohibitive cost for entry as a couple. The 2-1 scheme is great advertising for gardens, I don't believe they're losing revenue because of it.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I agree with @scroggin on this.  We have certainly been to gardens in the 2 for 1 scheme which we wouldn't have visited if we'd had to pay full price.  We've actually been to a few where even the reduced price has seemed excessive.  I'm no suggesting Kiftsgate or Hidcote fall into that category.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    edited August 2022
    I also agree with Scroggin,we have been to probably 4 this year. The castles are £15-£25 entrance,plus the fuel to get there, without the 2 for one offer,we would not have visited any. Not on my pension!  The houses and gardens are the only days out we do, plus once a month treat to a restaurant a couple of miles away. Oddly enough, I haven't seen anyone in the queue with the Boggoff, I only know one other who subscribes to GW,and she asked me just à couple of weeks ago, what a Boggoff was when I mentioned the word.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Hidcote is National Trust, so they get a portion of their income from memberships (I believe it's related to the number of members that visit). The shop sells lots of stuff other than plants, and the cafe has been very busy every time I've been there, so I wouldn't worry about using your 2-for-1 card there (or other properties run by large organisations - NT, English Heritage, RHS etc). Privately-owned gardens like Kiftsgate are a different matter, but surely they wouldn't sign up to the scheme if they thought it wouldn't be beneficial.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    You don't need to subscibe to GW to take advantage of the 2 for 1 gardens.  The booklet is in the magazine in newsagents.  It was the May issue this year I think.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I think Kiftsgate probably benefits more from the arrangement than Hidcote, which is probably the bigger 'draw'. 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I would imagine Kiftsgate gets a lot of its visitors due to the proximity of Hidcote.  It certainly can't do it any harm.  Kiftsgate is certainly worth visiting in its own right.
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