Let down....

This afternoon I went with my friend Chris to the open day at Goldney Hall. This is a large house that was built by a wealthy Quaker in the early 1700's and has fairly extensive grounds, considering it is now in the middle of a city.
Back in the 1980's Chris worked there as a gardener for four years when she and her husband moved from London where she had been working at Kew gardens.
Today was a huge let down for both of us as the gardens had not been kept to the standards that they had been when Chris worked there. I am only an amateur gardener but even I could see the weeds, bad pruning and lack of lawn care. The planting also left a lot to be desired. Oh yes, some areas were attractive with wallflowers and tulips giving a colourful display as well as the trees and shrubs that are in flower, but even small gardens like mine are just as colourful at this time of year given the weather that we have had recently.
Chris and I were talking about the way that some gardens and parks departments have made so many cutbacks that they no longer provide the excellent displays that they once used to and that gave pleasure to so many people. Not so vey long ago they would all have extensive greenhouses where staff would propogate cuttings and grow plants from seed during the winter so that they were well stocked with bedding plants in the spring and then they would sell the excess plants once they had completed their display. These would last all through the summer fom April/May right through to October when bulbs would be planted for the spring.
It's such a pity that this has happened but I suppose it's all down to money again and councils have so many managers earning such large sums that cutbacks are made in all the wrong places in order to pay them.