A (NOT SO) secret garden event came to life at Wimborne’s Knoll Gardens on Saturday to raise money for the Knoll Gardens Foundation.

Hundreds of garden-lovers turned out for the one-day extravaganza which featured a wide range of gardening and wildlife-related activities.

Knoll Garden’s owner and holder of 10 consecutive Chelsea Gold Medals, Neil Lucas, was on hand to offer expert advice in workshops and Q&A sessions.

He said: “I’m hoping it has been a really informal, but informative day. We are trying to promote the beauty of gardens and show that you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice this for the sake of wildlife.

“We’ve been very lucky because a couple of otters have decided to stay in our garden, so, hopefully, visitors will catch a glimpse of them.”

Knoll is a four-acre showcase for Neil’s naturalistic style and has one of the country’s most extensive collections of grasses, set against a backdrop of rare and unusual trees.

Experts were also on hand from the RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Dorset Bat Group to offer advice to the guests.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Ferndown and Chairman of East Dorset District Council, Cllr Malcolm Birt also attended the event and helped to announce the raffle prizes.

The Knoll Gardens Foundation is a charity which uses its research and education prog-rammes to promote sustainable gardening practices Neil said: “Many people think it’s hard to attract wildlife to your garden, or the only way is by letting it all run wild.

“Here at Knoll we provide homes to birds, bats, dragonflies, snakes, voles and many insects, yet the garden is renowned for its beautiful, naturalistic style.”