RHS sites host little creatures

18:11:20 26th November 2009

Garden and greenhouse enthusiasts may often try to attract animals to their green space, but workers at a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) site are unsure of what to do with one tiny resident.

Employees at RHS Garden Wisley are locked in an ongoing game of cat and mouse with a little robin, which has made the giant greenhouse at the site its home.

While the staff are glad to see animals at the attraction, the little bird reportedly leaves some large droppings around the glasshouse it now calls home.

Numerous efforts have been made to relocate the robin, but it always returns to the warmth of the greenhouse.

"It simply seems to love its own reflection and it perches on the top of the displays, staring longingly into the glass," explained Matt Pottage from the Glass Team.

"This is fair enough - we like to see visitors enjoying the glasshouse experience - but there is a certain amount of mess that comes with a feathered friend."

Staff at RHS Rosemoor have also noticed animal residents in the Hot Garden, but rather than trying to relocate the dormice, they plan to cultivate plants to attract them.

Meanwhile, the RHS has paid its respects on its website to Robert Edward John Compton, president of Plant Heritage and owner of Newby Hall in North Yorkshire who passed away recently at the age of 87.