THE gardens at Rydal Hall will truly be turned into a wonderland next spring.

Gardeners and artists are working together for a dramatic installation on the theme of Alice in Wonderland.

Even in the depths of winter, head gardener Kate Jackson is preparing the ground – literally – for the collaborative project with the artists of the Lakes Collective.

They exhibit each year at Rydal, having made many pieces for the sculpture trail and staged last year’s fascinating “Swarm” exhibition among the trees in the grounds.

In order to prepare for the arrival of Alice, Kate has been planting tulips in the formal garden which will match the colours of the Lewis Carroll fantasy.

She has also been working with garden consultant Tom Attwood on a master plan for the hall’s extensive grounds. Tom, who used to work at Rydal and is familiar with both the lie of the land and its history, has been helping with new designs, starting with the herbaceous borders.

“I decided that I would need to work on one area of the garden at a time,” says Kate, who took on the post at Rydal last summer. “It is such a big place, and it’s important to have a plan on how to progress through the different areas.”

The borders, in need of “reinvigoration”, could not be tackled all in one season, but with Tom’s help Kate has made a start, lifting, splitting and dividing plants, and improving the soil with organic fertilisers and more than 40 barrow loads of manure.

There has also been some new planting to create extra colour, particularly in late summer, and an attack on perennial weeds. The next stage of her project will be to work on the quiet garden and the pond.

Meanwhile, the tulips are in, despite battles with the weather – and the mice, which have taken a fancy to them. “We’ve done two lots of planting, for shows in March, and then again later in April and May,” says Kate. “We will have to wait for the spring to see how they look.”