There are an incredible 340 gardens open for the National Garden Scheme during August. Sadly I have been unable to visit any so far partly because I am busy with my own garden being one of the 340, added to which my 'under-gardener' had an unfortunate accident resulting in him being confined to crutches and … Continue reading The Garden Gate is Open at Tudor Lodgings.
Garden visiting
Batteleys Cottage; ponds, paths and plenty of places to sit.
It is a glorious time of year for garden visiting, however I fear many of us this afternoon will be staying at home to watch the Wimbledon finals. So I am going to take you around Batteleys Cottage Garden which I very much enjoyed last Sunday when it was open for the National Garden Scheme. … Continue reading Batteleys Cottage; ponds, paths and plenty of places to sit.
The Stuart-Smith trilogy
Thursday 13th June was an exceedingly wet day. This neither deterred nor detracted from a delightful day tour of three gardens in the village of Bedmond in Hertfordshire, owned by various members of the Stuart-Smith family and organised by James Bolton of Border Lines http://border-lines.co.uk/ We began the day at The Barn, Serge Hill, the … Continue reading The Stuart-Smith trilogy
Why run a marathon when you can visit a garden?
Last Sunday the sun came out, the sky was blue, and it was a perfect day for the Halstead Marathon in Essex. No, no don't be silly I wasn't the runner, that was my daughter. I would rather visit a garden any day so I waved her off at the start and nipped off to … Continue reading Why run a marathon when you can visit a garden?
Frankham Farm
Last weekend we were staying in Lyme Regis and by way of using the National Garden Scheme App, I discovered that Frankham Farm some 18 miles away was open on the Sunday. We drove through the delightful Dorset lanes, narrow with neatly trimmed bare brown hedges and banked with primroses. Situated in the extraordinary sounding … Continue reading Frankham Farm
Snowdrops at East Ruston Old Vicarage
Inspired by the eloquent voice of George Plumptre CEO of the National Garden Scheme announcing the start of the Snowdrop Festival I decided to visit East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden http://www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk who were hosting their own Snowdrop Specialist Growers Day. The owners Graham and Alan warmly welcomed us in the car park directing us to park … Continue reading Snowdrops at East Ruston Old Vicarage
The Garden Museum
If you find yourself in London and you simply can't face the noise and swirl of shoppers and traffic then I can recommend a quiet visit to the delightful Garden Museum located south of the river in a church right next door to Lambeth Palace. The Church of St. Mary-at-Lambeth was made redundant in the … Continue reading The Garden Museum
Madingley Hall, gardens and health. (8/18)
Having spent a tedious morning on the phone to the Department of Work & Pensions, followed by a lengthy call to BT to try and sort out longstanding internet problems, I decided it was time to visit a garden and restore my equilibrium. Twitter brought my attention to the fact that Madingley Hall was opening its … Continue reading Madingley Hall, gardens and health. (8/18)
Bank House, well planted in the Fens (7/18)
The area between Downham Market and Wisbech on the edge of Norfolk is not particularly known for its gardens. Last Sunday driving through the lanes and over the dykes between the flat fertile fields of the Fens, I discovered Bank House. The familiar yellow NGS signs were helpfully posted at all the crossroads which relieved … Continue reading Bank House, well planted in the Fens (7/18)
Great Thurlow Hall, wet, wet, wet.(6/18).
Last Sunday was yet another wet, wet, wet day. Unable to work in my own garden and combined with Easter excess I decided that the only thing was to visit another garden. As I approached Great Thurlow Hall in Suffolk through a deluge of rain, signs of Spring were just visible on those manicured hedges … Continue reading Great Thurlow Hall, wet, wet, wet.(6/18).
