Monday 26 May 2014

OPEN GARDEN DAY 21ST JUNE


Well the day for the open gardens arrived, above you can see the tickets that were sold on the day.
The weather was lovely dry and sunny but not too hot and we were very lucky in that we had one of those days where everything fell into place! The flowers were open , the garden was tidy and presentable.

We had been visited by the committee members the night before and given our number for the gate, the two ladies had asked for a tour as they would be working on the refreshments on the day, so would not get to see anything. We were more than happy to show them round and they were very complimentary about the garden.

So on the day we shut the house up, for security and taking a book and a magazine we sat at the patio table to wait and see if anyone would actually come to visit, we expected it would be a few people here and there with long gaps and waiting.



The garden was enter from the side gate under the carport. So this is the view on entering.


Stepping into the garden you can see the tool shed to the left, the gazebo straight ahead and just make out the pond on the right at the top.


Turning to the right you enter the patio area with brick outhouse covered with roses and clematis beyond the garden furniture.



Turning to the left you are now looking at the rose arch with the raised pond in the foreground.

The rose arch with the statue of Venus in the distance.


Looking towards the gazebo from the rose arch.


The path towards the Flower garden with a view of the flower borders on the left in what we call the first garden or house garden.


Looking back in the first garden towards the rose arch you can see a raised bed made from the broken slabs we found in the wilderness at the end .


Swinging round to the other side you can now see that we have given the gazebo a roof. Inside are shelves with my Auricula's and a patio table and chairs for people to shelter from the sun.


Next is the view from the gateway to the flower garden and the Cloisters beyond.


A view of one side of the flower garden , a padded seat cushion ready for a weary garden visitor or two!


The opposite corner of the flower garden towards the cloisters showing the roses and flowers in bloom.


Another corner of the flower garden by this time we had rounded the corners to deepen the beds to allow us to add more flowers.Here you can see that the honeysuckle in the corner and roses are hiding the trellis.


Then we turn back to the Cloisters with roses both sides and a wisteria on the right. We had added a screening of trellis to the top of this area to give dappled shade on hot sunny days.


Looking back into the flower garden from the Cloisters and beyond through the gate towards the house.


Another view of the Cloisters showing all the lavender and stone planters and gargoyles.


And then turning into the Formal garden no longer a parterre because we have planted roses between the box hedging and a standard rose in the centre.A bench awaits a tired gardener who may wish to rest and enjoy the garden. You can see how full the lavender is now making the pathway appear much smaller than when first made.


A last view from the Lych Gate before we turn and enter what had the year before been a wilderness and was now the raised garden.


So we enter the Lych Gate and then the raised garden beyond.


From the Lych Gate you can see how the garden flowers have come on in just a few short weeks , helping to fill the space with colour and scent.


Walking along you can just about see the corner of the shed by the back gate.


The fruit and veg plot with a net over the cherry tree to stop the birds getting the cherries first, there are also strawberry plants at the bottom of the tree. The veg all starting to grow along with the Tomato's.




Then along the path to the shaded seating area where two comfy seats allowed people to rest in the shade.Unfortunately the neighbour's had still not replaced the fencing but in the end we resolved this ourselves at a later date.




Then from the very back of the garden in the shaded seating area looking back towards the Lych Gate showing that in time the planting should grow to obscure the area so that it is a place you come across by chance having followed the path to it's end.

Well we did not have long to wait for our first visitor a man and his garden designer daughter who had been sent to our garden by the ladies who had visited the night before and soon we had a steady stream of people wandering the garden, sitting and enjoying the flowers . asking what a certain flower was? how long had we been living here? How did we come up with the design? Did Paul make Lych Gates to order? At one point there must have been over sixty people or more from one end of the garden to the other. It was a very tiring but very enjoyable day, in all over 400 people bought tickets and over £6000 was raised for the church. We even had a local lady from the manor ask us if we were in the National Garden scheme! We said No, she said why not!!

Looking back at these photo's for this post, the garden looks so fresh and ordered. Now around 5 to 6 years later the garden has changed in places but the 'bones' of the garden still stand.
The garden is ever evolving as we come up with another idea that we would like to try or some thing has not worked so needs to be re thought.

We hope you have enjoyed this post and will join us for the next for there is always something happening here!!

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5 comments:

  1. Truly MAGNIFICENT!
    I have walked up and down your fabulous garden, time and time again and each time noticing things that I must have missed before.

    Adored the rose arch and the planting around the Cloisters. Loved the stone pathed winding pathways with the pebbles filling in the gaps.

    The formal rose garden with its box hedging is spectacular. (My daughter is hoping to plant some box hedging this year around her raised square patches set in her now newly pebbled front garden and I'm hoping that it looks as superb as yours does once it's established.)

    Great Herbacious boarder opposite Paul's work shed. This is, but on a much smaller scale, what I am trying to achieve within my tiny back garden plot.

    Super idea to place those pots in a circle around your sundial.

    Your patio area next to the house is so beautifully offset with the climbing rose on the back wall. I know which place/position I'd be wanting to sit at your garden table.

    I'm definitely going to add some of the smaller two square trellis to my new six foot fencing on the left side (when it arrives at the end of the Summer) to give me more privicy and then providing it's facing the right way for the sun I'll buy a Wisteria to train to run along that.

    All in all I think that my back garden is only the size of your flower garden room so not a lot of scope for me to achieve anything along your lines but......!

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  2. Thank you Kendal. We are lucky in that we found this garden..oh and house :) that gave us the chance to put our idea's into practice . The nice thing about most garden's is that you can see something in one that you can take back to use in your own , even on a smaller scale or you see something that sets your own imagination flying.
    The garden did shine on the day which was perfect.

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  3. I visited your blog by chance when I began to write my blog last week.

    I live in Japan, and I've been to England two times with my wife. The first time for our 30th wedding anniversary in 2010, we visited several famous gardens and small private gardens. I and my wife were shocked by the beauty and glory of gardens in England, and we started to plan re-forming our garden on the return flight!

    I am so impressed by you two for your enthusiasm and energy. Your garden is so great, and if I could, I would visit your garden.

    I am looking forward to your new articles.

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  4. Thank you for your kind comment. We the English do love our gardens, so try to make the most of whatever size plot we have.
    We also visit the famous gardens and those opened by NGS when we have a chance.
    We have looked at your blog and seen your beautiful garden and your lovely Roses and will visit again to see how things are.
    We have more photo's to share to bring the garden up to date.
    Dee

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  5. I could have sworn that I posted a comment on this post! But it would seem I didn't, I'm further behind than I realised. Lovely photos Dee, the garden is just beautiful and it just goes to show what can be done with a good imagination, great style and bloody hard work! Well done, you two, you've done a fantastic job on it!

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