PLANING, ORDERING AND PREPARING.

There are a lot of jobs in the garden we are hoping to get completed this year .Some have been just a couple of years in the planning and one a long planned dream.

Many many years ago , we were walking round a garden centre and came across a folly! Built of stone and brick it advertised a company's range of products of which you could design and build your own garden folly. They could also come along and build it for you!

Like many idea's and dreams it was stashed away and taken out on occasion pondered and returned back into the drawer of dreams.

When we moved into this house in this village and had a wonderful almost untouched lovely long space in which to fulfill our garden dreams, The folly idea was again taken out and looked at and put back into the drawer of dreams but not buried so deep.

Then a couple of years back we decided we could build ourselves a folly but instead of with stone door frame and window , we'd use timber styled to look old and worn. To that end we began to collect some bricks from our friends which they no longer needed and had been sitting in their garden getting some good weathering.

our stash .

While discussing the folly we decided that we wanted to do it well and so we have decided to buy in the stone components we will need to make a proper folly.

Having worked out just how we'll do it, if the area we'd planned on would be able to fit it, yes thank goodness !, we've made a list of the parts we need and will be ordering them on Monday!

and so to that end we decided to make a trip to Capel Manor Gardens , where the suppliers have built a romantic ruin back in 2010 for her Majesty the Queen.

These are the photos we took today.

 Alas we cannot spring to the cost of a tower but what a wonderful ruin it makes.

Closer to the tower.

Inside they have a lovely Madonna and Child.

another side of the tower. The only thing I would say is they have allowed the climbers to cover the walls and windows and tower too much, yes you want some greenery to help give it that old ruin look but if the ruin vanishes then whats the point of having such beautiful doors and windows and walls !
I think less is more .

 another area.

A lovely long wall with stone windows.

This massive fireplace sitting to the side of the garden a great focal point.

another area that's been overwhelmed by the climbers.

a column

another small area.

So we are very excited to be finally starting on our dream folly in a few weeks.

We will share our build when we start.

Also at Capel Manor are some lovely gardens set out for people to walk through, front gardens and back gardens, old fashioned and contemporary. here are just a very very tiny selection.

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This contemporary garden with a palette of mainly pinks, grey and green was lovely, here are a few more photos of it.

The opposite side

The back of the 'house' with a vibrant pink patio set to the right.

Opposite the back door a stone seat with pink Hydrangea's and a lovely cool spot to sit.

Another of the gardens.

The Japanese garden.

There are many more areas and gardens available for people to wander round getting ideas or just enjoying them. Most have some sort of seating area so you can pause for a moment and enjoy the garden.
And great value for money.

So yet another job for the garden but for us a very exciting long awaited one.



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