Yesterday we had one of those occasions that you dream about in the depths of winter, wandering about other peoples' gardens in delightfully warm weather. A nearby village was holding a fund-raising event, and they chose their weekend well! Communal effort has transformed the garden of the village hall into a breathtaking site. Formerly overgrown and abandoned, it has now been cleared, the wall repointed and the area sown with wild flowers.
What a lovely sight!
It's a pretty village, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, with a mixture of handsome farmhouses and attractive small cottages.
Some well-tagged young livestock were out in the yard enjoying the weather. "What's this? Sunshine!"
We hadn't visited any of the gardens before so had no idea what to expect. We walked through an archway at The Old Rectory
and entered a wonderful space.
I didn't know which to admire first, the clever planting or the beautiful house. (Those vicars certainly knew how to live well!) The rectory has been privately owned for the last thirty years and, when purchased, the area that is now a garden was an unkempt field. The charming owners do all the work themselves with the assistance of a younger man in the village.
The are obviously skilled gardeners, balancing control and profusion with great success.
Somewhere down there is a lake
causing the owners some distress as it has become clogged with silt from the neighbouring farmland.
It makes the concerns for my little puddle of a pond seem rather insignificant!
The advantage of having adjoining farmland is that you do get a lovely borrowed view.
Himself studied the various archways and arbours with a view to 'borrowing' any ideas for home.
Then we had a wander down the road to see what else there was to discover.
The bunting was out,
there was a garden 'privy'!
And a window in a hedge.
There were nice small details in other gardens,
an impressive level of tidiness
and some very desirable plants - just what I'd like for my border!
But it's always nice to come home.
I need a hedge with a window. Will work on husband, stat! Oh, and I need an old rectory, too...
ReplyDeleteYes, I want a hedge and then a window in it, and a rectory, and a lake instead of a pond. But first I need quite a different sort of bank balance!
DeleteI live on the desert coastline. I can't tell you how gorgeous and lush this looks to me. Ahhhhhh....
ReplyDeleteRemember, Connie, that you are now sharing my garden (without having to weed) and any jaunts that I go on. And the deal is that whenever it's wet and/or cold in Blighty, (which is often) and can dream about your desert coastline. Now that sounds ahhhh to me!
DeleteWonderful gardentour, I love sculptures in a garden. The window in the yew hedge is great!
ReplyDeleteSigrun
Everyone seems to love the window in the hedge, and it is quite a simple thing to do.
DeleteWow that is impressive, it looks idyllic.
ReplyDeleteThe wild flower garden was absolutely stunning, Lilac. I took a number of photos of it but simply couldn't do it justice.
DeleteSo green. Even in winter in Australia (my part anyway) I don't see that much green.
ReplyDeleteGreen comes from rain, lots of it, Patricia!
DeleteI'm only too happy to share our green with you.
Thanks for the tour, I love that stone archway.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love archways, arbours and the like. I'm trying to think where we can put some details into our garden
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful! I love the windows in the hedge and the bunting. Enjoy your summer!
ReplyDeleteHello Sunday, Bunting has become much more popular in recent years. I bought some red, white and blue for last year's celebrations and have had good intentions of making reams of homemade bunting, but so far that hasn't happened!
DeleteAh, that awesome feeling when all you can see are greens that are artfully and beautifully dotted with lovely bright colors added to a well-kept landscaping! Doesn't it look like paradise to you? Thank you for sharing this wonderful find with us! By the way, is it just me, or are you considering to work on your own garden soon? Well, best of luck!
ReplyDeleteJeremy @ Flowers\' Gardens & Landscapes