A Cathedral Gardens Visit

The last Saturday of August was an opportunity for me to visit a National Gardens Scheme open garden with a difference. This was the very first opening of the gardens of Chester Cathedral under the scheme and from what I gather the second only cathedral in the country to open under the NGS. Arriving at the entrance I paid the admission fee and was presented with a most comprehensive information leaflet which told visitors what they were about to see. This was a lovely touch and the enclosed map was useful for navigating my way round. The leaflet explained that the majority of the gardens had been planted over the last two years, so it would be take some time for them to "take on their atmosphere and character". In various locations several rare and exotic trees have been planted, which will hopefully flourish in the gardens well into the next century and possibly beyond.

The newness of some of the borders was jarring and in some places I think that recent planting may have struggled to establish itself during the hot, dry summer. This was particularly evident in the 'Forbidden Fern Garden' which looked most forlorn let alone forbidding.

I was beginning to feel slightly disappointed when I reached the Cloister Garth which took my breath away. Deep in the heart of the cathedral this area was planted in 2008 with the aim of year long colour and interest. Coming to the end of summer this spot was a green oasis of tranquility with the most captivating statue at its centre. I walked round the statue for quite a considerable time looking at it from every angle. Created by artist Stephen Broadbent, the 'Water Of Life' portrays a life changing encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria, which is told in John's gospel. The statue celebrates the life-giving properties of water. There is a continuous flow of water from the cup, over the hands and into the pool in the dish below which is illuminated. Around the base are these words : "Jesus said 'The water I shall give will be an inner spring always welling up for eternal life" - from John 4:14. Do click on the collage to see the statue in more detail. This part of the garden will remain permanently imprinted in my memory.

Going back into the cathedral there was an exhibition of garden plans and photographs of the gardens at other times of the year. I enjoyed looking at this before resisting having an early lunch in the cathedral refectory and made my way back to the usual busy streets of Chester, filled with shoppers and tourists as it is most Saturdays. Before being swallowed up by this I browsed at the plant sales table outside the entrance which I had clocked on the way in. Purchases of a pot of sempervivums were made, as well as some babies from a gigantic all green spider plant. I fancied the plant but did not rate my chances of getting it home intact on the bus along with all the shopping I still had to do. I'm pleased to say these little babies have already started to root. I hope to use them as outdoor foliage plants next year if I can get them through the winter as indoor house plants. I never have much luck with houseplants.

The plan is that the cathedral gardens will open annually but at different times of year. The next opening is provisionally Saturday 14th June 2014 and if possible I hope to be there, as I would very much like to see how these gardens develop. 

More From 'Dig The City'

Following on from today's earlier post a few words about our visit yesterday to 'Dig The City'  in Manchester. Described as an urban garden festival this is on from the 3rd - 11th August offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy some special one off events, talks, workshops as well as shopping. The majority of what is on offer is free although some of the talks have been priced at a modest £5. Considering that speakers have included such well known figures such as Monty Don, Rachel de Tame and Matt James this is excellent value.

I must admit that I rarely venture into Manchester as I find the city city so busy and overwhelming, but the festival hub and most of the activities were situated in the relatively tranquil area around Manchester Cathedral. If my memory serves me there was a smaller event under 'The Dig City' banner last year but I think it was mainly focused on flower arranging and it was staged in the cathedral. The cathedral is closed at the moment as a green heating system is being installed but there was plenty going on outside.

We stood and looked up at the specially created forest in Exchange Square ~

Here some 70 trees formed what is described as a 'pop up woodland'. They are destined to be planted permanently in a regeneration project taking place in the heart of the city.

Manchester City Council's entry into the bedding class competition at July's RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park had been recreated in front of the cathedral ~

Shame about the left out railings which were slightly distracting. The entry won a gold medal at Tatton and best in its class.

We liked these figures ~

Just round the corner local projects including children and young people's groups had planted up these large containers ~

Whilst there was some more unusual container planting too ~

There were a few show gardens including this most clever optical illusion ~

The planting is real but the lower part of the cityscape including the canal is a huge photograph.

Here I liked the planting but was not so sure about the chairs ~

Craning our necks to admire the giant latex balloons, the work of American artist Jason Hackenwerth. I think that these were giant bees buzzing high in the skies ~

If you are in striking distance of Manchester this week it's certainly worth a visit. There are still some great speakers and workshops to come. Unfortunately these were thin on the ground yesterday so our we were left with time on our hands to do other things. There are various activities for children too - we did not get to see her but Peppa Pig was around yesterday. The social media coverage of the festival both in the lead up and now that the festival is on has been great with regular input from @digthecity on Twitter. In fact some of the established garden shows and festivals could benefit from looking at both the 'Dig The City' Twitter feed and website. I was also most impressed with the almost instant email response after making an enquiry.

A couple of suggestions where there is room for improvement :

It would have been great if the event had a presence at the railway station i.e. in our case Manchester Picaddilly handing out information especially that vital map. This was an ideal chance to catch people coming into the city who may not have known about the festival.

Secondly and a source of major disappointment to me - there was only one outlet in the horticultural market that sold plants! 

Congratulations to all those involved in putting this festival together and hoping that it becomes a fixed date in the calendar. 

PS Despite the grey skies and Manchester's well know reputation for the wet stuff there was no rain during the day.

An International Garden Festival in France

Before we departed for our recent holiday it dawned on me that some creative map reading could lead us in the direction of the International Garden Festival at Chaumont -sur -Loire.

Having made such a visit in the summer of 2010, I positively purred at the thought and waited for an opportune moment to suggest the idea to himself. No objections were raised from that department so on a tremendously hot and sunny Bastille Day we found ourselves at the entrance of the festival. Perhaps our timing could have been better but although a public holiday there was never any sense of overcrowding. The festival in fact was open until 8.00pm and if we had realised that before we set off we would have visited later in the day. Not only would it have been marginally cooler it would have been a better time for taking photos.

The festival now in its 22nd year is notably different to the garden shows and festivals held in the U.K. Gardener designers from all over the world are invited to submit their designs from which a panel selects those which appear at the show. The gardens are not five day show garden wonders but remain in place from April - October each year. There is a distinct theme each year - the theme for 2013 being 'Gardens of Sensations'. The setting for the festival takes some beating. Perched up above the river Loire the château and its grounds are a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entrance we took takes you up a set of terraced steps probably about half a mile in length. When you get to the top the chateau faces you in front of which are well manicured flower beds of annuals. This year's displays included grasses, nictonias, petunias, salvias and gauras which were shimmering in the heat. I did take some photos but the sun was so strong at this point that the colours are all bleached. There are also many areas of attractive permanent planting as you walk round. There are no floral marquees, garden sundries etc., etc but simply one retail outlet on the perimeter of the festival area. All this for the excellent admission price of 11 euros!

I will not do a garden by garden tour but here are some of the images that struck me as we slowly meandered around ~ 

The gardens that made the biggest impression on us where those which made people of all ages smile and in some cases laugh aloud with joy. They were not all full of superb planting combinations but were interactive and great fun. These included what I can only describe as 'The Ringing Singing Tree' (above bottom left), which was a suspension of twiginess that chimed and sang as you made your way through it. Another was the 'Jardin d'amour' (below middle centre and bottom left) where recorded voices floated through the air as you walked round proclaiming " I love you" in 32 languages including 'bird' ~

The garden that I could not bring myself to say anything positive about was "The Outside In' Garden. I just saw dirty sheets with holes in them and was not tall enough to peer through many of the holes to see the woodland planting below ~

There were probably two gardens that were our favourites. Below was the only garden which bought the "Wow!" reaction from both of us. Difficult to photograph on such a bright day but there was so much sparkle and light that it took my breath away ~

Finishing with the very last garden which was the' Jardin de rizières' - a miniature paddy field complete with its very own frogs. Two small boys were full of themselves with excitement as they realised that there was one more than one frog in the water. I can still hear their voices in my head as they ran past me eager to convey this information to their mother. If this was their first introduction to a garden festival what a brilliant way to start a potentially lifelong experience ~ 

 On exiting the festival there was still the ornamental kitchen garden to peruse before we headed for well earned refreshments. History was made when for the first time ever in almost 30 years I downed the cold beer whilst himself had the ice cream ~

Finally there was just enough energy left in our weary legs for the long walk back down the terraced steps to our campsite, which almost on the banks of the Loire, is perfectly positioned for anybody wanting to visit the festival.

If you would like more detailed information on any of the 26 gardens you can find descriptions, planting lists as well as the low down on all the designers here. It was only when I found this link that I realised that we had managed to miss out on three gardens! I'm blaming it on the heat.

A Tale Of Two Gardens - Part 1

Earlier this month we spent a most pleasant weekend garden visiting and cake hunting. I have been meaning to post more about the garden visits so will do so before June slips away. Both gardens are in Shropshire and are within a couple of miles of each other. Depending on your energy levels they could be visited in one day or you may prefer to spread the visits out and linger longer at both.

Our first port of call was Hodnet Hall Gardens in the village of Hodnet, some twelve miles away from the town of Market Drayton. We had visited once before but memories of it were a blur. Images of a lot of space, lakes and a rather unique tea room were at the back of my mind but I could not recall any specific planting details. The main reason for this recent visit in fact was to attend a Plant Hunters' Fair which was being held in the grounds that weekend. These specialist plant fairs are held mainly in Cheshire, North Wales, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire and take place in some fine garden venues. They are well worth looking out for.

So our first port of call was the plant fair which offered plenty to peruse and plenty to tempt. Himself headed back to the vehicle with my purchases before we set off to meander through some of the sixty three acres of gardens. There have been gardens at Hodnet since the eleventh century but most of the current gardens were developed during the twentieth century. In the 1920s the owner Brigader Heber-Percy made a decision to flood the valley which lies below the house. During the next forty years the pool margins and slopes were planted with various shrubs including spring flowering magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. He was helped in this project by the renowned plantsman EA Bowles. The present owner has added to the structure with herbaceous planting. I think that we were most fortunate with the timing of our visit which coincided with the gardens being at their peak in terms of seasonal colour and interest. The late spring played its part too as some of the flowers we encountered would normally not still be out at the beginning of June. Everywhere we looked there was an absolute riot of colour whilst our noses were assailed by powerful scents. A magical moment occurred when gazing up at the handkerchief tree, which you can see in the bottom left hand photo, when the sound of church bells started to drift through the air.  A celebratory peal we supposed for a bride and groom on a perfect sunny Saturday afternoon.

We would like to return there later in the year as I'm sure that the gardens would be splendid in the autumn. However sadly there does not seem to be an opportunity to do this, as there appear to be no open days between the middle of September and late November. Maybe this might change in the future. The gardens are not open each week but have specific open days throughout the year, which you can check on the Hodnet Hall Gardens website. They are also open by appointment to groups of over 25 people.

Final image of the day is of this monster that himself spotted lurking in the foliage of yellow tree peony ~

Neither of us had seen such a creature before so out came the wildlife books as soon as we got home. We are fairly sure that it is a cockchaffer beetle, otherwise known as a May bug, which too was another late arrival  on the scene this year. On to the second garden later this week.

The Icing On The Cake

Himself's decision that we must take our ageing camper van on a road test this weekend, prior to a longer holiday later in this year caused me considerable angst. It was a huge dilemma deciding what to do with all the plants in the greenhouse that are still in the process of hardening off let alone the ones that have not even started that process. So a warm Friday morning saw me risking spontaneous combustion as I emptied half the the greenhouse contents outside, whilst the other half got transported to the other more shadier side of the greenhouse. I was hot and bothered and more than a bit apprehensive as to how plants/seedlings would cope with wind, too high temperatures or too low temperatures and lack of liquid refreshment for a couple of days.

However some hours later in a site conveniently situated close to a pub and the Shropshire Union Canal I began to mellow. There was sunshine, good food, good ale (himself can vouch for 'Slumbering Monk' whilst the sights on the canal were a most pleasant diversion ~

There was also the prospect of two garden visits including a plant fair over the weekend. This of course soon bought a smile to my face. I also realised that such activities might provide an ideal opportunity to take part in 'The Bloggers' Cut', which is a most imaginative idea from Michelle over at Veg Plotting. It gives us bloggers the chance to participate under the umbrella of 'The Chelsea Fringe' by posting about gardening and cake. Now domestic godess I'm not! When it comes to cakes eating rather than baking them is my speciality so alas you will not find recipes for any mouth watering delicacies here. However I'm more than happy to combine plant hunting/garden visiting with the civilised pastime of cake eating so decided than sometime during the weekend that we must partake of cake.

Our first point of call was Hodnet Hall Gardens,where apart from the mishap of camper van sinking into the only wet patch on the field aside for parking, a most pleasant time was had. Once we had been towed out of the mud, we headed for the plant sale before going on to the gardens where our eyes and noises were assaulted by an absolute riot of colour and scent ~

We have visited Hodnet before but not when all the azaleas and rhododendrons are at their peak and oh what a treat it was. I will post more about this visit soon as well as on our second garden visit of the weekend.

After recovering from our earlier trauma and a good stretch of the legs we were more than ready for something to eat. However we both felt in need of something more substantial than cake, although there was a good selection of baked goodness on offer as you can see from the photo below ~

We both remember our previous visit to the tea rooms at Hodnet quite vividly and both of us felt a bit uncomfortable in such surroundings . It seems that there are so many pairs of eyes looking at you as you eat, as the room is absolutely covered with big game 'trophies' including a lion and tiger. Having said that our lunch was quite delicious although sadly there was no room for cake.

On then to Wollerton Old Hall yesterday afternoon. It's but a short distance away from Hodnet but could not be more different ~

Now we have had a cake at Wollerton in the past and throughly enjoyed the experience but it does not feature on the menu until later in the afternoon. As himself did not want to hang about until then it looked as if there could be a possibility that not a single crumb of crumb would pass our lips as we headed back to the van. I would have failed in my mission.

However about fifteen minutes away from home we stumbled across pure cake gold in the form of Davenports Farm Shop Tearooms. You know how it is with places on your doorstep - you often pass them by on your way to somewhere else time and time again. It must be a good few years since we have stopped off there and we were absolutely amazed by the choice of teas/coffees and cakes on the menu as well as the quality/quantity when our cakes arrived. All served in most pleasant and comfortable surroundings. You can see my choice of carrot cake at the top of this post. I did not realise that it would arrive so ornately and beautifully decorated - almost too good to eat. Himself had an equally delectable and moist slice of apple and pear cake. What a discovery - the icing on the cake to top off a great weekend. It was only later at home after some 'googling' that I discovered that this establishment won the Tea Guild's Top Tea Place Award in 2013. This is apparently the equivalent of an Oscar in the world of afternoon tea! A return visit is definitely on the cards before the summer is out, although I think I will have to make sure that it does not become too much of a regular habit for my waistline's sake.

Finally I'm pleased to report that all was well with the seedlings and plants on our return. The sun is shining this morning and I'm off out to do some serious allotment and gardening work. I will make time however to sit down in the shade later to enjoy some liquid refreshment and tasty cakes with fellow garden bloggers here. Do join me - there will be a cup and a slice of cake with your name on.

A Wednesday Worisit

Spotted dotted throughout the grass in the Winter Garden at Dunham Massey earlier this month. I know that I am being lazy and should consult the books but I hope that somebody can enlighten me as to the identity of this attractive specimen.

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ 20/02/13

Irises at the Royal Horticultural Society London Plant and Design Show,Vincent Square, London ~ 19/02/13.

Almost Wordless Wednesday - 14th November 2012

D'Arcy & Everest stand, Southport Flower Show ~ August 2012.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 7th November 2012

A Postcard From Provence

Field of rice, drifts of sea lavender, grazing white horses, black bulls and pink flamingos ~ just a few of the fascinating sights that we were treated to when we visited the unique landscape of the Camargue last Sunday. We are just back from a river cruise along the Rhone which started at Lyon (the second largest city in France), sailing in the direction of Arles before returning to Lyon. Chugging on gently through days of glorious weather, we had an excellent vantage point of the surrounding countryside, sitting under the canopy of the sun deck. The boat moored regularly during the cruise, offering passengers the chance to join planned excursions or to wander about doing your own thing. We usually went for the latter option but a trip the Camargue would not have been feasible, unless we had own transport. so we joined the coach excursion. We were lucky to have a most knowledgeable and charming guide, who commented in both French and excellent English as we travelled along.

This was our first experience of river cruising which proved to be most relaxing. We were on a relatively small boat, our fellow passengers (mainly French, British and a good sprinkling of Norwegians) were excellent company and the food was reasonable, especially the continental breakfasts. The only downside for me was a chronic lack of sleep - the sound of the air conditioning at night did not exactly lull me to sleep, neither did the experience of going through some huge locks on the nights we sailed overnight. Still if you have nothing much to do but appreciate the sights, eat, drink, and read you can more than cope. Himself is already contemplating where we might drift along in the future.

Southport Flower Show 2012

Just a quick post on my visit to the Southport Flower Show on Thursday. Plans to go the show again with my friend D. had been in the pipeline for sometime but we were still ticketless, when I entered a competition via Twitter to win tickets to the show. I was delighted to be one of the three lucky recipients of a pair of tickets to the show. Thanks so much @southportflower - it meant more pennies to spend on plants.

Although it is not as large in scale or as ambitious as Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton etc. Southport is a most friendly and relaxing show to visit. There is plenty to keep you occupied, excellent catering and other facilities and no sense of being uncomfortably overcrowded. Moreover the show seems to improve as well as expand each year.

Highlights of the day for me were the unexpected glorious weather, wondering around the packed floral marquee, listening to a talk by Alys Fowler on 'Incredible Edibles' and the magnificent display put together by the North West Group of The Hardy Plant Society. The last two merit their own posts so I will cover them soon.

My only gripe was that it was difficult to hear Alys at times and I was sitting near the front. The guest speakers at Southport are tucked into a corner of the floral marquee, so that there is a busy and sometimes noisy thoroughfare very close at hand. It would be great if the speakers could have their own dedicated area.

Riddle of the day - the difference between a large gold medal and a gold medal.

The show is open for another day but if you can't get there it will be back even bigger and better I imagine in August 2013.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show 2012

After much ado about mud and the weather we made it to the Malvern Spring Gardening Show. The carpet was pulled from underneath our feet, when with a couple of days to go, our campsite booking was cancelled. This was done with great regret as it is possibly the site's busiest time of the year but the ground was simply too saturated. If I had not already been in possession of the tickets, I think that we might well have stayed at home as the forecast for our journey down was looking pretty absymal. However with some gentle persuasion from himself and many phone calls later, we managed to find alternative overnight accommodation some distance away just outside Ludlow.

So we got there safely and enjoyed a rain free day on Friday. As usual there was much to gawp and wonder at. Congratulations must go to the exhibitors on putting on such a good show given the weather in the lead up - they are absolute stars. I am always fascinated by these insect catching plants though not tempted to grow them ~

I was bewitched and beguiled by blue:

Himself's favourite exhibit  ~ the machinery that brings the big stuff to the show ~

The only RHS gold medal awarded to a show garden went to to the team from Graduate Gardeners Ltd for their 'Place To Reflect Garden, featuring a living wall of ferns ~

A full list of all awards can be seen here.

I always enjoy the school gardens competition, which features gardens designed and put together by local primary school children, with a lot of input from their teachers and parents I imagine. As usual some of the children had time off school to be there and their enthusiasm and excitement was catching. The future is safe in the hands of tomorrow's gardeners ~

Finally what I most wanted to bring home with me (apart from in the plants category) ~

On reflection though I did not enjoy the show as much as in previous years and having been asking myself why. It could be because instead of being conveniently situated a five minute drive away, we were further away so did not get to the show until well after it opened. Not only was there less time to see everything in but I was galumphing about rather slowly and eventually sorely in my not recently worn walking boots. Was it more crowded than usual or was it my imagination? Perhaps it could be possibly be a case of show fatigue. We have visited the show regularly over the last two decades so we may take a break next spring. Himself was quick to note a regular Ludlow based event taking place this weekend, which appealed to him more than Malvern. Beer, bangers (classic cars) and bread were involved! Say no more.

You may well ask what came home with me in the plant department ~ that will be revealed later this week.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 25th April 2012.

Photo taken at Hampton Court, Herefordshire ~ May 2011.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 7th March 2012

Auricula theatre at The Dower House Garden, Morville, Shropshire (10th April 2011) ~ home of Katherine Swift, author of 'The Morville Year' and 'The Morville Hours'.

A Visit To Great Dixter

Well here the brief glimpse of spring has well and truly disappeared and we are back into winter. It was just a teasing glimpse of what is to come but most pleasant whilst it lasted. It's not weather to be outside today for although the rain has given way to some sunshine there's a cruel bite in the wind. So I'm staying put by and large today and catching up with indoor tasks. I have been looking back on last years photos deleting the blurry and almost identical ones as I go. 2011 was whirling by until I got to September. Prompted by a recent comment by Laura over at Patiopatch in response to this post and realising that I did not blog about our visit to Great Dixter in Kent in the middle of September, I thought that a post was well overdue. In fact it has been most remiss of me not to post about a most magical day.

Where to start? Great Dixter and Sissinghurst have both been gardens that I have wanted to visit for longer than I care to remember. My previous encounters with the fair county of Kent had been fleeting glimpses through train windows, en route to holiday destinations in France, so I was most excited when we booked last year to spend a week in a cottage in Kent. Finally I thought a chance to visit these renowned gardens. As it turned out we got to Great Dixter but not to Sissinghurst. What can I say as I think that it has all been said before by far more eloquent writers and it must also be one of the world's most photographed gardens and houses ~ 

What I will say is that this long waited for visit more than lived up to my expectations. The weather obliged, the planting was sublime and for once I was just as much taken with the house as with the garden. Oh and the delicious chocolate cake we munched sitting outside was an experience in itself. Great Dixter was timeless, tranquil, exciting, colourful and unpretentious and very much a living garden.

Another of the collections of pots for Laura ~ 

Since our visit I have been reading Christopher Lloyd's books with renewed enthusiasm and understanding. I also treated myself to 'Dear Christo - Memories of Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter' in which his family and friends describe in writing and photos what Great Dixter means to them. In the words of the introduction the book is "a reminder that each of us takes away something different from a visit to Great Dixter and that it remains with us long after we have left the gates."