Open Gardens 2016

A village about twenty minutes from where we live had their Open Gardens on Sunday, so, as the weather was reasonable and I do enjoy nosing round other people's gardens, off we went.  We visited last time they were open, in 2014 and you can see the posts here and here . There was a variety of sizes of gardens but all had lots to interest the visitor.  Many of them had large borders, which showed the plants off beautifully.

 This poppy had escaped into the next door field.

 I liked this arrangement with peonies and delphiniums.  A nice place for a G & T (or cup of tea), depending on your preference.

There were small gardens behind a terrace of cottages which were beautifully maintained.  The owner of this garden made me laugh.  She told me that one of the organisers of the afternoon had sent all the owners badges to wear, but "mine's still in the envelope...I'm not wearing that!"

There were roses, lupins and geraniums a-plenty.

In the next door garden, there was some fiery planting with the orange and red of the potentilla.

 There was a very inviting deck chair in a quiet corner.

Hardy geraniums were everywhere and this one caught my eye with its gentle apricot and lilac tones.  It is a double flower, which meant it wasn't good for wildlife, but it was still very pretty.  I think it may be Geranium 'Summer Skies'.

These photos were from my favourite garden, which was very photogenic (and looked very labour intensive).

 There were some inviting shady area with lots of foxgloves...

 ...as well as some sunny borders with hot colours.

 The screens and trellis dividing areas of the garden provided some pretty views.

 Doesn't this archway make you feel that you want to explore?

 The rose had climbed right to the top of the tree and looked amazing.

The front garden was full of roses, cat mint and geraniums.  Scruffy would have loved the cat mint - it is a good job he wasn't with us!  We had a lovely afternoon and enjoyed sandwiches, cake and tea at the Village Hall.  A perfect Sunday afternoon.

Open Gardens 2015

 There were some gardens open near Lincoln Cathedral last Sunday, so we made the most of the beautiful weather and went to explore. I was taken with one garden's view of the Cathedral and totally forgot to take any photos of the garden itself.

When this view is across the road, is it any wonder that I was distracted?

 The first garden also had a lovely view across to the Cathedral close.

 At the next garden, I must admit to feeling a little envious of this view across the city.

 One garden had made the most of every space there was and we were very impressed with the array of fruit grown in tubs and boxes, including raspberries, gooseberries, currants and cherries to name but a few.

 There were little corners of lovely planting and this red rose caught my eye.

 This garden (which was my favourite) had an Italian feel, enhanced by the statues dotted around the garden. Everywhere you looked, there was something else to see.  Both of us really liked the pet graveyard area in a quiet and secluded part of the garden.  There were gravestones to pets from Victorian times and the current owner had continued the tradition.  It was very moving.

We spoke to the owner who said his wife wasn't always keen to see more bits and pieces appear in the garden, but we replied that this gave the garden its character.  It was a quirky and beautiful space and I am so pleased that we had the opportunity to see it. I really enjoy looking at other people's gardens and always come away with ideas.

More Open Gardens (part 2)

 This was my favourite garden.  It was romantic, full of plants with an abundance of roses and clematis and was beautifully planted.  Everywhere I looked there was another stunning view.

 I could imagine myself sitting in here with a book...

 The rose covered pergola acted as a divider in the garden.

I really liked the mix of topiary, shrubs and herbaceous plants in the border planting.

 Another lovely view through into the garden.

 Looking down the rose covered pergola...so pretty.
There was just one negative to the garden and one which wasn't obvious when you were actually in it.  When I was choosing my photos ready to crop them down a little, I noticed that in most of them, there were other houses in the background.  Although these were hidden, they were there all the same.  Even the most perfect garden has some problems (which makes me feel much better about my own untidy plot!)

Moving on to the penultimate garden on the walk, which also had some lovely planting with a wild flower feel to it.

 On the way back to the village hall, we both smiled to see the 'Open Garden' on this building site.  Someone with a sense of humour either works on the site or owns the site (there was a house being built).

It just shows you can have a garden (albeit a tiny one) anywhere!

More Open Gardens (part 1)

 It was a glorious Sunday, so we set off again to a village not far away from where we live where there were more Open Gardens.  Chris is very long suffering with my garden visit wishes but he said he'd really enjoyed it, so that was good. As always, there were lots of different sizes and style of gardens to see. The vegetable plot in the photo above was beautifully tended and the summer house looked very comfortable - perfect for a G & T, I thought!

 The next garden had the most beautiful clematis over the gate...

 ...and some beautiful delphiniums jostling with the other plants in this tightly packed space.

 This small garden could only be glimpsed through the window in the shrub - it was one of five gardens opened in a row of terrace houses.  The owner of one of these gardens was so welcoming and her garden was full of souvenirs, seating areas and masses of plants in containers and in the borders.

 I liked this colour combination in one of the little gardens - reds and pinks - very vibrant.

 The forge in the village is owned by the Council and is run by volunteers.  They were just firing up the furnace and showing how to make a horseshoe when we arrived.

 One of the gardens had a formal garden in front of the house with pebble swirl mosaics which Chris really liked.

 I liked the look of this seating area with pink and white roses and pink and white pelargoniums.

The same garden also had a wonderful display of hydrangeas at the entrance.  My favourite garden will feature in part two...

Open Gardens (tea and cake)

 It was an Open Gardens day at a village not far away from us, so we made the most of the sunny weather and headed off.  I love having the chance to be nosey and peek into other peoples' gardens.  However, it does make me wish I had a bigger garden!  Here are just a few of the highlights.  The first garden, above, had lots of areas, and some beautiful cottage garden planting.  They were trying to be as eco-friendly as they could, with compost from the local council, a wormery, compost bins, mulches round the veg plot and all beautifully laid out.  A lot of time and effort had gone into all the gardens, but this one was especially impressive.

 This one was an artist's garden, with lovely planting and interesting sculptures dotted about.  I loved walking down the path through the blue spires of delphiniums.

 One of my favourite gardens had this fantastic display of peonies, along the side of the house.  The owner was so welcoming and had free plants (yes, free!), although we did give a contribution for the local church funds. I got a lovely dark leaved hardy geranium.

 The same lady had this rich, jewel coloured astrantia in her front garden.  Lucky her!  Her garden went all around the house and the front was lovely herbaceous plants.  The back garden was gravelled, but had a huge number of interesting plants in pots and in the gravel.

 This was part of the front garden with romantic, feminine planting.

 This aquilegia was about three feet tall  - the colours were just beautiful.

This garden was full of interesting areas too and I particularly liked the river of mexican daisies (erigeron) which had seeded in the paving.
Once we had looked round the nine gardens, all of which were lovely and were different sizes and styles, we went to the church for tea and cake (there just has to be cake!).  Coffee and walnut for my sister-in-law and Victoria sandwich for me.  A perfect finish to a lovely couple of hours - and the weather stayed fine all the time we were out!

A Great Day Out...and Ginger Rogers

 We had a marvellous time today, sampling the delights of Market Rasen, which is a small market town 10 miles or so from Lincoln.  I was looking forward to the opportunity to see some gardens and to explore the town.  The weather was kind - lots of sun and no rain until we were driving home.

The traditional market was full of enticing stalls - lots of plants, jam, cheese, fruit and vegetables, crafts... I was really tempted by the plants and herbs, but amazingly, managed to restrain myself.

 Chris was hugely impressed by the vegetable plot in one of the gardens as it went on and on and was full of delicious looking vegetables.  The owner had purchased this land, as an extra piece, from a local farmer and had put raised beds in.

 He said that he needed to get harvesting, but wanted there to be something for people to see today, so had left the veg there.

 In the main part of the garden, there was this lovely fan trained cherry (Morello, we thought) which had lots of fruit but had been used as a decorative screen.

 I loved the delicate blue of this scabious-related flower.

 The shape of the petals and graduated colour put me in mind of a Ginger Rogers dress (I bet you were wondering where she would come in!).

 Something like this perhaps, with beautifully graduated colour - gorgeous!  Wouldn't it look amazing in the colours of the flower? (I would love a dress like that, but sadly, the bias cut does absolutely nothing for me at all. It really suited Ginger Rogers though).

Chris introduced himself to some very friendly koi carp.   The garden owners were all very welcoming and happy to chat, as were the stall holders at the market and at the various craft fairs. 

Well, I just couldn't manage to totally restrain my buying habits; of course I bought some things!  There was a craft stall with lots of rather interesting wool which I just had to get.  I also liked all the different textures of yarns in the variety pack so that had to come home as well.

These sweet little bud vases were found in a couple of charity shops.

 I also supported a local craftsperson by buying this 'extremely appropriate for garden visiting' bag which did a sterling job today.

Even the lining is gardening-related.
We also supported the local church by having tea, sandwiches and cake there.  I have to say that the fresh cream and raspberry sponge cake which I had was one of the best I have tasted;  a light and fluffy sponge which melted in the mouth, a slight tang of fresh raspberries and a smooth creaminess.  Unfortunately, I had almost finished it before I thought about a photo, so you'll just have to take my word on the deliciousness!
We had a fantastic time and although we weren't far away from home, it felt a million miles away.  We'll definitely be visiting Market Rasen again.

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