SUMMER EVENING VISIT - 15 JULY 2009
EDGWORTH GARDENS
In a complete departure from tradition, this year
we decided to stay local for our Summer evening
visit and enjoy the hospitality of three of our
members who had agreed to open up their gardens. On a beautiful warm, sunny evening (a novelty for
our evening visits, which in recent years had been
gloomy and wet!) about 70 members met up at the
Barlow Institute before setting off on the short
distance to our hosts' gardens. With so many people
it was necessary to split the party into three and
rotate members around the gardens to enable everyone
to make the best of the evening. All the gardens were very individual and quite
different in their styles and sizes. There were many
admiring comments about all three gardens, as well
as much appreciation for the work that had gone
into making them immaculate for the
invasion of garden enthusiasts. |
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The front garden included a dry gravel bed with
grasses and other drought resistant plants, together
with more lawn and a curved herbaceous border. Pauline and John's garden was the smallest of the
three with lawns at the front and a formal paved
area at the rear, with lots of interesting plants in
the borders between the paths. The Summerhouse overlooks the whole garden and provides a quiet relaxing arbour from which to enjoy the view and perhaps enjoy a welcome glass of wine. |
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David & Amanda's garden was the largest of the
three and contains the widest variety of plants and
shrubs. Set on a slope, there are several distinct
terraced areas, each with their own individual
themes. A warm orange, then a pink & white bed
contrast with the lawn and main patio, with the
garden path leading to a cobbled middle patio, past
a prairie bed resplendant with tall grasses and Verbena
bonariensis. The smaller patio is surrounded by a number of
themed herbaceous beds with
the path leading down the garden to a shady area
with a Pergola, surrounded by woodland plants. On
the way down we passed a tropical bed full of
architectural plants including a large, central Gunnera mannicata.
The oriental bed has numerous Acers, dwarf connifers
and several stunning clumps of black bamboo. After a really enjoyable evening, we all retreated
to the Barlow for tea and cakes. |
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