London Private Garden - South London

 This is Flo and we are in the basement of her home looking out onto the garden behind her London Townhouse?  I don't know what to call the neighborhood, I will show a photo for the street below.

Yes I am gardening or doing gardening tasks in London.  I just deadheaded these Iceburg Roses.  I am in my garden tourist attire. 

The Pleasure Gardens at Trentham Hall

We are back at the gardens of Trentham in Stoke-on-Trent.  This is our 4th or 5th visit.  This huge estate has many things to do and is geared toward family visits but has many elements of a true Pleasure Gardens.  Lots for the kids but even more for the gardener.   With big names like Piet Oudolf, Tom Stuart-Smith, Nigel Dunnett,...Capability Brown lake and old trees. We enjoy seeing this garden at different times of the year.  This time it is June.

Wollerton Old Hall Garden - A Third Visit

Here we are again at the Old Hall in Wollerton and their bountiful garden.   A small garden that is greatly loved by the community.  I don't think you can arrive in a large tour bus.   This year they remade the Well Garden.   This space with sixteen pyramidal yews cut into quarters has been a favorite of mine.  I was shocked to see its remake.   I will compare below and announce my judgement.

Peaks District - England

We drove by this peak a few times during our week stay in Buxton.  We stopped on the way home this evening to check out some of the local flora.

RHS Bridgewater Garden - Third Visit?

 Here I am Tuesday morning looking to catch up on the gardens I explored this summer.  Next up, is RHS Bridgewater.  A new garden in the North of England around Manchester.  Always fun to go to Manchester.

Biddulph Grange Gardens

 I love Biddulph's compact size full of all the England Garden themes.  I particularly love the use of follies to move in space to the next theme.  The Egyptian Pyramid to the Chestershire Cottage.  

Chatsworth House

 One of the great English country houses.   It is posh.

The Garden of Pooled Talents - Sheffield

Evening after dinner, we stopped by this small but delightful garden in the middle of three large university buildings.  

We are at the peak of June.   To see more of the structure of this garden, look at my post for 2023:  The Garden of Pooled Talents

Sheffield - Grey to Green Revisited

We are back to the inner part of Sheffield which is undergoing a years long process to plant out underutilized concrete areas in the form of unused traffic lanes.   After a by-pass was built, the inner ring road no longer required four lanes of vehicular traffic.   A year later but almost six weeks earlier in June the beds look vibrate with recent rain.   

Rousham House Gardens

A perennial favorite are the private gardens at Rousham House.  

Blenheim Palace - Chaka Khan Concert

 The English love their outdoor concerts and rain doesn't faze them.

Plus another Giant Sequoia in Evenly.

Wentworth Woodhouse

Once cited as the largest private residence in the United Kingdom, it a huge house with lots of bad history, i.e. slaves and coal. It is also in a very precarious state. Many of the interior rooms are in a state of decay.

Plus a newly restored Camellia house and a very pleasant long border.  

The Hepworth Wakefield

The lust gardens around the art gallery in the heart of Yorkshire.  Tom Stuart-Smith designed garden installed in 2019. 

York Gate, England

 Here's some photos of my June trip to England with Frank Eddy.   I love these road trips.

First time to York Gate but have seen numerous photos in Gardens Illustrated magazine.  But photos can only go so far in telling the story of this garden.  

The front entryway looks recently planted with water-wise plants among large borders and gravel.  It is a gravel garden; very trendy since Beth Chatto made it famous.

Blackpool, England

Click here to see the other gardens we visited or click here for the Overview post.

Now we’re headed toward new land.  First time for purely recreational visit, no gardens really to see here.  We went for the Victorian era seaside beach resort adventure.   Packed with bars and restaurants, roller coasters and theme attractions big in the 1920’s catering to the domestic northern England vacationers.   

Studley Cottage - England

Click here to see the other gardens we visited or click here for the Overview post. 

This is one of Julia’s chickens.   They all have great names unfortunately I don’t retain names very well.  We are visiting her weekend cottage in the Cotswolds about 2 hours west-northwest of London.  We spent the afternoon wondering the woodlands and meadows around her place. 

The Art Shop Chapel Cafe & Garden

Today we crossed over into Wales and headed to Abergavenny.  We are traveling with our friend Julia who happens to know garden designer Sarah Price.  She set up a lunch date with Sarah at the Chapel Cafe & Garden, one of Sarah’s designs renovated in 2015.  We enjoyed a lunch out in the garden on a sunny warmish day. 

Pan Global Plants - Nursery

 Click here to see the other gardens we visited or click here for the Overview post.  

This is our second visit to Pan Global Plants, a specialist nursery in the UK. Located on the border with Wales near Frampton-on-Severn.  If you visit, give yourself 20 minutes to get lost.  We got lost both times but quickly figured it out.  Hint:  Their long driveway leads you astray. See video below.

Pan Global Plants was born in spring 1997. ‘PGP’ soon got a reputation for offering rarities and desirables and over the years picked up a lot of press attention. Now it is one of the most celebrated specialist nurseries in the UK and, pre-Brexit, sold to all corners of Europe, introducing many new plants never offered before. Nick has travelled extensively to botanise across the temperate world, having visited at least 25 countries or biogeographic zones, some many times. =According to their website  

Special Plants Nursery & Garden

When we are in the Cotswold, we like to save a Tuesday for a visit to Special Plants Nursery.   Weekly on Tuesdays, Derry Watkins throws an open garden around her home.  This week’s subject was grand, The Humble Umbel.

Arvensis Perennials Nursery

We are back to Arvensis Perennials with our friend and fellow gardener Julia.  Their demonstration garden has filled in very well over the last eight years.  

This wholesale nursery provides plants to some of the best garden designers in England.  What a beautiful selection. 

Arundel Castle

We were excited to see Arundel Castle gardens after watching Carol Klein’s show.  But it is closed on Mondays, although their website clearly stated otherwise, the day we were in town.  So here some exterior shots of the castle and the village of Arundel. 

Denmans Garden - England

After being disappointed by the closure of Arundel Castle on Mondays, not what their website stated, but oh well.  We got to this delightful four acre garden with a good design history.

Hinton Ampner

Since our morning garden was closed, we had extra time in the afternoon.  We looked up near-by gardens on gardenvisit.com and found this Grade II Tudor house along with a twentieth century gardens owned by the National Trust.  

Gravetye Manor - Luncheon

Our next garden on this road trip around England is Gravetye Manor for drinks on the lawn, garden tour, luncheon, and finally coffee on the terrace.  We are not staying in the house this time.  A sunny and warm day to enjoy this masterpiece.   Garden is only open for guests staying overnight in the house or reserved a table for lunch and afternoon tea I recall.  The best way to experience this garden.

RHS Wisley Garden

Our first stop on our 2024 Road Trip around England and Wales.  Our last visit to this garden was in 2012 and lots has changed in twelve years.