On the Thursday D and I wanted to go out and left B who was happy gardening. We went to Stockton Bury Gardens which is only 20 minutes away and D's favourite Herefordshire garden.
The 4 acre garden has been created over the last 35 years by the owner Raymond Treasure with help from 1984 by the gardener, Gordon Fenn, who had been Head Gardener at Hereford Cathedral. In 2015 Tamsin Westhope, a garden magazine editor, arrived to help with the garden.
The gardens were opened to the public in 1995 and are really delightful with lots of garden "rooms", many varieties of plant and hidden features.
The tithe barn which houses a tearoom.
I just love Sea Holly.
There were many different varieties of hydrangea around the gardens.
The three bells at the end of the long barn are rung every hour. There has always been a tradition of bell ringing at Stockton Bury and in the past they were rung at 6 am to summon farm workers. The large bell was recently cast by the John Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough especially for the gardens.
The Elizabethan Garden
The Pool Garden and then
back to the Elizabethan Garden.
The kitchen garden with vegetable beds and fruit trees and a greenhouse on the right and a herbaceous border to the left.
Down to the Dingle Water Garden created from an old quarry.
The Grotto
Back to the kitchen garden
Timothy was up to his old habit of climbing trees.
The Pillar Garden
The Sunken Garden
At the side of the house is the Spring Garden with bee skeps and a small summer house with painted panels of flowers.
The Pigeon House Garden with its medieval dovecote which has 510 nesting holes and a revolving ladder and is Grade 1 listed.
There is a small museum with displays of old garden tools and some finds displayed from a Roman Hoard found at Stockton Bury.
We were really fortunate with the weather because showers had been forecast but we only felt the odd spot of rain.
Time for tea and cake before we left. I had the Lemon Polenta cake when we were there last year so we both had it this time and it was again delicious.
A few photos from D.
Since coming home D's laptop has packed up. Its only 5 months old! Anyway its had to be sent away for repair under warranty so until it comes back I am going to have to share this computer so I may not be on Blogger as often as usual - just to apologise in advance if I don't publish comments quickly.
Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and photos marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my sons I would be grateful for an email first - thanks.)
Reference: Guide to Stockton Bury Gardens
