BLOOMING LOVELY
BLOOMING LOVELY
Fancy a garden potter?
Where once you might have imagined rolling your eyes when your Granny and Grandad where visiting yet another garden, now you are jumping in the car next to them and speeding your way down country lanes to reach the blossoming blooms, lush greenery and if your’e lucky a piece of Victoria sponge cake and a cup of the finest builder’s tea after a garden potter.
Incase you have been living underneath a terracotta (vintage) flower pot, you’ll know that gardening is a big thing now. A poll of 2,000 young adults found that 83% of them now describe gardening as "cool" and 54% would rather visit a garden center than go to a nightclub. You can count us among them.
Chelsea flower show, which happens at the end of May (perhaps you were watching the BBC coverage with beady eyes or maybe you even got to visit this year?!) shows off the finest garden designers and gardens in the world. Not only this but many homeware brands and influencers collaborate with likeminded gardeners and floral wizards there too. This year at Chelsea, garden and landscape designer Sean Anthony Pritchard designed the ODD limited stand to celebrate the centenary of their British swinging sofa. One of our favourites, C.Atherley teamed up with glasshouse brand Alitex to show off not only their C. Atherley products but also a vast collection of pelegoniums to create a ‘pelly shrine’, what could be better?
If Chelsea got your fingers itching to be green then now is the time to continue the inspiration and make a trip to an open garden. There are National garden schemes all over the country which can be very handy for pointing you in the direction of the right gardens for you. Here are a few gardens that we are taking note of.
Whilst you will have to wait until next Spring to visit, Blackland house is well worth putting in your diary. Organic flower grower and florist Polly Nicholson is the holder of the National Collection of Tulipa (historic) and has filled her garden to the brim with beds and enormous pots of Tulips. To keep you going until then you could grab a copy of Polly’s book ‘The Tulip Garden’ which is a introduction designed to inspirer and assist in growing and collecting Tulips set against a backdrop of her beautiful country garden.
Polly is also running a workshop at the historic Netherwood Estate this year, and whilst it is a little drive away it would make a lovely day out. There are also flower pressing and flower arranging workshops over the next couple months. Furthermore, the Netherwood garden is open for the national garden scheme for two weekends in June if you just fancy an explore.
BRINGING THE INSIDE, OUTSIDE
Near Bath, Iford Manor gardens although small are set above the River Frome and were created by famous Garden Designer Harold Peto. Dyrham Park is also a must visit, especially if you have children, at any time of the year.
Another drive for us, but well worth it is the garden at the Hauser and Wirth gallery in Somerset. The naturalistic prairie style garden was created by much celebrated designer Piet Oudolf and is truly a beautiful visit. Perhaps not Victoria sponge cake but the Roth Bar at the gallery is *chefs kiss*. You must have a wander around Bruton also.
If a cuppa and a piece of cake is what you fancy look up the national garden scheme, filter by area and scroll to see what gardens are open. Some are large and majestic and some are small and understated, there is truly a garden for everyone.
CUT FLOWERS ANYONE?
Near Stroud we can’t not mention Miserden and Painswick’s Rococo garden. After a visit to our Tetbury shop, Badminton House open gardens are open on the 15th June 2025 and 7th September 2025 and are well worth stopping by at for a potter, although do book in advance and don't forget to pick up a geranium on your way out.
We can’t not mention King Charles's garden either, Highgrove. Again another one to book, and be prepared to be on a tour (you can’t freely wander the gardens) but it is definitely one not to miss if you are in the area. We hadn’t appreciated the wildness and freedom of the gardens before visiting and were very taken by the peachy pink tones of the woodwork in the walled garden.
Of course these are just a few examples of gardens to visit, the list is endless. The dedication, time and love that people put into these spaces is admirable and perhaps more important than ever before. The need to look after our environment as well as slow down in an ever speedy world is important. We hope you mange to get outside and visit some of these examples or perhaps you have some plans to visit some others already. What is your favourite garden to visit? We’d love to hear.
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