Ashwoods!

If I'd known that place was nearby, I might not have headed home so soon :))

Oh wow - breakfast and lunch and you might get to see it all !! Lovely place - thank you for sharing =)

Great nursery. Lovely colours

That was a brilliant Garden center . I wish the ones around here would pull their socks up a bit.

~wouldn't it be great to live near this one Hywel?~ I think it was about 40 miles from Malvern, Lynn.

Wow. What a beautiful nursery. We have nothing here that comes close.

Nice to be reminded of it, some years since I have visited it looks even better than i remember. We have John Massey and his team to thank for many new introductions,including a lot of the double Hellebores the really bright Lewisias and for importing the very expensive Hepaticas from Japan.to name a few.

well that was fab photo's, now we know why we like gardening,wish it was that easy.

Beautiful place,Arlene.I would love to live nearer this one too.glad you enjoyed your overnight stay.I will make a note of this Nursery,if ever we are in the Dudley area..Thanks for sharing...:o)

might have to stay over next year so I can take a visit :))

Beautiful spot Arlene....well kept and with so much to offer........

What lovely display gardens, I love the planting in the troughs, tubs etc.

stunning gardens arlene, lovely place, enjoyed your tour thanx ;o))

Arlene your pics bought a lump to my throat, first time I have felt homesick, we lived just a few miles from Johns Massey's beautiful nursery, most of our plants are from there, we started buying plants when it was just a shack and we have watched the place grow and grow, John is a lovely man and has a fantastic private garden which he opens to the public, to me it is the best nursery in the UK, it is that way because he puts the money he makes back in to the nursery and all the staff have been there years. Thanks so much for the lovely pics will have to show OH he will be envious, as we have not been back since last year.

This is the nursery in Prestwood isn't it? If so, I live a short drive from it (and we just call it Prestwood), tend to go there and the pet centre close by for the fish / pond stuff.

Lovely place but every time I go the restaurant is absolutely heaving so I have never managed to eat there! I always end up with a burger at the pet centre! Will have to try and go when it is quieter.

Perhaps I don't appreciate living close to it enough having read all your comments!

Sarah you dont know what you are missing the food is as good as the nurseries esp the breakfasts, but you have to get there early, know from experience, lovely cakes as well.

~the turn over of customers is quite high ~we arrived just after 10 and in 10 minutes had a table and food was really quickly cooked.
The cakes are gorgeous. try during the week as I think the world and their wife are there at weekends?.

Would it be possible for you to give the address of where John Masseys garden is. I would love to visit on thbe open day if it isn't too far. I live in Birmingham, not far from Dudley.

hi Rohima~ this is their website www.ashwood-nurseries.co.uk/ This is their address:-

Address:
Ashwood Lower Lane
Ashwood
Kingswinford
West Midlands
DY6 0AE

E-mail: mailorder@ashwoodnurseries.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone: 01384 401996
Fax: 01384 401108

John's Private Garden

"John's garden" is tucked behind Ashwood Nurseries and is a wonderful three acre private garden created by nursery owner John Massey and his gardening team. Informal borders, island beds and woodland dells are set against the beautiful backdrop of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. It is a "plantsman's garden" that has an abundance of rare plants as well as many familiar favourites.

The garden is a delight in spring with anemones, primroses, hepaticas, trilliums, erythroniums, narcissi, tulips and a host of other bulbs. In summer there are inspirational displays of herbaceous perennials, salvias, hydrangeas, clematis and grasses. Autumn brings superb colour with carpets of cyclamen and colchicums, malus trees laden with crab apples and the fiery hues of liquidambar, euonymus and acers. Outstanding winter interest is provided by hellebores, cyclamen, snowdrops, witch hazels and the coloured stems of dogwood and willow. This is a garden for all seasons with magnificent collections of trees, shrubs, and conifers adding to the interest all year round.

There are many fine features including a stunning pool and rock garden planted with choice alpines and miniature bulbs, a colourful lewisia wall, an anemone pavonina meadow and a unique succulent garden. A new hot border is home to an extensive collection of South African plants. Throughout the garden, urns and patio pots are imaginatively planted.

The garden has been featured on TV as well as in numerous articles in the national press and gardening magazines, and has been described by Carol Klein as "the most loved and looked after garden I've ever had the pleasure of visiting".
Garden Openings 2010

This is a private garden but will be open to the public on the following Saturdays, 10am to 4pm

June 5th / July 24th / September 25th.

Also open on Sunday September 12th on behalf of the National Garden Scheme
If you go to their website you can see photos of his garden.
we were staying at a Travelodge a few miles away and will look into going up for the open day if possible.
Arlene

Lovely pictures of a lovely nursery! Makes me wish I had a few hundred £ to spare!

As well as a super garden shop, there is a gift shop beside the Restaurant with lovely quality items, including local ceramics and enamels, Steiff bears and the largest collection of Moorcroft pottery I have ever seen outside the actual Factory Shop!

This place looks just as good (if not better) than the Show, Arlene.

~with the added bonus of a great selection of books and some lovely food David!

I just wish Arlene that I`d known you were visiting this way - I should have loved to have met you and taken you to Stone House Cottage Nurseries not far from Ashwood, the gardens there are quite unique and they sell unusual plants but don`t do postal service. You can however visit their web site www.shcn.co.uk which gives you a little of what the gardens look like . Ashwoods is about 15 mins me and I`ve never been disappointed with any of the plants from there, so glad you enjoyed yourself.

~Hi Stroller~
that would have been nice!
The last couple of years we have stayed overnight after the Malvern show and gone on to Ashwoods the next day before we returned home taking the scenic route down through Hereford and Leominster.It takes the stress out of driving when tired and we can get to go to Stratford,Worcester etc which makes more of a trip!
I have had a look at the site and it does seem to have some very nice plants and they mention that everything is growing in their walled garden~ love walled gardens!.
It's a dead cert that we will be coming up for the Autumn Malvern show if not for one of John Masseys open days.
I will check with my daughter when she is likely to be away as we look after each other's dogs so some weeks we will be looking after Dex as well as Harvey.I can then have a look to book somewhere to stay and let you know...
look forward to it!
Many thanks
Arlene

Stroller we used to love going to Stone Cottage Nurseries, as you say some very unusual plants, has the owner built any more towers? we had some very funny experiences there with The Hon Mrs Arbuthnott nearly ran us over !!

DD, yes more follies and a minature railway from the field to the nursery, Louise holds a musical evening once a year `Music from the tower` usually a brass band, when you can take a picnic along and sit in the garden its usually £12 a ticket and all money goes to charity.

Stroller how lovely, had a look at the web site the garden looks beautiful, much improved from when we lived in the Midlands Louisa was usually pregnant, dont know how they managed to run a nursery look after a large garden and cope with a large family.

You just "sold" it to me, Arlene. :-))

I've never been here although I only live near Walsall, must try it, it looks wonderful:-)

Bornagain you must, best in the country.......

I'll have to get round my son-in-law Dotty:-)

My bank account would be strained if I lived near this garden centre Arlene. It looks absolutely marvellous from your pictures. We have nothing like this in south Essex that I know of.

~when my daughter was in Watford we used to go and stay with her and she used to take us to Ayletts on the way into St Albans.I haven't been for a while but although not as good as Ashwoods,it was a cut above Wyevale.I remember their lovely cakes and nice selection of pots and house plants~