John's Garden Part 1

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On 21st July 2012 my nan and I went to the open garden at Ashwood Nursery in Kingswinford. The owner of the nursery has around 3 acres of private land attached which he opens to the public several times a year. I’m very glad he does because he has an amazing garden.

I’ve done this blog in two parts, since it was getting ridculously long lol. So heres the first part of the garden.

First things first, as the garden is so big, heres a map to help you work out where we are (and see just how big the place is lol):

We came into the garden somewhere near to the road you can see on the map, turned towards the left to wonder down through the trees. For some reason I didn’t get any photos of this bit (strange, I took hundreds of photos lol). We then turned back towards the house wondering up along the canal. The first bit of garden we looked at is the iris border (number 2 on the map). The information given says “Iris, Astible, Orchids, Primula Rosea and Snowdrops beneath Amelanchiers, Betual Nigra, Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca’ and Metasequoia Glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’”:

This little guy was spotted at the end of this border:

We then strolled up towards the ruin garden and terrace (number 3 on the map). The information says “succulents from late spring to early autumn with the lewisia wall forming a backdrop. Conifers and dwarf bulbs for winter and early spring interest. Wonderful display of plants in containers.” I didn’t get many photos of this bit because each time we reached it there was something going on. The first time they had a puppy walking demonstration from the Guide Dog Association and the second time was a gentlemans choir:

As you approach the garden from the Iris border:

Looking back to the terrace from the path leading to the african border:

Just opposite the terrace was a lovely little bit of garden with these fantastic deer:

And bench:

Anyway, we carried on past the grass border (number 5 on the map). Absolutely stunning display of “ornamental grasses, small flowered asters, echinacea, berberis and cotinus”:

Walkway between the island bed and grass border:

On the other side of the walkway was the island bed which is made up of “shrubs, hellebores, herbaceous and clematis under Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Ruby Lace’, Sorbus aucuparia ‘Fastiata’ and Cedrus deodara ‘Aurea’.” There is also a giant Hogweed sculpture by Neil Lossock apparently, but I don’t recall seeing it.

From here we walked up between the wilow bed (number 6 on the map) and the the pool and rock garden (number 7 on the map). The willow bed is made up of “Cornus, Salix alba ‘Britzenis’ shrubs and herbaceous. Youth on a stone scultpute by Ann Hogben”:

At the end of the willow bed is a small bench, where we sat for a while to give nan chance to have a rest. We had a lovely view from the bench over the the small dock over looking the pond and further up the garden:

After a short break we had a closer look at the pool and rock garden “the pool and waterfall created over 25 years ago, is constantly evolving: dwarf connifers, daphnes, slow growing shrubs and alpine bulbs.”:

From the pool and rock garden we strolled up past the stumpery (number 8 on the map). This bed is “woodland herbaceous under Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvativa ‘Atropurpurea’”. There is a short path through the bed, but as it was quite uneven we didn’t walk through there:

The bed carries on up the garden merging into the dell (number 9 on the map) which is made up of “hellebores, bulbs, ligularia, actaea (cimcifuga) beneath larix and multi-stemmed betula”:

Walkway between the Dell and the Island Bed:

I think I’ll stop there for this blog. Watch this space for Part 2 :)))

• 6 Aug, 2012
• 8 likes

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