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This is my second trip to John Massey’s garden in Kingswinford; I had (mistakenly) thought it wouldn’t have quite the impact of the previous visit ~ I was wrong!

This garden is a dream for taking photos ~ the colours, the planting, everything is put together perfectly! An artist is at work in this garden. Apologies to those who have seen some of these scenes before but I think they are worth a second look, with Autumn’s golden touch sprinkled in.

If you like a little music to accompany the pictures ~ try this from Jordan Rudess:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUnxt9_oERU

Now into the garden:

How to make holly more interesting:

Spectacular bark, in colour and texture:

My favourite statue ~ I think?

Cyclamen everywhere, so neat, so delicate, so beautiful:

Perfection in a crocus:

The lovely waving grasses, the white birch, I wish I had a border like this:

The swans in their nest, next to the canal which borders the garden:

Like a miniature forest from Narnia, the cones on the evergreen [sorry not sure which] never fail to fascinate me:

The boy in his garden:

Beautiful in every season:

The bright smiling rudbeckia:

I could stay here all day:

The gorgeously warm red acer:

Colchium I have never seen looking so good:

The waterlily colchium spreading so gracefully:

The girl contentedly sitting:

I loved these deep colours:

Green and gold tapestry planting:

Perhaps you would like a break at this point ~ have a taste of the marshmallow icecream ~ hydrangea:

Bright eyed and cheerful dahlia:

The thistle border [thistles made out of metal] but so effective:

Even the heron paused in his flight to watch:

Within the white birches and the wooden seats there lies a black and white carpet:

Sparkling white and pure, such a lovely shape:

The red euonymous stunning in autumn:

This is a tree I love, a statement in any garden:

This garden is a dream!

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Comments

 

such a beautiful place:) thank you for sharing. Garden goes onto my list of places to see:) and fantastic photos - my favourite is black and white carpet.

25 Sep, 2011

 

Well worth the trip Kasy ~ next open day is 4th February, their website is:
www.ashwoodnurseries.com

25 Sep, 2011

 

What a gorgeous place! So many lovely borders, nioce grasses and acer - the holly is amazing! Pine cones are great :))))))))) So much lovely pictures , red euonymous is another real beauty - and nice photo of that heron :)))))))))))))))

25 Sep, 2011

 

bit of a long shot on the heron paul ~ as you can see ~ but it did really pause over the garden!

25 Sep, 2011

 

Amazing garden!!!!!!! Love all the sculptures too :))))

25 Sep, 2011

 

It is truly amazing I tried to include the main sculptures because someone on GoY was looking for them.

25 Sep, 2011

 

cool! it s really lovely blog :)

25 Sep, 2011

 

What a fantastic place, like you say a photographers paradise, .so many lovely plants and beautiful settings, just love it all and the statues sit into their surroundings perfectly. Thanks for sharing '0)))

25 Sep, 2011

 

I have taken a note of this garden under....Places to visit from GOY. It looks wonderful and so fresh for this time of year.

25 Sep, 2011

 

you are welcome PP ~ its too good to keep to myself ~ best to share!!!

25 Sep, 2011

 

It amazed me Linda!

25 Sep, 2011

 

oh how very beautiful, really lovely to see, thank you

25 Sep, 2011

 

Those pictures are amazing Sticki, really really beautiful planting, I wish I lived nearer to go and see it. It is such a fantastic sight and the colours are amazing, the fir tree and cones are fantastic as is all the garden and arrangement of plants and trees and sculptures. Amazing garden thank you.

25 Sep, 2011

 

You are welcome Olive! and thank you Cazcat!
It only opens a few times a year ~ but what a treat and so worth waiting for!!! Have to wait till february next time ~ weather permitting!!

25 Sep, 2011

 

what a wonderful place to visit, your photo;s are brilliant Sticki

25 Sep, 2011

 

thanks yorkshire ~ it was cloudy yesterday but very wet today so we were lucky! the pictures from john's garden always seem to work well ~ i think he is either an artist or a photographer?? but most certainly a master gardener!

25 Sep, 2011

 

How beautiful is that, Sticki! Such a wonderful place - and is that a canal in the background? Idyllic...

25 Sep, 2011

 

It is Karen, it runs the length of the garden.

25 Sep, 2011

 

Your photo`s are absolutely lovely Sticki, don`t know which part I like best, I could definitely wander around there for ages, thankyou for sharing...

25 Sep, 2011

 

thank you lincslass ~ glad you enjoyed it! i could stay there ages too!!
he opens the gardens for charity ~ im not sure who benefits most!!

25 Sep, 2011

 

great isnt it! it wouldnt fit in my garden [couldnt afford it either!!]

25 Sep, 2011

 

Hi Sticki, lovely photos again, i couldnt make it yesterday but as you say as good as ever whenever you go, ps. i think it is open in October for the NGS, cant remember what date though? :^)

25 Sep, 2011

 

ah, yes i forgot that ~ thanks daylily.

25 Sep, 2011

 

Oh, what a beautiful place....I can understand why you loved that Sticki. Absolutely stunning. I loved the Swans of all the statues, but they are all amazing! The autumn crocus are much earlier there...mine aren't even peeping up above the soil. My Acer hasn't begun to change colour either, nor the cherry tree.

25 Sep, 2011

 

My colchiums have been out about a week or possibly two karen
i have a feeling those swans looked better in the summer?

25 Sep, 2011

 

Beautiful , and must have been very enjoyable to visit. I enjoyed the music aswell. The holly was fascinating in the first pic too.

25 Sep, 2011

 

What an amazing place, Sticki! I'd love to visit. Thanks for taking us there. :-)))

25 Sep, 2011

 

I have been before Hywel but I didnt notice that holly last time ~ all the holly was cut into interesting shapes.
glad you liked the music ~ my son introduced me to it.

25 Sep, 2011

 

you're very welcome spritz ~ its well worth the trip.

25 Sep, 2011

 

Thank you for the link and info - hope I will be able to go next year:)

25 Sep, 2011

 

Thankyou Sticky for taking us to this lovely garden i realy enjoyed it.:)

25 Sep, 2011

 

you are welcome kasy and cmsue, glad you liked it.

25 Sep, 2011

 

This is a gorgeous garden, no wonder you want to visit more than once.
I don't have a favourite picture, they are all gorgeous. I think we would all aspire to have a garden as gorgeous as this, well most of us anyway. I love it.
Liked the picture of the Brunnera Sticki....are you going to re create this little scene?

25 Sep, 2011

 

well i would like to get some brunnera, but i dont suppose it will look like this!!
thank you for your lovely comments

25 Sep, 2011

 

We were hoping to visit John's garden but were unable to make it this year, I still say this is the best nurseries in the country, most of our plants came from Ashwood, spent every sunday here spanning over 20 years, really missed the nursery when we moved south, nothing to touch it here for quality ,and the dedication of the staff, and the food is excellent too. Thanks for the delightful photos, brings back many happy memories.

25 Sep, 2011

 

You are very welcome DD, you spent every Sunday here? I would have no money left!!

26 Sep, 2011

 

I wouldn't mind going there frequently, either! :-))

26 Sep, 2011

 

Yes, you'd love it Spritz, it's inspirational.
Thanks so much Sticki . . . just lovely to see it again. And as you say, it does look different in the changing seasons - I'm amazed at his Euonymus 'Alatus' being bright red already!

And amazed at you capturing that heron - brilliant. :))

26 Sep, 2011

 

I bought one of those euonymus!!!

26 Sep, 2011

 

I'm not surprised, Sticki, they're stunning!

26 Sep, 2011

 

Lovely purchase. :-))

26 Sep, 2011

 

just hope it takes well in my garden, thanks sheila and spritz

26 Sep, 2011

 

Music? Sticki, you really do take great pictures. How on earth did you get such a good one of the heron? I loved the black and white carpet too. I'm guessing ophiopogon and white colchicums? I have the former and am now thinking of introducing the latter as a result of your blog; it's strikingly individual. Also agree with others that you made an excellent purchase of the euonymus - never seen that before but it's stunning.

26 Sep, 2011

 

Not with it tonight. Know where to find music now!

26 Sep, 2011

 

Sticki we used to get in the car and say Ashwood and the car took us there lol and that is why we never had any money as most of it was spent at this lovely nurseries, looking forward to seeing pictures of the Euonymous, it is a spectacular shrub/tree.

26 Sep, 2011

 

Sticki we used to get in the car and say Ashwood and the car took us there lol and that is why we never had any money as most of it was spent at this lovely nurseries, looking forward to seeing pictures of the Euonymous, it is a spectacular shrub/tree.

26 Sep, 2011

 

mine is not very spectacular at the moment ~ only little and not red yet!!!

26 Sep, 2011

 

That was such a beautiful,peaceful walk Sticki, thank you, I had the music on, quite touching.

26 Sep, 2011

 

thank you ~ glad you liked it.

26 Sep, 2011

 

Wow what a garden you must have had a ball there,so much going on,beautiful ! thanks for sharing :)

27 Sep, 2011

 

you're welcome whdebor ~ certainly took plenty of photos!!

27 Sep, 2011

 

Oh, Sticki, what a fantastic blog and what a stunning place. Is it near where you live? It could be another place for us to visit next year. And, as ever great photos, thank you lots...

27 Sep, 2011

 

Thank you Breda, it's about 30 - 40 minutes car journey for me.
Definitely worth a visit if you can make it.

27 Sep, 2011

 

Lovely photos.S.Were the swans for sale? Must make a visit in the spring.

27 Sep, 2011

 

That has to be one of the most amazing gardens ever. Thank you for putting this on here. It's in my faves so that I have something to drool over during the horrible winter.

27 Sep, 2011

 

Sorry, laptop meltdown - only meant to post one comment!!

27 Sep, 2011

 

Computer has gone mental. Time to log off methinks.

27 Sep, 2011

 

thanks meadowland, no sadly none of those lovely statues are for sale ~dont suppose i could afford them anyway but it would have been nice to see some.
you're welcome frybo ~ its lovely isnt it!!
i think when you press add comment at the moment there is a pause and its very tempting to hit it twice??? im not sure but i know lots of people are having the same trouble.

27 Sep, 2011

 

Hiya Stick! Lag behind Lizzy here! Late as usual!! How did I miss this blog too? It's lovely Sticki, and I'm going to put it on favs, so I can see the differences between the two blogs and photos! Good catch on the heron too! Did you not feel really tempted to peel some of that lovely bark off, I don't know if I could have restrained myself... that tree definitely needed a hug! Lovely blog, Sticki!!

28 Sep, 2011

 

Ah, you should see my face! So many breathtaking shots. What a wonderful place! ...I shall look it up. Thanks so much for sharing, such a pleasure to view. <3

28 Sep, 2011

 

Thank you Libet - I did have to touch the bark - couldn't not!!
Thank you Tralamander, I don't think that garden could ever disappoint!

28 Sep, 2011

 

I disappear for a day or so, and what happens??? I nearly missed this! Fab-u-lous! Sticki we must come up in October..I just hope the weather holds!

28 Sep, 2011

 

P.S. Btw, I did a VERY SHORT(!) blog of John's garden "For Bornagain . . . " back in January, but with pics from an April visit - so it looks different again if anyone's interested. :))

28 Sep, 2011

 

Sticki, you have excelled yourself with this blog, the photos are beautiful and I shall add it to my Favourites for the Winter months ... thanks for sharing this garden ... :o)))

28 Sep, 2011

 

oh, thank you shirley! honestly its such a lovely garden, photos are not hard.
thanks sheila ~ it changes such a lot doesnt it ~ but never disappoints!!
thanks tet ~ have to check the diaries!!

28 Sep, 2011

 

Thanks Sticki, I have made a note along with all the others...

28 Sep, 2011

 

Wheyhey! Another West country Goyer!

29 Sep, 2011

 

Went in July Sticki and by the look of your photos its still looking brilliant.

29 Sep, 2011

 

i dont know how they do it stroller.

29 Sep, 2011

 

Looks amazing really must go there on next open day.My daughter lives in Wolverhamton so I could go on the way there.

29 Sep, 2011

 

best to check which days it is open michael ~ the gardens are only open a few days a year
http://www.ashwoodnurseries.com/index.php?id=8&option=com_content&task=view

29 Sep, 2011

 

lovely blog and photos sticki, especially love the ponds and planting around them, very pretty :o)

30 Sep, 2011

 

oh, thank you sanbaz and welcome back from your holiday!

30 Sep, 2011

 

yw sticki and thankyou, nice to be home and lovely to be doing my garden again :o))

30 Sep, 2011

 

:-)

1 Oct, 2011

 

Oh, lovely good night fairy tale. Thank you. My favourite from this blog is Marshmallow Ice Cream Hydrangea, definitely the most beautiful! And - a statue of a sitting girl and arrangement around.

1 Oct, 2011

 

i love the statues too katarina ~ i have a jigsaw puzzle of that one!! the marshmallow ice cream is not its real name ~ i made that up cos thats what i thought it looked like!!

1 Oct, 2011

 

What an amazing wander through the garden...so enjoyed it Sticki thankyou...

2 Oct, 2011

 

There is no doubt it is a most beautiful garden, and your photos are wonderful too.

2 Oct, 2011

 

thank you cinderella and crissue

2 Oct, 2011

 

You indoctrinated me so much, that today I bought in garden center sales "your" marshmallow ice cream hortensia. I was very lucky, I think. Or was it illusion de déja vu!

2 Oct, 2011

 

hope it grows as well for you as it does in this garden!! lucky you.

2 Oct, 2011

 

I hope so. We will see next year. This year for some reason my hortensia (I have 9 bushes) did not blossom, only Grandiflora did. So we will see.

2 Oct, 2011

 

beautiful pictures! thank you for sharing and recommending to me. I really liked the shot of the evergreen and cones (it's a cedar, not sure which species though) and the yellow oakleaf hydrangeas.

3 Oct, 2011

 

Hi RKwright, which are yellow oakleaf hydrangeas? Are they on the ninth pic from the bottom?

3 Oct, 2011

 

Yep, those are the ones. Pretty little shrubs, aren't they?

3 Oct, 2011

 

I didn't know what those yellow leaves were, thank you Rk, and thank you for your comments, I loved that cedar.

3 Oct, 2011

 

Hi Rkwright, I noticed you are an expert. Tell me, why are those so small shrubs. I bought one oakleaf hydrangea to my hydrangeas family this summer, but it is almost 1 m high- these look pretty small. Variety?

3 Oct, 2011

 

Most oakleaf hydrangeas can reach 2-3m tall and wide (some twice that much), it really varies with the variety. The yellow one is called Little Honey and is a sport of Pee Wee which is one of the dwarf varieties. Do you know which variety you got this summer?

4 Oct, 2011

 

Unfortunately not. I threw the label away.

4 Oct, 2011

 

Little Honey is a sweet name. Lol. Must be given by a good hearted gardener. Unfortunately I did not see this small sort anywhere here.

4 Oct, 2011

 

perhaps the nursery attached to this garden could help you katarina??
http://www.ashwoodnurseries.com/

4 Oct, 2011

 

You could always go to one of those places and snip a cutting. They root pretty easily and if you take it in the Spring, you can have a decent sized plant by the end of summer. That's how I ended up getting a Snowflake hydrangea :)

5 Oct, 2011

 

LOL. Will remember that.

5 Oct, 2011

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