Where the cuckoo can be heard.....all year......in Herefordshire

what a wonderful blog Sticki, love it, that water powered clock looks fascinating :-)

I totally agree with SL. A wonderful place Sticki, absolutely fascinating. Your pictures and descriptions are spot on. Are you going to divulge where it is ?

Inspiring views, fresh gardens. Love the fritillaries!

Beautiful place and lovely photos!

what a place of interest ST ! have to go with the bottle bank fernery as one of the highlights, quite something!

What an absolutely beautiful place . . . thanks for sharing it Sticki, and taking such brill photos! I've never seen such an attractive bog garden, and how very generous of the owners to give you a voucher for a return visit :) No wonder you'll be going again!

lovely pictures of a beautiful place, love the last picture, could just do with one of those scones right now. lol :O)

Many thanks SL, I loved that clock too ~ I tried to find 'cuckoo music' but it didnt sound quite right!

Sorry Cinderella ~ its Westonbury Mill Water Gardens, Pembridge, Herefordshire; its just outside the village of Pembridge ~ which is also worth a visit ~ very pretty ~ one of Herefordshire's 'black and white' villages.

Thanks Spenny, Anujag and Bampy ~ that bottle bank was clever ~ from inside you couldnt even see the concrete that was holding the bottles together!

Sheila ~ I think that bog garden might be transformed when the summer growth has taken off ~ I will add more pictures if I get to go again! Thank you

Oliveoil ~ we had lunch there too which was equally good! There is a nice little tea room if the weather isnt quite as good and the staff were really friendly.

Ooooohh Sticki what a beautiful blog and so was the music too! I also love fun in the garden, cannot be too serious, life is far too short. This is such a wonderful place to visit, thanks for showing us. :)

Thanks GM ~ i found the one i was looking for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu8J9Ee9hNA

the cuckoo waltz by Strauss

interest, fun, colour and a relaxing feel ~ all things to make you smile in a garden ~ I agree GM ~ life is too short to be too serious.

Know this place well as we holiday every year in Herefordshire. We visit in September so it's lovely to see the place at a different time of the year. Thank you, Stickitoffee.

Last September the owner was completing the clock and was kind enough to talk to us for some time. Have so many photographs and videos. The water spot feature looks good videoed, almost hypnotic.

The tea room serves the most delicious granary bread. We discovered the name of the bakery and made a special journey there to buy some. The cakes at the bakery were fabulous and I dithered so much the assistant suggested I have two different halves. No wonder I put on weight: coffee and walnuts and chocolate fudge! Will be going there again this year, hopefully.

Lol to the music Sticki!! Brilliant and amusing, I also enjoyed Haydn. That clock tower is amazing isn't it? Love the dove cot too, all in all a great place to visit.

Hi Sticki! Thank you for the beautiful blog, full of interesting ideas and clear views. I love water powered cuckoo clocks (we once put the photo of our boss instead of the cuckoo head in clock in our office, lol) BUT
I must tell you, that the same idea of creating beautiful colourful wall - or better say arch roof - from empty glass bottles had one of my firends who is very strange artist. This one is lovely, too. Hope you had a nice walk and refreshment - what is that cake? Some sort of diet?

...and that voucher - that was a good marketing!

What a very special place Sticki - you always choose well, don't you? I really need to make an effort and visit some gardens when I'm off in June.
I thoroughly enjoyed your pictures and your comments. It makes it such a lovely read.
The bottle bank fernery is such a great idea - I'd love to have the know how and the where for all to create such a thing.

What a beautiful place - such lovely planting. Isn't that bottle bunker brilliant!!! You had a great weather as well. Thank you for a lovely blog.

What a wonderfully fabulous garden Sticki that is another ' must place to visit ' when over that side of the country and you could buy plants as well , what a treat ! thanks for showing :o)

It is enchanting Sticki, so many beautiful vistas and creative features, your pictures are stunning and I just love the stream scene and that fabulous Wilow, would make a wonderful painting. thanks so much for showing us it was very enjoyable;0)

Amazingly this was on the Midlands news tonight ~ as the largest cuckoo clock in the UK [it is believed] so I have added a photo of the inventor, creator and owner being interviewed on the television tonight!

Many thanks Eirlys ~ thats really good to know ~ the tea shop is managed by the same people who run the tea shop in the near by village ~ is it also the people who make the bread? I cant wait to go back now ~ thank you for that extra information!

GM I was glad to find the music ~ it all adds to the fun! My video of the cuckoo clock didnt come out that well and I dont know how to put videos on here ~ otherwise you could have heard the cuckoo singing!!

Thanks Katarina ~ the cake nearest the camera is a cherry scone the one further away is a fruit scone ~ traditional food here ~ particularly with a cream tea! I can send you a recipe if you like!

Me too Scottish ~ I would really love to make something ~ I probably liked the tower and the cuckoo clock best but maybe a window of bottles could be incorporated into either? It is lovely to go and see some of these gardens, but it takes a little while trawling the internet ~ always better on a sunny day of course!

Thanks Melchi, I was really lucky with the weather! The man who made it is a genius ~ in my eyes!

Thanks Meadowland ~ if you can visit here I am sure you would love it ~ they are so friendly too.

Definitely worth a visit Amy ~ hope you can make it.

Please paint a picture PP ~ I would love to see that ~ I think the willow views are my favourites too!

I think that is one of the best gardens I've seen! Must go! Maybe when you do your half price return!! How kind of them.
And that bottle bank, wow! After the week we have had of partying I think we are well on the way to building one ourselves!! The recycling, now in the back of car to take tomorrow, is a bit OTT!!
Thanks for posting this wonderful garden Sticki, thoroughly enjoyed it!

What a fascinating garden full of such interesting things. Thanks for the photo tour, the pics were great! I love that bottle wall, what a brilliant way to recycle all those bottles, so colourful! Not surprised you'll be going back later in the year, especially at half price!

FABULOUS :-)

What wonderful photos of a spectacular place to visit. I love the tulip pic, in fact I love them all!!!

That's a fantastic blog Sticki. I stayed in Hereford when I was 15 or 16...for a week. I have never forgotten how lovely it was. I remember weeping willows along the river bank, and warm sunshine. I hope I will get the chance to return one day, as I absolutely love the West Country. for me it epitomises the English pastoral countryside......sigh. And as for your nursery, it must be one of the prettiest places in England! And how lovely of them to give you vouchers too! Thank you so much for sharing your day with us. This is going straight to my favourites so I can look at it again in the winter!

Oh wow! Sticki I so enjoyed the blog! I got home late from work and thought to myself now what can I do for an hour before bed...I Know I'll go on GoY and read the latest...so glad I did, I am now so chilled out having looked over these lovely photos! Glad you enjoyed the visit & the sunshine
...oh and I reckon I could accumlate enough bottles! I need an idea for protectig my plants in the winter...maybe a glass bottle fernery ...just enough to let dappled light through and a little air in!
Sarah x

Have you got 5,000 bottles Lulu? or Sarah? Apparently thats how many it took ~ not all theirs they say!!! Mostly they were green or blue glass, a few clear and some yellow ~ i think the red ones were painted? Glad you enjoyed it Lulu ~ I dont think its too far for a visit ~ about an hour and a half from me ~ but the A44 is a bit of a problem!

Thanks Louisa, definitely going back! The owner was saying he really wanted people to go back because they would see such a difference ~ I think the bog garden might be the biggest change? There were quite a few gunnera still at a small stage too

Thanks Wildrose, Herefordshire is a really beautiful county and blue sky always makes me want to take photos!

You are very kind Karen ~ I hope you get to visit here, it is really lovely ~ you couldnt even hear a road from this garden which is a real treat for me.

Sarah, Im so glad you enjoyed it, hope you sleep well now! Please put a photo on when you have built your fernery!!

I note (via Google maps) that it is 1 hour & 6 minutes away from us.... I think I feel a visit coming on! With dogs allowed it is a must in the next few weeks.

Excellent blog and lovely pics, stickitoffee.

Thanks fractal cat, there were several dogs there, if I had had more time I would have had a little look round the little village of Pembridge too.

I hope you get good weather too! Did you see it on the midlands news?

Can we have the scone recipe on this blog ?
Enjoyed your photography very much, saved on
favourites.

Great blog Sticki. Looks a lovely place to visit. Love the natural look of the place and all the water around plus the water cuckoo clock.

Will check out how far it is.
Not quite 5,000 bottles, however hard we tried!

thanks Diane ~ I dont have that actual recipe but I do have a good scone recipe so I will put that on

Thanks Linda, it was lovely, the owner and creator of the garden was there working all the time ~ i would think he never stops but he has created something very interesting and beautiful ~ clever man!

lulu ~ how about a bring a bottle party?

Oh shucks - why did I throw my thousands of bottles away...?

could you start another collection?!!! we could all come and help!

Now that, Sticki, is a very good idea!

;-))

what time did you say the party is starting?

A Fabulous place Sticki thank you for sharing your lovely photos what a treat so many stunning viewpoints and ingenious ideas to boot :o)

you are welcome neellan! clever man isnt he ~ design a garden and follies and then build it all!

Excellent blog, Sticki & very scenic.
Great photography, too.

a lovely place to visit:) and not far away from me either:)

thanks mouldy

kasy i was thinking that ~ not too far at all for you and i bet you wont get stuck in the traffic jams like we did!

haha - well - depends on the day of the week I'd say... lol. but probably I shouldn't.

:-)

That has to be one of the most interesting and beautiful gardens ever! I absolutely loved it, Sticki and, as ever, your photos are superb. Having done a virtual visit, I think we will have to do an actual one as that is too good to miss. It all looks so tranquil and reminiscent of bygone days - idyllic. I love the quirky follies and the fantastic water clock. What genius! The shot from inside the bottle bank is stunning. I'm feeling totally inspired now and just want to start creating something but it's a bit late tonight. Wonder what tomorrow will bring...?

oh, thanks tuesdaybear, it really is a lovely place and you are right, a lot of herefordshire feels like that ~ as if you have gone back in time ~ i love it too!

do visit if you can.

he had also made a huge log pile ~ possibly kept the wind away from some plants but would also be a home for insects ~ im hoping to try to make one of those ~ might be easier than the cuckoo clock even though i really loved that!

Forgot to say, going straight to Favourites. Also, was getting a bit anxious as you were taking your leave and there had been no mention of a tea-room, then - true to form- there it was, the ubiquitous tea and scone! What a relief; tho' coffee cake, lemon drizzle, chocolate anything would have proved equally acceptable.

;-)) couldnt leave without the cake TB!!! there was coffee cake but it was going fast! [OH chose the scones] they had to send for reinforcements from the village as the teas were proving so popular ~ as Eirlys said earlier they also make very good bread ~ think i will try some of that next time too!

[we also had jacket potatoes with a nice salad]

Great photo's, looks an amazing place ...always enjoy your blogs! :-)

Thank you Red, thats really kind of you. Amazing is the right word ~ wish i could design and build like that man!

so beautiful Sticki, thanks for showing this place :)
I have a picture of my mom in a little building like that made of bottles, I'm not sure but I think she was in Nova Scotia

A dream garden, isn't it beautiful and in a perfect setting, I love the bog garden and the bottle fernery, in fact its all spectacular, the cuckoo clock is amazing.
Your blog and photo's are great Sticki, its a place that you'd like to see through all the seasons and really good of them to give out vouchers for another visit for when the garden is in bloom, most places wouldn't even consider that.
Thankyou for sharing I really enjoyed your day out...

That was quite some day out, Sticky! I loved this blog & the photos DO make it look a beautiful & tranquil looking place! Loved the follies also & I have to agree with everyone that it is a brilliant idea to have a fernery made of bottles! That water powered cuckoo clock is a fabulous piece of engineering! That man is pure genius!

You're welcome floralhead, I wonder if the creator of this bottle bank had seen the one in Nova Scotia? There is a German or Scandinavian look about the cuckoo clock so maybe a Nova Scotian influence for the bottles?

Lincslass I agree, it is a dream garden, glad you enjoyed it! You are right every season would be worth a visit.....will try to do summer first.......but all four would be good. Thanks for your very kind comments.

It was a really lovely day out, thanks balcony, despite being stuck in a traffic jam to start off with, the garden more than made up for it,....I agree, the creator is a genius, really nice man too, he was chatting away to all the visitors in between working on the garden.

Just found this Sticki and am adding to my favs, what a wonderful garden. I love that bottle bank :o)

Thanks annella, it's an amazing place! I really liked the little plant sales/nursery too - every thing was grouped into dry shade, bog areas, sunny etc which is really helpful.
Friendly tea room is an added bonus!

maybe just 'great minds think alike' Sticki
probably many more, I may Google that one too :)
I like this one much better for some reason...it reminds me of an igloo :)

A colourful igloo! I can see what you mean, it was lovely how the light shone through the bottles, must have been very tricky to build though, there is not much cement between the bottles, as you can see - looking from the inside you can barely see cement at all!

I wondered how it was put together Sticki, thought it might be silicone :o)

Not sure Annella but close up you could see bit of cement, I had to look carefully though......there could be silicone hidden under that? Who knows - silicone sounds a good idea - being clear.

totally fascianting! loved the bottle house - well, loved it all, but that especially

many thanks fran ~ i thought it was a really interesting place, its lovely when you find something like this ~ i trawled the internet for places to go, but you never really know how they will turn out ~ this one was so worth while and i hope to go back soon!

Many thanks to Floralhead for this link:

http://www.bottlehouses.com/gallery.cfm?galleryID=10

its another building made out of bottles but in another league from this one ~ its totally amazing!

i used to do that, too, list "things to see" - and when I got home, I'd find out that if I'd gone left instesad of right, I'd have seen a lot more ... still, any excuse for a return visit!

Oh Sticky I so enjoyed your garden visit .

A bit far for me to visit but I can enjoy blog in favourites at any time.

Loved the plant barrow it looked as if it was made out of a pram frame.

It was a real joy and pleasure to visit with you.

And the scones were tasty:)

Fran ~ i mostly do turn right instead of left ~ but not on purpose ~ i have no sense of direction!!

Thanks Scotkat ~ glad you enjoyed it, its a shame all the nice places seem to be the furthest away [Scotland is where i would like to be!!]
I think the plant barrow is an old pram base ~ great isnt it!
You will have to come south for a holiday and take in all the things you have seen on GoY ~ better make it a long holiday!!

I'm trying to catch up on blogs and what a wonderful blog this is Sticki, I would love to visit here one day:-))

many thanks BA ~ its not too far for you ~ there is a very nice bakery in the village and the tea shop is most welcoming too!!

I think it would take me a few days walking lol. Did you notice Tetrarch is back? She hasn't been very well, but feeling a bit better now:-)

Oh sorry yes, this place is a bit out of the way.

Good to hear tetrarch is back and feeling better