Sunday 29 June 2014

Garden Visiting In June - Part One

I've left my garden visit for June right till the last minute, it's been rather a hectic month what with one thing or another. Anyway, I thought I'd visit the gardens at Temple Newsam, a regular haunt of ours, but the road leading to it was closed when we got there. It turns out that the Race For Life was being held there today, so we had to think of an alternative garden to visit. In the end, we opted for the gardens at Golden Acre Park, and I'm so pleased we did.

We visit Golden Acre Park quite regularly as it's a lovely place for Archie to have a run in beautiful surroundings, but I have to say that we haven't really ever visited some parts of the gardens. We've walked round the beds set out in the park, but never taken the time to check out other areas, and we've been missing a treat.

This is the Bakehouse Border which is inspired by borders at Powys Castle. The key plants are Canna, Salvia, Penstemon, Aster and Helenium.


Golden Acre Park opened as a theme park in the 1930's and a miniature railway circled the whole of the lake travelling a distance of just over a mile. A small section of the railway was recreated in 2003 and the area has been planted in a naturalistic way, using cultivated grasses and perennials to give the impression of an abandoned railway line.


There are three national collections held at Golden Acre Park, Lilac, Hosta and Hemerocallis. They're displayed in a beautiful garden.


Some of the hostas are magnificent specimens, they're quite large.


Unfortunately, the slugs have been at some of them, yet others seem to have escaped unscathed.


The hemerocallis seem to be just getting going. A few were in flower but others only had buds waiting to open.


I love this tree trunk with a rose growing up it. Such a pretty feature.


Standard fuchsias with bedding plants potted up in containers makes this building more attractive.


A place we haven't explored before is the Blenheim Couryard.


As we walked through the entrance, there was a collection of pots housing lots of different plants.


In one of the borders to the side of the entrance was this salvia - Hot Lips. I used to have this plant myself but lost it one winter, it doesn't like the cold, or perhaps it's the wet it isn't so keen on.

 
In another of the borders is this rock garden.


On the upper level is a greenhouse, I wondered what it housed as there were plants trying to escape through the windows. I love that lavender border.


Inside the greenhouse is a kind of tropical display with a waterfall.


The fish were popping up for their breakfast, they were just being fed while we were there.


The water lily was just starting to bloom, I bet it will be stunning.


Another area we've never visited before is the Trial and Display Garden (a former trial site for Gardening Which?). There's all manner of planting styles here, a potager, containers and hanging baskets, wildflower, prairie and tropical style displays and the Dahlia and Chrysanthemum National Societies each have display plots within.


A beautiful hanging basket display, I haven't seen such a display before.


I'm not sure whether these were chilli or sweet pepper plants inside the greenhouse, but they were beginning to flower.


I loved this little seating area with a green roof.


A good crop of gooseberries. No sawfly here.


The National Chrysanthemum Society display plot. There's not much to see yet as the plants aren't in flower.


Each plant is carefully labelled.


The bottom half of this greenhouse houses tomatoes. There's plenty of fruit on the plants already.


The other half of the greenhouse is home to pelargoniums.


I love the idea of a stepover apple tree. A great way to grow fruit trees if there's lack of space or if an allotment site doesn't allow trees.


As we came out of the Trial and Display Garden, we came to this Limestone Rock Garden. It's the main outdoor display area for Golden Acre Park's large collection of alpines.


This is a Limestone Rockery. It's been built from water worn limestone and has been in Golden Acre Park for many years.


I had a wonderful time looking around these gardens today. I can't believe how many times we've visited this park in the past, yet never seen some of these areas before today, I'll be going back to explore them again soon.

Pop back tomorrow for Part Two of my visit.

20 comments:

  1. What a lovely place and some stunning pictures. I love the standard fuchsias and the color green they have used, it seems to be everyone's front door and shed colour near us this year.

    I really need to get out a little more and I must look for different places to go, thanks for spurring me on!

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    1. I always fancied a standard fuchsia myself, I never got one though. I'm enjoying visiting a garden each month, there's some wonderful places out there just waiting to be discovered, many on our own doorsteps.

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  2. I really enjoyed part one of your visit, so I look forward to part two!! It is a shame that you didn't get to go to your intended garden, but it looks as though the alternative was a great one as it is very pretty. xx

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    1. I didn't mind seeking out an alternative garden to visit this month as I visit Temple Newsam regularly and know it well, so it was nice to go somewhere different.

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  3. I love the photo with the railroad track and all the poppies! Looks like a great day out with lots of interest, and good weather too.

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    1. I love how they've rebuilt this section of railway to look as though it's been there years, the planting is delighful, I think the poppies make it. There was certainly plenty to see, and even though it was a little cloudy when we set off, it was a lovely, warm day.

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  4. It looks like a lovely garden with so many different areas to explore. I love the railway/natural garden, so pretty xxx

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    1. There was so much to see, and we didn't even venture to other areas in the park, just the gardens. The railway is really pretty, you wouldn't think it's been rebuilt, it looks so natural.

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  5. This has been on our list of places to visit for ages, We just have too many places nearby!!

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    1. We're spoilt for choice. If you do go, allow plenty of time as there's two nature reserves to visit too. The good thing is that Tivvy can accompany you as dogs are allowed in all the gardens so long as they're kept on a lead.

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  6. Thank you for this post. Great photos and helpful information about individual plants e.g. the salvia 'Hot Lips which I saw for the first time in someone's garden this weekend and thought it was one I would like to try and grow. Loved seeing the wild flowers growing around the abandoned miniature railway line.

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    1. I was really upset to lose my salvia, it's such a gorgeous variety. I'd bought it quite a few years ago at Gardener's World Live but didn't realise it wouldn't last through our winter. I really liked the wild flower planting by the side of the railway line, quite an unusual display in gardens of this kind I thought.

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  7. I don't know this garden, so this was an especially interesting virtual visit. It was slightly interrupted in the first paragraph when you reminded me that I hadn't yet sponsored my friend who was running in the Race for Life, but once I had made good my oversight, I enjoyed the garden tour immensely. It looks lovely now, but I suspect it might look even better later in the summer. Will you be able to return and see it then?

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    1. We visit Golden Acre Park quite regularly as it's a great place to walk Archie. I'll make sure that we have a detour to the gardens in future though, I've been missing a gem all this time.

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  8. What a fabulous outing, I am most jealous as I spent my weekend working and face painting for the rescue. That has to go on my list of great places to visit!xxx

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    1. I'm really enjoying my garden visits, there's some wonderful places, and all easy to get to from where I live.

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  9. AnonymousJune 30, 2014

    A most enjoyable post and terrific photos. It really is a great looking place to visit time and again, at almost any time of year. Flighty xx

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    1. I must admit that we've missed most of the gardens on previous visits. We usually walk around the lake in the park and through the woodland as it's a great place to walk Archie and give him a run off his lead, but the gardens will definitely be visited on future visits.

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  10. What an amazing place, your photos are lovely.

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    1. It's a great place for a day out, something for everyone here.

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