Welsh Border Garden Tour
Saturday May 29th to Saturday 5th June 2010
Please contact HF Holidays on 0845 470 7558 for more details or to make a
booking. Or www.hfholidays.co.uk or standard rate number 020 8732 1250
During the week we will be visiting a very diverse selection of gardens, each
with its own range of style and plants. Every day (except Wednesday) we will
travel by coach through attractive countryside in Wales and into
Herefordshire. At some of the gardens there will be opportunity to buy plants
seen during the visit, or even possibly some on your own wish list. In the
evenings Christine will show slides and give you the opportunity to ask her
your own gardening questions during a gardener’s question time, whilst on
other occasions you may like to join other house guests in various social
activities.
The week’s program
Saturday 29th May
After arrival and dinner meet Christine for an informal chat about the week’s
activities.
Sunday 30th May
Our first visit of the week will be to Dyffryn gardens, one of Wales’s largest
landscapes. This is a garden which should be better known. It is a collection
of gardens within a garden. There is a walled kitchen garden, rose garden,
Victorian fernery, a rockery, arboretum and a series of themed garden rooms.
Major restoration work as been carried out over the past few years and I am
sure you will all find this visit fascinating.
In the afternoon we move to Abergavenny to the garden of Mrs. C Boyle –
Penpergwm Lodge. With its south facing terraces with good views over wide
lawns the combination of herbaceous perennials and roses along side an
imaginatively planted vegetable garden should give us plenty to talk about.
Monday 31st May
Our first visit of the day is to a National Trust garden. Berrington Hall near
Leominster. Golden Yews line the path to a mansion designed by Henry
Holland and completed in 1781. His partner and father-in law ‘Capability’
Brown laid out the surrounding Landscape Park. A walled garden houses a
small orchard of pre-1900 apple varieties and splendidly planted mixed
borders.
Hergest Croft Nr. Kington will be our destination for the afternoon. Here Mr.
W. L. Banks gardens where three other generations of the family have
gardened before him. In 50 acres we will see trees, shrubs and borders and
part of the National collection of Birch and Maples. Vast Rhododendrons
create a Himalayan scene.
Tuesday 1st JUNE
Our coach will take us to see two gardens, which have featured in the media
over the past few years. In the morning we will visit the National Botanic
Gardens of Wales. Featuring a Great Glasshouse with its stunning 91-metre
long ‘teardrop’ structure, this is the largest single span glasshouse in the
world. Fascinating outside landscape show just what can be grown in Wales.
During the afternoon we will go to view the work of the Aberglasney
Restoration Trust. Records for Aberglasney date back to the middle of the
fifteenth century. This garden is being restored with attention to detail.
Penelope Hobhouse designed the walled garden, and is all of what you would
expect from her. This is complemented by a productive vegetable and cutting
garden. All surrounded by woodland.
Wednesday 2 June Free day to explore the local area or just relax.
Thursday 3rd June
Our first visit of the day will be to the lovely garden and nursery called The
Dingle. This visit will show us how over 4000 trees and shrubs can be placed
together to create a garden that looks good through the year. A large pond
sets off the plants superbly. The nursery contains many plants, which you will
not commonly see on stoke.
During the afternoon we will visit Welshpool to see the magnificent NT
gardens of Powis Castle. Laid out in the early eighteenth century with
breathtaking Italian style terracing on the grand scale. Many unusual and
tender plants grow in the shelter of the walls and vast hedges. A garden
known for its excellent planting schemes, containers and collection of old
roses.
Friday 4th June
The Weir Garden is our first visit of the day. This is a woodland garden
running along the northern banks of the River Wye containing a rockery,
clipped Yew balls, a wild garden, Japanese maples and conifers. This garden
had great views of the Black Mountains.
Stockton Bury Gardens at Leominster (Mr. G. Fenn and Mr. R. Treasure) is
our final port of call. This is a plantsman’s garden, beautifully cared for and
very well planned, comprising 4 acres divided into different areas, each
packed with interest.
Saturday 5th June Depart after breakfast with a self-select picnic lunch for
your homeward journey.