Looking For Maud

Feckenham Open Gardens Weekend is being held this weekend - an ideal opportunity to admire some seriously posh gardens in a nearby village.

The first garden we visited was that of The Old Rectory, where we were very taken with the pale blue and white flowers - possibly cosmos - which added interest to the sunken outdoor dining area.

Part of the main garden, looking away from the house 

The second garden we visited belonged to a beautiful Queen Ann house and was mind blowingly extensive to someone born in the suburbs. In addition to a large garden close to the house with borders,  there was an orchard, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, plus a further meadow.

Looking out across the meadow.

The KHT was rather overwhelmed by the size of the garden and expressed her relief that she didn't live there. Fortunately not within earshot of the elderly owner, who was determinedly deadheading specimens in her border, as part of a never-ending fight to keep the garden under control.











Aliums, wisteria and tamarisk were the stars of the show. It appears to be a particularly good year for wisteria. One tip I picked up on our wandering is that they need pruning twice a year to acheive their full potential. DH is rather fond of them, so perhaps we will find a sunny corner to see if they like our clay!






A weed is only a plant in the wrong place. We did notice several of the large gardens following our lead and making good use of cow parsley.  The KHT was always quick to spot her favourite flower, forget-,me-not, and I did notice the presence of a dandelion clock that had slipped under one gardener's radar...







There is always so much to admire, even in the smallest gardens. Most had water features, sadly many involved pumps so were not wildlife friendly. We gain so much from watching our own tadpoles hatch and develop - though at least one of the ponds had newts.

Many had secluded seating areas, which looked very inviting.

Upon reaching the village hall, we stopped off for lunch and a welcome drink.

We live in a new development in a town. The property boundaries are straight and logical. Here, they are often irregular, with some houses having larger gardens, that wrap around their neighbours, with a flamboyant floral hug, whilst other properties have little more than a courtyard crammed with pots of floral extravagance. The result is that you never know what size garden you are about to enter.



Not all the gardens were open, and we got tantalising glimpses of properties that were not quite ready for viewing...


















My favourite was the garden with scupltures, made by the very talented owner. I loved the greenhouse - an installation designed to bring light and brightness on even the gloomiest of days.
The pottery decorated statues decorated were perfectly placed in this wooded garden, where Adam and Eve have found their very own Garden of Eden.




The passion flower on the gate was a joy to behold and hinted at the delights within and the genius of the creator and curator of this particular kingdom.












At the rear of the garden, this mirrored installation reflected the surrounding trees. A labour of love for the owner, who had to clean every one of the 100 mirrored sections, as well as the mirrored sides.








When we reached the village shop we stopped off for ice creams, which were very much appreciated.

We walked down to Brook House, admiring the waterwheel. A trip down memory lane to the days when my parents would take our family on a circular walk from the village green to the mill pool.















The KHT was delighted to discover a 'Banksy' style artwork on the gateway of one house.






Again, the extent of these grounds made me very grateful for our modest plot, and that I do not have the responsibility of caring for these extensive grounds, complete with meadow walk.










There was a BBQ in the grounds of the Catholic church, both pubs were open serving refreshments and the village
green was a buzz of activity with displays, more refreshments and plant sales.

Further down Mill Lane, the cricket continued, oblivious to the floral festivities of the rest of the village.




The church was full of colourful displays, with a 'Celebration and Commemoration theme'. Some displays had rosettes. The KHT is admiring one of my favourite displays.

By now we had walked 11,00 steps and apart from a couple of refreshment breaks and the odd sit down to admire various gardens, we had been on our feet for over four hours. We contemplated another ice cream, but decided we would rather walk on to the field where the car was abandoned, than retrace our steps to the village green.

In all we visited over thirty gardens, but we didn't see Maud, or did we?