GARDEN VISITS

[ranunculus]

A few images captured on a grey sultry early May afternoon at the duo of gardens very kindly opened for the fortunate members of the East Lancashire Group of the AGS..
Our first visit was to the beautiful garden of Ken and Mavis Meekings in Bolton and the second was to the delightful garden of SRGC (and Forum) stalwarts Brian and Shelagh Smethurst in Bury.
Many thanks to both the couples for their generosity and for all their hard work…hope you enjoy these few random images.

[ranunculus]

Final images from the garden visits this Bank Holiday...

Apologies to Brian and Shelagh for the numerically fewer images of their delightful garden...I was going to take some more but I got distracted by the coffee, biscuits and gardening conversation...

[Paddy Tobin]

Ah Cliff,

You have slumped right to the pits in my opinion. Imagine visiting a garden and settling for the tea and biscuits. Cliff, that really is the pits. You have just gone off the scale.

But, I forgive you as you have, as ever, produced the good which matter to us on the  forum - good photographs. Lovely gardens, exceptional standard of maintenance.

Many thanks, Paddy

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks very much for showing us around these delightful gardens Cliff !
Many congrats to both owners with these immaculate little (?) gardening pearls !  The word brilliant comes to mind... ! 

[David Nicholson]

Two beautiful gardens, obviously time goes slower in Bolton/Bury than it does in Devon, I could never reach that kind of standard if a laboured 24 hours a day, every day. Thanks for posting Cliff but you've caused me much grief, Maureen said 'why isn't ours like those'

[Lesley Cox]

Your answer to THAT David, is right there at the top of the page. These gardens belong to Ken AND MAVIS and to Brian AND SHELAGH. You could suggest that when yours belongs to David AND MAUREEN, i.e. with Maureen doing a fair share of the work.......

[ChrisB]

This level of maintenance is what I strive to achieve, but always, always fail miserably at.  And so very nicely planted, and beautifully laid out. 

But that one plant, Geissorhiza (? sorry, my spelling probably wrong) is quite wonderful, such a rich blue.  Never seen it before, and its not a genus listed in the Plantfinder, do tell us more about it....

[David Nicholson]

Your answer to THAT David, is right there at the top of the page. These gardens belong to Ken AND MAVIS and to Brian AND SHELAGH. You could suggest that when yours belongs to David AND MAUREEN, i.e. with Maureen doing a fair share of the work.......

I knows my place Lesley, it's more than my life's worth!

[Lesley Cox]

Ah well David, you'll have to take the flak then.

[ranunculus]

The pretty little South African Geissorhiza was in the greenhouse of Brian and Shelagh Smethurst (and probably looks considerably larger than it should), so I will leave it to 'Our very own Black Pudding Girl' to provide all the info'.

[Paul T]

Clif,

Great pics.  I'd forgotten just how nice a good lawn can look...... a very rare commodity now-a-days here as our water restrictions do not allow lawn watering with anything other than recycled/tank water and rain etc. A lush lawn is just SO green!!    Lovely gardens, both of them.  Well done to the owners.

Geissorhiza is a South African genus, some relatively short lived while others (such as monanthos) are relatively permanent (mine has now existed here for at least 6 years or so).  The blue IS lovely, both in the pictures and in person.  Some of the other species in the genus can be strong reds, or red and blue combinations.  Very, very striking in many cases, while some other species can be small blue flowers that are nice but nothing to write home about. 

[shelagh]

Thanks Cliff for coming and eating the biscuits and cake.  Since Brian did so much weeding and tidying I think I must correct Cliff's omissions and post a few pictures of our garden.  The Geissorhiza monanthos was from Silverhill seed sown on 29.6.04. It did flower last year, but although there is plenty of 'grass' in the pot there is only one flowering size stalk.  It is very affected by the sun and on Sunday which was dull for the most part it was never fully open, in todays wonderful sunshine it is so I am posting it in all its glory.

[Maggi Young]

Congratulations to the Meekings and the Smethursts on getting their premises  in such great condition for their visitors and for their generosity in opening their gardens to us all here, as well.


My word, Shelagh, your garden is looking " jist smashin' "     Loads of colour and interest and not a weed in sight..... Brian can't spare a week or two to work that magic up here, can he?  I know he likes a challenge.......

[Paddy Tobin]

Shelagh,

I have read many times that a keen gardener will face the difficulty eventually of deciding on having  a plant collection or a garden, that it is nigh impossible to have a wide range of diverse plants and still maintain a unity of design in the garden. When I recall whom it was wrote along those lines I shall forward your photographs as you demonstrate so clearly that an excellent plant collection can be displayed within a very pleasing design. Yours strikes me as an excellent garden with fabulously interesting and beautiful plants while you have still kept a firm hand on the overall layout. A great job done indeed.

David and Lesley,

Your comments on maintenance, weeding etc. reminded me of the shocked and amazed face on the lady who asked me while visiting the garden here how I kept it weed free. I told her that it was very simple; that I set the alarm for 6a.m. each morning so that my wife could have the time to do the weeding before getting my breakfast. She really looked at me and wondered what kind of monster she had encountered. I kept the straight face and left her wondering.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]