Having cracked the two garden day we decided that we should have a go at three gardens in a day - we are serious garden visitors, we really are! So on Thursday Mum and I started with a trip to Mells village not far from Frome in Somerset. Mells Village is a lovely picture book English village, with a church and a walled garden and nursery. On a picture book English morning we started with the church, which has interesting memorials and First World War references.
Siegfried Sassoon, the First World War Poet is buried here.
Then on to the Walled Garden which is just over the road.
Down a long path lined with lovely things we strolled...
past polytunnels and nursery beds, and then through a gate into the main garden.
Wow!
The garden was an informal mix of beautiful perennials, interesting shrubs, sculptures and a pond.
It had a gorgeous homely feel, was slightly ramshackle and non to neat, and was crammed with plants all jostling for space, mixing and competing, there wasn't an inch of empty ground.
There were lots of places to sit, from wooden blocks and straw bales, to fancier tables and benches, and a lovely dovecot.
Some of my favourite planting combinations were - dark Physocarpus opulifolius Diabolo, with a yellow Phlomis russeliana, and spires of Sisyrinchium striatum.
Foamy white Crambe cordifolia, a large silvery thistle, and dark red Knautia in front, all set off by a rusty sculpture.
Although we were tempted by the cafe and the plant sales area, we didn't have time for a break yet. We had more gardens to see, so off we set to the next on our list - Kilver Court.
Kilver Court couldn't be more different. It is a garden near Shepton Mallet that is behind a designer village - you can buy your Paul Smith socks, your Mulberry bag and then stroll through the beautiful garden and have some lunch.
The main part of the garden is based on a gold medal winning rock garden seen at Chelsea Flower Show in 1961. The original Chelsea garden designer Mr Whiteleg oversaw the project.
It's a 3.5 acre site, with a 19th century viaduct as a back drop, a river and mill pool alongside, and the centrepiece is the pristine, manicured, vaguely retro formal garden with coiffured conifers, maple mounds and dazzlingly colourful planting in between.
A stream meanders all the way through it, tumbling down waterfalls,
and settling in calm pools,
the planting around it was lush and verdant.
With great splashes of colour in beds in-between.
Glorious orange Helianthemum, and rich magenta Dianthus with dark purply foliage.
I have no idea what this white plant is but it was amazing with it's spiky leaves and strangely squirty flowers!
Gorgeous Candelabra Primula, amongst Hostas and Ferns and backed with a dark Acer.
There wasn't much that was naturalistic or 'drift' in the planting of the Kilver Court garden but it had a lovely feel, was immaculately kept (glad I don't have to mow all the little nooks and crannies of lawn) and the clean lines and structure flowed beautifully.
There was also a little formal knot garden,
with lovely matching mauve Alliums and Roses,
and a organic community vegetable garden with a fabulous shaggy willow fence and arch,
...lovely tufted willow bean supports and a very well informed and friendly gardener.
And after all that it was most definitely time for a late lunch and a sit down, but we weren't finished yet!
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