It's always good to start a garden visit with some naked wrestling men(!?!), so the gardens at Abbey House Gardens were off to a good start!
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The lovely house appears buried in its garden, clothed with climbers and creepers it almost disappears into the greenery yet it is very present throughout.
The garden divides into two halves - the formal flower gardens at the front of the house and the natural valley garden behind. The formal knot garden greets you first...
with impressive clipped and regimented Yew hedging, neat Box edging and formal pathways.
The Well Garden
The shaping and contrast planting was like a rich tapestry.
And here and there there was a blast of glorious Lilies...
whilst all around is the presence of Malmesbury Abbey.
The House and garden were built on the grounds of the Abbey and indeed part of the garden is on ground that used to be under the other half of the Abbey.
The Lady Chapel Garden uses Yew hedges to trace the outline of the lost section and now has Rose beds instead of congregations.
Drenched in August sun is the best ways to see Roses.
and the riotous colour mixed with serene references to the ancient inhabitants...
a serene monk with his feet deep in Violas, and elsewhere there are ancient stone coffins found during the construction.
Just outside the Chapel garden was a lovely sunny upper lawn with a husband sized deck chair surrounded by more roses on one side...
and an assortment of purply loveliness on the other...
Erygerons, Asters and ragged Poppies...
and the company of a large Tortoise enjoying snoozing in the sun just as much as the husband!!
Yew corridors led to other garden rooms past the spire of a contemporary fountain....
to a glorious sunny herbaceous border garden
Full of Verbascum and Roses...
Echinops, Solidago and Stocks...
and delicate silvery Sea Holly and Agapanthus.
The darkness of these corridors created such a gorgeous contrast to the sunny open spaces.
Then we found the herb garden!
With a circular 'cloister' around the outside and raised beds based on a description in a 9th century poem. They were full of fragrance and buzzing bees...
Salvias, Lavenders and Geraniums.
The cloister tunnel was covered in Clematis...
which scrambled up over mature trained fruit cordons creating a green glade casting delicate shadows perfect for contemplation.
Lots of varieties of Apples, Grapes and Pears and even a sprawling Mulberry Tree.
As if this wasn't enough garden for one house through a dark arch was the entrance to the valley garden, with a meandering path down the steep side of the valley down to the bottom to the monks fishing ponds and the River Avon...
... and the odd little temple!
It is a shady glade filled with Camellias, Rhododendrons, Maples, Hydrangeas together with existing native woodland plants and trees
The house looked very different from this angle, high and imposing.
Paths wound through woods and clearings, over bridges...
and through wonderful swaying grasses...
with views up and down the meandering river and ponds.
On the way back we spotted the gardeners To-Do list which looks terrifying!
and some sculpture following the theme of the wrestlers (my lizard's bigger than your lizard!?!)
Back we went up to the tea room which is set around a raised pond and fountain...
with very impressive carp and some huge sturgeon which eluded my camera!
and some much deserved tea and cake!
For more information about the gardens and opening times visit their website here
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Malmesbury, the weather was kind and the town and gardens were delightfully 'English', charming and very pretty.
On my return I spoke to my mum - keen to share my find. Mum is a boundless font of garden information and needless to say already knew about it. However she was a bit quiet as I was raving about it, only to then tell me that the garden is well known in the area for the owners being rather keen on gardening in the nude!!
And then I found the 'clothes optional' days on their website!
😐
Slightly relieved that the only nudes we saw were bronze!
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