Tuesday 17 July 2012

Open Gardens Part I


Just the other day, I drove past some signs on the road, indicating that on the 15th, there would be Open Gardens in a village near us. Now, given the weather we have been having lately (and we have, indeed, been having quite a lot of... weather!), I did not think much more about it, until...


... on Sunday we woke up to the loveliest sun, accompanied by blue skies and lifted spirits...


Green with garden envy, I returned home that afternoon, with a camera full of inspiration and senses filled with floral joy. Six homes had opened their beautiful gardens to the public that day, all to raise money for the work of Julian House, a charity supporting homeless men and women in the Bath area.


The photos in today's blog post are all from one breathtaking house and garden, 
which also enjoys stunning views across the valley. 


One of the lovely things about Open Gardens is that you get to meet the owners and hear them talk about their gardens, the history of it and how they feel about them, which adds a very personal touch to the experience.


That this is a much loved garden is not hard to guess...


One of the most striking features of this garden is a seating area around an old well. Unfortunately, I have not included any photos of it, as there were a number of garden guests relaxing there. Even though I have got the garden owner's permission to feature her stunning garden, I was not sure other guests would be happy to be "blog models" for a day. Maybe next time!


I could have strolled around this floral fairy tale for hours, 
stroking the lavender,
mumbling new ideas to myself,
letting out little sighs of delight...


...but despite its inviting corners and tranquil mood 
lulling me into a very relaxed frame of mind...


(Click on the image if you would like to view it larger.)

...there were more gardens to explore - an opportunity the curious yours truly could not resist... Next time I will share some photos of another glorious garden, whose summer house I cannot seem to get out of my head....!

Thank you so much for letting us share your garden haven for a day, dear J and T!

Helena

12 comments:

  1. Liebe Helena,

    wundervolle Bilder! Danke fürs zeigen!

    Liebe GRüße von Danny

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  2. Beautiful photographs, as always! I love these open graden days too and always try to visit some of them. Lovely to get inspiration for free. x

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  3. Kära Helena!!

    Ah.... Sol hos dig. Äntligen. Här också faktiskt. Igår eftermiddag bröt den igenom tunga regnmoln och drog med sig värme som nästan gjorde att jag blev vimmelkantig hihi... Alltså. Det här regnandet går mig på nerverna. Men, men.. Nu lyser solen ju. Och ska så göra i några dagar. Har laddat med bakingredienser för att göra något. Men det får vänta nu. För nu vill jag bara ut.

    Men gosse. Vilken mysig trädgård. Förstår att du blev till dig. Open gardens i dina trakter. Jo, jo. Där skulle man ha varit. Vilken upplevelse. Bilden på uteplatsen, med lilla fönstret i vasstaket, har jag nu scrollat mig upp till ett antal gånger :-)) Sååå mysigt det ser ut. Vill oxå bo så där.... Ser fram emot flera bilder från din dina trädgårdsbesök!!

    Soliga kramar till dig
    /Charlotte

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  4. I regret, that we haven't such a wonderful custom like Open Garden in our country :( It looks gorgeous! So natural, colorful and... sunny :)
    marta from ohmyhome.pl

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  5. I always wonder about these big gardens. Here in south-western Germany, where we live, you have to pay nearly 300 € per squaremeter land. Most houses have 400 to 600 squaremetres to be built on, some people can afford 800/900 sqm. Instead of a garden they often have only a lawn and some conifers - very boring. I like these English gardens, they are always surprising to the visitor. And I like the kind of garden where children can play and rabbits, bees, hedgehogs find their place to stay. A garden has to be fulfilled with life and with colours. And that is, what your photos show to us. Great!

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  6. Wow that's beautiful! Thanks for sharing! :-)

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  7. A gorgeous garden and beautiful photos....thank you!

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  8. Dear Helena,
    I adore the cascading pink rose picture. How wonderful that the sun decided to time its arrival perfectly with your visit to this very pretty garden. The shade cast on the lawn by the Catalpa(?)in the last picture is wonderful.
    I had a similar issue on Sunday with blog models although thats a whole other story!
    Paul

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  9. Hallo Helena,

    i love the "open gardens" too.Meeting and talking with other gardeners is wonderful. Beautiful photos!
    Thank you
    Dagmar

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  10. wow , än en gång bjuder du på fantastiska bilder från fantastiska trädgårdar som får min själ att sjunga. Dessa bilder ger ett lyft denna mulna och regniga dag :-)
    kram Åsa

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  11. Such a pleasure to follow you ! Thanks a lot for the lovely walk into your world !! Guémalde

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