I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden style.

We realise that "naturalistic" is open to broad interpretation
and a garden may lean towards it by trying to be a wildlife
garden, for example.

For the purpose of the project, she is not looking at historic
landscape gardens in the Capability Brown/Humphrey Repton mould,
but a more recent view of the idea. "No time to stand and stare"
at Chelsea 2003 would be one example of what she's interested in,
though not limited to that particular take on it.

She has to visit example gardens. Our problem is finding suitable
places, mainly because few publicly accessible gardens (as far as
we can tell) are, or promote themselves as being, in this style.
Also, gardens tend to close in October and this project has to be
completed before they reopen next year. We therefore need to
blitz some worthwhile places this week.

We're looking for suggestions within the scope of a day trip from
the Bristol area, preferably within a 100 mile radius, or a bit
more if it's outstanding.

To elaborate on what might be acceptable:

- It doesn't have to be a whole garden; a section of a larger one
will be fine (but one that's substantial enough to be worth the
trip and provide food for thought).
- Even if it doesn't say so in the promotional blurb, as long as
it's clear on the ground that natural style is a strong influence
on the design it will be legitimate to look at.
- A naturalistic style of design, whatever label has been
applied - woodland, wildlife, wildflower, wild...
- Doesn't have to be limited to native/wild plants. It's a design
goal/look/style/influence we're after, not necessarily a literal
and narrow definition.
- Gardens that obviously try for this look but don't come off
well could be instructive

Any ideas? I know it's a bad time of year and a loosely defined
subject, but we had no control over that and have to make the
best of it.

Thanks in advance.

W.

PS: Just in case somebody gets the wrong idea, the nom-de-plume
comes from my carpentry "talents"

"Woodspoiler" wrote
I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden style.
snipped

Went agoogling for you and found the following:
http://www.bodnantgarden.co.uk/ - open till 2 nov !!

http://www.cv81pl.freeserve.co.uk/privategardens.htm
Some private gardens in Warwickshire

Jenny

(sorry if they are not near you - my geography is not too hot!)

Jenny, thanks. We had noticed Bodnant on the Net but it's a
killer at 220 miles each way.

Warwickshire is do-able. and that other site looks good. Plenty
of scope for searching/browsing there and I shall dig around
later.

Has anyone been to The Garden House near Dartmoor, and might it
fit the bill? It's a bit of a haul at 130 miles each way but if
it really fits the bill I'll grit my teeth and do it..

W.



"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Woodspoiler"
wrote
I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden
style.
snipped

Went agoogling for you and found the following:
http://www.bodnantgarden.co.uk/ - open till 2 nov !!

http://www.cv81pl.freeserve.co.uk/privategardens.htm
Some private gardens in Warwickshire

Jenny

(sorry if they are not near you - my geography is not too hot!)

"Woodspoiler" wrote in
message ...
Jenny, thanks. We had noticed Bodnant on the Net but it's a
killer at 220 miles each way.

Warwickshire is do-able. and that other site looks good. Plenty
of scope for searching/browsing there and I shall dig around
later.

Has anyone been to The Garden House near Dartmoor, and might it
fit the bill? It's a bit of a haul at 130 miles each way but if
it really fits the bill I'll grit my teeth and do it..

W.

B&B's for Garden lovers :~)
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/t...bgl/index.html

Jenny



"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Woodspoiler"
wrote
I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden
style.
snipped

Went agoogling for you and found the following:
http://www.bodnantgarden.co.uk/ - open till 2 nov !!

http://www.cv81pl.freeserve.co.uk/privategardens.htm
Some private gardens in Warwickshire

Jenny

(sorry if they are not near you - my geography is not too hot!)

"Woodspoiler" wrote in
message ...
She has to visit example gardens. Our problem is finding suitable
places, mainly because few publicly accessible gardens (as far as
we can tell) are, or promote themselves as being, in this style.
Also, gardens tend to close in October and this project has to be
completed before they reopen next year. We therefore need to
blitz some worthwhile places this week.

We're looking for suggestions within the scope of a day trip from
the Bristol area, preferably within a 100 mile radius, or a bit
more if it's outstanding.

Thanks in advance.

W.

"The garden House" Buckland (near plymouth) hardly be looking its best at
this time of year though!

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 11:25:14 +0000 (UTC), "Woodspoiler"
wrote:

For the purpose of the project, she is not looking at historic
landscape gardens in the Capability Brown/Humphrey Repton mould,
but a more recent view of the idea. "No time to stand and stare"
at Chelsea 2003 would be one example of what she's interested in,
though not limited to that particular take on it.

Lady Farm, Chelwood (near Pensford on A37, S of Bristol)
Yellow Book p 42. Says "private visits welcome by appointment".
New prairie planting; featured on GW.

Abbey Gardens, Malmesbury. www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk
The owners should nave donned their winter woollies by now. You may
have seen them on GW in the almost altogether!
ditto private appointments. Much innovation.

Heale House, n of Salisbury (haven't been there for some years)

Sherborne Garden, Litton. Yellow book p 43.
ditto private visits.



Pam in Bristol

In article , JennyC
writes

"Woodspoiler" wrote
I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden style.
snipped

Went agoogling for you and found the following:
http://www.bodnantgarden.co.uk/ - open till 2 nov !!

http://www.cv81pl.freeserve.co.uk/privategardens.htm
Some private gardens in Warwickshire

Didn't one of our posters set up a site with lots of gardens to visit
and organised it by area. I seem to have lost the url but seem to
remember his email addy had 'arcadian' in it. It was a terrific web site
for gardens to visit.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

Woodspoiler wrote:

I am not much of a gardener, just the household chauffeur and
Internet person, but please bear with me.

My wife has a college project to study naturalistic garden style.

We realise that "naturalistic" is open to broad interpretation
and a garden may lean towards it by trying to be a wildlife
garden, for example.

For the purpose of the project, she is not looking at historic
landscape gardens in the Capability Brown/Humphrey Repton mould,
but a more recent view of the idea. "No time to stand and stare"
at Chelsea 2003 would be one example of what she's interested in,
though not limited to that particular take on it.

Not familiar with the Bristol area in particular but there was a
'naturalistic' prairie garden featured on TV recently, and german parks
& gardens, as well as still embracing traditional bedding schemes have
been turning towards more 'naturalistic styles' eg large areas of taller
grasses, extensive beds of perrenials a areas of more natural habitat.

Not visitable but worth some research on the web.

//
Jim

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 12:56:26 +0000 (UTC), "Woodspoiler"
wrote:

Has anyone been to The Garden House near Dartmoor, and might it
fit the bill? It's a bit of a haul at 130 miles each way but if
it really fits the bill I'll grit my teeth and do it..

Yes, it's the one Charlie mentioned, at Buckland Monachoram between
Plymouth and Yelverton. One of the best gardens I've ever visited.
Go for it!

Pam in Bristol

in article , Charlie Pridham
at wrote on 26/10/03 11:55 am:


"Woodspoiler" wrote in
message ...
She has to visit example gardens. Our problem is finding suitable
places, mainly because few publicly accessible gardens (as far as
we can tell) are, or promote themselves as being, in this style.
Also, gardens tend to close in October and this project has to be
completed before they reopen next year. We therefore need to
blitz some worthwhile places this week.

We're looking for suggestions within the scope of a day trip from
the Bristol area, preferably within a 100 mile radius, or a bit
more if it's outstanding.

Thanks in advance.

W.

"The garden House" Buckland (near plymouth) hardly be looking its best at
this time of year though!

--

I'd endorse this - excellent suggestion, IMO. It encompasses many styles of
gardening in one area and I don't think another garden could be more
valuable to that form of study.
If Charlie will forgive me for completing his direction-giving, it's The
Garden House at Buckland Monachorum and yes, it's certainly near Plymouth
but its nearest town is Tavistock. From Bristol, straight down the A38,
choose to drive across the moor when you get to Ashburton, zip on to
Ivybridge and turn off there or do the Plymouth route.
And BTW, Charlie, we hear Keith Wiley has or is giving it up; has that
filtered through to you?

--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

in article , Woodspoiler at
wrote on 26/10/03 12:56
pm:

Jenny, thanks. We had noticed Bodnant on the Net but it's a
killer at 220 miles each way.

Warwickshire is do-able. and that other site looks good. Plenty
of scope for searching/browsing there and I shall dig around
later.

Has anyone been to The Garden House near Dartmoor, and might it
fit the bill? It's a bit of a haul at 130 miles each way but if
it really fits the bill I'll grit my teeth and do it..

W.

Charlie is a nurseryman, my husband is a nurseryman. I don't think you
could do better than The Garden House, as you will see from our respective
posts. From Bristol to us is about 2 hours from e.g. Cribbs Causeway and
we're about another 45 mins on to Buckland Monachorum. Not such a terrible
trek, really. You could week end it and stay in a b&b and visit other
gardens/nurseries, perhaps? Bearing in mind that little looks wonderful at
this time of year, you'll be hard pressed to beat this suggestion.
Here's a link: http://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk...rden_house.htm
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the 'x' to email me)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I really appreciate the
replies.

They have convinced us to visit the The Garden House on Tuesday.

On Wednesday we will take stock of what we saw and then possibly
pick from among Pam's suggestions and a couple of others we have
turned up.

Any opinions on the possible suitability of the Margery Fish
garden at East Lambrook Manor between Yeovil and Crewekerne?

I fully appreciate the comment about The Garden House not being
near its best at this time of year, which is going to be true of
anything we see. It wasn't a clever assignment to issue in late
September to be finished by the end of Feb, but we have to make
the best of it!

W.

"Woodspoiler" wrote in
message ...
: Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I really appreciate the
: replies.
:
: They have convinced us to visit the The Garden House on Tuesday.
:
: On Wednesday we will take stock of what we saw and then possibly
: pick from among Pam's suggestions and a couple of others we have
: turned up.
:
: Any opinions on the possible suitability of the Margery Fish
: garden at East Lambrook Manor between Yeovil and Crewekerne?
:
: I fully appreciate the comment about The Garden House not being
: near its best at this time of year, which is going to be true of
: anything we see. It wasn't a clever assignment to issue in late
: September to be finished by the end of Feb, but we have to make
: the best of it!
:
: W.
:
As a matter of interest, what course is your wife doing?

K

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 21:04:55 +0000 (UTC), "Woodspoiler"
wrote:

Any opinions on the possible suitability of the Margery Fish
garden at East Lambrook Manor between Yeovil and Crewekerne?

Last time I went to East Lambrook manor it was a bit of a mess but I
understand it has had new owners. I considered it a bit over-rated.

The other one you ought to visit is Hadspen down Shaftesbury way.
Nothing will be at its best now, but maybe that could be part of the
study; which gardens have the best out-of-season interest.


Pam in Bristol

As a matter of interest, what course is your wife doing?

Garden design HNC. I can see the point of the assignment but the
timing seems odd to say the least.

W.