If it wasn’t for COVID-19, my lovely village of Langford would be taking part in the National Garden Scheme today. Visitors would be ambling around the quintissential Cotswold village, which has been my family’s home for almost 27 years. They’d be treated to a jazz band, cream teas, plant stalls, floral displays, a raffle and of course some of Langford’s many wonderful gardens.
Sadly, for obvious reasons, it’s not to be this year. So as a small substitute for the real thing, I thought I’d devote a couple of blogs to giving you a private picture tour of just a few of the gardens.
A whopping 24 gardens in the village normally take part in the National Garden Scheme. These are a glorious mix of large formal designs through to small classic Cotswold gardens. This week I am just looking at four of them…
Our National Garden Scheme Gardens:
Kemps Yard
As you approach Denise and Richard Kemp’s stunning courtyard garden you know you are in for a treat. After all, the wall next to their gate is a ablaze with this fabulous rose.
Walking through the gateway you are not disappointed. You find the space packed with lovely planting, clever creative touches and an array of clematis and roses which seem to greet you at every turn.
Bridgewater House
The next garden on our small private tour of Langford’s National Garden Scheme gardens is Bridgewater House. This is the home of our long-suffering neighbours Desi and Tim Redston. With our trampolines and cricket nets, they have put up with a lot of noise from the F-W side of the wall over the years!
Desi is a professional gardener and so she often pops up in my blogs, giving me advice and sometimes plants! (It was Desi who suggested my foray into box hedging). Anyway, as you would expect, their garden is wonderful.
You approach it through a courtyard which is a treat in its own right. This then leads through to a walled garden which features a wonderful mix of shrubs and cottage garden plants. The garden is soft and flowing but is given structure and form through the addition of handsome, well trimmed box, hostas, ferns and clever planting choices.
Corkscrew Cottage
The smaller gardens in Langford are as beautiful as the larger formal ones as Corkscrew Cottage, home to Fiona Gilbert and Garry Maguire, ably demonstrates. Fiona urged me to forgive her garden for being nowhere near ‘National Garden Scheme ready’ but I think it’s stunning.
Wellbank
Brian and Hilary Pomeroy have a lovely garden that is approached through a gate at the rear of their home. Those who venture in get an immediate wow from the ivy covered pergola which leads you in to the garden.
National Garden Scheme Gardens…more to come
Well that’s the end of my first tour of the lovely gardens of Langford. Just from these four gardens I think you can appreciate how lucky I am to live in this village. There’s inspirational gardening all around me. So much so that I will endeavour to write about a few more of the gardens in coming weeks.
Thank you so much Lou… what a lovely idea. If you can’t bring the people to the gardens, take the gardens to the people. A feast of gorgeousness!
Thank you Ginny x
They all look stunning. Hopefully will visit next year🤞
They are very lovely Joan. Hope to see you next time they’re open.
I love the beautiful gardens and thank you for sharing.
Can you ask the owners of the Kemp garden where did they get the wrought iron sculpture that they are training the Wisteria through.
Many thanks
Hi Lesley..so glad you liked the gardens. I gather from Denise Kemp that the wrought iron is in fact a plant support (I thought it was a scupture) which they bought at last year’s Malvern show. She can’t recall the stall holder’s name I’m afraid.
Really lovely gardens. A credit to all who has worked very hard.
Thank you Sue
That was such a treat.Well done everyone.
Thank you Linda – I’ll pass your comment on to all the gardeners
Makes my little patch of gravel and 3 hidden frog ponds in Lechlade seem very mundane but they are very much appreciated by all that pass my humble abode in Swan close Lechlade then again I also have two lottys at Kelmscott One fruit and the other veg.genuinely in my 73 years on this planet I have seen a few bumper years but not many come close to this one especially for soft fruits and we all suffered wipeouts of tender plants with the late frosts I sowed runners three times but at last, they are stretching out skywards and will like my fruits produce masses of stringless runners (Firestorm) whoever developed this variant deserves an MBE. As usual, i have gone a bit bonkers only 6 varieties of tomatoes this year from the little sweet ones to the bunker busting giants, I guess everyone has had the same problems with peas again restarts two lots of devastation rooks crows and pigeons eat ever leaf and tendril the second lot suffered equally but are now making a struggling attempt at a comeback Alderman seem to be the most likely to produce pods mange tout oh dear! sugar snap oh dear oh dear. French beans and fine beans second sowing are amazing. the rest we will have to wait and see. Has anyone else noticed the reduction in numbers of cabbage white butterflies? theories on why to the website please i have also noticed most butterflies and moths (night and day) are drastically reduced this year this could be caused by the flooding in Spain with the migratory species but I am no expert please share your knowledge . good luck to all and stay safe and flexible.
Wow, Frank, your veg and fruit growing sound amazing, you put me to shame – I only grow a few tomato plants, courgette, rocket and chillis.I have a cherry tree but the birds always beat me to it, otherwise I have apple trees – they looks laden for this year. I’ve felt we have more butterflies than other years – so I’m really interested by your comment. I love the sound of your hidden frog ponds. I’ve one in my garden – think it’s so important to have some water in the garden, to encourage the wildlife. All the best to you. Louise