Lode Open Gardens

An open garden is a perfect summer Sunday afternoon pastime. Yesterday a pal and I went on a trip to Cambridgeshire and which included a visit to Lode Open Gardens. I'd never been to Lode before, a pretty village 5 miles from the city of Cambridge. I've been to many garden events but these really were 5 star gardens.  Simply wonderful.

There were four gardens to visit. Wild Rose Cottage (below) had a lovely rambling garden, with chickens and ducks, which looked straight from the pages of Country Living magazine. The garden was entered up a sheltered windy path, gradually revealing the pretty cottage and its garden.

We could have lingered in this idyllic setting the entire afternoon but three more gardens beckoned.

Carpenders End was a barn conversion with sweeping lawns and pretty borders. The owner said he was up at 4am to keep it is such great shape. The early rises certainly paid off. The lawn was like Axminster carpet! We took a pit stop here for delicious tea and cake.

Onwards to the Old Vicarage which was quite a contrast with its garden rooms reminiscent of Hidcote.

My friend entering the garden through a beautiful arbour.

Finally, a garden that quite took my breath away. Behind a beautiful thatched cottage stood the garden of the former head gardener of nearby Anglesey Abbey. My first impression was a garden that was inspired by my favourite garden Great Dixter, and when I spoke to the owner he confirmed that his passion was for lots of colour and that he personally had known Christopher Lloyd, the garden writer, and owner of Dixter. It truly was a stunning garden. 

Horse shoe hedges revealed beautiful water features - respite from the dazzling colour.

I brought back so much inspiration for my own little garden. Pictures rarely capture the real beauty that the eye beholds but I hope these photos have gaven some idea of how outstanding these gardens were.

A splash of red

After the pretty pinks, blues, and lilacs of early summer, here comes the big bold reds.

Some fiery Crocosmia has just flowered in the garden today, bold as you like. High summer has arrived!

Bush radio

Some funky Hipstamatic photos of my lovely new Bush radio. Isn't it fab? So retro looking and the sound is wonderful and only £29.99  from Argos.  Perfect for Radio 4 and a cup of tea!

Have a great weekend!

Chrysanthemums?

One of my guilty pleasures is to always have cut flowers in the house. My flower bill has yet to reach Elton John proportions but a nice bunch of flowers once a week from a market, or more likely the supermarket (florist prices are for special occasions) is for me one of life's small pleasures.  The last few weeks supermarket flower buckets have been full of beautiful blowsy pink peonies. Heavenly. The best £5 you can spend I reckon. Big bunches of spring tulips are another heady purchase. But oh dear, this week in the supermarket it's back to the rather dismal selection of frumpy carnations, freesias that smell like toilet cleaner, funereal lilies, and the dreaded.....chrysanthemums.

Now readers in some countries will be shaking there heads in surprise. Whats wrong with chrysanths you might be saying? I have a very stylish Hollywood friend that adorns her very chic apartment with them. I believe in Spain and some other European countries however they call them the flower of death? Certainly I've always avoided them like the plague. But...there's something going on with chrysanths. Have you noticed? First there was those big headed green ones that appeared in the supermarket last year.

This year there are bunches of tiny headed ones in acid yellows and greens. Maybe it's a sign of aging, like elasticated waist bands, but today I purchased some. Not brazenly like, I hid them in my trolley behind the soap powder.

I tried them in a vase but they just stood there all clumpy like. So I trimmed them right down so they fill the top of the vase and they look...well I'm not sure. I kind of like the acid colour, but I think they take some getting used to.

Hmmmm

I had a look on the internet for images of chrysanthemum arrangements to inspire me and it was a struggle to find anything that didn't look 'old lady' (no offence to old ladies, particularly as I'm fast approaching one). These bouquets are pretty.

Well I've tried but I don't think I'm a convert to Chrysanthemums. How about you?

Swan Antiques Bovingdon

There were five antique shops in my village when I first moved here 12 years ago. Now there are none. A sad sign of the times.  So I was pleasantly surprised to hear about a new antiques emporium opening north of here in a converted public house in Bovingdon. Swan Antiques is a lovely new centre selling a mix of traditional and vintage. Stock is spread over three floors, including a rather spooky cellar! I particularly liked the garden area.

I was looking for a small table for the garden. I've been hunting for ages for a vintage style low table to put beside the sun lounger in the garden. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it at the Swan (I think this quest for a table is becoming the holy grail for me) but there were lots of other lovely things to admire. Here are a few photos I took for you.

Just two more working days and then I have two whole wonderful weeks of work - lots of crafting, vintage hunting, and gardening to be done and a trip to Yorkshire too. Can't wait!