Category: Trips

Yewbarrow House and Gardens

by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Trips

We had a lovely sunny day for our visit to Yewbarrow House and Gardens on 19th May.

Yewbarrow House 3Set in the seaside area of Grange-over-sands in Cumbria, these stunning coastal gardens have expansive views across the estuary. They enjoy a micro climate more similar to that of Torquay in Cornwall than to its northern neighbours. Indeed, it is said to benefit from more hours of winter sunshine than Cornwall.Yewbarrow House gardenmap

Started in 1999 by Jonathan Denby, who is said to have been inspired by renowned garden writers such as Shirley Hibberd, the gardens are set out in nine separate parts each designed to take into account the lie of the land, making the most of the free draining soil and emphasising the magnificent views.

We toured the first of these gardens to be developed, the Sunken garden, which has grown up around a
palm tree planted in the centre of the lawn. The Italian garden is filled with large exotic Yewbarrow House 1plants which we might not expect to find or be thriving on the coast of Cumbria. The Japanese garden displayed a circular pool as a centre-piece which has an infinity edge overlooking Morecambe Bay. We also took in the Palm House and the Maple Walk as we enjoyed the sunshine and gentle breeze from the estuary.Yewbarrow House 2

We enjoyed a cream tea on the Tea Lawn whilst we learned that work on the gardens have been ongoing for the last 20 years and is now preparing for the official opening for the NGS scheme.

On our return journey we called at Beetham Nurseries and Garden Centre. All enjoyed the day albeit a bit sun burnt!

For details of the Thornton Cleveleys Horticultural Society trips and garden talks, please see https://thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41.com/

Alpines for Sinks, Troughs and Raised Beds

by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks, Trips

Our gardening talk this month was given by Peter Foley of Waddow Lodge Garden whoPeter Foley eloquently engaged his audience with his knowledge of Alpines.

Peter is of Holden Clough Nursery fame which is currently run by his son John. Established in 1927 by Richard Milne-Redhead, Holden Clough Nursery became one of the country’s leading Alpine nurseries. Based in the Ribble Valley, the nursery has won awards at RHS Tatton and at Southport Flower Show. Waddow Lodge Garden

Peter talked about the best plants for troughs and planters using slides to demonstrate how they can be used. A keen audience asked a number of questions, the answers to which Peter was happy to give. He also brought along a number of plants for sale so we could indulge in alpines for our own planters. alpines

 The evening also saw a presentation to the staff and Friends of the Little Theatre for all their help over the years. This of course was our last event at the Theatre after almost 70 years of use.

All future talks will be in the nearby hall at Christ Church, on Meadows Avenue, Thornton. We’d love to see members and non-members at any of our talks.

Also this month, members were disappointed when the trip to Gordon Riggs had to be cancelled on the day. We had no coach to take us, due to a misunderstanding at the coach company. This was disheartening as the garden centre is a gold mine for gardeners and across the way there is the Fancy Goods Emporium and Cafe. Ah well maybe another time!

For details of other talks and trips, please see the events pages on our website.