Over Saturday and Sunday, 12th and 13th April, 2008, the Norfolk and Suffolk Group visited four gardens in Oxfordshire.

First stop was to the garden of Bob and Janet Cropley, Hillgrounds, Evenley

Janet has created a country garden with a great variety of plants over the last 20 years.

Paeony tenuifolium Fritillariapyrenaica Ranunculus a.flore-plena Allium paradoxum v.normale

Resting gardener

Spring bedding

The afternoon visit was to Lord Heseltine’s garden and arboretum at Thenford House, Thenford.

This has been developed over the last 25 years and it extends to 40 acres

Thenford House

The fountain garden

The walled garden Auricula theatre

front of house Swan lake leaf fountain

The sculpture garden

helleborus narcissus Sophora tetraptera woods

One of the many large drifts of narcissus

Onthe second day our first visit was to Waterperry Gardens famous for its herbaceous borders

Formerly a teaching garden for lady gardeners - I can well remember their exhibits of strawberries at Chelsea.

The gardens at Waterperry

 

Part of the National Collection of saxifraga

Ceanothus ‘Blue Jeans’

Our last visit was to the garden of Mrs Price, Pettifers, Lower Wardington.

Here the rain finally caught up with us.

The house, set in the heart of the village,stands opposite the churchon the roadside showing little

of what is behind the house. Much care and attention has been given to the plantings in this lovely setting.

The garden falls away into a valley giving excellent views of the surrounding countryside.

Fritillaria meleagris Upper gardenEpimedium rubrum Skimmia japonica ‘Kew Green’

View across the valley

Large drifts of narcissus in the lower garden

Is door den Heer Gouverneur ter vergadering geproduceert en vervolgens geleesen geworden seeker klagtschrift door burgerraaden deeser plaatse weegens het slegt gedrag van den burger Pieter Burij [1] aan Sijn Edele ter handen gestelt, sijnde van den onderstaanden inhoud: [2]

Aan den Wel Edelen Gestrengen Heer Jan de la Fontaine – - – beneevens den E. Agtbe. Politicquen Raad.

The upper garden