CHESHIRE HOLIDAY JUNE 2023

A coachload of Burnholme Gardening Club Members set off in June 2023 from outside Christ Church Stockton Lane for a four day break visiting gardens in Cheshire staying at the Statham Lodge Hotel on the edge of the hidden village of Lymm. Several interesting and beautiful gardens were visited during the holiday as can be seen by the gallery of pictures below.

The first during the outward journey was Tatton Park which is one of the finest gardens in the British Isles and has 50 acres of landscaped gardens which include historic glasshouses, formal gardens, walled kitchen garden and a 100-year old Japanese Garden

After a very pleasant night at the hotel they visited three gardens opened under the National Garden Scheme.

The first, at 10 Statham Avenue which has devolved over the lasty 30 years under the care of owners Mike and Gail Porter. Managing the rising slope has been addressed using several levelled beds with mixed planting and seating areas. There is a stylish working greenhouse and several interesting outhouses including the Egg House. A walk to the top of the garden leads to the Thomas Steps below the Bridgewater Canal. The journey continued to Laskey Farm, the garden of Wendy and Howard Platt, a 1.5 acre garden including herbaceous and rose borders, vegetable area, greenhouse, and a parterre and maze showcasing grasses and prairie style planting. In the unusual water garden there are interconnecting pools. After an early dinner at the hotel and a short drive they visited The Homestead which is the very exquisite garden of Jan Bashforth who is the Cheshire County Organiser for the National Garden Scheme. There are White Stemmed Birch on entry, coloured themed areas of perennials, shrubs and trees, topiary and obelisks covered in Clematis and Roses, a colourful hot border, decorative greenhouse and pond - a real gem created over the last six years by Jan a keen gardener and plantswoman.

After another comfortable night at the hotel the group visited Arly Hall which has been the much loved family home of the Ashbrook family since the 15th century. There are fifteen acres of garden which are amongst the finest in Europe created over the last 270 years by successive generations of the same family. The Herbaceous Border is its best feature and, along with the unique Querous Ilex Columns, Pleached Lime Avenue of trees and the furlong walk, the garden is amazing and interesting. Within its eight acres of formal garden, there are many different areas to walk through, each with its own distinctive character.

On leaving Arly Hall a visit was made to the Anderton Boat Lift which has earned its nickname of Cathedral of the Canals as not only does it still do the job it was designed to do of lifting boats and barges the 50 feet from the River Weaver Navigation to the Trent and Mersey Canal, but it does it with the most ingenious and endearing character of any structure of the canal system. The opportunity to take a trip down the lift and witness first hand the two huge water tanks working as counter balances to transport the boats up and down was taken up by several members of the group.

On leaving the hotel early on the last morning a visit was made on the way home to Bluebell Cottage Garden and Nursery. The garden wraps around Bluebell Cottage with winding paths enticing the visitor to explore its many different sections. You enter the garden through the productive orchard, under sown with a pretty wildflower meadow. A wide modern perennial border and a gravel garden packed with bright drought resistant plants sit at the top of the garden and there is a large pond, nestling in the centre of the garden which is informally planted but is a wildlife haven for frogs, newts and damselflies. Through a little arch the exotic garden beckons rich in late summer with bold foliage and bright colours and beyond the cottage veg plot. Finally the little shady garden offers a quiet still space to hide away for a while. Many peole were tempted by the nursery where they purchased plants to take home.

Before setting off for home a final visit was made to Abbeywood Gardens which has 6 acres of informal and formal gardens, all different and distinctive. There is a fully stocked perennial garden and a north facing border filled with Hostas, Astibe, Heuchera and Tricyrtis. The gazebo leads through to the Pool Garden with cottage garden style borders. There is a tropical garden established in 2011 which has a formal layout and is heavily reliant on mostly tender exotics planted out each Spring. The central planters are dotted with Trachycarpus Palms and Cordine Australis interplanted with large leaved hardy plants such as Ligularia and Rodgersia.