The lovely old house was tucked away down a lane with few clues to the delights to come in its 11 acres.

The owner, Vicky Farren, who has a background in floristry and design, took us on a tour of the garden and explained how she set about restoring the gardens in 2004 and its main features.   She has a particular interest in colour and love of prairie planting and grasses which was evident in the design.  

After walking through a long path between high hedges and woodland and passing a large pond with an atmospheric boathouse, we arrived at the main garden which was a huge lake surrounded by wonderful borders which were reflected in the water.  An island in middle of lake was linked by a bridge either side.

The prairie style planting on one side of the lake included many tall grasses and flowering plants in blues, pinks and purples such as verbena bonariensis, echinops and lychnis.  At the far end of the lake we passed a wild flower meadow and an interesting labyrinth design cut into the grass.  Those of us who tried it out found it was more difficult to reach the centre than it looked!

On the house side of the lake was a hot border with some striking red hot pokers and callas. Another bridge led to the island which had an idyllic summerhouse surrounded by tall planting including some very impressive pink feathery astilbes.  The beautiful views across the lake were backed with an extensive display of tall grasses shimmering in the evening sun.

Walking past the house, we passed more herbaceous borders and entered the walled vegetable garden which led into a large orchard and nuttery.

We were then ready for a delicious tea with lots of small home-made meringues, cakes and biscuits to sample.  It was really memorable to sit by the brook and look across the lake at the beautiful planting.

We were very lucky to have a lovely sunny evening which lit up the planting, particularly the grasses, magically.  Many of us went round for another look and all agreed it had been one of the best garden visits and well worth a little extra travelling.

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