Arley Arboretum & Gardens

-
Today has been mostly gloomy and grey having rained most of the previous night and this morning.  With the need to escape we went for a drive and found solace at Arley Arboretum and Gardens near the Wyre Forest.  

 Now I love trees so was looking forward to this.  Heres me hugging an enormous Pine at our destination just to prove how much...
Sharing the <3
Having bought our reasonably priced £5 entrance tickets from the onsite restaurant we had a choice of two routes around the garden and tree collection.  We chose the longer Red Walk and set off through a walled garden with large fountain and out to the arboretum.  

 Now we aren't tree experts but we do know what we like and we are both drawn to Birch for some reason.  I think it must be that unassuming elegance that they provide and of course the stunning bark on more mature specimens and the delicate leaf canopy glistening up above catching the light in the breeze.  

For me there was a strong scent of pine, probably from the enormous Austrian Pine, that lingered as we made our way through a grassy area.  I found that I was immediately transported to happy memories of Christmas.  

 Having researched trees for our own garden in quite some detail it was nice to see a few of those that hadn't quite made it into our own space.  It also confirmed that we had done our homework and made the right decisions because one of the contenders the Fastigiate Purple Beech was absolutely huge so we had a lucky escape there.  


With winter on the way some trees had completely lost all of their leaves and we found that our attention was drawn to smaller details that we may have missed had it been a different season such as the lichen on the bark of the Tibetan Cherry (centre) and the gorgeous yellow growth on the unknown tree (right).

This is a nice day out if you also love trees and fun for children is provided in the form of a maze, a sensory garden (which probably looks better in the summer) and the obligatory play area.  The views out towards the Wyre Forest in the distance and the Severn Valley Railway Steam Engine in the foreground hurtling towards Brignorth, provide a lovely backdrop making this a special place to visit.

 As it began to cloud over again and rain we made our way back via the plant sales to the cafe for a hot beverage where we were surprised to see a group of Peacocks in a greenhouse.  They definitely had the right idea about staying indoors out of the dreadful weather. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Well overdue post - transforming a patio

-
Image
Having had a break from writing on these pages, I felt it was as good a time as any to return with transformative news, both in reinstating the original name of this blog 'SuburbanGaze' but also of the outside space.   Over the summer months of lockdown I began researched ideas around renewing the patio.  We had spent so much time concentrating on plants and nature that we had forgotten our own basic needs.   So many options to choose from, so many trawls through Google images to find inspiration.  I knew we needed a large flat area with a built in pergola for shade but all off-the-shelf models lacked the bold clean and dark masculine straight lines that I was looking for. I realised quickly that our needs were not catered for and I would need to design something from scratch.  So the process began, like so much in the outside space a lot of thought and planning has gone into it. The problem: A hideous eight...
Read more

Dark side

-
Image
Its always good to have a bit of a change, I guess life is a journey and we all move through different periods.  For now for me, everything shall be black with a splash of orange.  Have began by using some garden paint to coat the bird-boxes for a sheltered spot behind the potting shed, also painted black.   The bird-table has also been coated having been natural, cream, blue... The potting shed has also been transformed in the same colour, I love how this colour makes the boundaries and building disappear into the background.  All the plants appear front and centre the colour popping.  With new robust fences installed the garden has never been better for us.  And that splash or orange has been delivered in a spray-paint coat of the former white garden furniture and a new garden sofa in the al-fresco dining area.
Read more

Pond overhaul

-
Image
I love the wildlife pond area of the garden, its now hidden from view most of the year by a huge native hedge that was grown from whips.  There is almost a secret garden feeling now at the end of the garden, its an area to come to for contemplation.  I haven't got round to putting a bench down there maybe next year.  It looks lovely at the height of the summer, but I made a mistake in the choice of oxygenator and its unwieldiness (if that's even a word) has gone unchecked...That is until now.  Its autumn and the leaves of the Amelanchier are bright red, this has spurned me on to get the wildlife pond sorted for next years fresh load of frogspawn, apparently this is the perfect time - less wildlife to annoy! :)  It's been something to focus on away from the reality that is life.  Here is what the pond looked like in August/September, all super-green and abundant.  But, spot...
Read more