With glowing colours and fresh days, October is a lovely month for getting out and about to visit gardens. Here is a selection, one in Somerset, the others in Wiltshire and Devon. We advise checking before starting a long journey.
Time Off
LOCAL GARDEN VISITS - SOMERSET Compiled by Nicola Baldwin
Spindle Cottage, Nr Wells
Spindle cottage is a 17th century cottage high on the Mendip hills, five miles north of Wells. The cottage is set in a peaceful cottage garden complete with summerhouse, gazebo and a conservatory. For children and the young at heart there are three magical play houses. The first, Ruth’s Cottage, is gothic in style with a tiny cast iron stove, wooden table, chairs and a dresser. Tom’s Lodge is an Elizabethan thatch cottage with a tiny staircase to the upper room. Lastly there’s Charlotte’s Post Office, a Victorian shop, filled with fruit and vegetables, cakes and tins, a little cash till and a post box. There is also a jousting tent, hedgehog house, potting shed, wildlife pond, well, loggia, a productive organic vegetable garden, the Owl and Pussycat garden and a Norman tower to enjoy.
Location: Spindle Cottage, Binegar Green, Binegar, Nr Wells BA3 4UE. Web site:
www.spindlecottage.co.uk Telephone: 01749 840497 Email:
angela@spindlecottage.co.uk. Opening times: Visitors welcome by appointment. Please telephone to arrange. Admission: £3, children free. Teas and accommodation available. Plants for sale. Dogs welcome. Wheelchair access.
The Courts, nr Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts
This charming garden is full of variety and shows English country style at its best.
Yew hedges divide garden compartments with colour themed borders and organically shaped topiary. The peaceful water garden has two recently restored pools and there is a temple, conservatory and small kitchen garden split by an apple allée. This autumn, stroll through the three and a half acre arboretum with its wonderful species of trees and great leaf colour.
Location: The Courts Garden, Holt, nr Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire BA14 6RR. Telephone: The National Trust 01225 782875. Email: courtsgarden@
nationaltrust.org.uk. Opening times: Open daily until Sunday 30th
October,
except Wednesdays (11am-5.30pm). Admission: £6.50, children £3.60, family £16.60. Teas available. Plants for sale. Wheelchair access.
Lukesland Gardens, Ivybridge, Devon
Well-known for their wonderful spring colour, Lukesland Gardens, Ivybridge, are also delightful in the autumn. The shelterbelt of beeches, planted by the Victorians to protect this 24-acre garden from Dartmoor winds, turns a glorious gold, while more exotic species such as acers, cornus and gingko reflect their fiery reds and oranges in the pools of the Addicombe Brook. The Howell family, who run Lukesland, serve up seasonal soups and cakes in the tea room, by a roaring log fire. Children can enjoy a fun nature trail around the grounds, exploring the many secret paths and bridges in this very natural woodland valley. Dogs are also welcome on a lead.
Location: Lukesland, Harford, Ivybridge PL21 0JF. Mrs R Howell, and Mrs and Mrs J Howell. Tel. 01752 691749.
www.lukesland.co.uk Autumn opening: Sundays and Wednesdays, 16th
October – 13th 4pm. Admission: £4.50, children free. Teas. Partial wheelchair access. Country Gardener
Nicola Baldwin,
www.plotgardendesign.co.uk 35
November, 11am –
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