Wednesday 7 October 2015

Dunsborough Park NGS open day

Don't you just love the NGS initiative? We managed to get to quite a few this year, but my favourite had to be Dunsborough Park in Ripley, Surrey. The first thing we came upon was the most incredible glass house surrounded by giant sculptures, with olive trees and vines fighting their way out.
Onwards to wonderful never-ending parterre gardens that were groaning at the seams with dahlias, verbena and anemones. Mr M had walled garden envy. 
I fell in love with the ginkgo hedges.
The anemone drifts were stunning. I managed to kill the anemone I bought at the bonkers Crocus sale earlier in the year - I was understandably envious.
The water garden was a delight to stumble across. I do love gunnera - my rather more manageable tribute at home is a bunch of rhubarb which needs to be moved as it looks a little sad. 
It went on and on. I hadn't appreciated that it's a 100-acre site. Each 'room' had something fabulous whether it was a sculpture, water feature or some clever framed view. I thought there was an air of Atonement about this one.
Oh, to have spent longer there. To have perched myself on a bench with a book. It would be the perfect setting for a Mad Hatter's tea party. Dating back to the dissolution of the monasteries, the current owners restored the gardens almost 20 years ago. They open up several times a year for charity - apparently Spring is fabulous with thousands and thousands of tulips, and every so often they host evening concerts which must just be magical. If you're local, do keep an eye on their website. I for one can't wait to go back.

3 comments:

  1. I must go there! Thank you for the introduction and the tip about the evening concerts. I am overcome by the idea of a Ginkgo hedge which will be stunning in autumn. I am also overwhelmed by the huge stands of white dahlias and that little bridge!

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  2. I was at the last open day in September 2015 and been told the two Portuguese couple have left Dunsborough, they was doing so much to garden and Dunsborough it will not be the same with out them. shame the Barons they don't look correctly to there staff.

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