Sunday 6 May 2012

Visitors and the Himalayan Garden.













Sorry about the gap in blogging but I have had friends staying since Friday.

On Friday evening they took the farmer and I out for a meal to a local pub - Crayfish and Apple salad (delicious) followed by spinach and spring onion and blue cheese risotto for me - super dinner.
Yesterday our guests went to the Wensley Food Festival in the morning and then in the afternoon
(after they had eaten an ostrich burger at the Food Festival) they and the farmer went to the Himalayan Garden and I thought you would be interested in both the concept and the photographs

In the late 1990's a hotelier called Peter Roberts retired and bought a property on the edge of the Dales in a village called Grewelthorpe. Somebody looking at his twenty acre garden - completely unworked - told him that it was an ideal spot for growing plants from the Himalayas. Thus an idea was born in the mind of a man who knew nothing at all about gardening.

It only opens from March to June but the rest of the year the gardeners who work there, tend, plant, take cuttings and send plants and buy plants to make for a better garden the next year.
Seeds are collected from plants growing in their native lands - lands like Nepal, India - and are then sown and germinated here in the gardens. Resulting plants are either planted out in the Himalayan garden or sold through the nursery, which is a thriving one.

There are plenty of species rhododendrons and they are quickly bought by collectors who have both the expertise and also the right conditions for growing them on.

In addition each year Peter Roberts commissions local artists and sculptors to add works of art to the setting - many of these are for sale.

I wish I could go too - I have been many times in the past - but these days my ankle and my arthritic knees do not care for the steps and the steep slopes. But the farmer took the camera with him and I thought I would share some of his photographs with you today. Enjoy, while I wash the sheets from my visitors visit and peg them out on the line on a bitterly cold but sunny day to dry and to smell of the fresh air!

9 comments:

Heather said...

What a shame you weren't able to join the farmer and your friends - steps are a killer aren't they?
Thankyou for sharing these wonderful photos - it looks a magical place and the sculptures add to the atmosphere.
I can't grow such plants on our soil and our garden is too small to create much impact, but I do like to see them on a grander scale and looking more natural.
It's a glorious day here and I have been doing some much needed gardening.

MorningAJ said...

I love sculpture gardens. Why on earth is it only open for a couple of months? It looks wonderful.

Joanne Noragon said...

Lovely flowers and sculpure. So nice you could make it.

it's me said...

Love the combination of gardens and art--so sorry you were not able to join them, but the farmer "did good".
The photos are nice--really like the owl sculpture.

Pondside said...

What a sweet thing for the Farmer to do!
Many of the plants in our garden would be at home in the Himalayas - due mostly to the similarity in soil and climate. Of course, the preponderance of 'Old India Hands' that brought their pensions here and retired on the island meant that exotic seeds and plants were brought too.

angryparsnip said...

I love that he just decided to make a garden even though he knew nothing about it.
Perfect !
This reminds me somewhat of the Butchart Gardens although much smaller, they took a used up Limestone quarry and turned it into a fabulous garden.

Farmer photos are wonderful makes me want to visit. I would especially love to visit this nursery.
The rabbit and owl sculptures are terrific.

cheers, parsnip

Elizabeth said...

What a splendid garden! also your blog looks great again now the photos are back.
Loved the washing line post below.
I am a big fan of solar drying AKA hanging it outside.
Dryers seem a terrible American extravagance!

rkbsnana said...

Ahhh, the thought of fresh laundered linens hung out on a line

Gwil W said...

You mustn't say you are sorry for the gap in blogging. It's not like you're being paid to blog. It's not like it's compulsory to blog. There's no law against not blogging. And it's not a duty to blog. Ask your Dominic if you don't believe me. But then again I know hat you mean ;)