Shropshire Gardens - A serious gardeners delight with 20 National Collections (including English Roses, Clematis, Campanula, Aralia and Tulips) and nearly 20 Plantsmen's Gardens.
If you want to find out how this nice, quiet county manages to propagate such a variety of rare, magnificent gardens, you'll have to dig deeper than the topsoil. For Shropshire is built on rocks from 11 of the 13 known geological periods - the smallest area in the world to claim so many.
Capability Brown and Gertrude Jekyll have contributed their own individual genius to the making of the Shropshire landscape; today the work goes on.
The joy engendered by the classic summer flowers of England - hollyhocks, delphiniums, lavender and campanulas - is not to be sniffed at. Oh yes it is!
Anyway, throughout Shropshire you'll find a trug-full of famous bloomers.
Near Market Drayton you can gaze at the waterfall and views from the Dorothy Clive Garden, intimate and informal with a superb woodland water garden, alpine scree and succulent borders.
To get to the 18th century, grade 1 listed landscape of Hawkstone Historic Park and Follies you must first go through Paradise (yes!) to arrive at this spectacular man-made folly of caves, cliffs and grottos.
This was Britains first ever theme park, opened in 1748 and was, more recently, the setting for the television adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia. Enchanting.
Close by is Wollerton Old Hall Garden, a charming 16th century plantsman's garden by John and Lesley Jenkins, made up of atmospheric "rooms", a knot garden, lime allee and classic English summer flowers that will make your eyes misty. Very up to date, very imaginative, truly memorable.
Now consider if you will the humble sweet pea. Not to be confused, of course, with the garden pea: an ingredient only rarely to be found on the menus of Shropshire's many gourmet restaurants. First grown by the 18th century nurseryman Henry Eckford, the achievement of this humble son of Shropshire is celebrated to this day. Each year, the Wem Sweet Pea Festival draws admirers from around the world. Apart from the most hardened fanatics, many go on to visit the grand gardens and other floral attractions that make Shropshire one of the most fragrant counties of England.
However, Wem is not the only one of our historic market towns that has a flower show you know. Sure enough, the country's premier famous Shrewsbury Flower Show in August confronts you with the sight of more than 3 million blooms. Show jumping, cavalry displays, crafts, arena entertainment and top military bands run throughout the day, culminating with a firework display designed to put the blooms in the shade.
No that can't be right.
Weston Park, the ancestral home of the Earls of Bradford on the borders of Shropshire and Staffordshire was built in 1671 in glorious parkland with formal gardens and woodland walks. Disraeli, a Prime Minister of dicernment said "you will find Weston beautiful, I marvel whether I shall ever see the like of it again." He never did! With an Adventure Playground, Miniature Railway, Stables Bar & Restaurant, Auditorium, Gift shop and much, much more, the variety and diversity of Weston Park provides an abundance of delights for everyone.
And there's still more to tempt you in Shropshire's National Trust Gardens at Attingham Park, Dudmaston, Benthall, Erddig and Chirk Castle and the world famous gardens of Powis Castle.
And just over the county border, you'll find one of the Worlds leading garden centres, Stapeley Water Gardens and extensive ornamental gardens dominated by a romantic Gothic castle at Cholmondeley Castle.
You'll find over a hundred private gardens open under the National Gardens Scheme and the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust Open Gardens scheme. Plenty of opportunities to gather ideas and seek out that unusual plant you've always wanted.
There are also garden centres at Percy Throwers, and Bridgemere Garden World. Your fingers turn green just thinking about it. But lest you think that all Shropshire has been cultivated by the hand of man, don't miss the glacial meres and mosses around Ellesmere. Here mother nature has constructed a landscape that can show us all how it should be done.
Time to wake up and smell the flowers?
Our free brochure will plant some ideas. Have a dig around here.
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