This is our Somerset Garden - Summer

These Koi give me cause for concern, they shovel their way across the pond, lips flaring open , daring all to come between them and their prey, even the cat keeps a safe distance.  If there was such a thing as Mafia Koi, these would be the ones! We had water lilies, they ate them, we had water plants, they ate them too, visitors are warned, trespassers will be dismembered. The decked pond became a reality when we discovered that the previous occupants of the house had used the area as a car park, several feet of Hard Core negated the possibility of developing lush vegetation, thus working with what one has, becomes a necessity when creating a garden.	These are some of the images you may see if you come to visit us. We have lots of seats, We truly believe that gardening and wine work together to give an added depth to the concepts of creation - at the very least, contemplation is just the excuse needed for the odd litre or two.   Tree Ferns and Palms have been planted through the Hardcore, to create a lush tropical image. The shade of the giant Sycamore gave welcome shade for the Tree Ferns and the Hostas. HTV Television came to visit us with famous garden designers and presenters, we were congratulated by Gold Chelsea winners and interviewed for the TV program.
We have created spaces to enjoy, separate areas reflecting different moods, and different seasons of the year. It is mainly low maintenance now as we have moved on in years, but there is enormous potential for those seeking a different lifestyle, and a new direction.
This area has a quiet magic, a quality of peace and solitude.	The Bog Garden sits behind the Decked Pond, the Gunnera soar in Summer upwards towards the light, threatening to take over the entire area, they are relatively young at the moment and thrust themselves forward striving to bully everything around them. We keep an eye on their leaves, and Archie the alligator keeps a careful eye when we are not around!
The large pond waits for the stream to trickle and the fish hover near the edge, waiting for the insects washed down over the stones.	Some of the fish have been given new homes in the larger pond - we feel the  Heron population regard it as their local Takeaway - but the fish seem to be aware of the difference between their arthritic owners and the majestic spindle legged Heron , hardly surprising really I suppose, we actually look nothing like each other. Even the brain of a fish can make that differentiation. The stream bubbles from the top of the garden , down over boulders, plants, rumbling along it empties itself back again, into the main pond. The planting along the edges has started to spread itself down, into the water, a real picture when the colours blend and mingle in late spring and summer.

in Spring give way to the ebullience of summer flowers. The poppies surprise us with their ever changing petals.	The winter border has matured greatly now . It is a joy to have such colours all year from the different evergreens and reds of the shrubs.

Further images   

The White garden shimmers and glows as the Sun goes down, the Marguerites and the Artesmesia reminding us that White is merely a general term for such a multitude of glorious shades  that make it easy to create this little xylophone of tones leading to the Black Bamboo and the raised decking area.

The Bamboo rustles and weaves its way underground, creating a web of mystery before sprouting up in the most unusual and often inconvenient of places. 

The "Sanctuary" area of our garden is my favourite. The Bananas, Acers and fiery Cannas, tumble for space with the Hydrangea Cordifolia, a plant we received by accident, thinking it was something quite different. Its gargantuan heads lift sleepily towards the red of the Acer leaves, each year I dry them and spray them gold for Charity craft fairs at Christmas.   

This was another part of the website I developed for the National Gardens Scheme link, for their site, it gives you some background to the garden and how it has developed.

We are in Somerset, a beautiful, tranquil place. True England, (not much left now), but here it remains, green rolling hills, blue herons flapping through the sky, heading  for our pond. Badgers, Old Brock -waking to forage at night, usually in our flower beds, rabbits, hundreds of them, looking like a scene from  Watership Down as they 'silthey' in the fields, before heading for our garden to attempt to chew their way through the shrubs. We have a deterrent, a  daft Yorkie and an aged cat, she wheezes at them.  The cat observes, occasionally to intervene if they think they are in with a chance, maybe the rabbit is young, disabled, blind, or very very old, or toothless, if so, they'll give it a go.

This is the introduction to visiting a Garden in Somerset - If you are anything like me, you won't read this bit, I never do. I always want to search out the Garden photographs and the juicy bits of the site. 

I wonder, what on earth have they written all that for?? The main reason is that it is ‘'expected'’ webmasters are supposed to write interesting stuff for the surfer to read, I find they don't, it is usually really boring  see what you think -  let me know!

Gardens can be a chore, they evolve and grow, imperceptibly it seems sometimes. The Garden becomes your solace, and your escape . The trouble with gardens is they can take you over, make you obsessive, you become the a boring character, with nothing whatever to say unless it involves the words cuttings and root systems. You learn a whole new language - Symphorycarpus doorenbosii - what a mouthful, such verbosity  is learnt by the average devotee and spat out at the right moment accompanied by the nonchalant shrug, to show your knowledge, not to your peers you understand - because they would not be impressed, they would know that if they asked you any other name, or handed you a crinkled leaf, you simply would not have a clue! A selection of tongue twisting plant names have been mastered in order to  impress the uninitiated, the ones that haven't a clue about the names, this group will stare wide eyed at your obviously impressive knowledge and nod with an expression of suitable admiration stapled onto their face. One of the problems with opening your garden to the public, is, that in general the public do have an amazing knowledge, far greater than mine. So many people stroll around the garden, Latin enunciation positively flowing from their lips, I hastily grab a notebook and can be found crouching behind the bushes, scribbling madly. 

Please enjoy your visit, albeit virtual or real – we would love to see you.