Outing – Spetchley Park Gardens, Worcestershire - 23rd June 2018
The afternoon visit on Saturday 23rd June 2018 as part of the 1st outing for Allestree Gardening Club members took us to Spetchley Park Gardens in Worcestershire, a grand Victorian garden of 30 acres, home to successive generations of the Berkley family. Significant improvements had been made to the car park and entrance as well as a Heritage Interpretation & learning Centre since out club last visited in 2008, as keen gardeners the planting areas still needed major attention.
The house stands proud in the parkland overlooking a magnificent lake with plenty of wildlife, with the other water area, the Horse Pool resplendent with water lilies. The uncut grassy areas adjacent to the long walk had many Martagon lilies with both white and purple forms in full flower. Plenty of attention had been paid to the cork lawn with the unusual cork bark of the trees. The fountain garden was almost inaccessible with overhanging shrubs and weeds and the conservatory was quite frankly a mess. The unusual exotic plants and shrubs were severely neglected.
The herbaceous borders on the outside of the walls of the walled garden were full and interesting and well attended with some exceptional Kniphofia varieties, Alliums, Roses, Clematis, Peonies, just finishing flowering and a superb example of Tropaeolum speciosum (Scottish Flame Flower) clambering through a Yew hedge. Unfortunately, the gardens within the walled garden needed attention.
The food in the Old Laundry Tea Room was excellent and made for a nice resting place on a hit day but patience was required with the staff working flat out to service the many people visiting on this weekend.
