Dyffryn Fernant Garden

“The most inspiring garden in Wales?” This is how it was described in a magazine I read. It certainly is inspiring and full of ideas and creative cameos. It really is a garden to explore and discover!

The gravel driveway leads to the salmon pink cottage and short distance away is a rustic library building where we enjoyed freshly brewed coffee and browse some of the hundreds of books lining the walls.

We parked in a field on the opposite side of the lane to the garden and here we were delayed while I looked a hedgerow Hawthorn dripping with red berries giving it the look of a red waterfall. We crossed the lane and entered the ‘Quarry Garden”. From there we followed the lane up to the cottage and its front garden. We stopped to look at this strip of stone which reminded us of the work of Richard Long, landscape sculptor.

The “Front Garden” is a small patch with plenty of points of interest.

Acers in September provide so much colour marking autumn’s beginnings.

The old ‘Kitchen Garden’ still shows signs of production but it also is home to stock plants. There were interesting places to sit and consider and even spot wildlife.

Off to the Library next for our coffee break, comfy chairs and time to look at a few of the hundreds of books. The view from the library doorway takes in ‘The Courtyard’ and ‘Bog garden’, which was the next place to enjoy.

Leaving ‘The Library’ and feeling well refreshed we continued our journey of discovery – discovery of interesting plants and how they are put together to give the best possible pictures.

The areas we still had to look at were various planned borders and garden rooms gently fading into more wild areas.

Some brilliant plants and planting combinations on our way to ‘The Fernery’!

And so we reached ‘The Fernery’ and close by a ‘xeriscape’ planting which are strongly contrasting conditions. These areas and the wilder patches will be in the second part of my post about Dyffryn Fernant.