We decided to feature this small garden as a monthly feature throughout 2024, as we visit regularly anyway for a wander, coffee and cake and a look at the nursery itself. The garden here is right by the cafe and is the private garden of the owners’ home, which visitors can enjoy.
This is a beautifully planted ‘wandering garden’ with grass paths meandering around the many mixed borders. Trees, both deciduous and evergreen, mix with climbers, shrubs, again evergreen and deciduous, as well as perennials and flowering bulbs.
The welcome sign is sited on the driveway and is designed in a calm grey with black writing with the quotation “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”. Next to its name is its logo, a beautiful line drawing of an oak leaf and acorns in their ‘thimbles’.
The drive sides are long mixed borders.
Turn left at the top of the drive and follow around the cafe into the main garden itself, which is divided into two by the exit driveway. One of the best foliage plants with their strappy, sword-like leaves in many colour combinations.
Close by is this wonderful tree decorated with mosses and lichen, illustrating how healthy the air here must be.
Other trees and shrubs display similar coverings of lichen, mosses and ferns. We do not grow such plants specifically for these wonderful lichen, mosses and ferns but it feels so satisfying to find them.
Shrubs give points of interest at this time of the year, some for their winter flowers, some for interesting foliage. The following shots show shrubs growing in the first half of the garden which is close to the outside seating area of the cafe. After enjoying our cafe we cross the bridge over the pond and enter the garden.
There are a few perennials that give interest in mid-winter, displaying interesting flowers, flower buds and foliage.
From here we need to cross the lane to enter the second half of the garden. We will visit that part of the garden in the second post. We plan to visit this garden once a month to record what we see and to discover how the garden changes through the year, 2024.
greenbenchramblings 
2 replies on “A Monthly Wander around Oakgate Nursery and Garden : January 2024”
“Wander, coffee and cake” – all good things. 🙂
A wealth of interest and ideas. Love the mossy, lichen-covered trees.