We returned to wander around the show gardens at Bridgemere Garden Centre towards the end of August. Our visit came after weeks of drought and very high temperatures so we wondered how the gardens had faired.
As usual we started our wanderings at the ‘Cottage Garden’ to see what was happening.
Dahlias were performing so strongly alongside an apple tree laden with colourful blushed fruit.
On the opposite side of the wide pathway that leads us towards the pond and onwards, shrubs were showing the effects of the drought.
The border beneath a dying prunus tree was looking as if we haven’t had a drought for months and looked so good. At this time of year as spring bulbs have disappeared and pulmonaria have ceased flowering, this garden has become a beautiful foliage space, featuring hostas, pulmonaria and ferns. On the opposite side of the gravel path a single spotted flower attracted us both, a tricyrtis or Toad Lily plant.
Once again we noticed plants nearby that were suffering from the drought conditions. A hemerocallis had drooped and yellowed whereas the nearby clump of eupatorium and the large acer behind it both looked healthy in spite of the recent weather.
The pond was our next port of call which was suffering from an attack of duck weed and drooping Gunnera manicata leaves.
Tree fern fronds have dried up and in some cases dropped off the hard stems/trunks. Water iris have turned a pale shade of brown but are sporting healthy seed pods.
We left the pond behind and made our way towards the Winter Garden and the RHS Chelsea 2025 Peoples’ Choice award winning garden looking out for sufferers and survivors of the drought. It was interesting to see how the many plants here have faired and comparing them with our garden at home. Both autumn crocus and Rudbeckia ‘Lemon Queen’ have faired well and were covered in blooms.
Hydrangea generally have been mixed in their response to the dry, but with this H. aspera ‘Anthony Bullivant’ which looked dead from a distance but close up there were signs of new growth. There is still hope for our gardens!?
In the Winter Garden things looked mixed with dried up plants alongside healthy specimens. The acers looked good and healthy but other plants look as if autumn had already arrived and the betula had completely lost its leaves.
We noticed that throughout all the gardens some perennials were looking so good as if they were ignoring the dry.
We called in at the Anne Marie Powell award winning garden and immediately stopped to look at these pea-like flowers and unusual looking colourful pods. We couldn’t remember its name so were so pleased to find a label – it was Collutea medea Copper Beauty. The thing that we liked the most in this garden this month was the variety of healthy looking foliage.
Overall we were interested in seeing how the garden has dealt with the drought.
greenbenchramblings 