This wonderful day grew from a casual remark by John about a visit he was planning to a renowned plant nursery near Bath. We put our heads together and along with the help of Bill, organised an outing to the lovely gardens created by the owners of Special Plants Nursery and the Tulip Mania festival at nearby NT Dyrham Park.
John and I met and greeted, and welcomed some new members on their first GOC event. We even welcomed ‘Trevor’ until we realised that he had just come to buy plants and was not a GOC member! We had four Stephens in our midst – obviously a very popular name. On arrival, we were given a potted history of her 28 years creating the gardens and nursery by the owner. We then wandered around the site, conversations flowing easily as we admired the plants and other features that caught our eyes overlooking a lush green valley. Soon it was onto the nursery, where resolutions not to spend too much were soon abandoned by some (myself included!) as the many unusual plants proved irresistible.
Next it was onto a very busy Dyrham Park, a few miles up the road, where we reassembled in the Courtyard and were met by Bill. We all headed for the Gardens to see the impressive displays of tulips. Some were planted formally in the parterre beds and borders, others in large pots and yet more were naturalised in the orchards and meadow areas. It was time for lots of chatting and wandering at a leisurely pace, before later reassembling at the tearoom for afternoon refreshments. People relaxed in each other’s company and looked back on a most enjoyable day. As people reluctantly started to say their goodbyes, plans to meet again were being made and contact details exchanged.
A big ‘Thank you’ to John and Bill for organising this memorable day that we all enjoyed, and photo credits to Stephen Tivey.
Here’s to many more such enjoyable days!
As this report covers two events, here are the links to both:
