A while back now I signed up to the National Garden Scheme newsletter, and when it arrives in my inbox I often (but not always) check to see if there are any gardens open near me. I got lucky back in 2014 (I can’t believe it was so long ago!) when a couple of private houses in Blackheath opened their gardens, and I went along to have a look at their gardens, and to pick up some tips on what plants thrived in the local area. It was great - I remember leaving with cake, and a plant and the care instructions for it. It was a pelargonium, I forget its name, and it did survive for quite while after, even a winter but then I clearly got ahead of myself and it was no more. But happy memories of the chance to look around a space that’s not usually open.
But I digress. Another newsletter arrived recently and this time I checked to see if there would be more gardens opening near our new home in Nottinghamshire.
And there was.
A garden less than 10 miles, 15 minutes by car was holding their annual open day imminently, no booking required. So that’s how we found ourselves at Floral Media, along with 501 other people for charity. Being a complete newbie to the area, I’d struck lucky. Floral Media is a 15 acre site which has been developed over twenty years. It’s not open to the public on a daily basis but provides workshops in horticulture and floristry, as well supplying sustainably grown flowers to florists and flower arrangers.
And it is a beautiful space. It combines a home and business and showcases an abundance of talent.
Despite the look of those dark clouds in the pictures, there was very little rain - just a few spots. But there was plenty of inspiration, and colour throughout the space. The upright wooden beams brought height to where we entered the gardens, and that’s something I’m already considering for our new garden, possibly not wood, but definitely something to add some structure. The paths also did that and led you through this densely planted space.
The paths led you round the garden as you’d expect, and sometimes even as you wouldn’t expect. There was plenty to see in every space,
The paths meandered past succulents in troughs and onto the vegetable garden, and then onto the meadow with a fun garden structure complete with seating inside the tower.
We weren’t done with the succulents yet, or the colour. I loved this chair housing the coleus, it worked here but I’m not sure there’s enough persuasion to replicate this in our own garden.
The front garden was full of hollyhocks and insects inspecting them closely.
Isn’t that table great? It was in the Jungle Room, which was the only room of the house that was also open - and that was a real treat. Next up for us was to go into the field and see where they grow their cut flowers, but as we passed this area of flowering plants that were most past their best, I was struck that even these looked great and in keeping with the whole space.
The field was something else. Rows of flowers, and a couple of poly tunnels with more flowers in. What a space.
Wasn’t I lucky to spot this? And even better I’ve already spotted another garden close by which is opening on Sundays in August, so I’m hoping that we’ll get along to one of those openings too.
