The orangery at Powis Castle

It’s been a little while since I left you admiring the terraces here, so let’s pop back today and check out the orangery - and I do love a good orangery, thankfully there’s a superb one nearby at Belton House our nearest National Trust property.

But back to Powis, and that view.

I had a good feeling about this space as we saw the multiple pots of tulips as we got closer.

And I wasn’t disappointed, though at first glance you may be wondering what on earth I was thinking.

But just look at the plants.

Though this one getting ready to flower did remind me of one of those plastic hands on a stick, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Who’d have thought this peculiar shaped thing could turn into such a beauty?

There were places to sit and enjoy, and I particularly liked this pale yellow flower as it cascaded out of its pot.

I was intrigued to see the money tree flowering, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in flower before - and I used to have a very large one on my open porch a couple of houses ago. That is until someone stole it when I was out - to this day I still don’t know how, it was huge and extremely heavy. But I guess if someone wants something badly enough, they’ll find a way.

Isn’t it a great space?

As we headed back up towards the castle we spotted these brick arches, and thought we should explore.

It was another great space, though I’m not sure what to call these as it didn’t seem to be referenced on our guide map.

You can just feel how cool it is here can’t you? I think in someways I preferred this space to the orangery, though they were completely different in feel and in planting.

And then I realised I wasn’t the only one enjoying the view, and smiled to myself once more.

At the heart of the jungle

* I was invited to this year’s Gardeners’ World Live preview and provided with a pair of tickets for the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

This was the last garden we saw at the preview event before heading into the marquee for the welcome and awards presentation, but even so the garden designers, Briony and Jonathan Dakic, were still generous with their time and answering our questions, despite us all needing to move into the marquee, and I’m very grateful for that.

I hadn’t expected to be quite so captivated by this garden, and it was great to see it close up and without the crowds that naturally flock to the show gardens on show days.

I loved the garden for its planting and because it was pretty much everything I’ve been trying to explain to MOH for one section of our garden, and now he gets what I’ve been trying to explain. This garden focuses on the foliage, it’s shape, size, colour and texture and the planting is dense - both of these get a huge tick from me.

The bold pink architectural arches were a great way to lead us through the space, but surprisingly I was less taken with these than MOH. Who knew, he’s finally getting the pink vibe maybe?! It’s not that I didn’t like them, but I think my lens for this garden was how I could replicate it in a section of my own garden, and for me, that meant no pink arches.

But pink and orange plants, yes please.

But it’s the foliage that I love the most. I’ve already ‘collected’ a new variegated fatsia for the space, having fallen for their charm in our previous garden. It’s also a given that we’ll have cannas and maybe even a banana - I’ve seen how MOH eyes them lovingly. I hadn’t planned to add any Lords and Ladies (shown bottom right in the photo below) into the main part of the garden, as they do spread but the orange berries do look good, so maybe, who knows.

It’s uncanny though as even the garden furniture is similar to the set we bought last year.

What I also liked about this show garden was around the sides there was also the detailed planting, which perhaps not everyone would notice or even see, though I’m sure the judges did.

I also picked up some new ideas for plants to add into this potential space in our own garden. These arum lilies are definitely going on the list, I love the sculptural and dark element they bring.

But I think with MOH’s hayfever and general aversion to lilies I may be struggling to include the ones below.

The other thing I noticed was the pink on pink clash that really worked. Nature has a way doesn’t it of making colour combinations you think really wouldn’t, or shouldn’t work, go together brilliantly.

The lime tree would be another great addition to my space - just perfect for those G&Ts, and it looks great too.

But for me the plant showstopper was this white fatsia, isn’t it gorgeous?

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for once again inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was another great show! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to this year’s show throughout the year - I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Some more quilts from the exhibition galleries

In this last post from the quilts I loved at the 2025 Festival of Quilts I’m sharing quilts displayed in a couple of the exhibition galleries, and they’re just as good as any of the others I’ve shared. I can’t quite believe that I’m getting ready to go along to the show again at the end of this month, where did that year go?

Anyway, let’s start in the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) Haven Gallery, an exhibition which explores in quilt form the ‘universal need for a safe space—a place to rest, heal, or regroup’. The pieces on display ‘posed questions about nurturing loved ones, providing refuge for those in need, and expressing each artist’s personal interpretation of what a haven represents.’

DAYTIME DREAMING, KAREN SUNDAY SPENCER

There’s many interpretations to the theme, and the quilt title helps to understand what the maker had in mind, and that itself makes the quilts so much more powerful.

PUT YOUR FEET UP AND TAKE IT EASY, CINDY RICHARD

SAND AND SEA, PATTY KENNEDY-ZAFRED

The quilting techniques on show also vary, and it’s the more colourful ones that naturally caught my eye.

A BOY AND HIS IMAGINATION, DEB CASHATT

GREEN SPACE, EUNHEE LEE

But it was this final one from this gallery that took my breath away. As we walked past it we at first thought it was a painting, and therefore an odd inclusion at the show - it was a long day, we’d walked many steps by this point and had been wowed by many, many quilts.

ONCE LOVED, ALISON KING

But this one deserved another look.

ONCE LOVED, ALISON KING

It wasn’t a painting at all, but probably the most detailed quilting I’ve ever seen. And so amazing, just look at the attention to detail of the green staining on the corner of the once loved building.

ONCE LOVED, ALISON KING

They are all amazing, but that last one was just mind blowingingly so!

Having recovered from that amazing-ness, there was a final gallery on our list of things to see, and the next two pictures are from the Pat Pauly collection entitled ‘Pieces and Resistance’. The quilts showcase her decades of expertise in art quilting and textile design, her quilts are said to ‘bridge the worlds of painting and fabric art’ and you can totally see that when you look at the images below.

PAT PAULY

The gallery blurb said that from a distance her quilts often resemble paintings, but closer inspection reveals their complexity as intricate textile compositions. I can totally get that, and I love the explosion of colour.

PAT PAULY

Given the colour ways of these quilts, it’ll be no surprise to many of you that these were among my favourites from the whole show. The 2025 show was my first time at the Festival of Quilts, and I’m gearing up to go again at the end of the month so over the next year I’ll continue to share the quilts that catch my eye. I’m once again going to the show with my SIL and we already have a workshop booked, but knowing what’s ahead of me this time I know I need to pace myself, take a power supply for my phone and be better at giving myself clues on the quilt name and maker!

And I fully expect to be wowed and wowed again at this year’s show.