Barnsdale

A birthday outing, this time to Barnsdale, the site of the 'Gardener's World' programme, filmed by the BBC, presented by Geoff Hamilton who had a pro-organic, DIY style of gardening. Way back, when I was a lot younger, I vaguely remember watching the show with my parents in a time when organic wasn't that popular in the supermarkets. There are thirty eight different types of gardens for every type of gardener, to name but a few...

• Gentleman's Cottage Garden
• Ornamental Kitchen Garden
• Woodland
• Reclaimed Garden
• First Time Garden

Before and after to make a cute, apple ball tree.

Each of the thirty eight different plots are fairly compact making it easy to walk between each style, picking up ideas and inspiration from everywhere. Around the allotment feels very much like Peter Rabbit or Benjamin Bunny might peek their ears out from the watering can. There were a lot of seating in and around each garden, which I guess is to accommodate the large numbers of older people who seem to like to nap in and around each garden.

Courtyard Garden

They use a lot of combination planting in the veggie gardens, using certain flowers to boarder the vegetable plants to bring in the insects and keep the pests down naturally. They have rows and rows of fruit trees, all neatly and sometimes severely pruned back. When I have my cottage in the country with my horses down the road, chickens in the yard, I would love a veggie patch that is just as impressive as the ones at Barnsdale!


Photos from the gardens.