Year review

We have had a fab year, despite the weather. We've had coaches of visitors to see the garden all the way from Australia to Poland and America. Not to mention all the lovely garden clubs/WI's and Art groups who have sat and painted amazing pictures of the garden and also inspired our girls to sit and paint!

We have welcomed lots of lovely B&B guests and are excited to announce that we are extending the B&B to two rooms. The second room will be on the ground floor with twin beds or super king size bed with en suite shower room. So two couples visiting gardens in the area can be accommodated. Pictures will be available soon! We had a sweet postcard in August from the great Beth Chatto wishing us good luck with the B&B and saying ' ..Lucky people who stay and are cared for by you." What a kind and amazing lady she is. It is an honour to know her.

The girls are thriving and Dominic's company  www.metallurgi.co.uk is going well. He has been busy making and installing metal edging and smartening peoples gardens. The tree seats are fun too and using www.easigrass.com (artificial grass) as a more durable and very convincing top makes the seats a superb feature underneath large trees such as Oaks or London Plane trees and storage spaces for tools or a crochet set are created where the soil would be in turf topped seat version more suited for small to medium sized trees.

                                    Woven metal Turf Tree seat in The Lucy Redman Garden, made by
                                                      Dominic Watts of Metallurgi.
                                                       Photograph copyright of Marcus Harpur    

THE LUCY REDMAN GARDEN AND BED & BREAKFAST! 

We have had a busy summer of opening the garden and welcoming guests to our new B&B which is very busy. We have been inspected by Alastair Sawday's sister and are now registered with them! Yesterday a group from the Pennsylvanian Hardy Plant Society, USA came around the garden, which rounds off our visits from overseas which also saw coaches from Poland and Australia! How did they know about our little patch of paradise here in Suffolk! It is always fun talking plants with fellow enthusiasts.

Today (Friday) we had record amounts of guests come around the garden, it was a beautifully sunny day with plants such as the Eucomis, Galtonia and Polygonum scoparium heralding the end of summer sadly.  We are also beginning to get students enrolling on our 14 week part-time course in garden design which starts mid September.(Once a week 10-2.30 held on a day which suits everyone).We visit each others gardens and have a good look around the house too! It is a good icebreaker and fun to see what everyone is contending with - sometimes it makes you feel better about your own ground elder infested patch!

We are also working towards opening for the NGS (National Garden Scheme) on Sunday 9th September 2-5pm in conjunction with Home Farm, also in Rushbrooke. We look forward to seeing you and if you have visited us already this year, thank you for coming and see you next season.

Garden Lovers Bed and Breakfast!!

We are preparing to open in March our new Bed and Breakfast. We have a sunny double room which overlooks the Pebble Parterre. The snowdrops are beginning to flower in the leaves of the parterre which are followed by crocus,Narcissus bulbicodium and delicate Fritillary's finish the show when the surround borders burst into life! If you come in April the Azara microphylla which is now at the same level as your window will scent the room with it's heady 'sweetie' smelling flowers, which my girls love!
This weekend we are making marmalade and our plum jam from last summer is delicous too! Three families are raising three pigs, one of which we are using for our BandB bacon!! Our free ranging chickens will be providing lots of lovely eggs by march and if I can swing the bread making machine into action there should be homemade bread too!!
Do come and see us and I'd be delighted to give you a private tour of the garden and for a small extra fee advise you on a tricky border you may have. Give us a call  01284 386 250. More information on website very soon!!