greentapestry : Playing Hooky

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Playing Hooky

The seedlings in the greenhouse were shrieking to be potted up, domestic chores were piling up and himself has a major outdoor wall repair job to tackle but when the sun came out last week we played hooky. I had noticed that Cholmondeley Castle Gardens were open under the National Gardens Scheme and suggested that we visit. We have driven past many times over the years on our way up and down the A49, but had never seen the gardens, mainly because we were on our way somewhere long distance or on our way home. Cholmondeley is just about still in Cheshire although the nearest town of Whitchurch is over the border in Shropshire and not far from from the border with Wales. Cholmondeley is not the mouthful it appears to be as it is pronounced as Chumley which is much easier to get your tongue round. The Cholmondeley family have lived in this spot since 1200, although the present castle is a late comer as castles go being built in the 19th century. Although my preference is to visit smaller gardens there was still much to enjoy here including :

  • A most cooling woodland walk where there were blazes of colour from rhodendrons, azaleas and camellias. 
  • A fine specimen of a Davida involucrata waved its handkerchiefs at us as we walked past. 
  • Great views over the Cheshire countryside.
  • Farm animals and an aviary for the young and the young at heart.
  • Lakes and parkland.
  • A walled kitchen garden which I would like to see later in the year. It includes a well stocked small nursery. I was restrained and left with just a lemon mint as we had some way to walk back to the car.
All in all a most enjoyable interlude and well worth a visit if you find yourself in the vicinity. I had intended to write a longer post. However my thought processes have been interrupted firstly by a thunderstorm and then the trauma of a dropped mouse which took some putting back together hence the brevity. This blogger needs to recover her equilibrium!

9 comments:

  1. Here's me thinking you meant a mouse as in an animal, I was wondering how you put it back together, tiny little splints? Duh. It looks a lovely place, I especially like looking round kitchen gardens, but there seems to be so much more to see here. We've got thunder storms forecast for later on today.

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  2. Ha, ha, I had the same first thought as Jo about the mouse:) Such a beautiful place! Everyone needs to play hooky every now and then.

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  3. It looks rather a grand garden possibly a bit too formal for my liking but I guess it was nice walking round on a sunny day knowing that all the jobs at home had been left till another day. I had the same reaction to the mouse incident talk about getting the wrong idea.

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  4. It looks like a great garden to visit, and make take home a few ideas. I especially like that pond, with the simple brick edging and the heron.

    I envy you having such a choice for gardens to visit. There are very few open gardens around here.

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  5. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought you meant a 'mouse' as in squeaky little creature. ;0 That looks a fab place. It's a part of the world I don't know very well and I do like the sound of the walled kitchen garden. Hope the mouse is all fixed.

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  6. I was trying to comment from my phone yesterday and although I could comment on WordPress blogs it didn't work for yours. I liked your reasoning for the playing hooky - that's why we went out last Friday although it had been put off from earlier in the week because other things get in the way. Which is what happens, and why we don't play hooky as often as we should! There is a lesson to be learned there, me thinks! Interesting though that despite the time we spend on our blogs (well, I do) we all thought first that it was a four legged mouse incident :)

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  7. Yep, me three, visions of you blogging whilst petting a small rodent... Glad I was wrong! Love the pink frothy tree, which is worrying, I seem to be getting more and inclined towards pink and froth.

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  8. Despite living quite close, we've never been there. Your post may be the push I need to go - thank you!

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  9. Thanks for all your comments. Sorry to disappoint you all when it came to the mouse :) I think that you and Baby Casserole would enjoy a walk round these gardens HM.

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.