Mark's Big Adventure: The Saga Continues at Rosemoor

13 Jul '08 6:09 pm

It's always bad form to disappoint a lady, especially when she is your web host. So on to Rosemoor! This was the first garden we visited after arriving at the Windsford Walled Garden. After being fed and driven to the store to pick up a new tire we walked around about half of the Walled garden before stopping for tea and cookies. (For more on the story about how the stony curb monster reached out from under a hedge to bite our tire see my full account at Muddywellie's site http://www.winsfordwalledgarden.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=576.) Then we realized we'd better get to it if we were going to drive up to Great Torrington to see Rosemoor that day, so off we flew (being even more vigilant to mind the hedges).

Below the entrance and tea shop/restaurant where we had lunch we walked down one major axis which itself is bisected by what they call the Long Border, the longest axis. These axes provide access for four very large square garden rooms, each surrounded by tall hedges. We first entered the nearest one on our right, the Shrub Rose Garden. Then we crossed the Long Border to the Square Garden beyond which has recently been completely replanted.

There are two gardens to the right of the Square Garden called the Folige Garden and the Plantsman's Garden which more or less merge into each other. Together they're about twice the size of the of either the Shrub Rose or Square gardens. Then we went through the Cottage and Herb Gardens which also merge into each other and are together the same size as the Foliage & Plantsman's gardens.

Then we walked down the Long Border to see the other two more formal, hedge enclosed rooms: the Spiral Garden and the Queen Mother's Rose Garden. The final garden we looked at was the Winter Garden. The entire gardem is 32 acres and the portions we saw make up a fifth to a sixth of the total, but they are the most intensively cultivated with much of the rest consisting of woodland walks and aboretums. Enjoy.