Sage visit to Butterstocks

It was a rather wet day when we set off to visit Butterstocks in
Shipley at the invitation of Caroline Bradley and her gardener, Sue Denness.   The photos are a mixture of my photos and those taken by Rhona during her visit about an hour later when the weather had significantly improved.

Sue Adams and Rhona had visited in August and recommended a SAGE visit. Despite COVID restrictions making a large visit difficult Caroline and Sue kindly allowed 3 groups of 6 to take up their whole morning.

Our visit started with some old photos of the estate which had been a working farm before the present occupation.   There are now plenty of farm buildings and stables but only hay for the horses is produced by Caroline on the surrounding fields.

We started the tour going through the stone archway at the side of the house.  A large and productive fig nestles against the arch and leads into colourful beds, including a variety of dahlias and zinnias and a knot garden and delicate powder pink fuschia bushes.   

This garden leads along the front of the house with a border including sedum and some fruit trees, particularly a quince.

From the end of this border you arrive at the haha with lovely views of the surrounding fields. At the back of the house the garden is another wide border with lots of late colour;  Carole and Sue like the new "Honka" dahlias, with the pale Honka "Fragile" particularly in evidence and a contrast, along with pampas grass to the green and other darker colours which prevail.

In the fields beyond the formal garden, the acers were a fabulous autumn bronze.  

The margins of the wild life pond were full of purple loosestrife which must have been very striking when out earlier in the year. However, as you can see from the photo below, the rain was at its heaviest when we were a the pond.

Best wishes and many thanks to Sue Adams for organising

Rhona and Rosemary