LINDY & PAUL'S GARDENS & THE BAY GARDEN
Last updated / photos added 09/01/21

 Lindy & Paul have two very different gardens but both owners have a special interest in Alpines.

Lindy has a beautiful Spring garden with many alpine treasures. Have you ever seen such wonderful gentians?

The Bay Garden is no longer open to visitors.

PAUL'S GARDEN
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Pineswell, Ballon When we purchased and restored this small farmhouse in 1998, there was no garden, just a few mature trees and natural hedges, so I drew up a rough design and am still working from this, as I have never quite managed to complete the garden, even after over 20 years! I thought that the attractive stone house deserved a cottage-style garden completely surrounding it, therefore no car parking anywhere near the house!  At the front, I planted pink and white climbing roses against the granite house walls, complimented by box hedge-lined borders of cool-coloured perennials. A hot colour garden is concealed to one side behind a hornbeam hedge. This hasn't been altogether successful, because most hot-coloured perenniels, such as my collection of day lilies, prefer sun, but this has turned out to be a very dry shady place in the summer. Some re-thinking has been necessary! The back garden has a small vegetable garden and some fruit and herbs, but it is mainly given over to my passion of alpine plants. Surrounding a gravelled back patio are rock garden, raised beds and mock-stone troughs. I have also planted two half barrel tubs with ericaceous mix for acid loving plants, such as autumn gentians, Pleione orchids and maidenhair ferns. In the open south-west corner of the garden is my alpine house, an aluminium 6x8 foot glasshouse, fitted with lots of extra ventilation. this houses all my bulbs and alpines that need to be protected from damp, such as some dwarf Narcissus, Fritillarias, Lewisias and Primulas. It is also important to me that my garden is wildlife friendly. The bird feeding station in the back garden is very busy all winter. An old hawthorn hedgerow is a great source of food and shelter to birds, and I am developing a butterfly border and a bulb and wildflower meadow. My aim is to become totally organic.

THE BAY GARDEN 
Just a few photos from Iain & Frances MacDonald's Garden. See options to visit the garden this summer on Home page. Contact Frances to book your visit.