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Click on any of the thumbnails to enlarge
The gardens are the first botanical gardens to be created in the United Kingdom for 200 years. They are at Middleton Hall in Carmarthenshire on the edge of the Towy Valley. We went there for Easter and stayed in Carmarthen. The weather was very warm for March although the weather forecast threatened rain we managed to avoid the worst of the downpours.
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The Gatehouse. The entrance to the gardens is dominated by a water feature shaped like an ice-cream cone with water cascading down the inside. |
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The view looking up the gardens to the glass dome. As you can see the only flowers on show are the narcissi. The trees haven't even started waking up. |
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The Circle of Decision, a pebble fountain made to resemble an ammonite. This is at the end of the rill that meanders the entire length of the Broadwalk. This photo was taken from a raised platform built to allow visitors to see what is going on behind the walls of the double walled garden which is in the process of being renovated. And me being me, I had to walk to the centre, but not in a straight line, I had to follow the shape of the ammonite. Luckily the other half didn't catch me on camera! |
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The Rill. The silver line you can see in the picture represents the Towys Valley and river as seen from the air. The rill runs the entire length of the Broadwalk starting at the mirrored pool and finishing at the ammonite. It is great fun to try and follow it's wiggly line as it sometimes disappears into pools or flower beds or under a giant piece of granite on either side of the Broadwalk. |
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The Japanese Garden. This garden won at Chelsea 2001 and has been rebuilt here. There are three gardens within it, the tea garden, the gravel garden and the stream and lake garden. |
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Back to Nature. A little piece of whimsy showing how nature can win, given the chance. There is ivy growing on the tv, up the lampstand and over the armchair. |
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The Wallace Garden. The garden layout is based on the shape of the double helix which is the pattern for DNA. While we were there in March the primulas were the only plants making the most of the weak spring sunshine. |
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The Great Glasshouse. As you go in the scent from the plants that thrive in these conditions and the noise from the waterfall hits you. Here are a few photos we took inside the Glasshouse. Here are some views looking down and around the water cascade. |
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A few of the plants, some of which were releasing exotic perfume into the air.... |
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and this is the view along the length of the Great Glasshouse. |
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