Fifty members boarded the coach to travel to Ashwood Nurseries at Kingswinford. A trouble-free journey of just over two hours, enabled us to arrive in time for our guided tour of John’s Garden. This garden is the 3-acre garden of Ashwood Nursery owner and Chelsea Gold Medal winner, John Massey, and is one of the most beautiful, private gardens in the country. Our excellent tour guide was the Head Gardener, Nigel Hopes, who enthused us with his expert knowledge. The garden had been featured on a recent Carol Klein programme, “Great British Gardens”, but the seeing the real thing was much, much better and was truly wonderful. Immaculately filled with fabulous plants in careful plantings, the garden still managed to convey a restful informality. After a brief time for some retail therapy in the nursery and a quick lunch, we boarded the coach again to travel to Stonehouse Cottage Garden near Kidderminster. Having managed to overcome a very tight entrance for the coach and a few scrapes, we arrived at this delightful, whimsical garden with follies and fantasies and a nursery filled with wonderful, unusual plants. Purses were open again and many plants were added to those already in the boot of the coach. After an unscheduled stop on the motorway to cool an over-heated coach engine, we arrived back safely in Princes Risborough where a forest of plants and trees made its way into cars after a really grand day out.
