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Ashington Manor Farm (Yeovil)

After a two-night stay at The Swan Hotel in Wells , we departed for Exeter. Along the way, our first stop was Ashington Manor Farm, the home of the husband and wife garden designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman.  Roses are a specialty of the Bannerman's, but sadly, we were too early to see any. That disappointment was curtailed by touring their magnificent farmhouse, which we were invited to roam around at leisure. And Julian Bannerman, who did most all the talking, was a very entertaining man.  Gathering at the front door - We actually entered at the side of the house, right off the patio, which led to this room, where the Bannerman's greeted us. The massive table was filled with books they had written as well as magazine articles about their gardens. As we were listening to Julian's speech, I happened to notice Isabel Bannerman's book "Husbandry" on the table and immediately recognized it as a book I have at home but have not gotten to yet. At the time, I ha...
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October Flowers



With recent rains, the garden has exploded with growth. There is not an abundance of blooms though, just a scattering here and there.  Thursday the sun came out and it was a perfect day to be out in the garden. The grass strip was overgrown and desperately needed cutting. I did that and managed to fill the debris bin with pruning and clean-up. Notice the deepening shadows as the sun treks farther south. Our front garden faces north -


Here are some flowers from perennials that blooming this week -

Persicaria 'Blackfield'


Aster 'Purple Dome'


Alstroemeria 'Aurea'



Anenome 'Cinderella'


Fuchsia 'Voodoo'


Strawberry Tree (Arbutus 'Compacta')

Dahlias

Aruncus 'Horatio'

Geranium 'Azure Rush' - this is a new variety that is similar to 'Rozanne', the queen of hardy geraniums. It is supposed to be smaller in size. We shall see.

Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'

This post doesn't include annuals in pots and roses. I'll get to those in a future post.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. LoisOctober 14, 2023 at 10:29 PM

    Your garden is so gorgeous!!!!! Thanks for sharing the photos

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  2. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningOctober 15, 2023 at 10:37 AM

    Your fall garden is looking absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing these beautiful views. It is starting to look very fall like here as well on the other side of the country in the northeast!

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  3. Hoover BooOctober 16, 2023 at 4:58 PM

    Your garden is very sophisticated with a lot of foliage textures and color, more than floral color alone. The shaggy blue conifer on the left, palmates on lower right, Rhododendron(?) oval/shiny mid right, and so on, then all the different colors of autumn. I think I go too overboard on flowers. Must start thinking about foliage plants though it is a trick to find shrubs that will stay small enough here--with our 12 month growing season, lots of plants grow far bigger than what the tag claims.

    Beautiful purple in that Aster, especially with the blue conifer above it.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverOctober 16, 2023 at 10:23 PM

      Thanks Hoover Boo! I have to say that I'm reaching the point where I struggle to find good spots to place sun-loving flowers. Things are growing awfully fast and I think it will be a shade garden before long. Not sure how I will cope with that!

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  4. Phillip OliverOctober 16, 2023 at 10:24 PM

    Thanks Kris! Geranium 'Rozanne' is an incredible plant!

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