It seems two of us have been on holiday. Rather a contrast – one of us to the desert, and me to — Chipping Campden. Which is just about as far away as you’ll get me from home, and a long way from a desert. So if any of you think of visiting our garden at Veddw (shameless self promotion again) you’ll be pleased to know that Chipping Campden is only one and a half hours away, through beautiful English countryside. Even along a Roman Road.
But what does Chipping Campden have to offer gardeners in the middle of winter, besides cream teas and toasted teacakes? Well, it has Plants in Doorways for a start, embellishing an ancient and lovely town. In the tourist office we found a plan which took us on a walk round the town, and I will share some of the highlights with you.
The exit from our hotel looked like this:

Not a bad start? At least for us hedge lovers.
And we exited into the main street. Which, I should explain, is full of houses coloured like this:

The famous Cotswold stone.
I have to warn you – I cannot, from my jumble of photographs, get things in the right order. If you want to have the walk absolutely right you will have to come and do it yourself. So, these are the kind of things we found –

Actually, the skimmia looks better without conifers, I think.

Spring peeping out
There was also fun: (we love bees)
I know – an awful lot of pictures! I’m not doing this on behalf of the tourist board – it was just such a pleasure. There was even a garden

But that was not all joy. Labels!!
The route took us through a nearby village where there were more hedges:
And flowers (and dog)
And shrubs:
Those euphorbia (which ones, anyone?) were something else:

Much admired, as you can see.
I could go on but I think I’ve overdone the pictures. I took many many more. And we shopped:

New scarf!
Followed by

Time for tea.
Then back to the hotel:
I could get into this holiday thing.
Thank you. Thoroughly enjoyed the walk. Great photos!
Thanks. I’m pleased to hear that.
So enticing. I was in England in the last century. (Which I still think of as the 1800’s not the 1900’s). Got to London, Bath, and Cambridge area where I had tea with L. M. Boston at Green Knowe. Which is in a cool garden. She wrote some of my favorite children’s books.
I want to go back so much, but like you I don’t like traveling. I want it all planned out by an expert.
I need a tour that covers English gardens with a pubs tour for for the husband. He is really into the whole micro brewery thing. Gardens not so much. Nothing worse than having a patient spouse trailing along. Unless it is small children. Them I bribed with ice cream, him I bribed with good beer.
Well, I can’t arrange the whole tour but I can offer you two of our local breweries – https://www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk/ and https://kingstonebrewery.co.uk/brewery-visits/
Do come and see us!
Would love too,!
glad you got out and about Anne, it is always refreshing to see what others have done with plants. Those hedges remind me of the “tumps” we saw in other well established gardens in England. Lots of fun.
This sort of tump? https://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/Tumps.php
well, not exactly! I have heard the term ‘tumps’ used to describe large undulating hedges. I believe I first heard it used on a visit to Bodnant. That’s when i realized i had been ‘tumping’ overgrown tams juniper hedges for years in my landscape maintenance business. It was either tump them or dump them.
I’d not heard of tump used that way before. I like tump or dump!
Please post more photos of your trip! It brought back memories of my 2002 summer garden tour through the UK with three other garden gals and our driver. The trip was coordinated by a Canadian Master Gardener through her British contacts. As a Yank who was related to one of the participants, I was most grateful to be asked to fill in for one of the original participants with a last minute cancellation.
Being a small group, we had the flexibility to follow our pre-planned schedule or not. A visit to Chipping Campden was an unexpected delight in early July. I loved seeing your photos of that charming town in late winter.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful memories of your winter holiday.
More in a fortnight…..
How come you missed out on visiting Veddw?? Shame!
Nice post. Good memories. Could be Euphorbia characias something or other?
Think you could be right. (on all counts)
Thank you for a beautiful tour.
Looks like you both had a wonderful time.
Harvington White has a lovely flower.
We recently purchased a few small double hellebores to compliment the few singles we have had forever. Looking forward to seeing the blooms in a year or 2.
Love your scarf.
It was a pleasure reliving the tour. And I’m sure the hellebore is good – leaving the label, less so. I have some whites and wait with interest to see if they will breed with the other colours. I will then perhaps get some of the much despised (by connoisseurs ) random seedlings.
Glad you like the scarf. Brightens my day whenever I wear it.
I also LOVE the scarf, and all of your pictures. What is the scarf material? Felt? Boiled wool?
it’s felt – which is boiled wool, I think?
I must visit Chipping Camden on my next visit to England. The euphorbia might be characias wulfenii. I love it
You’re right – re visit, and plant, I think.
Thank you for the chance to be an armchair traveler for a moment. I lived near Oxford for two years, long ago, and I’ve never been the same. It’s a wonderland for American gardeners.
I don’t think I’ll ever reach the end of enjoying this country, and then wanting to revisit everywhere I’ve been!
I enjoyed the walk, admired the flowers and hedges (hedges, especially) and thought the two lions were the snootiest I’ve ever seen.
Weren’t they just!
Euphorbia wulfenii – awesome garden plant self seeds politely
Well that’s as close to UK I’ll get in awhile. Thank you I enjoyed this pictures and comments as always.
Thank you, and happy to provide a virtual trip.
Beautiful hedges everywhere! I love how much garden people get into such small spaces! Your photos are very good! Thanks for sharing.
I think everything is smaller here, and I love a good hedge.
Thx so much for the tour !
A pleasure.