Clun is home to a wonderful garden, that is about to open for the National Garden Scheme. We meet the owner and find out a bit more about his passion.
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00:00 Andrew, hello, so we find you here in Clun, grafting as all gardeners should be, no rest for the gardener.
00:07 You're opening for the NGS very shortly I believe?
00:10 Yes I am, twice this year.
00:12 And also for the Clun Gardens Open which is the end of June.
00:16 Fantastic. And this keeps you busy, you've got a good sized plot here haven't you?
00:21 Yes, it's much bigger than it looks.
00:23 And I've devised it in such a way that it creates much more work than it needs to be.
00:28 So I am my own worst enemy.
00:31 Yes. And if people are looking for somewhere to visit, what would you say is special about your garden?
00:38 Describe it in a few words for us.
00:40 Well, it's a size that an awful lot of people could actually manage.
00:46 When you go to these very large gardens they are absolutely stunning.
00:49 But nobody's got even four or five acres on the whole.
00:53 Whereas this is what, three quarters of an acre, possibly an acre.
00:56 And you get ideas about how you can break the whole thing up to make it bigger.
01:03 The formality I think is good because it becomes actually an extension of the house.
01:09 And what I like about it is the sense of privacy.
01:15 Nobody would guess that I have actually got 15 neighbours.
01:17 And you are completely unaware, except from one window,
01:22 you're completely unaware of any of the other people around the place.
01:25 They are, I hear some people say, exceedingly nice neighbours.
01:28 My goodness!
01:31 Any particular favourite kind of spots or views that you are particularly pleased with in your garden?
01:36 Well, funnily enough, yes, not the one here.
01:38 My favourite is right up at the top as you come in from the drive and you look over to the hills.
01:44 One thing about this garden is that it's sunk in the Clun Valley and surrounded by these glorious hills.
01:51 And a gin and tonic in the gazebo up at the top as the sun plays on Woodside over the valley
01:59 is one of those magical moments in the evening.
02:03 Unfortunately, of course, as a gardener, one feels immensely guilty of that.
02:08 And one has to fight one's conscience.
02:11 We all have to stop for refreshments at some point during the weeding process.
02:16 And it's quite an old house as well.
02:18 I guess it's probably got a bit of history to it. Have you ever delved into that?
02:21 No, not really. It's probably about 1840.
02:25 You can tell because of the glazing bars.
02:28 If it were older, it would have smaller glazing bars.
02:31 And I have to say, it's not a house that I find particularly attractive.
02:36 I like it better when the wisteria is out, which covers a lot of the wood.
02:41 I don't like that coloured brick.
02:44 But inside it's very nice. It's a lot of space.
02:49 And as I said earlier, it is an extension of the garden, an extension of the house with its rooms.
02:56 So how many hours are you out and about here on a typical week?
03:01 Well, I probably do two or three hours a day.
03:03 Wow. So this is what it takes, isn't it, to have an NGS garden?
03:07 Well, I've got an allotment as well.
03:09 You're glutton for punishment.
03:11 Well, the allotment, if anyone does visit here, they certainly ought to go and visit the Trinity Arms houses.
03:17 Built in 1625, the allotments are just behind and around this stunning building.
03:23 Clun is well worth visiting.
03:26 Definitely.