Greencombe
is a post-war garden, having been started in 1946 by
Horace
Stroud. It is a strip of 3.5 acres on the
edge of ancient
woodland. The light comes from the
north, with a sweep of sky down
to the Bristol Channel. To the south
rise wooded
slopes, that tumble
between high Exmoor and the sea.
The
name comes from the combe (or valley) behind, which is the
only
one in
this arc of hills with a sward of grass but no water. Since
September
1966 it has been in the care and
custody of Joan Loraine
whose dedication to the garden has produced what you see today.
Although most of these
wonderful plants have been deliberately
planted in their present
positions, the garden gives you the impression
that it
occurred
naturally and that the paths wander around the plants
that already
existed, so natural is the layout. For at least the last
37
years Greencombe has been an organic
garden using
between 25
and 30 tons of home produced compost and leaf-mould each
year.
The gardens contain four national plant collections:
Erythronium
(small mountain lilies); Polystichum (the thumbs-up fern);
Vaccinium
(Wortleberries world-wide) and Gaultheria (berries for bears).
2006
was the 40th year that Joan Loraine has been
gardening at Greencombe.
The
gardens are open to the public from the first Saturday
in
April to the last Sunday in July on Saturday, Sunday,
Monday,
Tuesday & Wednesday. (Closed Thursday and
Friday) between 2.00pm to 6.00pm.
Admission £6.00 : Over
60s £5.00 : Under
16s £1.00
Easy
Parking : Organically
grown plants for sale : No
dogs
Telephone:
01643 862363
Postcode:
TA24 8NU |
