It’s always to treat to discover a garden you haven’t visited before- especially when they open for only one day a year. Gunthorpe Hall proved to be the perfect place to take Mum for our special Mothering Sunday outing.
We stood and admired these iron gates and views over the Rutland farmland. One thing we wished we had was a guide for all the rare breed sheep. Mum and I thought we recognised a few, but there were many we’d never seen before. The lambs were a springy delight.
The park surrounding the formal garden is awash with daffodils, and every kind of spring bulb you can think of.
Daffodils have naturalised in the grass around the magnolia, cherry and lime trees. Backed by a south facing wall, there’s a new kitchen garden with raised beds and a new Hartley Botanic greenhouse.
We all love to mooch in greenhouses, looking to see what other people are growing. We found broad beans and beetroot seedlings looking very healthy and thriving.
I would just love to get my hands on these sleeper-edged beds. There would be sweetpeas, and dahlias, and cut flowers galore!
And after all that gardening, I’m sure I would be quite comfortable lying on these outdoor couches, with wonderful canvas sails to shade the sun.
Well, some people have gnomes, stone statues etc. And then there’s……plastic penguins! Not sure what the story is behind these slightly grumpy-looking penguins, but there were quite a few about the place- all in different colours. And a white plastic gorilla, and a red teddy bear. I will try to find out and report back…….
We weren’t sure about the scary-looking eyes. But we did love the cowslip bank and the mulberry tree underplanted with thousands of bulbs.
Gunthorpe Hall, near Oakham, opens for the Leicestershire National Gardens Scheme once a year. I can highly recommend a visit. The garden is a wonderful spring delight. Mum loved her outing – and the delicious afternoon tea made by all the hard working volunteers.
Do you have any favourite spring gardens you like to visit? Or have you, like us, found somewhere new and special to visit?
Bramble Garden 
This truly was a breath of spring for me—so delighted to have landed here at your blog and found myself in the midst of gorgeous gardens! Thank you for sharing them; I can see I’ve lots of lovely wandering to do around ‘your place’ online.
Cheers,
Kathryn
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Thank you so much Kathryn. Welcome to my garden. You’ll find it a peaceful place where wildlife is welcome! Thanks again for taking the time to read and get in touch. All the best. Karen
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Nice garden shame about the ornaments. Looks a good place to visit
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AS others have said, it’s a shame it only opens once a year, but what a lovely Mother’s Day visit it was for the pair of you. So good to have lots of gardens to visit nearly on your doorstep
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The blue penguin made me smile, which if that’s what they do then that is good. It is good to be different.
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I love the cowslip too – I don’t think I’ve seen one until now this year, so thanks! I was at Harlow Carr over the weekend and that was looking good.
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Oh, mum and I love Harlow Carr garden. We visited in summer. Would live to see the spring displays there.
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Mum and I love Harlow Carr. We visited in the summer and would love to see the spring displays. Thanks for reading and for getting in touch. x
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Thanks for this, Karen. Garden beds, daffodils, plastic penguins, bears and all…. What’s not to like, eh?
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That’s what we said Cynthia! The penguins and bears did make us laugh. There must be a story there somewhere. All the best. Karen x
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A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. The penguin and bear look rather out of place.
It’s a shame that it only opens once a year as it must look very different later on when it’s all planted up and flowering. xx
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Thanks Mike. Hope you are managing to get some time in at the plot now. Weather still too cold to plant anything here. Still preparing the beds. Have a great week. Karen x
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I used to love visiting Hampton Court Palace when all the daffodils were flowering, I used to take my mum too, happy memories.
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It’s really beautiful there Christina. Glad my photos brought back some happy memories. Love Karen x
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The daffodils do look spectacular en masse like that. But my real love is that little cowslip.
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The daffodils did look breathtaking. But we just spotted that little cowslip on a bank as we were leaving. It was at eye level and we spent ages looking at it, just marvelling at its delicate shape and colour. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to get in touch. It’s much appreciated. Karen x
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I’m sure your Mum was delighted with her outing, it looks a lovely garden to visit.
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Thanks for reading and getting in touch Pauline. Mum had a great day out. Our favourite bit of the day was watching the lambs running up and down, as if in a race. And the anxious mothers chasing after them. We sympathised with them! x
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Again, I wish you lived nearer. If ever you and your mother or the golfer fancied a visit to Wales, we would happily put you up and give you a tour here and recommend some stunning places to see nearby x
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What a lovely, kind offer. That’s really made my day!!! I would absolutely love to come to see you and would love to hear your recommendations of places to visit. I’ve promised mum a trip to Wales to see where she was born and see if we have any relatives left there. Will send an e mail. Thanks again for your friendship- which I so much appreciate. Love Karen x
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