a recent issue of Spadework - Cardiganshire Horticultural Society

across beautiful countryside to the Black Mountains and across the
Usk Valley. It has mature trees and unusual plants and shrubs.
We’ll enjoy tea and cake prior to departure.
On a number of occasions in recent years, the programme has
concluded with an early September tour of Pembrokeshire. We are
continuing in this vein in 2011, but Outing number 6 takes us to
Carmarthenshire. Our first visit is to Ty’r Maes with coffee and
biscuits on arrival. Owned by John and Helen Brooks, this is a
recently developed 3-acre garden with splendid views. Herbaceous
and shrub beds – formal design, exuberantly informal planting, full
of cottage-garden favourites and many unusual plants, say the
descriptions. Burgeoning arboretum (with over 200 types of tree);
formal and wildlife ponds, pergola, gazebos, post-and-rope arcade
covered in climbers.
Next we go to Llandovery, a delightful former drovers’ town
where people can get lunch. Then we will head for Llangadog, but
if we are in good time, we might divert via Myddfai, and pass by
Prince Charles residence in the Principality as it is only a short
distance from our final garden of the year, Cilgwyn Lodge, where
Keith Brown and Moira Thomas live. It is some seven or eight
years since the society last visited here this fascinating and muchadmired
one-acre garden with something for everyone: a wide
variety of herbaceous plants displayed in extensive colour-themed
borders, a large collection of hostas, a growing collection of
clematis, and hardy, rare or unusual plants. The gardens have been
developed from lawns, rose beds and conifers in an open setting
into a wide variety of habitats and plantings to give the maximum
display throughout the year. There is a stream garden, and ponds.
A productive vegetable and fruit garden supplies all Keith and
Moira’s needs from June until April. Seats strategically placed take
advantage of views of the gardens and glorious countryside.
We commend this programme of outings to you, and look forward
to seeing you on the trips.
John & Sue Wildig
(For contact details, see back cover)
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