ABBOTS LANGLEY GARDENING SOCIETY

( ALGS )

 

Cottesbrooke Hall Plant Finders Fair

Cottesbrooke Hall, a wonderful Queen Anne house dating from 1702, is set in delightful award winning gardens just north of Northampton and is the home of the Macdonald-Buchanan family.  Their Plant Finders Fair is an annual event which is said to be one of the best in the world.

On Saturday 25 June 2011, 45 members and friends of the Abbots Langley Gardening Society set off by coach to explore the delights of Cottesbrooke Hall’s Plant Fair and gardens, and what a treat they were! The day was overcast and we did have a downpour in the morning, but the afternoon was fine and breezy.

When we first arrived, having driven past the Hall itself, the Fair was hidden from view.  A short walk took us through a wide break in the trees surrounding the side of the Hall, to the entrance to the Fair – a beautiful vista.  The stalls were set in rows with wide pathways between them, starting from the end of the Hall’s formal back gardens, down almost to edge of the ornamental lake.  At first sight, many of us wondered whether we would need the whole day to explore the Fair and grounds, but we need not have worried.

The exhibitors had some fantastic plants on offer – beautiful new campanulas that looked more like delicate, exotic lilies, exciting new varieties of herbs, clematis of all sorts, grasses of many heights and hues, etc.  There were stalls with gardening equipment, ornaments, furniture, planters and dove cotes; you could even buy a gypsy caravan to hide away in at the bottom of your garden.  Most of the men in our group were impressed by the well-designed pruning ladders on sale.  I don’t know if anyone ordered one, but they were sorely tempted.

There were a series of talks through the day by well known experts and a story tent for children, as well as ample facilities for teas and coffees, cakes and sandwiches, waffles and ice cream.

After an initial exploration of the stalls, some went to hear a talk on roses and others went to explore the gardens and grounds. The gardens of Cottesbrooke Hall are worth visiting in themselves – there are a mixture of traditional walled gardens, with water features, as well as some modern designs; the planting is formal in parts and there are areas of cottage garden design.  The wild flower gardens further away from the house were beautiful and peaceful retreats. 

As we explored more of the Plant Fair, our purchases were handed over to the plant crèche, and those who had brought plants to be swapped brought some delightful new plants back with them.

By the time we made our way back to the coach, laden with plants that seemed to have grown considerably since we bought them, and the coach was filled greenery and gardening accessories on the journey home.  We were weary travelers, but had enjoyed our day enormously.

 

Kate Macnish