It's not just what's inside that counts

It's all relative

There’s a little hotel ‘round our way, called Cowarth Park, you may have even heard of it! Part of its attraction, and there are plenty, are the sumptuous gardens, constantly maintained by the knowledgeable and friendly garden staff.

View across the wildflower meadow

The main house is flanked by individually styled garden areas, that sit slightly raised above the large planted meadow separated by a Ha-ha wall and adjoined by a small timber arched bridge.

The wildflower meadow was planted roughly around the opening of the hotel in 2010 and initially provided a beautifully balanced array of colours from the equally distributed Anthemis arvensis - Corn Chamomile (White), Agrostemma githago - Corncockle (Mauve), Centaurea cyanus - Cornflower (Blue), Chrysanthemum segetum - Corn Marigold (Yellow), Papaver rhoeas - Field Poppy (Red). Now a few years of self seeding on, the dominance of the yellow from the Corn Marigold is very apparent from distance, that’s not to say it’s any less striking!

The small gardens nearer the main building include a sunken garden; an array of planting including white lavender and various grasses surround a quadrant of fountain filled ponds and provide an almost rusty autumnal appearance.

Sunken Garden

Rising out of this garden you are greeted with a more traditional area, providing sun sheltered seating beneath the rose covered and silvery aged pergolas, encircled by allium and lavender filled borders.

Traditional Garden

Closer to the main building a more contemporary feel greets you, with clean light paving contrasting perfectly with the black lined rectangular ponds and symmetrically lined box edged borders housing a delightful array of perennials, shrubs and small trees to stunning effect.

Contemporary Garden

 

Verbena bonariensis providing height to the planting

I've not had the pleasure of staying or indeed viewing the inside of the main hotel building, but if you’re looking for a summer outdoor lunch venue, I can highly recommend the Barn restaurant terrace in the hotel grounds, and don’t forget to spare time for viewing these gardens. The skill, thought, effort and ongoing maintenance that have combined in their creation, deserve more than a fleeting glance.