Regular readers will know how fond I am of Coton Manor. I have no idea how many years I have been visiting there, I am going to say 20 and I will be relatively confident that it is not less than that. So when a conversation turned to: shall we visit Coton, I was hardly likely to say no. It is just over thirty minutes from home so a nice place to nip out to.
I did have two motives (no, three motives) behind this visit. Firstly a good opportunity to catch up with a friend (always important and needs no excuse to make it happen). Secondly the promise of a pub lunch where I can confidently say that the earth did move for us. There we were, sitting in a nearby pub when there was a huge bang and the pub shook. I looked out of the window to check that my car hadn't exploded (don't ask why this was my first thought, but it was); the person serving in the pub rushed in and asked what on earth was that, to which we both shrugged and said we did not know but it was big. Then a young family arrived in the pub and the woman in the group asked if we had heard the bang, they'd heard/felt it as they were driving in. A few moments passed and she said 'on the whatsapp group they are saying it was a sonic boom'. Some social media furtling later and the general opinion was that it was a sonic boom heard as far apart as Melton Mowbray and Oxfordshire. We had a bit of a discussion about what a sonic boom was, I mentioned Concord, the young woman looked at me as if 'what is that' and I realised how long ago it is that Concord was a thing.
On we went to Coton, we decided to have cake and coffee first and then do the gardens. It was a coldish but pleasant enough day so we sat outside with our coffee and then headed into the nursery. I was focussed as I had a purchase I wanted to make. I saw on the website that there is a 'Coton snowdrop' and of course I wanted to buy one unless it was over £10 a bulb in which case my interest wanes dramatically.
I soon found a pot of three bulbs, they looked small but they were under £10. There was some discussion with my friend about the snowdrops. Let's just say he knows a thing or two about snowdrops. I clasped them and declared I was not risking them selling out (which there was little danger of but anyhoo) and we set off around the rest of the nursery. The snowdrops full name is Galanthus plicatus ex Coton Manor. The label declared they are 'much sought after' so I was hardly going to pass up the chance of having some.
Further into the nursery were some pots of a 'Creamy white narcissus that grows in the garden name unknown'. Well I picked up a pot and they came home with me too. Yes I am that easily led.
I checked in with the flamingos.
This one is so pretty.
We stood and discussed this Euphorbia pasteurii, which looks in a better shape than the Euphorbia mellifera in my garden at the moment.