On our third and final stopover on our weekend away in Norfolk we spent an entire day at Crete Lodge Exotic Garden. Although intending on seeing another garden on the same day, somehow I had an inkling already in the morning before we even set off that won't be the case.
And such it was for we haven't seen the owners Melissa and Keith for a long a time and there was lots of catching up to do. Plus their garden has evolved a lot since we last saw it and there were plenty of new things to see on our visit.
So lots to catch up on and plenty to see it was as the garden was looking even better than ever now, it was amazing as we expected and much more!
This greets you the moment you enter the gates into their front garden
And this stunning fella greets you as you proceed into the jungle area from the front garden
Their garden, situated on top of a hill and accessible via a dirt track benefits from both a sunny aspect for most parts of it as well as lovely views overlooking the surrounding countryside. They have created and developed their garden almost from scratch, but the most admirable part of it all is that they have done all of the work themselves. So what you see in their garden, planting and hard landscaping is a result of their own hard work. Add to that a creative flair to come up with a garden that has plenty of unique touches, making it distinctively their own.
And from the jungle area through to another set of gates into the first area of the back garden nearest to their house
The garden is a full on homage to exotic gardening, divided into several areas each with their own distinct growing conditions. And each area is planted accordingly with many rare and unusual exotic plants.
Swimming Pond
Their gorgeous dalmatians Prim, Yula, and Neo taking enjoying the deck
Take a stroll with us through the gravel garden...
Their biggest area is the south facing arid bank that are planted with many architectural xerophytic plants like Yuccas, Nolinas, Dasylirions, Agaves, and various other cacti and succulents. Most (if not all) of the plants in this section are planted out permanently with some of them having rain shelters for the duration of winter.
A sneak peek at their cacti and succulent collection in the greenhouse
Winter 2010 has been very difficult for everyone here and it has had an effect on everyone's garden including Melissa and Keith's. But the adaptation and changes they have put on since then has made their garden look even better. An inspirational garden for exotic gardening enthusiasts in the UK and of similar climates.
My favorite part however is their...
Sunken Garden and...
Arid House
Crete Lodge Exotic Garden is a private garden that is not usually open to the public. But they do welcome visitors by prior appointment and gardening groups via advanced arrangement. For anyone interested is seeing their beautiful garden you can contact them via their website.
Agave parryi
Agave ovatifolia
Puya coerulea
Aloe polyphylla and its...
variegated version
A warm welcome awaits you there!
Their garden is still evolving and they have so many plans on the horizon, which no doubt will come into fruition. We're looking forward to seeing the changes and additions they will be making in the years to come. An extra incentive that we really must not leave it too long to visit again!Mark :-)