Walled garden walks

I read somewhere that babies who get at least an hour of fresh air and daylight during the afternoon sleep better at night that those that don't.  So in an effort to improve our night times, Jen and I have an enforced hour of outside time each afternoon.  Providing the weather is not hideous, we go for a walk (well I walk and she generally sleeps!) otherwise we sit outside on our covered patio, but she doesn't seem to enjoy that as much, and really neither do I.

One of the places we have been walking most often is Attingham Park a National Trust property.  We are National Trust members, so going is free which is a big attraction, but it is also a really lovely place to walk.  The grounds are huge so plenty of different routes to explore, the paths are well kept and easy to use a pushchair on and there is lots to look at, woodlands, the deer park, the mansion, tea rooms, a book shop and my current favourite the walled garden.

Attingham Park - view of the mansion 

The walled garden is an established feature of the property but a relatively new addition to the visitor attraction.  It has been restored over recent years and is now absolutely stunning.  I love walled gardens, they are calming, beautiful and incredibly evocative places, always making me think about 'the secret garden'. 

Entrance to the walled garden

What I particularly like about the walled garden at Attingham is that it is a working garden.  They grow fruit and vegetables, for use in the tea rooms and flowers that are cut and used as table decorations in the tea room and mansion.

I like the order and pattern of the gardens, fruit trees are trained along the walls, beds are edged with flowers and herbs, vegetables grown in large rows, I particularly like the willow tunnels that the beans are grown on.

Fruit trees on the south facing wall

 It is lovely to visit the walled garden at this time of year as so much is changing as the plants start to wake with the spring and the team of staff and volunteers plant new additions.

At the moment there are some stunning flowers on display and some beautiful scents.  I'm not much good at plant identification so I don't know what they are but the plants below run all along one of the paths and the smell is beautiful.

The garden inspires me with ideas for our garden, and makes me wish I had a larged walled space of my own to cultivate!