Category Archives: gardens

St Ethelwolds Garden – August 2024


Two weeks ago, I saw John Killick at the Climate Emergency Centre offering Biodiversity tours of St Ethelwolds Garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time then, and have popped down since but not found him again. Maybe I’ll do a report on Biodiversity in September.

I noticed that some parts of the garden, once vibrant, are now ripening with lots of seeds.

The south facing orange yellow border is a bright as ever

as is the border of white flowers with pots of Cosmos along the side of the house.

The herb garden has the refreshing scent of mint and chives.

There aren’t many birds, probably because people are usually around. There are lots of bees and flies and spiders, but few wasps. There have been more headlines about the disappearance of wasps. “Where have all the wasps gone?”

The other noticeable feature of August are the maturing fruit such as these apples.

Visitors don’t usually pick the fruit themselves but are welcome to the windfalls and teasle cuttings.

Steve’s ‘Exotic’ Garden in 2024


I am grateful to Carol for letting us know about Steve’s open garden (poster shown on the blog last week). In the front garden, unusual varieties of plants were for sale, including a Rice Paper plant.

The back garden is very well planned with its walkways, streams, and pond. The exotic plants make you think for a moment that you have been transported far from Abingdon. But typical Abingdon sponge cakes and cups of tea were being served by Steve’s mum. Proceeds and donations went to charities.

Steve started creating the garden when he bought the house in 2009. He was there to answer questions such as, ‘how do you protect the plants during the winter?’ One year the garden was featured on TV and he had visitors from all over the country. This year some return visitors came from the Isle of Wight and thought that the trees were taller and the effect even more tropical.

On the way back from Steve’s garden, we passed another interesting garden over the road: Springfield Drive.

St Ethelwolds Garden – July 2024


July is typically the peak of summer in the UK, and at last there are warm days for sitting outside in your garden or the garden at St Ethelwolds. The St Ethelwolds garden is bright with colour particularly when the sun shines.

The garden looks peaceful and inviting and a place where people come to relax. Its fame has spread beyond Abingdon. Yesterday I met some people from Reading, visiting Abingdon who knew of the garden.

On one wall is the fragrant Summer Wine climbing rose.

Some of the bees in the garden live in the garden’s own bee and insect hotel.

Down in the wild flower area are a mass of blooms with insects hovering between flowers.

The vegetable and fruit garden at the bottom has herbs, beans, courgettes, lettuce, berries, rhubarb and more.

St Ethelwolds Garden – June 2024


Yesterday morning, the bells of St Helen’s church were ringing for a continuous period of about three hours – a full peal. People were about to prepare for the Kennington Memory Club event with cream teas and stalls in St Ethelwold’s Garden. A blackbird was singing.

This was the blackbird.

The view of St Helen’s church tower from where the bells rang out.

The Kennington Memory Club event through the wildflower bed.

The garden has been used several times in June for community events.

Even when there is no event there will be people sitting, reading, or chatting in the garden among all the flowers.