Llandough Castle, here be dragons!
Set within castle grounds in the Vale of Glamorgan, the gardens at Llandough Castle have been lovingly brought back to life over the last nine years by Garden Owners Simon and Rhian Rees. Rhian’s wonderful blend of traditional, wild and Mediterranean planting and her eye for design make this a garden sure to inspire. Join Rhian now for a tour of her garden.
More about Rhian’s garden
Divided into distinct areas, the 3½ acres of garden includes a potager that nods to Rhian’s love of the Mediterranean with rosemary hedges, pollarded figs and an olive tree . There are formal lawns and herbaceous beds, and a lusciously planted wildlife pond with a waterfall that started life as a swimming pool but now buzzes with life. Meandering paths lead you through the woodland garden with stumpery, sculpture, coppiced hazel and a newly planted hornbeam tunnel. Over 60,000 spring bulbs have been planted including snowdrops and Narcissus poeticus. This old pheasant’s eye narcissus is ideal for naturalising in grass. The small, sweetly scented blooms associate well with other native wildflowers, such as snake’s head fritillaries and cowslips, which once flourished on moist pastureland. In Rhian’s woodland they grow alongside the bluebells and wild garlic to produce an amazing scent.
But beware dragons! The two fabulous dragon sculptures in the woodland were made by James Eifion Thomas of Jetblacksmith in Dinas, Pembrokeshire. “They actually belong to my two sons,” admits Rhian. “But I am caretaker for them until they have houses with gardens big enough to home them! We always holiday in Newport Pembrokeshire and have admired James’ work since the children were tiny. They are now in their twenties!”
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- Box hedges and pollarded figs
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- The potager with its tulips and Mediterranean flavour
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- Places to rest in the wild garden
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- … and by the wildlife pond
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- Tulips bring colour to the potager
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- A nature home in the woodland for erythronium
This is a garden that you will want to visit time and again, to wander and wonder and drink in the scent. Rhian hopes to open by arrangement later in the year. For more about the garden and its planned opening times click here
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