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Barn House Garden

~ A garden set in the Wye Valley

Barn House Garden

Category Archives: Gardeners’ World 2016

Exciting News from the BBC

15 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Gardeners' World 2016, National Garden Scheme

≈ 81 Comments

Answering the phone on Friday evening, I sighed thinking ‘oh please, not another sales call’. Wrong : the caller was a researcher letting us know the garden will be on Gardener’s World on Friday 19th August, BBC2 at 8.30pm.

Filming Barn House Garden, BBC Gardener's World

Filmed in late October 2015, the footage was to be shown this autumn. Hearing that it had been brought forward was a nice surprise.

NGS logo

Who knows, given that the garden is open until the end of September we may even enjoy a few more NGS visitors?

Abigail Rex image : Hitesh and Kate September 2015

Image © Abigail Rex, September 2015

As confusing as it may seem to viewers, we’re described as a Gloucestershire couple living in a Welsh postcode whose grassy garden was “inspired by living in the Far East”. Given the blurb, I’m hoping for some esoteric ‘dingly-dangly’ music to complete the Bermuda Triangle effect.

UPDATE :

The footage of Barn House Garden is 15 mins into the YouTube video.

If you’d like to see what the garden looked like last October please press play.

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Filming Barn House garden for BBC Gardeners’ World 2016

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by kate@barnhouse in Gardeners' World 2016

≈ 32 Comments

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Craigie Burn garden and nursery, Geoff Hamilton

A couple of weeks ago, a Bristol based researcher for BBC Gardeners’ World was looking to fill a last slot in their schedule for a short autumn feature to be shown in 2016. Rob came across Barn House garden on the NGS website, the brief was late season colour and, if filming went ahead, it would be at short notice. A day or two later he visited to see the garden and interview us, which was a pleasure as he was so charming and knowledgeable.

Sesleria autumnalis October

Sesleria autumnalis nursery beds October 2015

Much to our delight Rob called the following week to confirm a date. Fortunately, there wasn’t time to panic about whether the garden was up to scratch, instead we focused on the autumn work as planned. Settling nursery plants in for winter is a priority, new stock like the sesleria plugs are top of the list as we plan to divide them next year.

Pennisetum macrourum October
Pennisetum macrourum
Pennisetum macrourum October

Last Friday morning, the friendly and enthusiastic crew arrived bang on time and quickly set to work assembling their kit : everything was compact and portable, powered by battery packs and free from lengths of trailing cables. Patty, the director and producer, was a marvel, and soon put us at ease. She did a quick walk through the garden with Rob logging the sequence of what they’d use to tell the story she had in mind, it must be like doing a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. One of the extra items that caught her keen eye was dazzling Pennisetum macrourum.

Ginger lilies autumn foliage

Hedychium autumn foliage

Once we were miked up, footage for the short introductory interview was filmed with us seated at the little white metal bistro table, in the blink of an eye this had been cleverly repositioned in front of the rugby scrum of fading ginger lilies. As predicted, Patty spent an hour teasing material from us between pauses for extraneous background noise to subside – even a distantly passing plane was enough to mar Gary’s soundtrack, let alone the churning of a neighbour’s cement mixer. She patiently prompted the narrative with questions, some were quite tricky. The potential nuisance value of self seeding grasses always makes me smile : much of the garden, especially the little meadow, has been raised from seed, and, if not seed, then by division, all thanks to plants with generous natures.

Phyllostachys vivax and Hitesh beside it

Hitesh in front of Phyllostchys vivax

When done, we gladly handed the garden over for the rest of the morning, rushed indoors to put the heating on and made hand warming hot drinks for everyone. Having defrosted, there were a few walk though shots plus short pieces on specific grasses to stumble through, I’m proud to say Hitesh rattled off his spiel about the bamboo with his usual aplomb in only two takes, after all, these 24′ tall monsters are his pride and joy.

Watching the filming through the scrim of meadow planting

Watching the filming through the haze of meadow planting

Over a quick soup lunch, we enjoyed hearing tales of places they’ve seen and people they’ve met, including the legendary Geoff Hamilton, Patty recalls him fondly as she was working with him the week prior to his tragic death from a heart attack in 1996.

Meconopsis poppies craigieburngarden GW 2015

Gardeners’ World presenter Matthew Wilson and Craigieburn Meconopsis

Rob was involved in the fliming of Craigieburn garden and nursery with its fabulous collection of Himalayan flora including the most breathtaking display of Meconopsis poppies. A clip from this episode of Gardeners’ World, July 2015 is available here on iPlayer. Listening to their wonderful stories brought home our good fortune : we’d never have imagined that our garden would be filmed by the BBC for a programme we’ve been glued to for decades.

Robin lining up camera boom October
BBC camera boom October
BBC camera boom October barn house garden
Filming meadow BBC October

Towards the end of the afternoon a long arm boom was called for, we held our breath as we watched Robin deftly manoeuvre a counter-weighted camera that swooped like a Valkyrie first above the grasses terrace, and then, the meadow. This delicate work was time consuming, the concentration required almost palpable, yet, thrilling to watch. It was the perfect end to a very special day.

NGS logo

The next day we took the dogs out for an early morning romp through their favourite patch of sniff-rich woodland as a reward for having been so well behaved, then treated ourselves to a delicious brunch. As we clinked a glass of fizz, the toast had to be ‘The NGS’, thanks to their publicity we enjoy a bonus of an undreamed of page to add to the garden scrapbook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Garden Journal

  • Wordless Wednesday : Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Pink Glow’ August 16, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hedychium spicatum from Tibet August 2, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Self-seeded Nasturtiums July 26, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : A Misted Spider’s Web July 19, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Sanguisorbia tenuifolia var. alba July 12, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Clematis ‘Etoile Violette’ July 5, 2017
  • NGS Open Day June 2017 and Plans for 2018 June 30, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : A Bit of Light Relief June 28, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Fascinating Fasciation June 21, 2017
  • ‘Lamprothyrsus hieronymi!’ A Grassy Magic Spell for NGS Day June 19, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Clematis ‘Pangbourne Pink’ June 14, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Paeonia x lemoinei ‘Souvenir de Maxime Cornu’ June 7, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Raindrops on a Favourite Rose May 31, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : A Tiny Teatime Treat May 24, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Night’ May 17, 2017
  • The Many Charms of a Fine Old Apple Tree April 30, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Tulip Brown Sugar April 12, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Rustica Rubra’ April 5, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Magnolia stellata March 22, 2017
  • A New Look for the National Garden Scheme! March 17, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Greeting the Sun March 8, 2017
  • Sesleria autumnalis : A New Grass for the Little Meadow? February 17, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Fluffy Seed Heads February 15, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : A Little Bit of Cheer February 8, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinky Winky’ February 1, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Frosted Phlomis January 25, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Windswept January 11, 2017
  • Wordless Wednesday : Crystal Flowers January 4, 2017
  • Getting Ready for a Christmas Break December 19, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Sticky Seedheads December 14, 2016
  • Morning Walks in Helsbury Park December 7, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Persicaria vacciniifolia November 23, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Wind Dancers November 16, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Vitis vinifera ‘Rondo’ November 9, 2016
  • Surprisingly Blue Roundhead Mushrooms November 5, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : An acer and its grassy friends November 2, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Something Nasty in the Woodshed October 26, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : The Remains of the Day October 19, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Touched with Fire October 12, 2016
  • Westonbirt Arboretum : Walkies in Silk Wood October 4, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Shadows and Sunlight September 28, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Red Head’ September 21, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Curiouser and Curiouser …. September 14, 2016
  • A Room with a View …. September 6, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Moody Blues August 31, 2016
  • The Chatty Gardener August 27, 2016
  • Exciting News from the BBC August 15, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : A Sleepy Bee August 10, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Stipa gigantea Going for Gold August 3, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Glowing in the Twilight July 27, 2016
  • Nearly Wordless Wednesday : Ladies in Lavender July 19, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Nasturtiums and Summer Showers July 13, 2016
  • NGS Day 2016 July 5, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Papaver somniferum June 29, 2016
  • NGS Day June 26th 2016 : Gates Open Today from 1-5.30pm June 26, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : The Common Spotted Orchid June 22, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Siberian Iris ‘Silver Edge’ June 15, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hanging by a Thread June 8, 2016
  • Wildlife Wednesday – A Perfect Storm June 2, 2016
  • The Cedar Stump : A Happy Ending May 31, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Happy Wanderers May 25, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : After the Rain May 18, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Coming in to land …. May 11, 2016
  • Springtime Sport in the Meadow May 8, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Tulip ‘Orange Emperor’ May 4, 2016
  • A Walk in a Bluebell Wood May 1, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Anemone nemerosa April 27, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Epimedium pinnatum April 20, 2016
  • April is the sweetest month …. April 16, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Viola odorata April 13, 2016
  • Evergreen grasses : to cut or not to cut? April 8, 2016
  • Replacing the Vine Pergola April 3, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Spot the difference March 30, 2016
  • Bringing In the Sheaves March 24, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Hedgerow Treasures March 23, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Soaking up the spring sunshine March 16, 2016
  • Chionochloa : A Case of Mistaken Identity March 12, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Catkins March 9, 2016
  • The story of the big blue cedar February 27, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Welcome signs of Spring February 24, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : snow drops February 17, 2016
  • The plight of the honey bee February 14, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Cyclamen coum February 10, 2016
  • Pennisetum alopecuroides : a late winter friend February 6, 2016
  • Wordless Wednesday : Yellow crocus February 3, 2016
  • Touches of Frost January 23, 2016
  • Happy New Year January 3, 2016
  • Pinetum Park and Pine Lodge in winter December 21, 2015
  • Eragrostis curvula : African weeping love grass November 28, 2015
  • Tall purple moor-grass : Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea November 7, 2015
  • Autumn musings : Lofty cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis October 30, 2015
  • Filming Barn House garden for BBC Gardeners’ World 2016 October 21, 2015
  • Choosing a dwarf miscanthus October 14, 2015
  • Oudolf Field in Autumn October 7, 2015
  • A Tale of Two Himalayan Fairy Grasses … October 1, 2015
  • Patio pots September 23, 2015
  • Rudbeckia fulgida : flower power September 16, 2015
  • Persicaria great and small September 9, 2015
  • Splendour in the Grass September 2, 2015
  • Pennisetum macrourum : perfect picked, dried or simply left on the plant …. August 26, 2015
  • E.A. Bowles and The Riddle of the Pheasant’s Tail Grass August 19, 2015
  • Hakonechloa macra : Japanese Forest Grass August 13, 2015
  • In search of the perfect pennisetum August 6, 2015
  • A peaceful spot : sitting, staring and drinking tea. July 30, 2015
  • The pot in the seed raised meadow July 23, 2015
  • “A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy.” July 16, 2015
  • Misty morning treasure July 10, 2015
  • Learning to love The Pink and Orange Patio July 2, 2015
  • Bamboo : taming the dragon June 26, 2015
  • NGS Day : reasons to be cheerful June 22, 2015
  • NGS open garden day : Sunday 21st June, 2-5.30pm June 6, 2015
  • A seed raised ‘meadow’ May 15, 2015
  • Calamagrostis : a great grass for all seasons May 9, 2015
  • Low maintenance grass-like plants April 19, 2015
  • Miscanthus sinensis : “queen of the grasses” March 14, 2015
  • Easy evergreen grasses February 15, 2015
  • Grasses’ terrace in winter January 26, 2015

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