Rock House, Llanbister

Rock House, Llanbister

On the side of a hill in Radnorshire, 1000ft up, sits The Rock House just outside of the village of Llanbister. Its current keepers, Jude & Sue, have transformed the garden at the property from a rocky, clay-covered field to a wonderful space where you just don’t know what you might find next.

Verbena bonariensis
Verbena bonariensis
Daisies.
Daisies.

Jude & Sue usually open the garden for the National Garden Scheme at the end of May, but it just wasn’t possible this year with Wales being in full lockdown at that point. Finally, at the beginning of last month restrictions were eased enough to enable NGS gardens to re-open in Wales, and Jude & Sue kindly agreed to open their beautiful garden at the end of July.

The garden at Rock House.
The garden at Rock House.
A path in the garden at Rock House.
A path in the garden at Rock House.
A beautiful rose.
A beautiful rose.

The rain threatened to come and dampen our afternoon. Thankfully, it held off until we were leaving, meaning we were able to have a lovely wander around the garden at our own pace.

The water feature and post box.

A post box in the garden!
A post box in the garden!

The garden at Rock House.

The garden overlooks St Cynllo’s Church, with views down the Ithon valley. You can sit on a bench and enjoy the view down the valley or take a pew under a tree in the meadow (which is full of bluebells in the spring). Butterflies and bees danced around the meadow while we were there.

St Cynllo’s Church, with views down the Ithon valley.
St Cynllo’s Church, with views down the Ithon valley.
A bench under a tree in the meadow.
A bench under a tree in the meadow.
Knapweed
Knapweed

A butterfly on Knapweed.

A butterfly on Buddleia.
A butterfly on Buddleia.

Another butterfly on Buddleia..

A butterfly on Buddleia.

As I said, the garden at Rock House is one of those places where you just don’t know what you might. Among the flowerbeds, bushes and trees, you’ll find all kinds of unexpected things, from a photographer made of wire and a wooden horse to the front of a post box and a metal dragonfly. There are so many other things to see too!

A sculpture of a photographer.
A sculpture of a photographer.

Chinese ornament

The horse.
The horse.
A metal dragonfly.
A metal dragonfly.
A step made from recycled bottle caps.
A step made from recycled bottle caps.
A Lockdown 2020 medal amongst the bottle caps.
A Lockdown 2020 medal amongst the bottle caps.

If you want to see a garden of interest, this is it. An array of different flowers and plants, complete with unexpected elements.

Windflower
Windflower

Windflower

The bug house.
The bug house.

Sadly, this garden won’t be open again this year, so you’ll have to wait until next year to visit. I can assure you though, it will be worth the wait!

A fallen leaf.

Y Ddraig Goch (Welsh Dragon).
Y Ddraig Goch (Welsh Dragon).

If you’d like to visit another garden in Wales this summer, don’t forget to visit the National Garden Scheme website to pre-book your tickets.

24 comments

  1. Jude Boutle says:

    Thank you Nikki, its always a pleasure to welcome visitors to Rock House but especially wonderful having been through lockdown. So pleased you enjoyed your visit. Jude (Of Rock House)

  2. Kris P says:

    What a lovely garden! It offered nice views of the beautiful surrounding countryside too. I love the touches of whimsy (especially that wire photographer), which struck just the right tone without overwhelming the space or eclipsing the plants. Well done by the gardeners, and well done by you in providing excellent photographic coverage as well.

  3. Kelly says:

    There are so many fantastic photos here, it’s hard to pick my favorites! I love the metal sculptures (the dragonfly and the Welsh dragon) and the color of that single rose is gorgeous! I recognize the cap from a beer I use to occasionally drink (Sol Cerveza). 🙂

  4. Ann Coleman says:

    What a lovely garden! I’m so glad the restrictions are beginning to lift in your area. Ours lifted in late May, but now we have taken a step backward, sadly. Still, we can do more than we could when we were in total lockdown, so I’m still thankful.

  5. Jo says:

    What a fabulous garden, I do love to see quirky things set amongst the flowers, it’s what makes a garden unique, and those views, absolutely stunning.

  6. Jayne says:

    The planting is definitely “my kind of garden”, thanks for the glimpse.

    Maybe by next year I will have been able to resume by trip around the coastline and might be in Wales at the right time to visit? We can but dream

  7. jeanie says:

    What a glorious and inventive garden. The blooms and butterflies are gorgeous (so are your pix) and it’s very fun and creative. Someone put a lot of care into this one. I’m glad things worked out OK for your visit!

    Thanks so much for coming by the other day!

  8. Lisa says:

    Goodness, what a lovely garden, so many unusual things. That bottle top step is brilliant, I’d love something like that in our garden! Lisa

  9. Holly says:

    Nikki, you just took my breath away. In all sincerity, the beauty of this place nearly made me cry. Wow, what a spectacular view from every angle.

    Thank you so much for sharing this Paradise with us. I wish that I could be there right now, today. 🙂 I’m betting you might too!

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