November is the time when all the magnificent Open Gardens are on display. I visited one such garden this morning in its splendour. Set on eleven acres and around one hundred and forty years old, Dreamthorpe, is a woodland wonderland with unique garden architecture and, my favourite, the wistful, wisteria walk!

Of course, my interest is stone walls, as I described in my last blog on the Edna Walling cottage garden. As I entered the property, a magnificent stone wall welcomed me beside manicured green paths.

A unique garden also displays unique garden architecture. This garden was no exception: terracotta urns, classical statues, wildlife habitat and some modern pieces.

This one is reminiscent of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and good times. This garden revels in its own beauty!

Fancy a new home for your bird life?

Yes, I did promise some modern garden pieces – which do you prefer?

However, it was the design layout and the plants themselves which stole the show. Here are but a mere snapshot of their breathtaking beauty….

A wall of pink rhododendrons.

a hedged narrow path – leading where?

To a lake, of course!

My favourite was this spectacular lavender wisteria walk – magical, secluded and other worldly!

This property is more notably recognised by its row of gothic ancient cedars which, on a cold, foggy night, are eerie sentinels watching over the garden.

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Dreamthorpeis a must see in autumn and in spring. Open gardens give us inspiration and preserve the magnificence of nature in all its variety and possibilities – an odyssey any garden lover would like to undertake.

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