A Brief Tour of Wales and the Welsh Marches
by Laura Anne Brooks

The 2019 study trip that opened ruinous castles and English manor houses in Wales and along its border with England (the Marches) showed me a Welsh heritage that I could never have imagined, although I have Welsh ancestry on my mother’s side. Last May, I traveled with the Decorative Arts Trust to stay in Laura Ashley’s house (South Wales) and to sleep in Charles II’s bedroom at Weston Hall, Shropshire county. 

The hills of Snowdonia caught me by surprise, with enough slate spilling from their tops to put roofs on every building in Virginia! We studied the Industrial Revolution with emphasis on mining of silver, tin, iron and coal, gold and the earth—that yielded Wedgewood and Coalport. Brickwork and timber framing became backdrops to glorious garden rooms. The Welsh have a sense of humor in everything they do, so “come easy” plants to be shared and seeded were reminders of my own grandmother’s seed exchanges with her siblings that I have written about in the GCV Journal. Animal husbandry has always been a part of my life, and for the first time, I saw near the River Dee, the Gernsey cattle that my Tennessee uncle raised south of Nashville under “table rocks” in Bedford County. Shropshire sheep grazed under 500-year-old oaks and let me photograph their lambs with soporific cud-chewing. 

The language? I was the only person on the trip who could spit out the “Welsh Ll” (Yuuh)-sound with aplomb. Lloyd is pronounced “Cluwoyd”! The way I began to speak English in the first place. But the plant names—another story indeed. Several home owners wrote for the London Times so we received a “doctoral dissertation” in gardening terminology. Sir Roy Strong whose Laslett garden was to die for, had been Curator of The Victoria & Albert, an Anglican priest, and also a garden writer among other things professional, and had been married to the costume designer for the Royal Opera. His memorial gardens to his beloved are captured in my photos—also his good English/ Welsh wit! 

Enjoy a small peek of my trip through Wales! It is hard to do justice to such a comprehensive sojourn with a few humble snapshots.

Laura Anne Brooks, Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula, floral designer/teacher—and plantswoman who searches for “the antique and the unusual“—for over 50 years. 

Virtual Tour of Gardens of the Middle Peninsula Garden Club
We were all disappointed to be unable to hold the 2020 Historic Garden Week tour because of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

During Spring 2020, we have been caring for and photographing our gardens, and are sharing them, below, in a Virtual Tour of the Gardens of the Middle Peninsula.

We hope to see everyone next year for 2021 Historic Garden Week. Thank you for your support of the Historic Garden Week, the Garden Club of Virginia, and the Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula.

Essex, King & Queen, King William, and Middlesex Counties

Our aim is to promote gardening among amateurs; to protect our native trees, wildflowers, and birds; to encourage conservation of our natural resources; to promote civic planning; to encourage roadside beautification; and to aid in the restoration and preservation of historic gardens in Virginia.
Ben Lomond
Essex County
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