Andy Bolton’s Japanese Garden Visit. 1st June 2022.

On Wednesday 1st June the club visited the superb Japanese garden of Dr Andy Bolton at Tockwith near York. The visit was well attended and given below is a photographic record of the outing with contributions from Club member Emma Chippendale, Club Secretary Katherine Hill and Committee member Yvonne Cooper. Emma was kind enough to produce the following summary of the visit, which was clearly enjoyed by all:-

“It was fantastic. When we arrived it was absolutely pouring it down with rain so we sheltered in our cars and then a barn while Andy ( Bolton ) started his talk. But then it dried up and we split into two tours for the Japanese garden. One group had the tour while the other looked around the rest of his garden then we switched over. There were plants on sale with the money going to a charity connected to Ukrainian refugees and then by the time we got to tea and cake the sun came out.”

Emma’s views are echoed by the following report written by Committee Member Ruth Straw:-

“The visit to the garden was very interesting and enjoyable in spite of the torrential down pour as we arrived. The Bolton’s have developed the house and gardens over the last six years and have achieved a very lovely house and garden.

It was great to see how they have reused the old bricks rubble and roof tiles from the original property to create the boundary walls for the Japanese garden by encasing them in gabions , metal cages, the result is very pleasing. The very formally and tidy style of the Japanese garden is complimented by a more informal area of perennial borders and lawn which is reached along a path through a wooded approach. This in turn leads to a wild flower area at the end of the garden. There is also an area given over to a vegetable garden with a green house and raised planters.

Everyone enjoyed Andrew’s informative guided tour of the Japanese garden and we were able to see a folder of before and after photographs of the property as the work progressed. The visit ended with tea and cakes and the opportunity to buy plants from the garden, the money raised going to a charity for Ukraine.”

Enjoy the pictures !