The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

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28 May 2016

Wisteria History

KING OF CLIMBERS!
...can even take my weight!
The main trunk of the Witley Court Wisteria ....
An HDR shot I took of Witley Court 2016

The humungus and very ancient Wisteria still growing today at  the famous Witley Court . Yes! This very climber is the Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather of one of our Wisterias - the one which grows over the Studio. Witley Court was a forgotten ruin when I knew it and so this beast of a climber suffered many years of neglect. In 1926 a cutting was propagated and planted against the The Dog at Dunley  where it continues to thrive to this day.

Dog Inn
The Dog at Dunley


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Horse drawn timber wagons outside the Dog at Dunley in 1926
















At my last house near Worcester, I bought a plant from (RHS gold medal winning) Cook's Nurseries which they had propagated from the specimen growing against the Dog at Dunley a few miles away. Some years after planting mine, I propagated a cutting (using the layering method and a rubber door mat to encourage rooting!) This is the Wisteria which now festoons the Studio!! In 2019 it celebrates its 15th birthday!


Zermatt Close Wisteria
Maybe, one day, the owners will take pity on the grandiose old specimen and allow it to roam over something more elegant than a scrubby old conifer which isn't shown! After all, Witley Court is the most palacial ruin!! Having said that, ours is on the loose in the fig tree having already romped around the corner and over its arch in 2 years! If you check out the map, you'll see that it's done a bit of a circle and is growing remarkably close to its still living ancestor!

The Studio

The Studio & Wisteria Arch

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