The Gardens
From the perspective of my imaginative 18 year old daughter.
List of nearby gardens below.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away– there was a cottage. A cottage, not like any other, for this cottage took root in a land of majestic beauty, overlooking rolling hills of green, filled with ancient knowledge. Listening to the song of peaceful silence, only to be interrupted by the lullabies from cheeky sheep. Ffynnon Oer’s land serenades us with hymns of the past, speaking the lessons of steadiness, and of gentle firmness.
Ffynnon Oer listened and watched over the land as its guardian. Although welcoming and modest, Ffynnon Oer was cursed by an evil moat that discouraged visitors from crossing into the little cottage’s warmth and immersing themselves in the beauty of the land. This saddened the cottage, for all it wanted was to show its hospitality.
Evil moat
One day a foreigner, from a land of strange and unfamiliar ways, came to the cottage. The foreigner promised change, she promised to rid the cottage of its evil moat, which was a scar upon the land. The foreigner spoke of improvement! She was going to change the cottage’s moat and turn it into a charming garden. To welcome all travelers from across the lands. The cottage was ready for the change, but the foreigner warned the cottage of the struggle. Change would take time and hard work. The cottage was prepared. It had sat around long enough, overlooking its garden for too long.
Before the hard work could being, the foreigner needed to obtain construction permits from the higher-ups. No one in the land could build anything without the Queen’s permission, much less without CADW’s permission. CADW is the protector of all the ancient buildings in Wales and is under moral obligation to require absurd amounts of paperwork. After running the gauntlet of paperwork, the foreigner gathered her ensemble of warriors and was ready conquer the awful tin barn. It was a tiresome and gruesome battle, for they had to tear down its walls piece by piece. They fought the skirmish by hand only stopping for tea breaks. Back and forth the struggled raged on, till finally the foreigner and her warriors defeated the vile barn.
Mighty warriors
Victory was short-lived, however, for they had a new opponent waiting to strike: The Great Wall of Hedge. This hedge was a constant barricade around the cottage, blocking the poor cottage’s view of the surrounding landscape of beauty. Obviously the hedge had to go.
The battle began afresh. The foreigner and her warriors soon noticed that the hedge, although intimidating, was not as a tough as an opponent as the Tin Barn. Whether it was the tea breaks, or the fact no one needed permission to begin the battle, it is unclear the cause– this battle was going smoothly compared to the first. Soon, the foreigner and her warriors successfully defeated the hedge. With the fighting complete, it was time to improve.
The cottage needed space inside, so it was decided a storage unit was needed. Not an ugly storage unit, such as the tin barn they vanquished. No this was a quaint little fairy house with it’s own thatch roof. With the troops departed the foreigner realized that she alone would have to build the garden. So she marched her way over to Cae Hir Gardens and bought flowers she thought would make the little cottage happy. She bought snowdrops, hellebore, roses, and even an apple tree to decorate the growing garden. Soon the garden fit the picturesque appearance and feeling of the surrounding landscape. And finally the cottage was free of its curse.
The curse has been vanquished!
Nearby Gardens worth visiting
“First opened to the public 25 years ago in 1989, Cae Hir has become one of Wales’ best loved gardens. Still owned, managed and maintained by the Akkermans family who first moved over from Holland in 1983, the garden continues to be a love affair between nature and nurture. Cae Hir has become synonymous with blending the wild with the cultivated, of using ordinary materials in extraordinary ways and of thinking ‘outside the box’ in its approach to garden design.”
“Large early C19 garden on site of medieval nunnery, renovated and replanted since 1989. Large pool, bog garden, formal water garden, rose and shrub borders, gravel gardens, laburnum arbour, allegorical labyrinth and mount, all exhibiting fine plantsmanship. Yr-round appeal, interesting and unusual plants. Specialist plant fair by Ceredigion Growers Association. Garden owner has been selected by The National Botanic Garden of Wales as one of the only six present-day Inspirational Horticulturists of Wales.”
Gwynfryn– Llanrhystud SY23 5BY. Sue pester, 01974200948
“Large garden of 11 acres with woodland, incl over 20 varieties of cherries, paddocks, large vegetable and soft fruit areas. Lawns, herbaceous borders, pond, fuchsia hedges, poultry and other livestock. Stunning views over Cardigan Bay. Level garden, but with gravel and grass paths.”
“1-acre hillside garden, with lovely views of the surrounding countryside. herbaceous borders, bog garden, ponds with waterfall, azaleas, rhododendrons and bluebells in May. New country area. Some steep paths and steps make parts of the garden unsuitable for those with mobility problems”
“peaceful well-established 3 1/2-acre garden with lots of pathways through a wide variety of perennials, trees and shrubs, many unusual. Varying habitats incl terraces, woodland, mature trees, natural ponds. Hardy geraniums, Iris sibirica, grasses and rugosa roses. Wildlife friendly. Stunning, panoramic views of the Teifi Valley and mountains beyond. We are developing a new Sensory Garden. WE have a grand Woodfired pizza oven in the garden in which we bake authentic Italian-style thin crust pizzas. Gravel paths, steps and steep slopes, but level around the house”
“Opened in 2005 by Jan and Phil, Jan grows all the plants (peat free wherever possible). A wide range of traditional and unusal perennial shrub, roses, bedding plants, vegetable, herbs, climbers, trees and more.Wander at your leisure among the plants for sale in our garden, or in the various green houses or polytunnels. Sit and relax on one of the patios. Enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and take in the views!”
“3/4acre informal garden with undulation lawns and borders. A wealth of design features incl bridges, steam, pond, beech walk, cottage garden, dry gravel garden, bog garden with gunnera, set amidst scenic countryside. Garden vegetable stall. Most of the garden accessible to wheelchairs.”
“Secluded walled garden in beautiful woodland setting alongside R Aeron, Developed specifically for special needs children. Terraced kitchen garden overlooks herbaceous borders, orchard and ponds with child-orientated features and surprises amidst unusual shrubs and perennials. Planted fruit trees selected from former gardener’s notebook of C19. Access paths and lower garden are accessible to wheelchairs”
Ffynnon Oer Tales from Wales 
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