Explore the private garden of one of the country's leading floral designers, as Shane Connolly opens his garden for a group of up to six guests. This visit is part of our Secret Garden Visits fundraiser to raise urgently needed funds to save the Garden Museum from the impact of the coronavirus.
The Hope is a stone farmhouse dating from 1680, owned by Shane Connolly – whose timeless, artisan floral arrangements have attracted clients including HRH Prince of Wales – and his wife Candida. It boasts a traditional square farmyard of barns, some dating from before the house was built and others dating from the 18th century and up to about 1860.
The house has a terraced garden of about one acre, divided into several areas, with woodlands beyond of a few more acres. Candida’s parents bought the property in 1961, with Shane and Candida then taking it on in 1991. The garden has been a weekend hobby project all that time.
The garden features maturing yew hedges, a garden room clad with vines and climbers, a clairvoyee overlooking a long pool, a very new vegetable garden and greenhouse (made completely from recycled elements), an avenue of giant poplars leading into the woods (where the Sapey brook flows) and a formal front garden. It has wild grass banks and lawns and gentle views along the ancient Sapey Valley toward the Malvern Hills.
Guests will be invited to bring a picnic lunch and wander round the gardens at their leisure. A full address for the garden will be provided to the buyer, along with the contact details of the garden owner so you can arrange parking and timing.
We are very grateful to Shane and Candida Connolly for opening up the garden at The Hope for our Secret Garden Visits fundraiser.