Wisteria again - Coughton Court

Coming back from our stay in Tintern, we stumbled accidentally on Coughton Court, a National trust property in Warwickshire with a wonderful display of wisteria. 

We'd decided it would be better to avoid the motorways as much as possible and to travel home via the A roads through Evesham and Alcester. Unfortunately on a Friday afternoon these roads seem to be just as busy, so imagine my relief when I spotted signs for Coughton Court. Now, I love a National Trust property for a break in a journey but I hadn't actually realised we would be passing anywhere near, let alone past the entrance, so this was a real delight. We were close to closing time but ten minutes wandering round the gardens would be better than ten minutes in a queue of traffic, and with luck the traffic congestion would have eased when we got back on the road.

I've been before but didn't remember the gardens at all - and they are wonderful. A walled garden is always something special - you open a door in a wall and who knows what may be behind? - but Coughton's is something extra special; a garden straight out of a fairy tale.

It's sub-divided into several garden 'rooms' with paths leading between herbaceous borders, roses and vines clamber over arches and tunnels, and just visible at the end of the walk is a wisteria.

Turning the corner I found four wonderful wisterias  Mostly I've seen wisteria growing along walls but these were free-standing like laburnums and oh so beautiful.

With pale flowers in the surrounding beds, this has to be the dreamiest garden ever. 

Elsewhere wisteria grows in a more traditional manner against walls but somehow isn't as magical as the free-standing trees.

Elsewhere in the grounds there are ponds, a lake, and two churches but we didn't have time to explore further. This is definitely a place I'll be back to. It's not far from home - possibly within the reach of a day trip - and the few roses that were starting to flower promised a wonderful display.