2025 - What I did today

I visited two gardens in nearby villages yesterday with the gardening club. The first one was really cute, with plenty of 'infrastructure' like stone brick walls and metal bedding edges, statues etc. Very nice.
The second one, however, took my breath away. She's really embraced the idea of having separate rooms in the garden. First was the zen garden with a pergola path along one side with vines climbing up. Next room had a small pond with planting and deep beds all around - gorgeous. The rooms are surrounded by 2m tall fences, with climbing plants coming up it, with tall trees behind it, so it really created that secluded feeling. Then coming out of that into a more formal area with a view over the lake in the distance, with the fruit and veg garden on the opposite side. To the left of the house up a hill was a cottage from 1600's and still stood in its original place, with a little man-made beck trickling into a pond, with a pump moving the water around. Plenty of water plants. Wow, so beautiful.
The house has an extension on it that was intended to be mediterranean, well insulated and large windows and a semi-seethrough roof. It is more tropical to be honest, both in temperature and in feel - they had massive plants in there, and a passion fruit, with actual, ripe fruits hanging off it all over in the ceiling. Just gorgeous.
I went to a friend's house after for coffee and cake, then got some hydrangea and elder cuttings from her.