00:00So we're here at Windy Ridge and introduce yourselves guys.
00:07Yeah well I'm George and I'm Fiona. So Windy Ridge is it Little, where are we? Little Wenlock.
00:14Little Wenlock, that's it. Halfway up the Recon. Cool, without the sweat.
00:21And you've got a beautiful garden here. How long have you lived here?
00:25We've lived here for about 40 years and developed the garden mainly over the past 20-25 years.
00:31And you'll be sharing it with us, you'll be opening it to the public this weekend.
00:36That's right, yeah this coming weekend. So we're fingers crossed for some reasonable weather.
00:42Yeah that's what we want isn't it, dry weather at least. So it's part of the National Garden Scheme,
00:47how long have you been involved with them then and opened for them?
00:49Oh well almost 20 years now, so yeah it's a fantastic organisation. I mean where else can you
00:57raise money for good causes and give people a really nice time?
01:01Exactly, exactly yeah, there's always some decent cakes and a drink on hand.
01:08So did you, when you first viewed this property, were you keen gardeners then?
01:14You know, did you buy it thinking yeah we're going to really transform this garden?
01:18Or did the love of gardening kind of grow as you as you moved in?
01:21Well we've always been gardeners but Fiona used to work with a big garden centre group.
01:26So yeah over in the east of England and this was actually our third house so we had already
01:32created two gardens. One was very very small and the other was actually quite big but obviously not
01:38quite as much stuff here as there is now. So yes yes gardening has always been a love and still is.
01:46Yeah and I think we've managed to cram them at over a thousand species in the garden so hopefully
01:54there's something for everyone to enjoy. So it must have been difficult, I mean as you said your last
02:00garden wasn't as big but it must make it difficult to move on when you've created paradise in your back
02:06garden. Well our last garden, well we actually only lived there about five or six years so it had never
02:13really reached maturity. I mean I think what people like quite unusual about this, well two things blow
02:19my own trumpet, but a lot of gardens you either have someone who's very keen on design or someone
02:25who's quite keen on plants but you you don't often get someone who likes both so that's one thing. And the other
02:31thing is there's not that many gardens where the same people who started it 40 years ago are still
02:38here and still maintaining it. Without a gardener. Without a gardener. Yeah so I think that continuity
02:46is quite quite um quite an important thing. So when you've created something as beautiful as this
02:52is that the hard work that goes into it is it mostly always a pleasure or can it you know can
02:58it become like a bit of a noose around your neck? Well mainly a pleasure. I mean to be, I tell a secret
03:05here actually I hate housework. Yeah. So actually being able to go out in the garden and do something
03:12there to me that's a good excuse because it means I don't have to tidy the house. That sounds lucky.
03:17So the deal is you'll let the public in your garden but they're never looking in your house.
03:20Absolutely yeah. And we got so many plants in the garden that weeds don't have a chance.
03:25Yeah well I guess that's one way of yeah yeah get the plants to kind of... Well yeah that's um you
03:31know and really to be honest apart from self-seedlings mainly in the gravel um that's about it for
03:38weeding. If you sort of manage to get on top of them and George says have plenty plenty of plants
03:44then the weeds don't grow and obviously if you're not weeding the whole time then the other stuff
03:50you make it pruning. It's more of a pleasure. Pruning, cutting things back. Yeah. And they call it
03:55the green gym does it keep you fit and healthy then? Oh well. Or have you put your back out a
04:00few times? Getting up and down. Yeah yeah well that's yeah. Beginning to feel getting back up from the ground
04:07you know when you've done it for the hundredth time in one afternoon it's beginning to think oh that's a long way up.
04:11But no it's it's all good exercise. Well it is it's a beautiful garden so people get yourselves down
04:18you've got the Saturday and the Sunday this weekend I believe haven't you? That's right from 12 o'clock
04:22uh to five o'clock. Great stuff. And remember the Huntsman's also open. Ah that's the pub just down the way isn't it?
04:30They do some really good lunches. Yeah down the road. A lot of people who come here tend to
04:35just pop in and have a pint or have a light lunch. Sounds like a plan that's the day sorted isn't it?
04:40Makes a nice day. That's the day sorted yeah. Great stuff well thank you for letting the Shropshire
04:43star come into your little bit of paradise thank you. Well please do please come come and see us we'd like that.
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