The area around the lawn along Glen Goyle used to be the centre-piece of the garden of the former Asherton House – and at the pages on Asherton House and Asherton Gardens there are some fabulous photos of how this spot looked some sixty and seventy years ago.
It is very apt then that this area has become a favourite place for the FOGG working party to spend their Thursday mornings. As one volunteer has said, it’s wonderful to be gardening in a place that used to be such a lovely garden.
And, indeed, the FOGG project, whilst not ‘restoring’ the garden to what it was in the 1950s, is bringing life and colour and diversity to a charming park along the Glen.
As another volunteer, John Hopkins, says following today’s session:
Initially when the FOGG project began, in the area to the east of the upper lawn area we were met with an impenetrable very high curtain of brambles, choking the three tree ferns and mature trees. The dead branches on the fir trees by the brook still record the height to which those brambles stretched. [See: Letting the sunshine into the Glen – Friends of Glen Goyle from September 2022]
Once cleared we set about caring for the tree ferns and creating a bed for shrubs. The mature white azalea at the north end we think was in the original garden. There is a photo taken when the adjacent huge maple tree was only a couple of metres tall and azaleas feature in a bed alongside. [See: The ‘Near’ and ‘Far’ Lawns at Glen Goyle – Friends of Glen Goyle for the photo!]
Since then there have been numerous donations of plants to add colour and interest to this large created bed and we receive many compliments from passers-by. Today two of us planted several clumps of 3 different colour daylilies donated by a neighbour which will hopefully add even more sparkle in the Spring.
Currently the canna lilies and salvias add a lovely splash of red. See picture!
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With more of the beds around the lawn area from John:
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And last week, FOGG member John McGregor also took some photos of the splendid beds, to be found on that week’s report: 24th July 2025 – Friends of Glen Goyle
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