The History of The Garden at The Bannut

How it all began - a potted history... We first saw The Bannut at Bringsty in May of 1984 and decided immediately that this was where we wanted to live. The three acres of land, with its open aspect and acid soil, was very suitable for the expansion of our wholesale heather nursery, and we loved its beautiful situation - with Bromyard Downs to one side, Bringsty Common to the other, hundreds of acres of National Trust, Brockhampton Estate, opposite and superb views to the Malvern Hills. Most of the three acres was pasture, although some trees had been planted at the front of the house, including the Bannut (walnut) tree (Bannut being the old English name for the walnut). We set aside an acre of land around the house for our garden and the rest was laid out as nursery. Within a few years we were producing a quarter of a million heathers annually. The garden at the front of the house was planted with heathers, as a display garden for the business. The rest was set out with lawns, shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants; and a unique heather knot garden. During the next few years and turned that area into two garden rooms, the Gazebo Garden and the Arbour Garden, were created, and the 'The Old Goat Paddock' - where we once kept our pet goats - was also incorporated into the garden. In 1996 we decided it was time to think about retiring, so we scaled down the nursery by half, and created the 'Far Garden', a grassy area planted with a variety of trees, shrubs and daffodils, where cowslips and other wild flowers are are encouraged. We also planted a quarter acre Summer Heather Garden and a Long Walk edged with masses of Spring flowering heathers. We closed the wholesale business completely in 1998 and, in 1999, at an age when we should have known better, we took the 'momentous' decision to open The Garden at The Bannut to the public. Since then, we have continued planning and planting. Our Millennium project was an intriguing Secret Garden and, for our Golden Wedding in 2002, we have planted a Laburnum & Clematis Walk. We very much enjoy sharing our garden with our visitors and we do hope it gives you pleasure too. Daphne & Maurice Everett