Gardeners rake in autumn glory
THIS autumnal riot of colour sits bang in the middle of our industrial heartland, but it could so easily belong to a stately home.
Green- fingered Marie and Tony Newton have spent 38 years and more than £ 15,000 transforming their back garden into an amazing sight which attracts visitors from around the world.
They have crammed 3,000 plants and flowers, including 120 Japanese maples, 450 azaleas and 15 blue star junipers, into a quarter of an acre in Walsall, West Mids.
And the couple, who have been crowned Britain’s best gardeners, have not allowed the Covid crisis to cramp their style.
They have continued to plant acers and camellias, turned their balcony into a temporary greenhouse and started growing vegetables on the patio.
Marie, 72, who began transforming the once- drab plot in 1992, says autumn is her favourite month . But she added: “It is a show garden, no matter what the season or weather. We cultivate it all year round.
“You just have to listen to the garden really and it tells you what needs to be done.”
Tony and Marie, right, have halted open days because Marie is shielding from coronavirus, but are planning to reopen next year.
Retired GP Tony, 70, said: “There has been a lot of trial and error to get the garden way it is now. A lot of our plants are now 30 years old or more.
“We never get bored, there is always something new to plant.
“The autumn colours are amazing. Every day I wake up in awe of the spectacle we have created.”