Wildside Garden near Buckland Monachorum, Devon is local to where I live in Tavistock.  

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It's the creation of Keith Wiley, a highly regarded visionary gardener, designer and plantsman.   It started as a 3 acre flat field but Keith & Ros set about creating this incredible garden along with help from some long time friends (Mike Rasdall being one of them).   The garden has three main areas:  the lower garden, the courtyard garden and the canyons. Sadly, Ros died in 2019 and Keith has decided to create a section of the garden in the Canyons in her honour - the Tribute Garden.    

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The garden is still a work in progress but is the most amazing garden I've ever visited.  It really has an emotional affect on me which no other garden has done so far.  

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I'm fortunate to have become  a regular volunteer in the garden; helping with weeding and tidying and along the way I'm learning loads - not just about the plants but everything...one thing I have learnt is how much I love being outside in a garden environment, getting my hands dirty, smelling the earth, watching the wildlife and seeing plants come to life and then watching them fade.  It's a real privilege to be a tiny, tiny little cog in this very large wheel.

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I find it a tricky garden to photograph but it doesn't stop me trying or having fun trying.   I'm aiming to compile a photographic book of the garden, mainly for posterity, as I feel there should be a record of it out there.  When the book is done - I'll post about it here.

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Click here for Keith's website for Wildside 

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It's a good idea to check his website for opening times as it's not open all year round.  This is Keith's private garden and he only opens to earn enough money to try to keep the garden going.  The website will also give you more information about the style of gardening in Keith's words.

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If you want to follow the Wildside Facebook and Instagram pages click the links below and follow:

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