{ let's go somewhere . Birmingham Botanical Gardens }

This weekend the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham threw their doors open to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Calthorpe Estates. With the chance to have a  wander around the gardens and greenhouses, and lots of crafty goings on, not to mention the promise of coffee and cake, and more, I kept my finger's crossed for a sunny afternoon and popped along.

The gardens themselves date back to 1829, sited on 18 acres of land leased from the Calthorpe Estate. Designed by J.C.Loudon they were three years in the planning and making, and opened to members of the Horticultural Society in June 1832. Apart from the greenhouses the layout remains much the same today. Throughout their history the Gardens have been important as a centre for social functions in the city. From flower shows to political meetings, playing host to festivals of drama and music, and Sunday concerts in the bandstand.

Sunday's festival was wonderfully family orientated, with plenty of things for young and old alike. Face painting, vintage fairground rides, and the Punch & Judy man were proving popular with the little ones, whilst the grown ups seemed more than content with the Prosecco and Gin caravans. As befits our recent conversion to something of a foodie city, there was street food aplenty, with the Mac and Cheese van in particular, drawing long queues of hungry Brummies.

The gardens themselves are lovely to wander around, but I think it was the glasshouses that stole my heart. Ornate and iconic in their shape and construction there is something about them that brings out the Victorian romantic in me. Not to mention something of the crazy plant lady in me, making me want to rush out and fill my home with succulents and cacti, and start propagating geranium cuttings and dahlia's, enough to fill my greenhouse ten times over. 

Oh, and after a cloudy start, the skies were blue and the sun even shone. Not too shabby a way to spend a September Sunday.

{ have a happy day }