Reginas Cottage

                          Pictures of our cottage and garden

                                     

simple display shelves

                       

a mini theatre made from an old fireplace surround

                                About the Collection

The Collection was started over forty years ago by Geoff Nicolle in Pembroke and we have continued since 2005, until this year, 2016, when in July Robin suffered a serious setback in his recovery after illness. This meant that something had to give, so young Nigel Hopes and lovely wife Samantha took on the greater part of the collection and will, I’m sure, cherish each one.

Geoff first saw an Auricula in a garden of a neighbour in the village of Rosemarket in Pembrokeshire, this plant was known as a “rackler” a piece of which was given to Geoff which he later named “Rosemarket Rackler”  the first of many old plants which were collected countrywide. Some of our plants have a history dating back over a hundred years. One introduction is an old Border Auricula named “Upperfields” by Joe Braddock who lives near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucester, Joe has known the plant for over fifty years and kindly brought some to us. New varieties were welcomed to the collection, several donated by  Cheril Hebdon, John Green and Martin Davies. Many of the old border auriculas typically have a history dating back many years, most perhaps not good enough for the Florists’ benches but too pretty to discard so planted out in the garden.

Bob Bach, famous for his Eden Border Auriculas kindly donated many of his plants to us, which we have shown on Open Days as the “Eden Collection”.  A  programme of crossing some of the Eden Collection and Patti’s Borders gave us some interesting new varieties, the most recent, we have given the greenhouse name ‘Dolly Mixture’ one of these I have given a greenhouse name of  “Patti’s Plum” (see pictures)

Our quest for Old and New Border Auriculas continued, combined with a love of  gardening which extends to organic vegetable growing and a flower garden full of poppies, delphiniums, roses, hardy geraniums, hellebores and many other herbaceous plants, making the garden at Regina’s Cottage an all seasons garden.

We are members of the National Auricula and Primula Society (Midlands & West Section)

The Border varieties are some of the oldest type of auricula to be grown, hardy perennials, their colour range, perfume, floriferous growth and compact habit make them a plant for today, yet they retain that nostalgic old fashioned look of a bygone era.