Summer in a West Yorkshire Garden
Summer in a West Yorkshire garden is really unlike summer anywhere else in the world, particularly if that garden is UK master gardener Sam Preston’s garden. Through the implementation of her “a healthy garden is a beautiful garden ideology,” Sam has created a true Eden with a robust ecosystem driving its beauty. So, head to the UK and spend a few moments of your summer in a West Yorkshire garden and take Sam’s video garden tour. It’s amazing, and it’s right here.
By John G. Stamos
Greetings, gang. I hope you’re all fine and dandy. Boy, do I have one for you today. Remember Sam Preston? She’s been here before, and long-time visitors and subscribers probably do. For those of you who are fairly new to The RGG, I’ll dial you in: Sam Preston is an award-winning UK master gardener who grows an award-winning garden (in West Yorkshire’s hardiness zone of 8B) that happens to be one of the loveliest and healthiest gardens to grace the pages of this here digital publication. Well, Sam is back today in video form with a tour that illustrates what is nothing short of an archetypal summer in a West Yorkshire garden. Summer is a powerful season in West Yorkshire, and Sam and her garden revel in its power. This is Sam’s third garden tour here in The RGG, and I’m honored, thrilled, and humbled that she’s chosen this publication as her platform for familiarizing the world with her amazing garden.
In “A West Yorkshire Garden Tour”, Sam took The RGG audience on a video tour of her garden in autumn in 2023, and the video was prefaced by a short interview in which a bit of Sam’s background and gardening history can be learned. Sam returned to The RGG in the spring of this year in “Sam Preston’s Spring Garden Tour 2024” and delighted viewers with a video showcase of her garden’s prodigious spring output. And now, sports fans, Sam is back with this gorgeous summer tour. As a point of information, all three of Sam’s garden tours, as well as all of the other video garden tours featured in here The Renaissance Garden Guy, can be found in Garden Tours in Sights and Sounds (The RGG’s audiovisual-centric content section), and also in Gardening and Garden Design.
It’s important to point out that Sam’s gardening ideology and pursuant methodology are informed by her acknowledgement of the critical importance of the health of her garden’s underlying ecosystem. In recognition of her efforts to augment and maintain the health of her garden’s collective animal, plant, fungal, and earthen ecosystem, Sam and her garden were the recipients of the 2023 Yorkshire Trust Wildlife Gardening Award. I highly recommend reading Sam’s interview here, “Creating and Maintaining a Garden Ecosystem: An Interview with UK Master Plantswoman Sam Preston”. Not only does this piece fully reveal the depth of Sam’s commitment to the health of both her garden and the environment at large, it includes some really excellent information and advice. It can also be found in Gardening and Garden Design.
Below are fourteen stills from Sam’s garden showcasing some of her garden’s hearty and colorful denizens (and there’s even a shot among them of Sam herself, along with her faithful canine gardening assistant, Ted). As captivating as the “Summer in a West Yorkshire Garden” video may be, there’s a lot for a viewer to take in with this type of format. So, sometimes a still photograph is just the thing for stopping and smelling the roses, so to speak. Enjoy the photos, and don’t panic. Because the link to Sam’s wonderful video immediately follows them.
Immediately below is the link to the play Sam’s garden tour video. Click the arrow on the left, gang, just below the photo of the glowing, orange Alstroemeria flowers, and enjoy this beautiful and fascinating summer in a West Yorkshire garden.
Well, guys and gals, I hope you enjoyed Sam’s summer garden tour as much I enjoyed it. For me, watching this video has been invigorating. How could it not be? The glorious good health of Sam’s West Yorkshire paradise shines in the green of its leaves and in the faces of its flowers. And Sam’s dedication to that vigorous, good garden health, along with her knowledge of perpetuating it, is evident in all she discusses in her tour. I always learn a great deal from watching a Sam Preston garden tour. The lady and her garden are amazing.
My special thanks go to Sam for hosting “Summer in a West Yorkshire Garden”, and my continued gratitude goes to you, my dear readers and subscribers, for your incredibly kind interest, readership, and viewership.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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Mesmerizing… Superb garden! It is magical to see this garden in full bloom… I love the honeysuckle arch.
Thank you Sam and Ted for the tour, and thank you John for sharing such magnificent marvels 🌸🌺🌸
Thank you so much for visiting the feature, Roxxy, and for taking the tour. I completely agree with your assessment of Sam and Ted’s incredible garden. Sam’s “health first” approach has resulted in an award-winning paradise that is just as beautiful on the inside as it outwardly appears. Thank you once again, Roxxy, for visiting and watching, and for commenting here, as well.
Thank you Sam and Ted for the fabulous tour. Your garden is incredible! It is exactly the way I have an English garden in the middle of summer pictured in my mind.
Thank you for checking out the feature and watching Sam’s tour, Kevin. Sam’s garden serves as a model for gardeners everywhere on any number of fronts: beauty and design, ecosystem health, plant selection… the list goes on and on. Sam and her garden are truly inspiring. Thanks again, Kevin.
It’s a true pleasure to watch this magical garden in summer.
Many thanks.
Agreed. And thank you, Rick, for watching the tour. “Magical” is a perfect word to describe Sam’s garden. It’s such a healthy, vibrant environment. Colors seem a little brighter there, and the foliage seems a little greener. And knowing that all of the life – down to the tiniest microbe – that calls her garden home is brimming with good health and vitality adds to the sense of wonder. Again, your description is perfect. It is a magical place. Thank you again, Rick.