The Weir Garden
Encyclopedia
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property near Swainshill, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, lying alongside the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
8 km (5 mi) west of Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
on the A438 road.
The garden covers 4 hectares (10 acres), and was the creation of its prior owner, Roger Parr, and his head gardener William Boulter. The adjoining house is used as a nursing home and is not open to the public.
The south facing aspect of the garden allows for a wide variety of plantings, and this, combined with the riverside, attract a notable variety of wildlife. Notable birds include blackcap
Blackcap
The Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
s, mute swan
Mute Swan
The Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less...
s, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, goosanders and in summer, sand martin
Sand Martin
The Sand Martin is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean countries, part of northern Asia and also North America. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, South America and South Asia...
s, whilst teal
Common Teal
The Eurasian Teal or Common Teal is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range...
often over-winter here. There are also a great many insects, including the rare club-tailed dragonfly
Gomphus vulgatissimus
The Common Club-tail is a medium sized species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is found in most of Europe and is present now in the south of France. Its natural habitat are clean, streaming rivers and creeks with sandy soil. It can be seen from mid-April in the south to August. Once they...
, banded demoiselle
Banded Demoiselle
The Banded Demoiselle is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers...
damselflies and white-legged damselflies
White-legged Damselfly
The White-legged Damselfly or Blue Featherleg, Platycnemis pennipes, is a damselfly of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range.-Morphology:P. pennipes is about long...
, plus a range of butterflies, hoverflies
Hoverfly
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae eat a wide range of foods...
and crickets
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
.
The property is open on Wednesday to Sunday from February until October.