A series of stunning pictures have captured a couple’s spectacular “four seasons” garden bursting with spring colors—hidden in the industrial heartland of the Black Country, England.
Tony Newton, 74, and his wife Marie, 76, have devoted 42 years and more than £15,000 (approx. $19,000) to transform their ordinary suburban garden into an idyllic oasis.
Their Walsall, West Midlands, garden features more than 3,000 plants and flowers, including 450 azaleas, 120 Japanese maples, and 15 juniper blue stars.
Locals have nicknamed the stunning garden “four seasons” after the couple deliberately planted different flowers to bloom all year round.
It all began when Mrs. Newton started gardening as a hobby after she retired from her job as a transport planner in 1982. A couple of years later, when Mr. Newton retired from working as a general practitioner, the pair dedicated their time to cultivating their garden paradise.
“I used to work on the grass and the borders a little here and there,“ Mrs. Newton said. ”I had to stay in earshot of the landline, and we had four children in five years, so we were very busy.”
Later, the garden became a feature to keep the children entertained.
In 1992, the pair worked on developing the garden and making it safe for kids. Over the next three years, they landscaped it together, without any help.
“Tony laid the paths, and I was quite happy to wield a pickaxe,“ Mrs. Newton said. ”It’s gradually evolved over the years.”
In 2000, the Newtons built a stream and two years later, built a second one. When it got dark, they would use head torches and continue working on the garden.
With no houses behind them, they have turned the entire area green.
“We’ve got a variety of evergreens,“ Mrs. Newton said. ”We created the garden with lots of views, anchor plants.”
During spring and autumn, the colors turn vibrant as the main trees are maples and acers.
“They’re just brilliant colors,“ Mrs. Newton said. ”In the winter, it’s lots and lots of bulbs.”
Now, the green-fingered couple spends up to eight hours every day maintaining the quarter-acre plot which attracts visitors from around the world.
“Over the years, we’ve had a lot of interest,” Mrs. Newton said. “We’ve had a lot of Chinese tourists. We’ve been all over the world.”
As word spread, the couple, who have five grandchildren, became used to strangers turning up at their door asking to see their garden.
In 2006 they won Walsall in Bloom and the following year, were crowned “Britain’s Best Garden.”
In 2015, celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh took a guided tour of their creation before presenting them with an award.
In the past, the couple opened the garden once a year to the public but now, only share it with family and friends.
Seeing their garden grow, a lot of neighbors have asked for advice, but Mrs. Newton said that they don’t have any formal training, and they have learned everything through a lot of trial and error.
“We’ve been here for 42 years now, and we’ve mastered our garden,“ she said. “There are times when we don’t go out, or we could spend eight hours. It can be busy in the autumn with all the leaves.”
Thanks to the mild winter and wet spring, the couple say this year’s blooms are the most colorful yet.
“Each year is different, but May is a wonderful time,“ Mr. Newton said. “The colors haven’t been scorched thanks to there being no frost. It’s a celebration of the changing of the season.”
For the Newtons, it is indeed “a joy to see nature bursting through again.”
“We’ve put lots of work in, between us, it’s a partnership working in the garden,“ Mr. Newton said. ”The garden gives back.”
