OWNERS of an organic farm near Lechlade have a lot to celebrate this summer, including a successful open garden day and a feature in Country Life magazine.
The garden and wildflower meadows in Oxleaze Farm, situated in Filkins near Lechlade, were showcased in the May edition of the countryside magazine.
Oxleaze Farm is a family business which currently runs as a partnership between Charles and Chipps Mann and their children, Katie Macdonald Lockhart and Will Mann.
It has been an organic farm since the 90s and includes 50 acres of flower-rich grassland and meadow, 135 acres of unimproved pasture and 50 acres of traditional water meadows.
The feature stemmed from a chance encounter with gardening author Kendra Page Wilson at a pop-up Christmas Fair which was hosted at the farm's wedding barn in December 2021.
Kendra introduced them to garden and wildlife photographer Britt Willoughby Dyer who visited the farm during dawn and dusk to capture the garden in the best light possible.
Katie Macdonald Lockhart said: "It was rather otherworldly to see the very familiar garden which I know inside and out on the pages of a magazine!
"Kendra and Britt captured the ethos of the garden perfectly.
"Having lived at Oxleaze for 40 years the garden has been a lifelong passion, the article felt like a culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears."
Chipps Mann said: "The farm and the garden have both evolved so much, we now take such pride with working in harmony with nature whether that is encouraging the biodiversity in the wildflower meadows for the bees in the garden or watching the organic Aberdeen Angus calves cavort amongst the grasses and renewing our soil health."
The gardens were also recently opened to the public, as part of National Garden Scheme (NGS), on Sunday, June 4.
This event raised £2000 which will be shared between the scheme's chosen charities and the Swinford Museum in Filkins.
Katie said: "It is quite nerve wracking opening the garden and it’s all hands to the deck to make sure it is looking it's best.
"Four hours filled with a lot of garden chat, plant comparisons, and identifications pass very quickly.
"Teas are always a huge part of a garden visit and we were lucky to have the support of the Swinford Museum who maked delicious cakes and served teas.
"We wanted to support a local charity and the museum seemed appropriate as its founder, George Swinford, who was a great countryman.
"His family still live in Filkins and are responsible for the community swimming pool, the bowls club and a lot of council housing in the village."
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