Gardens in the Shire - A Very Special Visit to Hobbiton

Blog contributor, Diane Marsden and her husband recently took their dream trip to New Zealand. At the top of their list was a visit to the charming, tiny village of Hobbiton.  Yes, Hobbits love gardening, too!  Enjoy!

On a recent trip to New Zealand, my husband and I, fans of the J.R.R. Tolkien's books, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, decided to visit the movie set from the films based on these books. This was the perfect location for the filming of these stories.

Lush, rolling green farmland, the Shire brought to life - a peaceful place, a wonderful and quiet village.

We enjoyed a  delightful to visit Hobbiton, and the little Hobbit houses and pretty gardens at each one.  We could imagine the characters in the houses and visiting in the village.  I could visualize Bilbo writing his story of his adventures inside his Hobbit house.

There was a sign on the gate of Bilbo’s hobbit house,” No Admittance, except on Party Business."

I remember the scene from the movie.  Each house had garden gates, birdhouses and lots of flowers.

There was a vegetable garden and an orchard complete with a ladder to pick the fruit.  Clothes were hanging on the line waiting to be collected by a hobbit in the village when they dried.

There was a mill house and the Green Dragon Inn, which one could go inside an order a scone, tea or a pint. You could see in a mind’s eye the busy Inn from the movie.

We remembered the party scene from the movie of Bilbo’s birthday party and villagers having fun watching the fireworks of Gandalf’s making and celebrating There were many scenes in the movie, where the hobbits were in dangerous situations and they would wish to be back in the Shire.

We left with delighted smiles and a happy heart having been to a place brought to life by the creation of a movie and Tolkien’s  genius.

photography by Diane Marsden 

Diane Marsden moved West from the East Coast for college and never came back (except for visits with her family and friends!)  She is a photographer specializing in wildflowers and natural landscapes, master gardener, poet, writer, and world traveler. Diane and Lloyd opened their garden this past June for THE ART IN THE GARDEN, an art show displaying the work of local area artists – including Diane’s photography and Lloyd’s exquisite woodworking.