THOUSANDS, perhaps millions, of motorists driving on the A65 through Coniston Cold must have thought to themselves "that's blooming marvellous, that is" when they saw the house of Robin and Anne Strange.

For the couple's roadside home, festooned with magnificent displays of flowers for three decades, has impressed generations of drivers and their passengers.

Not for much longer though - the couple have decided to call time on the floral hobby that has brought so much glorious colour to their corner of the Dales.

It all started for Robin and Anne when they visited York and were impressed by the sight of some lovely hanging baskets in the city.

They decided to put some of their own up and soon found that they had made their home, named Katy's Well after a local landmark, into a head-turning visual landmark in itself.

And for the past 30 years the Coniston Cold house has been an impressive burst of colour for the many thousands of drivers on the A65.

Robin started the Tree Tops Forestry firm in 1973, but has recently retired from the business. Now the couple want to devote more time to their hobby of walking and have decided to 'wind down' their floral visual feast.

Anne says: "We have absolutely loved every minute of doing it - it's been very much a labour of love. People have been so very complimentary about the displays and we are obviously pleased we have given so much pleasure to people over the years.

"But all good things come to an end and now is the time for us to do other things. It's been very hard work and we must have spent thousands of pounds on seeds over the years.

"And of course it's very tying. We are both looking forward to have more time to indulge one of our other passions - walking!"

Anne said that since announcing they were calling time on their their endeavour, they had received more than 40 "really, really nice" letters and cards of thanks.

"It's wonderful that people have taken the trouble to thank us - it's like finding you have friends you never knew you had."

Until a few years ago, the couple grew mostly busy lizzies for their displays, but switched to mainly begonias a few years ago.

Busy Lizzies throughout the country were hit by a disfiguring 'downy mildew' disease which has decimated the flower and made it untenable for nurseries to grow.

Anne said: "We switched to begonias and they have proved a really good choice. Most flowers take a lot of care and hard work to grow, but the begonias have proved equally popular."

Some of that hard work was alleviated by the automatic watering system that Anne and Robin installed. This can be programmed both to turn on and off and to give different plants the right amounts of water, which has been a great help over the years, Anne says.

And though they are sad to leave their flowers behind, they are also looking forward to the freedom to pursue their passion.

Living in the Dales, it could not be easier for them to do lots of walking.

Anne says: "It just feels like the right time, especially now that we have both retired. We love the Dales and the Lake District especially, so we intend to be out and about as much as we can. We are sorry to be leaving our displays behind, especially when they have given so much pleasure, but we both feel now is the right time to be starting a new chapter of our lives."