Sonntag, 11. Juni 2017

NGS: Beggars Knoll


I am always trying to see a few open National Garden Scheme gardens each year but the Chinese garden at Beggars Knoll was my first for 2017. Almost next to the White Horse at Westbury and with breathtaking views over the surrounding hills, the garden is divided into many small rooms, each with a different theme and name. It was quite a windy day, the trees were 'wuthering' all around us and thinking back on it the trees in this garden probably made the strongest impression on me: mature beech trees, a massive black mulberry, gingkos, even a sezuan peppercorn tree ... but I also loved the stones and various special objects placed around the garden.

The garden is open by appointment only and a guided tour is included in the entrance fee.

Much love,
Qaroline














Sonntag, 4. Juni 2017

Q2 Omnibus

Orangery at Knole

I have been on the road a fair bit this Spring. My parents came to visit end of May and we met up in East Sussex to visit Great Dixter, Charleston Farmhouse and Knole and we even managed to squeeze in another trip to Furzey Gardens which was in a very interesting transitional stage from the full-on riot of the azalea and rhododendron season to a more mellow summer colour. 

During the trip to East Sussex I read Helen Attlee's The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit, which had me slightly obsessed with owning a lemon tree, and of course the Orangery at Knole, filled with the strong scent of its flowering citrus plants, became even more fascinating.

Charleston Farmhouse, once owned by Vanessa Bell and a centre of the Bloomsbury Group going-ons has been on my list for a long time and was absolutely crammed with the most wonderful stuff but we were not allowed to take photos of the interiors ...

Much love,
Qaroline

Cherry blossom at Oare House


Bluebells at Oare House

Orange tip butterfly in my garden

The Sunken Garten at Great Dixter

Ladybird poppies at Great Dixter

At Great Dixter


At Great Dixter


'The House Opposite' in Rye, East Sussex

Ypres Tower in Rye

Iris in Charleston

Water feature at Charleston

Citrus plants in the Orangery at Knole


Wall in the Orangery at Knole

Knole

Furzey Gardens, third trip

Furzey

Primulas and iris at Furzey

Furzey

Acer at Furzey


Red vista at Furzey

Dienstag, 18. April 2017

Roadtrip: Azalea Season


Furzey Gardens, New Forest

I had promised myself another trip to Furzey Gardens in the New Forest ever since the unexpected autumn colour spectacle that I found there in November and even though I could feel the beginnings of a cold catching hold I took the chance of Easter Monday bank holiday to pay a second visit.

I arrived quite early and had the gardens to myself for a while, apart from a ginger cat called Lily who accompanied me for the first twenty minutes. This time I had expected a great display but was again overwhelmed by the boldness of colour combinations, especially in the azeleas that are now coming into their own, the fresh foliage of the acers and the scented summer azeleas. If I had to draw up a High Fidelity style top five favourite gardens, Furzey Gardens would currently hold number one.

Much love,
Qaroline

Summer azaleas have a very distinctive fragrance



Lily the cat

Camellia, almost open






Some great structures.







This acer and the azalea in the background just work so well together.



Not quite sure what this climber is ... but the buds remind me of teeth on a necklace