"Gardens should be like lovely, well-shaped girls:
All curves, secret corners,
unexpected deviations,
Seductive surprises and then still more curves."
'A Love of Flowers' H.E. BATES
SARAH RAVEN'S GARDEN AT PERCH HILL
Sarah Raven's garden at Perch Hill is eye candy no matter what time of the year you visit. In fact just before Christmas, Katy and I sat in her amazing cavernous conservatory. It was a sunny day and we had it totally to ourselves, drinking tea and putting the world to rights...
 |
Views to die for...
|
|
 |
The cottage garden at the front of the house.
|
 |
The huge conservatory.
|
 |
| Cacti in the conservatory. |
 |
Another view of the cottage garden.
|
 |
Al fresco table with a view...
|
 |
| Oast garden. |
 |
| A perennial filled border. |
 |
| Herbs and vegetables formally planted on a slope. |
|
|
THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
I managed to obtain a last minute members' ticket for the Chelsea Flower Show and arrived early to avoid the masses. I had a wonderful day and loved the show gardens. Here are my highlights.
 |
The British Heart Foundation garden. I think that the blood red coloured arbours are arteries...
|
 |
Dairmuid Gavin's 'Sky Garden'
This was my favourite garden, all shades of green,
abundant with ferns, grasses, hostas and bamboo.
|
 |
| Stunning vertical garden. |
 |
| Bunny Guiness's potager garden. |
 |
The 'Chilstone Garden'.
Complete with outdoor fluorescent shag pile carpet.
and funky swinging seat... |
 |
'Tourism Malaysia' garden.
Beautifully simple, tranquil and exotic with water features.
|
 |
'Tourism Malaysia' garden again with a water lilly pond.
|
 |
I don't remember the name of this garden but is was all shades of silver and blue...
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 |
Violas.
|
 |
Lupins.
|
 |
David Austin's roses.
|
 |
A very trendy colour combination, echoed in a few gardens.
|
 |
Lilac has been around for centuries and is fashionable again...
|
 |
An exotic Protea, the national flower of South Africa.
|
 |
A beautiful evening gown.
|
 |
Rows of leeks and chard.
|
 |
Potato propoganda.
|
 |
Don't put it on the compost heap, make it into soup...
|
 |
Vegetable gardening was de rigueur.
|
 |
Carol Klein being interviewed.
|
WATERPERRY GARDENS
Waterperry Gardens are nestled in the countryside of Oxfordshire and were originally created as a horticultural college 70 years ago.
 |
The well ordered formal knot herb garden.
|
 |
A very graceful statue of a young girl in the traditional herb garden.
|
 |
| Katy... |
 |
Katy again, as a nurse she felt she should
have her finger up the nose of the sculpture... |
 |
| The 'Italian Garden' at Borde Hill. |
HRH PRINCE CHARLES GARDEN AT HIGHGROVE
Visiting Highgrove with Katy in June was a truly amazing experience, but as you would expect, for security reasons we weren't able to take any photographs. The tour wasn't regimented and we were permitted to wander right up to the house. After the tour we were indulgent and enjoyed a cream tea with champagne in the very royal setting of the Orchard Restaurant.
 |
The wild flower meadow was in its prime,
abundant with wild orchids... |
 |
The formal topiary gardens. In one part, each royal gardener
has his own yew tree to shape as he so wishes...
|
 |
| Poppies and wild grasses in the meadow. |
"When of thy worldly goods Thou find thyself bereft And from the goodly store Two loaves alone are left. Sell one, and with the dole Buy hyacinths to feed the soul."
MOSLIH EDDIN SAADI (12th century Persian poet) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment