Cottage Chic July 28, 2009

 

I’m really into textures and blue hues at the moment, in large part because that’s what is coming out of my cutting garden.    This white enamal pitcher called out to be filled with an arrangment of blue hydrangea, blue globe thistle, violet larkspur, nigella seedpods, soft bunny tail grass, and bold petal-less echinaceas.   Perhaps I’m getting a bit repetative in my floral work this July, but this combination is very appealing to me.   That and there just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of bright colored flowers for cutting thanks to this wet and cool summer. 

 

A Very Special Birthday July 28, 2009

 

My grandmother recently turned 90 and there was, of course, a big party.  I did the flowers using blooms I cut only from my garden.  As my grandmother is in large part my gardening godess who taught me so much and continues to inspire me (even at 90, this woman has the most amazing flower beds!), it was a real treat to be able to make her party extra special with my cut flowers.

 

Hidcote Manor Garden July 22, 2009

 

Of all the gardens on the England tour – and there were a lot – Hidcote shined the brightest in my eyes.  This garden is like a highly polished and perfectly cut gem.  The more you stare at it, the more the colors and brilliance come to the surface.   It was designed in an “Arts & Crafts” style, meaning there were more structured and enclosed garden rooms close the manor house and then these gradually give way to informal gardens, then meadows and then at last to the rustic English countryside held at bay by a simple wooden gate.   This is the garden style that I find myself most aligned with overall.  The beds were meticulously maintained and not a weed was in sight.  And yet, there was a carefree spirit to the place; an abandon to rampant color and great swatches of atmospheric plantings as well as the small touches that made the place feel as though it was still home to its creator, Lawerance Johnston.

 

 

Hidcote has not stood still in time though.  Head gardener, Glyn Jones, who happens to be quite the entertaining bloke, spoke with our group about how he works with a U.K. think tank for sustainable issues.  Hidcote serves as a testing ground for several efforts on composting, recycling all the rain water off the roofs to water the gardens, and installing a new “digester” to grind up all kitchen waste from their cafe and turn it into compost suitable for the garden.    The staff also recently converted a large area into a new kitchen garden to grow the food needed for the cafe. 

 

 
It’s funny how something seemingly insignificant can really shape your opinion of a place.  Hidcote just built a new clay tennis court and they also a big long lawn with games set out on it, all for visitors to use!  I love that idea!  It really makes the garden what it’s meant to be: a bit of outdoor pleasure to be used, not just viewed from designated paths!

 
Hidcote just happens to have a fun little informal blog written by Glyn and his staff.  Check it out at http://hidcotegarden.blogspot.com/.  Unfortunately it was raining quite steadily during my visit so my photos don’t do the place any justice.   Still, here’s a slideshow for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

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July Blooms July 22, 2009

I returned home from the trip to England to find my garden had practically exploded in growth and blooms.  An experienced gardener knows that lots of growth in the garden is not always a good thing.  It took several hours of weeding, cutting back, tieing up, and deadheading to get the beds back in shape, but the plentitude of flowers made all the effort worthwhile. 

 

 

New on the scene were blue Echinops, maroon Scabiosa, and bright bold Zinnias.  Oddly enough, the Echinops seems to be suffering from some disease as several main stems were copper colored and essentially dead, though the blue globes on top were still quite lovely.  I cut these out and hope the overall plant’s health will improve.

 

 

Desperately in need of deadheading and perhaps too far gone to be rejuvinated, though I’m hopeful they’ll put on fresh blooms, are the snapdragons and sweet williams.  The Monarda is suffering from powdery mildew so I’ll probably just rip it out and let the lavenders and yarrow around it fill in the hole.

 

 

Also on their way out are the sweet peas, though they still look lovely from afar.  They were wonderful this year and I’m amazed they made it to the end of July.   The nigella went nuts while I was away, coming into bloom all at once and quickly moving on to forming seed pods.  I have two kinds – ‘The Bride’ and ‘Mulberry Rose’ – with the former still being mostly in bloom.  The texture is great for both the garden and bouquets. 

 

 

And finally, the unexpected arrival of larkspur (‘Earl Grey’) blooms in July.  This is a cool season flower that I had direct seeded very early this spring.  It was exceedingly slow to germinate (probably too wet), and I’d pretty much given up on it.  The plan was to return from my trip and plant something new in this space.  Lo and behold, it is now in full bloom and what a lovely gray-violet color it is!   Intermingled with it are clumps of ‘Frosted Explosion’ grass, which has made a nice little romantic and textural combo that I’d use again in an annual bed.   And next to both of them is the delicate panicales of Talinum ‘Limon’, now producing tall spike that are great for cutting.

Summertime Blues July 22, 2009

 

This handtied bouquet is full of texture and subtle color variations, making it a sophisticated yet spunky design.   The echinops (globe thistle) remind me of fireworks just about to unfold in the sky.   Accompanying it are larkspur spikes, fragrant sweet peas, delicate talinum, deeply hued pin chusion flowers, and nigella blossoms and seedheads.   This is an excellent design for a summer wedding and would look especially striking with silver or sage dresses.

 

Petershams Nurseries July 21, 2009

 

Petersham Nurseries is located in a peaceful vale next to the river Thames just outside the London suburb of Richmond.  It’s so much more than a nursery though with its delightful tea house and a very fine restaurant, both of which serve outstanding local fare.   There were several display beds full of voluptuous floral displays.  Scattered throughout the nursery and glasshouses were tables and chairs, many antique and charmingly mismatched, where customers can visit, eat or just have a meditative cup of tea.   The details of this unique treasure trove engaged me for hours.  I am at heart a marketing professional and artistic spirit so to see both elements combined with such brilliance was quite the treat and inspiration.   Everything was seemingly perfect and poetic, don’t you think? 

 

Great Dixter July 20, 2009

 

This visit to Great Dixter was one of those magical moments that will be remembered long into life.  I knew nothing of this garden prior to my visit, only that it had been home to the visionary and somewhat eccentric writer and plantsman, Christopher Lloyd.   It was a tremendous treat to be allowed to tour the garden and the house after hours so the stillness and beauty were ours alone.  The numerous garden beds at Great Dixter are exuberent, as is the garden’s small and passionate staff.  

 

Fergus Garrett, long-time head gardener and now director since Lloyd’s death in 2005, lead us on an enthralling tour and explained how the gardens were meant to be in constant flux, never repeating a scheme and always on the hunt for new plant material, just as Lloyd had it in his day.   This “synergy” between old and new put an excited energy in the air that I found very engaging.  After our tour, Aaron Bertelsen, caretaker of the ancient house and grounds, cooked us a tasty dinner of salted baked potatoes, roasted beets, and smoked mackrel patte.  Perhaps it was the amber hues of twilight or the delicate breezes or even the homemade beer that was served with that delicious al fresco meal on the back circular steps, but Great Dixter is a garden unlike any other I’ve ever visited.  It is a bit, um, chaotic though and the paths very overgrown and narrow so I am not sure it would have been nearly as pleasurable if we’d been part of the general public.   Fergus is determined to keep a cap on the number of visitors allowed in each day to maintain a sense of intimacy and privacy that makes Great Dixter what it is.   All I can say to Fergus and his team is “Bravo.  Bravo!”

 

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Royal Botanic Gardens: Kew & Wakehurst July 20, 2009

It’s tough to know what to write about Kew and Wakehurst as they are two powerhouse gardens for the Royal Botanic Gardens making great strides in plant conservation.  Kew is home to the world’s largest herbarium and horticulture-focused library. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank which is striving to collect seed from more than 24,000 species worldwide to ensure their safekeeping for future generations. Both Kew and Wakehurst have an impressive history and mission. However, I wasn’t terribly impressed with either of these gardens from a purely “garden” viewpoint. Indeed, I believe both are instead excellent at carrying out the management of records and research and even education (Kew’s three year diploma program for professional horticulture sounds outstanding and quite intense). From a purely pleasure “ohh and aww” standpoint, only the Kew’s palm house and water lily house proved picture perfect.

 

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Wisley Gardens July 20, 2009

Wisley = Wow!  Really, truly, I could have spent an entire week exploring this garden alone.  A true display garden, Wisley is jammed full of interesting and diverse plant material and designs.  We had tours with some very passionate and knowledgeable gardeners who seemed to have very progressive views on gardening practices, keen to use sustainable practices and to try new combos even if they weren’t guaranteed to work.  Because of this, the entirety of Wisley felt fresh and exciting.  There was an outstanding fruit culture area, demonstrating all manner of fruit production for the home gardener and also a large commercial orchard.  There was also a rather large area dedicated to trial beds for new cultivars of all manner of bedding and vegetable plants coming onto the market.  Another wonderful treat was the alpine houses and rock garden where I discovered many new succulents.  And of course there were the beautiful perennial borders and woodlands.  The glasshouse/conservatory at Wisley is a relatively new addition but it would seem it was always meant to be in this verdant space.

 

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Sissinghurst Castle July 20, 2009

Sissinghurst is a much touted garden in the world of horticulture.  I had heard and read quite a bit about it long before this visit.  What I didn’t realize was how rich its history was. It was originally a large rural estate that later became an imposing prison for Frenchmen.  It was in terrible disrepair when it was bought by the famous writing couple, Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson in 1930.  Vita apparently had tremendous vision of what this place could be and indeed her vision along with her husband’s talent for building intimate little “compartments” in the garden that Vita then filled with boisterous floral material that softened the hard edges.  The tower is the true axis of the garden, drawing visitors up its steps to view the gardens from above.  The lay of the beautiful gardens juxtaposed against the still rural countryside really stands out from atop the tower.   The extensive and relatively new vegetable gardens were a treat to explore as well.

 

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