Chatsworth House - June 17

 One of the great English country houses.   It is posh.

Biddulph Grange Gardens - June 18

 I love Biddulph's compact size full of all the England Garden themes.  I particularly love the use of follies to move in space to the next theme.  The Egyptian Pyramid to the Chestershire Cottage.  

The Huntington - Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens

The Huntington, near Pasadena in Southern California, San Marino to be exact, is a library, art museum and botanical gardens.  The Botanical Gardens is 130 areas with 16 themed gardens.  

Book - The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book

Since returning from England in 2023, I decided to stop reading the news every morning with my coffee and started reading my gardening books as my morning ritual.  I have not read most of my gardening books from cover to cover.  But since I changed my habit, I have finished over a dozen or more.   So I am starting a new series about my book collection.

First up a book I have had since my City College Horticultural days.  It is a simple premise that doesn't require a full book to understand although there are good ideas throughout, mostly for vegetable gardening.   Mulch your soil with hay and over a course of three years, you will see a dramatic improvement in your soil.  I am one that believes that I am really tending to the soil and the plants are on a separate level.  

October in San Francisco - Sutro Tower

 Fall in San Francisco is a good time to visit.   Skies are clear and sunset occur.

RHS Bridgewater Garden - Third Visit?

 Here I am Tuesday morning looking to catch up on the gardens I explored this summer.  Next up, is RHS Bridgewater.  A new garden in the North of England around Manchester.  Always fun to go to Manchester.

Wollerton Old Hall Garden - A Third Visit

 Here we are again at the Old Hall in Wollerton and their bountiful garden.   A small garden that is greatly loved by the community.  I don't think you can arrive in a large tour bus.   This year they remade the Well Garden.   This space with sixteen pyramidal yews cut into quarters has been a favorite of mine.  I was shocked to see its remake.   I will compare below and announce my judgement.

The Pleasure Gardens at Trentham Hall

We are back at the gardens of Trentham in Stoke-on-Trent.  This is our 4th or 5th visit.  This huge estate has many things to do and is geared toward family visits but has many elements of a true Pleasure Gardens.  Lots for the kids but even more for the gardener.   With big names like Piet Oudolf, Tom Stuart-Smith, Nigel Dunnett,...Capability Brown lake and old trees. We enjoy seeing this garden at different times of the year.  This time it is June.

Public Transport in San Francisco

Muni Heritage Fleet Weekend. 

A rare double ended trolley in Muni Wings livery, starting off its run from Castro headed to Fisherman's Wharf.

It is four in the afternoon and I understand many of the historic fleet will travel up Market to either 17th or Church following the J-Church out to the Barn on Ocean Ave.  I decided to walk up Market Street from Castro to see the Parade.   

Peaks District - England

 We drove by this peak a few times during our week stay in Buxton.  We stopped on the way home this evening to check out some of the local flora.