English Gardens Tour w/ Mike & Frank - Summer 2022

So here it is.  I've been queried about my trip to England for the past three weeks and what are my main take aways from the trip.  What did I learn and make me inspired to try something new?   One of the reasons I love these trips is the introduction to new ideas, styles and plants.  But the one thing that I really like about the English and is another reason I travel there.  They appreciate, as a nation and culture, their love of nature.  Where that intersects the individual Brits own garden space is wonderful to experience.  I love how they have made gardening an art form.  

The list below is our itinerary and a short description or thought about my visit.  Click on the titles or photo to see more photos of that location:

Chelsea flower Show - London

Five hours walking around Chelsea looking at show gardens, tools, products and lots of design ideas.   What stuck with me, those small planting areas with pollinator friendly annuals and perennials.  Here’s a couple of the more natural displays. 

Burgundy lysmachia and apricot geum was the most interesting color combination for me.

Flower Marquee at Chelsea Flower Show

Second day at Chelsea flower.  Today were going inside the huge marquee.  One of the most lovely experience was seeing Mary Berry give an interview with the guy who grows nerines and agapanthus.  I adore agapanthus and so disappinted in our select of hybrids in the US.  

The Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’ stood out with its intoxicating scent and splendid color of orange and pink. 

Rousham

Rousham has been in the same family since it was built in 1635.  Landscape gardener, William Kent, with largly unaltered designs of 18th century England landscape, with many follies and such attractions expected in a garden of that time.   Light and dark green dominate with things of interest pop into view.

I always get excited to see the rill.  Such a well designed water element.  Fascinating to walk along and watch a leave fly along like a small boat on a river.  Add an ant, and I'm having fun.

Kiftsgate

Always a delight to walk around Kiftsgate garden.  I have always found fun things in their nursery in the parking lot.  This garden is the work of three generations of a family, all women. 

Hidcote Manor

This is my fourth visit to Hidcote Manor and it still looks good, better maintenance shows.   A bit frozen in time and little innovation.  I did enjoy the strong color themes of gold & purple and magenta & yellow.

Sezincote - Big trees, parahebe, snake pond, muhgul design. Click here for original post 

Snowshill, Charles Wade, natural material on fence, bird houses, sambucus, William Hodge gardener,cephalaria.

Rodmarton Manor

A spectacular Arts and Crafts house and garden.   It looked great and is probably my favorite garden this year.  From the topiaries and troughs of alpines to the long border, it was well maintained and authentic. 

Iford Manor

Lots of wisteria and we were there for the two weeks it is in full bloom.   Reds, purples and chartreuse.

The Courts

The path leading to the meadow or orchard, I can't remember, but this is a technique they used everywhere in England.  Only walk on the mowed path leaves the rest to grow, flower and seed.  Here I appreciate the way the English daisies are shorn short into a straight edge.  But if you look closely you still see a few flowers and the entire clump or community of daisies. 

Crowe Hall

Bath, England is a fairy tale type city.  This photo shows the green belt coming right up the the city.  If you really hunt for it in this photo, you will see the Palliandian bridge in Prior Park.

Special Plants

We are back to Derry Watkins’ nursery and garden.  Tuesdays she offers a talk and today's is self-sowing plants.  Then we go outside in her personal garden looking at those possibilities. 

Special Plants Nursery - Seeds Available

East Lambrook Manor

East Lambrook Manor is the garden and home of Margery Fish, writer and plantswoman.   This garden is described as the quintessential English cottage garden.  I have written much about East Lambrook in past posts.  Click here to see those.

Hestercombe

This is the masterpiece of Gertrude Jekyll restored and looking good this year.  This garden too has been high-lighted in past posts, click here to see those old post.

Cranborne Manor

Montisfont

This garden has the national collection of 19th century roses and the largest plane tree in uk. The roses were in full bloom and stole the show.  

Sir Harrold Hillier

Set in the countryside of the southern county of Hampshire, this gardens has over 600 champion trees.   A collection of some the biggest and rarest trees in the UK.

Borde Hill

The Italian garden set around the rectangular pond was looking great.

Nymans

Stunning as ever, Nymans delighted this rainy overcast day.

Sussex Prairie Garden - Achillea white pearl, calamagrostis Waldenbuch, Trifolium ochroleucon, Stipa pseudoichu

Sheffield Park

Quite a few large trees in this 18th century garden laid out by Capability Brown and later developed into a woodland park. 

Wakehurst Kew

A full service garden with some very large trees and a beautiful walled garden.

Sissinghurst

We're getting to the end of our tour and we saved some the best for last.   Sissinghurst has never let me down.   But this year there was a major improvement.   They took an odd but central corner of the property and recreated a Delos garden.

Scotney Castle

A really old castle.

Great Dixter

The final garden of our tour of 2022 is Great Dixter.  Christopher Lloyd's home and garden.  This is our fourth visit to Great Dixter since 2012.   It has always been an inspiration but something this year was off.  I haven't put this idea in writing as I'm still trying to figure out what it was that let me down.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a magnificent garden, and if you click here, you'll see I found plenty of beautiful things to photograph.

London

A quick 2 hour drive back to London and that concludes our English garden tour of 2022.  Hope you enjoyed.