The Meadow at Oxford Botanic Garden

July 31 - Merton Borders delighted my eye with its layers of blue, yellow, chartreuse with dabs of pink.   Composed of solidago, eryngium, echinops, mallow, a couple of grasses and tall daisies, this garden was planted in 2011.  It has aged extremely well.

Trentham - Midlands

 July 30th

bees on echinops

piet oudolf perennial border

artimesia and stipa

layers on layers of color and texture

agapanthus and knautia

oregano

dino ballotia?

fun to walk maze of trails through out the parterre

slight rain

stachyes and artemesia

allie of weeping elm?

truely a pleasure garden

piet oudolf floral labyrinth

extremely large sweet chestnut planted by Cap Brown

big golden yew

knautia avernes

nigel dunnett

Wollerton Old Hall - Midlands

 July 30th

English weather? Partly Sunny with chance of rain
driveway conifer specimens
Agapanthus’African Skies’
Salvia yangii ‘Bkue Steel’
white agapanthus
small rooms of all sorts of themes
who’s the driving force behind garden

Dahlia NoID
seating in every room showing off views lile this white garden on display.
two square pyramid yews
garden growing wilder moving away from the house.
birch and maple
simple stake and rope plant support
candy content goes up as you walk to the house.
purple and red clematis, rose and buddlejia
plenty of seating
locerna honeysuckle
this is a good garden to bring people.
cute lavender geraniums
yellow clematis
more seating and formal.
yew dots!
heliopsis ‘bleading heart’ looks like dahlia
the plant of the week.

Mayfield Park - Manchester

 July 29th

salmon street fish market northern quarter 

lunch NQ

Mayfield Park

Monty Don filming

grassy meadow with flowering perennials. 

slide spanning river Medlock

RHS Bridgewater

 July 28th

East Ruston Old Varcarage - East Anglia

 July 26th

white agapanthus frank likes

lots of walking 34 acres on double hedges 

full cottage garden mess

i like how there’s no maps, signage or labels. 

more of a mystery fun to get lost. 

large rooms with apple and liq amber

long hallways of green

bees and butterflies on lysmatchia 

open 12-5 lunch 12-2 tea after. 

Sheffield Botanical Gardens - Midlands

 July 27th

botanical gatdens july 27

garden of pooled talents

sheffield botanical garden

city park feel used by neighbors 

long row of glass houses sorted by exotic places. 

plant labels

175 yo? sequoia g. 

petrified stump

prairie garden 

squirrels all running towards me. 

Agapanthus coddii 

fuchsia pink

healthy red maple

shard sink for watering 

double central flower border. 

cast iron water fountain 

The Garden of Pooled Talents - Sheffield

 July 27

Sheffield - Grey to Green

 July 27th

storm water and pollution mitigation 

castlegate

The Garden of Pooled Talents

botanical gatdens july 27

garden of pooled talents

sheffield botanical garden

city park feel used by neighbors 

long row of glass houses sorted by exotic places. 

plant labels

175 yo? sequoia g. 

petrified stump

prairie garden 

squirrels all running towards me. 

Agapanthus coddii 

fuchsia pink

healthy red maple

shard sink for watering 

double central flower border. 

cast iron water fountain 

Pensthorpe - East Anglia

 July 27th

millennial garden Piet Odorf

natural reserve with flowering perennial 

Bressingham Garden - East Anglia

 July 25th

Beth Chatto's Garden - East Anglia

July 25th

 Beth Chatto

 gravel garden and nursery 

RHS Hyde Hall - East Anglia

 July 24th

Batsford Arbortum - Cotswolds

 July 23rd

Crossrail Place @ Canary Wharf - London

 July 21

Reflection Garden - London Saint Paul's Churchyard

July 19th

English Garden and Nursery Tour

 It’s finally here.   Headed to SFO in a couple of hours for our flight to London.   Frank and I have been planning this trip since February and we both excited the time is here.   Below is a rough outline of our path staring in London, then to Oxford to pick up a car, couple days scouting food in the Cotswolds, then a loop East to Suffolk and Norfolk.   Then up to Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham and back to Oxford where we change car for van and pick up our guests in Bicester.  Our formal five day tour of the Cotswolds gardens starts.   Based out of Deddington, we will be visiting Broughton Grange, Hidcote, Kiftsgate, Rodmarton Manor and Rousham.  After the tour, we head back for a couple days in London and return home in San Francisco.