Hidcote Manor - Cotswolds

 August 3rd

hidcote

dahlias singles in many colors. 

cosmos

haha

six types of insects on Astrantia

wheat fields

 pillar garden

 fuchsia

 white garden

 11-1:30pm

 aiming for 10am. 

picnic by van

Tour of English Gardens - The Cotwolds

 

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Large part of Hidcote’s greatness is attributed to the small formal rooms created with hedges close to the house.  Along with a reputation has a good source and trial of new plants in the Johnson’s days.  

Hidcote Manor Gardens

It was a cloudy day with intermittent rain. We had the place to ourselves.



Hidcote is a remarkable garden designed by Laurence Johnston. He was an American born in Paris in the late 19th century. His mother purchased this property for him in the hopes that he would become a farmer. He instead traveled the world and created this amazing 19 acre series of garden rooms. He never married, which had me asking the docents about his sexuality. I never got a definitive answer. Johnston was responsible for numerous plant introductions including Penstemon 'Hidcote Pink' which I planted last week in Glen Park.

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Okay here comes another entry for the beauty that awaits you on this summer's English garden tour 2014. Drumroll please… Hidcote.



Hidcote was the work of a man named Lawrence Waterbury Johnston. Johnston was already 36 when he arrived in Gloucestershire with his mother in 1907. She purchased the property at auction in the hopes that her only surviving son would become a farmer. Instead he became a plantsman extraordinaire. Johnston is responsible for many plant introductions, including Jasminum polyanthum also known as pink flowering jasmine. Any plant that is named either Hidcote or Johnston's this or that is attributed to Johnston. He left no diaries or plant records as to the creation of the gardens. He wasn't a member of the Royal Horticulture Society. Few photos survive to give us any insight into who Johnston was. What we do know is that he never married and his best friends were society ladies.

Hedges

Before this trip to England in 2012, I didn't have much to say about hedges other than banality. There are a few things I retained from this experience and to have fun with hedges is one of those ideas. The gardens at Hidcote pushed my edge. In the top photo we see two different plants hedge into a single plane. I think those are Yews with a Boxwood silhouette.

Astonishing. (If you haven't noticed, this trip has also made me learn more superlatives.)

 


One comprised of deciduous Copper Beech and evergreen Holly.

Hidcote Manor Gardens

It's connected history and period wise with Sissinghurst. She knew him. He was an American ex-parriot, we suspect he was queer. His only garden design was Hidcote, his mother's place.