RHS Rosemoor Garden

There is much to see here and we've come to a routine when we visit the larger English Gardens. We start with a stroll out into the wooded area to see the Georgian landscapes. Then through the many sub gardens as we head our way back to the more formal gardens as we close in on the house. Starting in "Nature" and progressing toward civilization in completely respectful way.

The Royal Horticulture Society's garden at Rosemoor was our first RHS experience. I took home the impression that 'it's all about the plants' garden. None of the buildings were highlighted but played a supporting role framing the garden into it's rural/sub-urban setting. Plants were labeled well. After 10 days in the English countryside, we were still on the edge of London's sphere of influence. Rural is different over there and doesn't match my California term for rural.

Eden Project - England

We spent the night in a youth hostel in the Dartmoor National Park in Cornwall. Eden Project is a reuse of a spent quarry. I'm not sure what they mined here but it was a big terraced hole that's been reclaimed over that last decade.

East Lambrook Manor Garden

We stumbled upon this garden on our way to visit Avon Bulb Nursery. We found out about Avon at The Chelsea Garden Show and decided to make a stop even though we knew we couldn't take anything back to California. At a little past closing time, we stopped at East Lambrook and met the owner. He was excited to give us a personal tour of the garden created by Margery Fish and billed as the "Home of English Cottage Garden". That's a grand title.

It is a gem of a garden and our most exciting discovery. Unlike every English garden I've seen on this trip(10), this garden is about the plant groups and color combinations. There are no vista, horizon or borrowed landscape here. That requires too many resources and this garden was created in a much humbler time. There were no men to work nor did anyone have excess money. You are now your own gardener.

Stourhead Landscape Gardens

This garden is arguably the best examples of the 18th century garden style known as English Landscape Garden. This is made of a hugh man-made lake, temples, picturesque views all created from scratch.

The dead oak is makes this view so amazing. That's a centuries old English oak decomposing in a dignified manner. So beautiful.

RHS Wisley Garden

The Royal Horticulture Society flagship garden is expansive, meticulous and popular. Below is a lovely gravel mulched perennial bed.

Wooten House Gardens

Munstead Wood

Munstead Wood is a name I've seen on many plant cultivars. We spent a few hours looking for Gertrude Jekyll's house and garden. This would be her personal garden that she cultivated while professionally producing garden designs like Hestercombe. We're pretty sure her house was in or apart of the buildings in either photo. It's hard to say, the land had been subdivided during the wars. We asked those few people we say, one being a gardener, and they didn't even recognize the name. I found that odd. The English are crazy about gardening. Don't they know their garden history?

Borde Hill House and Garden

We arrive at Borde Hill still tingling from Sissinghurst. In strict comparison, Borde Hill is more relaxed and not overly impeccable. There is realness to the hills, land and garden.

We are guests of our host in London who has family ties to the current owners and occupants of the house. We were invited to have tea inside the house. Then a personal tour of the gardens with the Lady. We enjoyed lunch at the fancy restaurant which was wonderful. But since I was the driver for the day, I couldn't help them with the Champagne, wine and digestif....

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

The second garden on our tour was the impeccable Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent. This garden is one of the best, if not the best garden in England. Known for the room division where each room is distinctive in color, texture or theme. Once inside the room, all you see is that room, The Tower and the tree tops from the borrowed landscape of the English countryside.

Derek Jarmin's Garden

Late in the day, we find Derek Jarmen's house and garden.  Dungeness, a headland on the coast of Kent, England, is a stark place after visiting The Great Dixter Garden. Made up of a shingle beach, there are no trees and little to see although there are many unique flora and fauna here. One we noticed and loved was the sea kale.  Beautiful sea green color and eatable too.

Great Dixter

This charming garden was the first proper garden on our tour.   After seeing Chelsea Garden Show, Kew and Hyde Park in London, we hired a car and spent the afternoon in Sussex.   This garden turns out to be in the top 5 most amazing garden we saw in England.  Utterly Charming!  After Great Dixter, we raced the sun to see Derek Jarmin's garden on a stark jetty called Dungeness Headland along the Kent coast.

Kew Botanical Garden - London

Hyde Park, London

Golden Gate Park of London,  Hyde Park is just as beautiful and beloved.  I love the way they mow the paths through the open grasslands.  We enjoyed a pitcher of Pimm's cooler on the most perfect sunny day.   It had been raining for months.  We experienced Londoners soaking up the Sun.  We did too.

Chelsea Garden Show, London 2012

This one may be my favorite if I can say that.  This show was amazing and it blew my mind.  This is the work of Arne Maynard, a self taught German around my age.  There's hope.

Laural Heights Garden

A Laural Heights garden I have been working on for the last 5 years.