A National Trust Day
Another sunny frosty day. It seemed right to visit one of our National Trust stately homes. I have been visiting Polesden Lacey for over 20 years, and never tire of what it has to offer. Especially on a day like this.
This gorgeous house was owned by Mrs Ronald Greville, a society hostess who regularly entertained Royalty. She insisted that the house should be enjoyed by the public after her death, and donated it to the National Trust. She is buried in the gardens, as are many generations of her pets.
She held fabulous dinner parties with elaborate French cuisine. I wouldn’t have minded popping in for supper I must say.
The Edwardian garden has a series of walled and hedged enclosures with roses and herbaceous planting. But what I love the most are the lawns and views on the North Downs.
In the enclosed gardens is an ancient wisteria which is magical when in bloom
Today it’s bare, but still lovely as it’s branches are so intricate
The walled garden has a series of portholes which seem to want to frame its contents.
Beyond the garden, but still in its grounds are some little covered bridges
This one has some seats for a quick rest, or, as was the case today, a place for bored children to practice their orienteering skills.
The place was very busy. Time to go before the lunch crowd descended. A lovely sunny place to be. I never tire of Polesden Lacey.
The Lungs of Vienna
It was steaming hot during our trip to Vienna. Where ever you are, there is always a little or big park to dive into for some air. Here is what we saw in the parks we found
Some are huge and formal with spectacular water features
Some were less formal, but had even more interesting water features. These lily pads were enormous!
There are still plenty of flowers blooming
The brighter the better in my view.
These flower beds were shaped in swirls found only in special parks
This must be the oldest glass house in the world.
There was a pumpkin display on. Harvest festival perhaps?
The exotic ferns were gorgeous. Especially on a hot September day.
Birthday Picnic
How lucky can you get! Another major birthday treat. A picnic at Wisley Gardens in the company of five of my favourite people, two of whom are tiny favourite people:
The smiley Megan
And a bit sleepy Poppy
Wisley put on a good show for us
The theme was orange and purple. No doubt especially for me, as these are some of my favourite colours
How could anyone resist these lilies?
Or these baby moorhens who didn’t want to be late for the party………
Just lovely!
Perfect July Sunday
The Royal Horticultural Society provided us with the lovely gardens of Borde Hill. A perfect place for a stroll with Poppy and her lovely mummy. There were few other people visiting. Everyone else was watching the men’s final at Wimbledon
Roses are the major feature of any English garden at this time of year. Borde Hill is laden with them
I particularly like these peachy coloured ones. Their scent is delicious
I haven’t seen a day lily this colour before. It clashed perfectly with the daisies behind
So peaceful it was I decided to lie down for a moment. Unfortunately I left my camera unattended…….
Wish I could say this was me. However she was a little my junior I fear…
No point in having a post about lovely flowers without this Poppy feature. Having her pre-outing bath….xxxxx
A British Garden
The National Trust is a very British institution. One of my favourite gardens in Nymans in West Sussex. It has everything I enjoy in a NT visit:
The building behind this sculpted hedge has no roof, but has been preserved as it stands beautifully
There is a border of bee loving flowers, that buzzes as you walk through
Flower beds are not too manicured and the colours clash beautifully
Lovely! The cream tea didn’t stay still long enough to be photographed…….
Oops who’s this? This isn’t a NT garden, it’s an allotment! How did my Grand Kitten sneak in to this post?????
What Else is Going on?
Apart from The Wedding that is.
Some vintage cars were out
A bee found a good source of pollen in my garden
A wasp had a mind to build his new house in my shed. I don’t think so!
This dainty pink aquilegia could be the inspiration for a wedding frock??
Bleeding hearts on the line blowing in the wind
My Himalayan Poppies are out
As is my other Sweet Poppy. It was all too much for her, so she sleeps on Mummy’s shoulder. How darling is she?
Spring Flowers
The bluebells are out in the woods
The white bells are also making a show
These feathery things are out…whatever they are
Daisy the cat is out
But the best flower of all to come out today is………..
A sleepy little Poppy
Garden Sightings
The appearance of these flowers despite the hard winter gives me heart
These hellebores keep coming back, even though they haven’t been pruned
This is my favourite coloured anemone, just as well as it’s the only one that seems to survive
My bleeding hearts are starting
The first grape hyacinth pushes past the forget-me-nots which quite ready
Won’t be long before these start showing themselves, can’t remember what colour they are. All the better.
I wasn’t the only one inspecting what was around in my garden today.
My Spring Collection
It’s definitely here. The clocks sprang forward, the sun is shining. I spotted some of my favourites yesterday:
There is a tiny green covered in blossoming trees. These little flowers are so delicate, and from a distance could be mistaken for snow. Not now though!
Probably my favourite spring flowers: wood anemones. They usually form carpets in wooded areas, but these were brazenly displaying themselves out in the open.
Buds in the hedgerow just ready to burst
I don’t know what type these lime green buds are. Just part of the collection.
Sweet violets just making their way through the dead leaves on the floor of the woods.
More often than not the frost plays tricks on magnolia buds and nips them just as they are appearing. This one is slightly burnt but hasn’t surrendered.
Not a spring flower, but still an eye catcher on a lovely sunny walk.
The Lichen Story Continues
My two good friends in Nova Scotia Sybil and Amy-Lynn have both posted on Lichen in the last week. Well, not to be outdone by them, I did my own research investigating British varieties;. Here’s what I found:
OK Sybil and Amy-Lynne, over to you. What the heck are these opportunistic growths?
Tulips on a Grey Sunday
It’s dark and raining and dismal. What I needed and got was colour. These lovely glossy red tulips did it for me.
Five Winter Scenes
I prefer cold, snowy days to this dull foggy drizzle we are having. Time to look back at our Christmas walk in Scotland.
So cold. So lovely.
Ground Cover
This time of year there is as much colour to see on the ground as there is on the trees:
Corn Jungle
During an afternoon walk we found ourselves directed through the middle of a corn jungle. It was as high as an elephants eye. The cobs were ready. Many were over. Most were unexpectedly colourful.
Five Autumn Sights
A walk on a perfect October Sunday yielded some golden sights
Denbies Vineyard was a good starting point
They have yet to harvest their grapes
Polsden Lacey came next but from a distance this time
Conkers overhead, waiting for a good landing
Lovely sunny day
Five Reasons to Visit Wisley
Wisley Gardens put on a good show any time of year. Right now there are some end of line summer flowers along with the autumn collection. There was also a little sunshine and a lot of rain
Pretty pretty……
Five National Trust Blooms
The National Trust is a place to visit when, at this time of year, my garden is resembling a dried flower arrangement and my enthusiasm for regenerating it is low. Nyman’s Gardens did the trick. Their borders are fresh and watered unlike my own.
It costs £8 to get in, but, as we were quite severely reminded by one of the volunteers, it is a first-rate garden, and, if the person who wasn’t a member cared to join, she would save a great deal of money. But…..she doesn’t want to join we said. Preposterous! Was the non verbal reply….. Hummmmm, don’t overdo your selling techniques NT, or you might just lose as seasoned member!
Anyway, they do great teas which we enjoyed!
Five of My Own
Today I thought, I must get out with my camera and take some shots of gardens. The weather is perfect. Hot, dry and windy. There are National Trust gardens and open gardens all over Surrey. I will go, I thought and get lots of glorious shots. I will mingle with the crowds of people who are drawn to such places. The families with their dear little ones. The noise of over heated squeaking little ones . I’ll have a lovely National Trust tea. I’ll queue for a good long time, and I will probably share a table with a lovely family with squeaking little ones. I won’t mind the wasps who might want a share of my jam and scones. Really I won’t.
Actually, I thought, on third thoughts I might just look round my own garden. So I did and this is what I saw:
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Clematis have done well this year. I have three. This isn’t one of them, it’s from my neighbour who kindly lets his come over our fence.
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These are mine. Little pink bells and big blowsy purple lovelies seem to work well together. There are more flowers this year than ever before.
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The theme this year was bright clashing colours. These seem to play their part in the plan.
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Seed heads from spring bulbs play their part also
A single nasturtium leaf caught up with some lobelia makes a contribution to the show.
NOTE TO SELF: Remember to look at what’s right in front of your nose before making expeditions into places that you may later regret.
Happy July 4th!
Five Good Roses
This is the time for roses. They are perfection for all the senses
I can smell them. Lovely!
Five Balboa Lilies
There is a stunning lily pond in Balboa Park. The sun encourages these little babies to put on quite a show:
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There are also some fine carp in residence
Five Green Things
Although it doesn’t seem to rain in San Diego, there are marvellous green leaves to enjoy. They thrive in the sun, as do I.
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