Six on Saturday: Day tripper

Tags

avenues of trees, Clerodendron trichotomum, Edwin Lutyens, Exotic gardens, Garden Visits, Ginger lily, Great Dixter, October, six on saturday, the Netherlands, the private garden of Piet Oudolf, The Salutation Garden Sandwich Kent

I have been lucky enough to take time out to visit some wonderful gardens in the last few weeks.  I rather like gardens in early Autumn as the light levels are lower and plants look wonderfully beautiful.  My six on Saturday are therefore my favourite sightings from those visits.

1. the Salutation garden in Sandwich Kent.  A wonderful garden set out by the one and only Edwin Lutyens which suffered years of neglect but thankfully is now {since 2006} under the superb control of Head Gardener, Steve Edney.  The place is a feast for the eyes with collections of exotics in a quintessential English garden.

2. In contrast to the exotics is a more traditional English look thanks to avenues of trees and Box columns in The Salutation Garden.

 

3. Great Dixter in Northiam East Sussex. A sublime house (Grade 1 listed)  and garden built by Edwin Lutyens.  Formerly home to Christopher Lloyd it is now held in Trust under the incredible stewardship of Head Gardener Fergus Garrett.  Famous for so many reasons, I absolutely love this garden.  This year I loved the juxtaposition of succulents and cacti planted amidst the Erigeron on the historic stone steps.

The Exotic garden was jungle like this year.

4. Just a couple of examples of the striking use of colour at Great Dixter.

 

5. Piet Oudolf at Hummelo The Netherlands.  The private garden of Piet and Anja Oudolf is open for the final year until 27 October 2018.  Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see this for myself I made the trip to Holland this month.  It did not disappoint.  The flat, open, rural setting of the garden has been secured and enclosed by tall walls of hedging.  Within the space, vast plantings of those perennials which Oudolf has almost single handedly made familiar to us all.  Stunningly beautiful.

 

 

6. Some wonderful trees in the garden at Hummelo provided scent thanks to the exquisite tree Claredondron trichotomum a tree that I had not seen or even heard of before.  That is why it is so good to visit other gardens, to learn and be inspired and of course to have a jolly good day out!

So for today I have shared three wonderful gardens with you and offered more than six images but hey I am feeling full of ideas and want to show you just a snippet of what I saw.  I am joining the Propogator with this entitled Six on Saturday. Enjoy.

 

52 Week Photo Challenge: Autumn

Tags

52 Week Photo Challenge, Autumn, garden visit, Great Dixter

I have not managed to take part in the photo challenge for a few weeks. Hosted by Sandra at https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com.   The subjects have been tricky when looked at from a garden perspective or I have been busy, so it is a relief to see this weeks challenge is “Autumn”, much simpler.
The picture above demonstrates the beauty of grasses in the garden in low Autumn light. Taken last Autumn at Great Dixter.  It was a beautiful weather day, cool and bright with a little warmth left in the sunlight.  The light was dropping quickly and I managed to capture it as it began its descent.

 I imagine there will be some lovely Autumn shots to look at on Sandra’s blog, take a look. 

Great Dixter, so good, I visited twice.

Tags

Christopher Lloyd, Frances Lincoln Ltd., Geoprge Plumptre, Great Dixter, The English Country House Garden

Great Dixter

If you only get to visit one English garden, I would recommend Great Dixter near Rye, East Sussex. In the lovely book ‘The English Country House Garden’ by George Plumptre, Frances Lincoln Ltd, Dixter is classed as one of the three essentials, along with Hidcote and Sissinghurst. All three are no doubt prime English country gardens yet Dixter is edgier, experimental and remains a constantly evolving garden, hence it is my favourite.

Great Dixter

The house which dates back to the 15th century, was updated by Sir Edward Lutyens in the early 1900’s when the framework of the garden was set around the medieval manor, barns and oasthouse by a series of yew walls by Lutyens and Lloyds parents.

Christopher Lloyd known as Christo, trained in horticulture after service in the second world war. He lectured at Wye college in Kent, publishing his first book in 1957. He returned to Dixter in his early thirties to live with his widowed mother and used the garden at Dixter as a source of inspiration, trialing and experimenting with plants for his weekly column in Country Life.  Christo published numerous books throughout his life including The Mixed Border and Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners.

Christo may have been ‘posh’ and opinionated but he was immensely knowledgable, writing in a fresh entertaining style.  He took the bones of the garden at Dixter and transformed it with his own distinctive, almost rock’n’roll style.

Gardens, really? Can they be different, can they ever be cutting edge? (no pun)

Certainly the framework of Dixter is quintessentially English: ancient buildings, walls of hedges, topiary, stone paths etc yet the planting is different; looser, bigger, bolder with clashing colour and texture.

Topiary

stone paths and yew walls

 

Autumn colours including pink, orange, blue and yellow

Big and Bold

The exclusive use of soft complimentary colours to sooth and recede lost their place to striking hots. Lloyd was never afraid to challenge the eye and used yellows and reds in his planting schemes, not in some intentional hot border, but amongst the planting, everywhere. Brash? So it may have seemed but this was ground breaking and has gone on to become almost the fashion for modern planting schemes.

Hot pokers

The Exotic garden replaced the Rose Garden and outraged the traditionalists of the time.

Exotics

The curved stone steps created by Lutyens are now home to the unlikely mix of succulents, cacti and Erigeron.

cacti and succulents

cacti and succulents

colour mixing 1

colour mixing 2

colour mixing 3

 

The meadow

The meadow which greets the visitor on arrival may now not be that unusual yet it has inspired countless copies to encourage the return of insects into our gardens.

 

If you are still reading at this point, thank you, I shall finish off, silently, with some more pictures.

colour at Dixter

Colour at Dixter

steps with erigeron and valerian

colour at Dixter

Texture /contrast

Autumn light at Dixter

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Crocus

Tags

Autumn crocus, Colchicum, Great Dixter, wordless Wednesdsy

Autumn crocus, Great Dixter

Wordless Wednesday: Blue sky and silhouette

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blue sky, Great Dixter, silhouette, wordless wednesday