Sunday 5 June 2011

An expedition

Posted by Tania Kindersley.

One of our local gardens was having an open day, so off went the dear Stepfather, Step-Uncle, Pigeon and I to have a look. It is the kind of thing that I would have looked down my nose at when I was young and wild; now it feels like balm for the soul. It is such a gentle thing to do. Nice, smiling people bring their children; entire families are gathered together, admiring the espaliers and the borders and the fruit cages. Complete strangers stopped to admire and pat the Pigeon, who loves nothing more than making new friends. It was very sweet and touching and just the exact thing I needed.

It is about four miles away from us, and it has some of the finest views in the county:

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The house itself is very typical of the local vernacular:

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I went a bit mad in the laburnum walk, it was so spectacular:

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I'm not a mad fan of hostas, but these were magnificent:

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I love this green planting:

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And these gorgeous pollarded fruit trees:

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And here are the mixed borders. Note the lupins, which are very typical of the area. I can't plant them myself because they remind me too much of Monty Python. (It's an each to each thing.) I always thought of lupins as a most Scottish flower, but in fact they are native to north America, and only came here as recently as 1826. So that is my fact for the day:

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The oriental poppies and flag irises look lovely together:

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And the blue of the nepeta against the yellow euphorbia is very good:

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The Pigeon, having a little rest after enchanting the crowds:

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4 comments:

  1. what fab photos....having killed al my flowers .....and even my ivy.....am now having a go at rocket, radish and tomatoes........fingers crossed!!

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  2. Loved the photos of the stunning yellow masses of laburnums, and those big bluish hostas which I have been looking with new interest since spotting them grown in very tall terracotta pots from Yorkshire Potteries.
    I think hostas have something primeval about their shape, don't you?

    The Pigeon on her social outing looks just adorable. :)

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  3. I love hostas because they grow exceedingly well in shade...not that I would know from experience since I, too, kill any growing thing I touch...except small children. I do appreciate a beautiful garden, though, and your photos certainly show one of those. So glad you had a good outing.

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  4. They are marvelous photos that leave me stunned by the power of nature to combine outrageously vivid colours to such fabulous effect. It's a 'don't try this at home' thing only nature can pull off. I am a hopeless gardener myself, and admire those who work so hard to create a space I can then enjoy. Gardens are indeed a tonic for the soul.

    I'm embarking on a little adventure, taking a punt you might be interested, and would like to invite you to pop over and take a look.

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