One of the upsides (if there are any) of being diagnosed with cancer is not only does it makes you very aware of your own mortality, you realize all those places you want to visit and things you want to do should not be put off. I have every intention of beating this beast, that I have named ‘Eric’, and I am going to get on with my life and no longer be dilatory in just thinking about places to see, but put plans into action.
Great Dixter near Rye in East Sussex, is a famous garden about an 1 hour 30 minute drive, and the home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006). Although I have lived in West Sussex for 12 years this is a garden I have always meant to visit but never got around to it. So imagine my emotions when my blogger friend Charlotte “The Galloping Gardener” took me out yesterday for a surprise day out, and we arrived at Great Dixter.
We were not only blessed with a beautiful warm and sunny day, the garden was not packed with people so we had plenty of time to wander around and take photos at our leisure.
Although only a week off the month of May, everything has been behind this year due to the cold winter weather being very slow to shift. This last week or two has shown a great improvement and plants are beginning to get a wriggle on, and it was interesting to see the growth in parts of the garden that are clearly bathed in sunshine for a longer period than other parts.
As I entered the garden, there is an area of Meadow, which is full of daffodils and snakeshead Fritillaria in burgundy, white and mixture of both. I planted some of these in my lawn but sadly none have appeared this year.
The Sunk Garden, which apparently in the Summer is packed full of plants, had little to show at the moment so I didn’t take a photos of this part of the garden, but walking through into the Walled Garden we were met with an abundance of coloured Spring bulbs in pots. The warmth of the sun brought out the perfume of the hyacinths which was quite heady as it hit you on entering. The orange tulips in the photo below were in the High Garden but I added them to this montage to make a Spring bulb photo.
There were some wonderfully coloured Spring plants, and the deep wine coloured Hellebores caught my eye. So often you see them in pale tones so to find them so dark inspired me to try to look for that color to put in my garden for next Spring.
Walking through the Walled Garden, we headed towards the Long Border. To the right of the path is The Long Moat, and again was full of Fritillaria with a beautiful little Magnolia Stellata, the first of many magnolias in the garden which are looking magnificent, more of them later.
The Long Border was packed with tulips and other Spring bulbs. It was interesting to see that there were a lot of tulips not yet open, but several varieties are almost over, to get a show of tulips all open at the same time is clearly not easy. In the Summer this border is packed with herbaceous plants, the guide book tells me that this border is usually at it’s best from mid-June to mid-August. I clearly have the same gardening ethos as did Christopher Lloyd who believed that there should be no gaps in a flowerbed so that bare earth can be seen, I felt in good company!
Whilst the very large magnolia at the top of the steps in the photo above was disappointingly still in bud.
It was on entering the Orchard we were met with the most spectacular sight of Magnolia trees.
There was also a very delicate, pretty pink Camellia, which has been untouched by the cold so not marred with damaged and brown petals.
The paths around Great Dixter take you on a circuit of the garden so that nothing can be missed, there are parts of the garden I have not included in this post. The Exotic Garden, for instance, was still wrapped up and one to see on my next visit, but I can’t leave this garden without mentioning the Yew topiary in several parts of the garden.
Sissinghurst – I have been there on several occasions but not for many a year.
Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Court Gardens – this will be an away-break trip.
The Beth Chatto Gardens – another garden I have never been to.
So lots of places to be visited, written about and photographed in the years to come.
Related articles
- A struggle for the garden (guardian.co.uk)
- Great Dixter to Dungeness (thegallopinggardener.blogspot.co.uk)
- What is a Trug? (sussextrugs.com)
© Hurtlingtowards60 and Hurtled to 60 and Now Beyond ©AarTeePhotography; Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited.
50.814711 -0.371387
