The Court at Holt

A 1920s arts and crafts garden in Wiltshire with some great structural topiary.  This garden had a magical atmosphere and reminded me of the Red House (William Morris's house).  Small paths in local stone made straight lines through different garden rooms and topiary bordered the paths.  Big organic shapes in Taxus and Ilex were called things like dancing bears and drunken monks and added a witty edge. A temple and stone statues reminded me of Italian gardens and Chiswick house but on a tiny scale. 

 Drunken monks straggering back to church

 Cloud pruned Ilex - ouch!

The temple

Fab trees

Some work in the woods this week at Emmetts, getting the paths ready to open to the public.  95% of the trees were blown down in the Great Storm and 6 huge beech trees blocked the drive.  So the current wood is around 25 years old.  This surprised me as it looks so mature.  Beech, oaks, Alnus and Ash make up the wood now and on a cold day in winter light form some gnarly shapes.

Dixter was cold this week.  A brilliant lecture day with Kemal Mehdri covered form, line and texture.  Check out the dwarf conifer pot displays!

 Gnarly tree forms at Emmetts

 Ascending form anchored by conical form at Dixter

Dwarf conifer pot displays

Still winter at Wisley

Still very much winter at Wisley with browns and russets dominating the landscape.  Some of the seedheads are tired now but some grasses and seedheads are still effective against the structure of the hedging despite the harsh winter.  Little patches of hope arise in Crocus and Helebores.

 Icy reflections

 Structural hedging

 Crocus in dappled winter light

Monarda 'Squaw' still looking good

Hadlow

The shoe was on the other foot when I visited Hadlow this week and cursed the students as I couldn't get a parking space.  However the Hellebores were looking good, fresh and new and teamed up with Galanthus.  I was disappointed to see that they have removed all the beds down the drive.  They had Brunnera, Smyrnium, Symphytum and other ground covers here and now just turf.  The Japanese garden is finished and looks good, very balanced and calming, although you cannot enter it so it feels a little 'museum'.  Some lovely Iris' out in the long borders.  Iris reticulata 'Harmony' and 'Katharine Hodgkin' in particular.

 Helleborus x hyrbridus

 Iris reticulata 'Harmony'

 Hellebore and Galanthus

The Japanese Garden

Emmetts Day 1

After weeks of chaos and crisis but much joy, I find myself at Emmetts Garden in the freezing cold, feeling like the new girl and a bit homesick.  But an hour or so later after raking twigs, digging and planting Azaleas, the fresh Kentish wind has blown the cobwebs from my brain and I suddenly realise how quiet everything is.

 Pruning the Hydrangea

 Hamamelis mollis in the south garden

Ingenious new plant tags

Emmmetts Garden was the home of Frederick Lubbock, an Edwardian plant hunter who planted many rare and exotic shrubs.  The highest garden in Kent, it has acid soil and a very sharp wind on its exposed south side.  The South Garden is a gallery of these plants and I spent the afternoon here deadheading the Hydrangeas.  The Alpine garden is a quarter its orginal size but still demands the most maintenance.  The meadows contain tulips and the woodland banks bluebells and these enhance Emmetts' reputation as a spring garden.