The following day we visited Great Dixter, quite a contrast with Jarman's garden. There was a lot to see!
Christopher Lloyd inherited the house and garden from his family so he started off with very 'good bones'. You can see from this postcard of his mother, Daisy Lloyd, the photo taken in 1915 on the long border, that the beautiful stone pathways are in place and the garden lavishly planted.
During the Great War Great Dixter was used as a hospital, What a wonderful space in which to recuperate.
We started our exploration in the sunken garden, through the yew doorway
and into a blaze of colour.
In the wall garden I congratulated the man in the red top for being so well colour co-ordinated!
After that we just wandered from place to place in pure pleasure.
This is high labour gardening so it's fortunate that so many eager students were at work. There are many narrow pathways bordered with box,
yew hedging to cut, not to mention the famous topiary.
I loved this meadow garden with the solid structure of the topiary rising out of the uncut grass with it's wonderful display of wild orchids and other meadow plants.
It was cool at the start of the day and rather cloudy but in the afternoon the sun came out and I could pack my pashmina away.
It was all delightful.
And of course there is always the enjoyment
of a bit of people watching!
Another lovely tour, thank you! It surprises me how much I love this one! I see elements of my own garden popping up here and there in these photos -- but of course, not so grand, planned, well managed or maintained... No box edging or topiaries... Just luck of the draw each year! I'll be coming back to view this one again.
ReplyDeleteI've fallen in love with the meadow area with the topiary and am planning to let a part of the lawn go wild!
DeleteLovely garden and home!
ReplyDeleteGreat riot of colour and form throughout...Dixter has great bones. Great inspiration for green thumbed Gardener's with a passion for planting.
In the afternoon we looked round the part of the house that was open to the public. Unfortunately no photography was allowed. But, as you say, there was plenty of inspiration in the gardens, not to mention good plants to buy in the nursery!
DeleteGreat Dixter is such a beautiful garden, I visited it twice in the past and when I see your pictures all memories revive. Love all these vivid colours. The man in red fits nicely in, haha.
ReplyDeleteYes, we intend to return at another time of year. I bought a postcard of the garden in the winter with the foliage covered in frost. It looks beautiful, but that's when the gardens are closed!
DeleteWhat a beautiful place, I could spend a day or two wondering around there.
ReplyDeleteMerle..........
Oh, me too, Merle, a couple of days would pass very easily.
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