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!
