I’ve been very quiet here lately. And, although the season for Dahlias has now ended, I must record my visit to a field of Dahlias this autumn. Actually it was late in the season when I discovered that one of the top Dahlia growers in the UK – Withypitts Dahlias – was located just outside a village near […]
A Field of Dahlias Read More »
I like to think of my visits to Nymans as courses from a seasonal menu. I could indulge in an all day banquet by touring the 33 acres of formal gardens, the house and the 265 acres of woodland trails but prefer to taste what it offers throughout the year. Already this year I have savoured
Nymans Part 1 – a seasonal menu Read More »
Last weekend we were at a barbecue at friends here in West Sussex. I had a rhododendron feast. Part of their garden was planted a hundred years ago and contains voluptuous mature shrubs covered with every hue of rhododendron flowers. In ancient woodlands these non native invasive plants are considered the Beast. But in a garden they
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It was by chance that I discovered Chiddingstone Castle. I was told that an old friend I hadn’t seen in years – Virge Gilchrist – was appearing in the play The Song of Lunch with Robert Bathurst of Cold Feet and Downton Abbey fame. It was part of a literary festival that took place on
Chiddingstone Castle – authors, eccentrics and gardens Read More »
I visited Gravetye Manor’s gardens yesterday to see what was blooming. Frank Sinatra’s song ‘It had to be you’ suddenly was in my head when I saw the flower beds filled with tulips. Yes, it’s tulip time. They’re the spring flowers that show up in April and early May with a dizzying array of colours.
While I was away with Luce and Theo on the East Sussex coast this week, I realised that Charleston was only a short drive away in the heart of the South Downs National Park. I’d been before to this home and country hub of the writers, artists and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group but was
The Charleston Garden in Spring Read More »
