"All seasons plantsman's paradise."
There is something of interest in the garden whatever the month but there are seasons of particular note:
February/early March is when visitors flock to see 'the snowdrops'- 70 acres of woodland carpeted in snowdrops, snowflakes and aconites following the burn to the sea.
Masses of bulbs follow; hellebores, pulmonarias and primulas weave their way between shrubs such as mahonia and ribes. The greenhouses are full of seedlings for the ornamental vegetable garden and the annual beds and the huge cold frames store cuttings for the garden and for sale at the potting shed.
May/June is the time for the lilac walk featuring 26 varieties of sweetly scented lilac underplanted with muscari and anemones.
In June the moist garden is characterised by lush impressive growth. Bamboo provides rhythm as the path snakes around it. Generous drifts of Hosta combine with the red flowers of Rogersia pinnata ‘superba’. The scene is also punctuated with the sword like leaves and deep blue flowers of Iris Siberica. The massive rhubarb-like leaves of Gunnera manicata from Chile are among the largest leaves to be found in the plant kingdom.
In July the large herbaceous borders leading up to the cartwheeling statues begin to flower in earnest, reaching their peak in late summer. Many of the plants in these borders can be found in North American prairies. The large feathery plants are Fennel; the flat yellow flowers are Achillea and the white spikes are Veronicastarum.
By August the ornamental vegetable and flower gardens are in full bloom.
In September and October the Mediterranean bed displays the pinkish spires of Lythrum, and the flat yellow heads of Achillea and the large purple spiky foliage plant, Phormium Tenax from New Zealand. Its tough leaves are used for rope and basket making by indigenous tribesmen. The tall, arching grass Calanagrostis Karl Foester sways in the wind above the pinkish/red spikes of Persicaria. Judicious use of evergreens helps lengthen the display.
The colchicum meadow is also in full bloom and the increasing varieties of colcichums can also be found in the woodland garden near the entrance and potting shed.
The Autumn Border at right angles to the glasshouses reaches its climax in October. Asters complement the pink and white groups of flowers of the Japanese Anemones and Periscaria in this predominately pastel scene. Of particular interest is the Tricyrtis (under the apple tree), otherwise known as the Toad Lily, a Japanese woodland plant, with its beautiful orchid-like flowers.
The winter colours of the garden cannot rival the riotous splendours of the other seasons, nevertheless they have their own charms. Traditionally evergreens are used to supply winter interest but the contribution made by the shape and bark colour of deciduous shrubs should not be overlooked and a variety of colour can be seen, from the ghostly white stems of the rubus in the woodland garden to the wonderful reddish bark of Acer guiseum and the berries not yet plundered by the birds.
|