I say spring, but it has been more like summer in the Cotswolds this past fortnight! There is a golden time at the beginning of the season at Hidcote, when the whole place suddenly comes to life. In the glory days of yore Major Johnston traipsed across to the south of France with his dogs and staff, seeing out the chilly English winter from the comfort and mild sea breezes of his other garden at Menton. With this in mind Hidcote has grown up being rather restrained during the winter months, and it’s only once spring begins to edge in from the shadows that things really get going again! This new beginning heralds the onset of a glorious moment in time, with the absolute pleasure of all the blooms and buds right now, and the promise of the floriferous months ahead!
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| The Red Borders are a late-season garden, but early on in the year purple-leaved cherries brighten the place up. The lawn is currently closed due to a series of turf repairs that have been taking place here and all over the garden |
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| Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ lighting up the gazebo |
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| Recently I have become fixated by the clean lines of the cut hedges, here the Hornbeams in the Stilt Garden and the Beech / Holly tapestry blocks seen in the distance |
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| The Cowslip, Primula veris, making a welcome appearance in the Orchard |
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| This is quite probably my favourite tulip, T. sylvestris, flowering now in Mrs Winthrop’s Garden! |
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| A quick stop in the Glasshouse for some seed sowing, here we have Ricinus communis, the Castor Oil plant. One of the other gardeners recently discovered that this plant was used in ye olden times to treat pretty much every ailment going. An interesting turn up for the books, as it has infamously been used as a poison to kill spies! |
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| Two gems that like to have their feet wet, a white version of the common but beautiful Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris var. alba, surrounded by the frilly heads of Soldanella ‘Spring Symphony’ |
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| The incredible bell-blooms of the yellow Crown Imperial, Fritillaria imperialis ‘Lutea’, seen here in the Stilt Garden. What a plant! |
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| In Camellia Corner, a carpet of Anemone blanda |
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| In the Maple Garden the sweetly-scented Hyacinths are well underway, here two varieties H. ‘Amethyst’ and H. ‘Woodstock’. In the foreground is Leucojum aestivum, and these white blooms are reflected opposite by the small Magnolia stellata |
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| This is the Hummingbird Hawk-moth I was prattling about last year (please see here). Incredible joy to see this migrant in September, flabbergasting to see it on March 27th up the Rose Walk and feeding on Pulmonaria! What the blazes are you doing here now old bean? |
11 comments:
Bertie - it would be interesting to see the gardeners at work, pruning the hornbeam. How do they achieve that perfect corner?
Great caltha/soldanella combo- amazing! T. slyvestris is blooming here at Dixter and is on the top of the list! Happy Spring!
Dear Bertie - Thank you for sharing these photos. I know you, like the rest of us, are buried in garden chores this time of year. So delightful to see the awakening of one of my favorite gardens! Digging away in Washington, DC - Loi
What a light and airy look for the Red Border at this time of year; very befitting of spring! T. sylvestris has a nice easy look to it.
Thanks for the photos of Hidcote! Looking lovely- keep up the good work!! Julie
One of my flower highlights was once discovering Soldanella growing wild on the mountains in Italy.
Love your photos of Hidcote.
Very very envious of your beautifully pruned Hornbeam blocks. So straight and tight on the lines. Very impressive. Shudder to think what mine would look like, if we had any that is...!
Evening all! Diana I really must get around to a full post on the Hidcote hedge cutting, please see the latest post for some brief notes.
It is one of my dreams to see Hidcote some day!
Bertie, I find your blog fascinating, I have learnt so many things. Great fun too.
Paul
John, that photo taken from the Stilt's is absolutely breathtaking. Fantastic.
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