Our third, and last, “double bill” visit for the year took 22 members to Great Dixter, Kent, and Pashley Manor, E. Sussex, gardens with very contrasting styles.
Great Dixter.
Now owned by a trust, Great Dixter is one of the UK’s foremost private gardens and most significant medieval/Elizabethan houses, with later additions by Lutyens. It was rescued from decay at the beginning of the 20th century by Nathaniel Lloyd, a successful printer. The garden was subsequently developed into one of international renown (and some eccentricity) by his son, Christopher, who became a garden designer and horticultural researcher of equal repute with some (in his time) radical ideas - he hated roses and grubbed them out. The garden today overflows with clashing colours (one of his other hallmarks) and a vast number of plants all fighting for space in crowded (some may say overcrowded) beds where not a square inch is wasted. Paths meander in and around the exuberant flower beds and trees, where a machete might sometimes come in useful. The whole estate is organic, with ancient weathered buildings, gardens and surrounding Kent countryside blending into each other perfectly. The impression is of a time warp, right down to the old "agricultural" nursery and cafe buildings. The plant nursery is packed with interesting stuff all cuttings from the surrounding gardens. A “must see” location.
Pashley Manor Gardens.
With a 15th century house (with Georgian additions) at its heart, the immaculately kept 11-acre garden at privately owned Pashley Manor is more traditionally “managed”. The beautiful perennial borders, topiary, well-tended lawns, a lake (complete with black swan), modern statuary, banks of massive trees and a walled kitchen garden with a Victorian greenhouse make this the quintessential English Country Garden, a complete contrast to the slightly chaotic Great Dixter. Seasonal attractions feature an enormous Wisteria across the back of the house, tulips, and a rose garden. The colour schemes are clearly very carefully thought out, with creams and purples in one area, oranges and reds in another, white in a third, The terrace behind the house is laid out with tables and sunshades for tea, served from a very smart garden-room cafe. You could almost believe you lived here! Not surprisingly, it also doubles as a wedding venue.
Comentarios