What a lot went on in May!!

May is drawing to a close ... and it's been a good one!  Hottest gossip on the UK gardening scene is that Tom Coward is moving from Great Dixter to Gravetye Manor in July, so watch out for changes in the way the Manor garden looks. Lots of good weather (although the English gardens are running well behind thanks to the brutally cold winter); a visit from well-known American blogger - Alice (below) of Bay Area Tendrils and Alice's Garden Travel Buzz.  It's always good to meet fellow bloggers and we went on a whirlwind tour of gardens in Sussex, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Wales, many of which Alice is currently featuring on her blogs.  I also had the chance to meet the lovely Victoria of Victoria's Backyard and sneak a peak at her glorious garden, which opens for the NGS later this year.

First time gardens for me this month were Chart's Edge, Gravetye Manor, Monk's House (entirely due to Alice even though it's so close to my home), Veddw, and the Roof Gardens in London's Kensington (great lunch and even better views!) - all very different gardens and each unique in its own way - and all covered in May postings, so do scroll down if you've missed them.

The most impressive sight this month was the Rock Garden at Leonardslee (top),which simply took my breath away (top), together with the tulips at Cothay Manor, where I encountered the charming owner Mary Ann Robb (RHS in picture below), hard at work in the bog garden, with her co-workers.

May also saw The Chelsea Flower Show, which I missed, but managed to catch up with on TV; the promise of many new gardens to come in June and lots of hard work in my own garden (which never gets featured on my blog because it's work in progress, but not far enough advanced to be proud of yet!)

But after four years of hard work, it's beginning to come together. Below is one of the areas I'm working on right now - there was nothing here at all at the beginning of April, and I'm planning to have a whole bed of different euphorbias and heuchera .... all experimental at the moment ... so it may well change!

And not to be forgotten are new bloggers on the scene this month include Seeds and the City and Monkey Dribble - both lovely UK blogs and Rosemary's Blog with its wonderful pictures. I thoroughly recommend all three.  Fellow Blotanist Catherine Horwood of Gardening Women - has a new book out, to be reviewed on BBC's Woman's Hour tomorrow and I'm just off to buy a copy, so will let you know what I think when I've read it.

I'm off to Barnsley House - former home of Rosemary Verey - in June, to do a photography course with Clive Nichols; and to West Dean to see what new courses they have on offer at a special preview day. There are many gardens on my wish list, including several in the Cotswolds, which I hope to see when I go up to Barnsley.  So all in all, May has been a good month, with many lovely sunny days, gorgeous gardens to visit, and new friends ... and June promises to be even better.

When tantalising topiary turns to hedging horror!

I've visited several gardens this month which are renowned for their topiary displays, starting with Mapperton House (above) and Athelhampton (below), but all are currently at risk from box blight or Phytophthora (Greek for 'plant destroyer') - a water-born fungus which kills yew hedges.  Sir Roy Strong completely changed his iconic garden at The Laskett after it had been hit by box blight and Westbury Park Garden in Gloucestershire (to be reviewed next week), is desperately looking for a cure for its yew hedges before it's too late!  And the tragedy is that even Mapperton and Athelhampton looked as though they were in for a hard time beating these bugs.

I'm not going to elaborate on the history of topiary here, because I've found a fascinating website which deals with all aspects of ornamental hedging - the Topiary Organisation - and will let you read for yourselves what is known about this ancient art.  But what I do know is that I saw a huge number of immaculately clipped hedges in my travels last week, which prompted me to look further into topiary.  

There are many stunning gardens in England where topiary is a primary reason to visit. Personally, I cannot imagine the time and effort required to turn hedges into appealing shapes like the well-known squirrels at Great Dixter (above), or indeed the consummate clipping skills required to keep Veddw (below) looking so immaculate, but I am filled with admiration for those gardeners who offer such visual delights to their visitors. I have yet to hear of a gardener's spirit-level that guides the clippers, or an electric trimmer that cuts to a number 1 or 9 like a barber uses!

Let's just hope that someone finds a cure for these hedging horrors soon, because it would be a terrible shame to lose the topiary displays at these wonderful gardens.  I'd just like to say that these are the gardens I've visited this month with extraordinary or interesting hedging .... there are many others throughout the UK that I'll be visiting later this summer .... so watch this space!

Another glorious gourmet garden!

I have to confess that while all really serious gardeners have been at the Chelsea Flower Shower this week, I've been skulking around in Sussex enjoying the sunshine and looking for new gardens to visit. But I'm glad I stayed home, because I visited a startling garden this week, which has been on my wish list for several years - Gravetye Manor near East Grinstead in Sussex - a fine example of an Elizabethan house, surrounded by acres of glorious gardens and parkland - and former home of William Robinson, the influential (and outspoken) garden designer, who earned the nickname of "Father of the English Flower Garden".

Gravetye is best-known as a luxury hotel, surrounded by glorious gardens, but is now under new ownership and what will interest fellow gardeners is the new head gardener who joins the team in July. Tom Coward is arriving from Great Dixter in East Sussex and it will be interesting to see what changes he makes at this historical property in the next few years, given its gardening history.

This was the home of leading garden theorist and writer, William Robinson (1838-1935), who moved here in 1885 and remained here until his death.  Robinson was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, was a friend of Gertrude Jekyll's and came into contact with William Morris, who much admired his work. He was a passionate gardener and prolific writer, who launched the original weekly journal "The Garden" in 1871 (not to be confused with the monthly RHS publication, The Garden - which goes out to members today) and two major gardening books:  "The Wild Garden" and "The English Flower Garden" which remain in print today. Other well-known gardens for which he is credited include Hergest Croft in Herefordshire and Killerton in Devon.

The gardens at Gravetye are divided into several distinct areas - the wonderful and immaculately tended formal gardens around the house (top three pictures), where the Elizabethan manor plays a large part in the overall impression of the grandeur and style of planting; the lovely woodland gardens at the rear of the property (above) where you will see magnificent displays of late-flowering rhododendrons; the wild garden beyond the formal gardens; and the parkland and lakes which provide memorable views for hotel guests.  There is also a fine kitchen garden, which will, I'm sure be nurtured and brought back to life when Tom Coward arrives.

At present, the only way you can see these glorious gardens in all their splendour, is to eat or stay at the hotel, but I can assure you that this is a wonderful place for "Ladies that Lunch" (just like Babylon in London) and I, for one, will be returning with my girlfriends to see how these gardens progress.  I didn't have time to sample the food on this visit, but I'm told it's excellent, and the location alone is incentive to eat there. You've also got the added attraction of nearby Wakehurst Place where there's always something spectacular in bloom!

Margery Fish's cottage garden paradise

No visit to Somerset would be complete without a visit Margery Fish's home in East Lambrook.  This amazing plantswoman will always be remembered for her contribution to "cottage" and country gardening. She lived there for 30 years and passed on her ability to create drifts of colour in a small space in her numerous books, including "Cottage Garden Flowers", which became a bible for country gardeners in the 1960s.

Margery and her husband Walter bought East Lambrook Manor in 1937 for £1,000 and together they developed the two-acre garden there. But when Walter died in 1949, Margery emerged as a keen plantswoman in her own right and spent her time lecturing and writing about gardening, as well as building up a nursery to supply an increasingly knowledgeable garden audience with the plants that they needed to emulate her style.  She also developed her own cultivars including Astrantia Major, Hebe, Penstemon and Pulmonaria saccharata Margery Fish; and Euphorbia wulfeni, Dainthus, Primula vulgaris and Santolina Lambrook.

The most striking feature at East Lambrook is that every inch of space has been used to create a garden that is filled with vibrant colours throughout the year.  The garden starts drawing visitors in February for its snowdrop displays; and throughout the spring and summer months, the planting has been carefully chosen to provide colour and interest whenever you visit, starting with drifts of spring bulbs in March and April and wonderful full cottage borders in May and June. There is always something in bloom and it is the abundance of the planting that will strike you, because there are no patches of dark earth to be seen anywhere. You'll certainly leave here with many new ideas for your own garden!

Although the garden is small, it gives the impression of being much larger because it is cleverly divided into separate areas with a series of winding paths and lovely vistas which make you think you're in quite a large space. There is a true cottage garden adjacent to the house, and at the rear of the property there is a meadow area and a bubbling brook.  You can easily spend a couple of hours here, just wondering at all the different plants.

If you're planning to visit other gardens in the area, you'll be spoilt for choice because there's Athelhampton, Mapperton and Hestercombe, and you many even want to stay at the lovely bed and breakfast adjacent to the garden, East Lambrook Farm, run by a charming English hostess and offering great comfort in another lovely Somerset stone house.  You can't get much more off the beaten track than this and you may just want to stay for ever!

Veddw - an undulating eye opener in Wales!

Veddw is a truly remarkable garden. On the slopes of the Tintern Valley in Monmouthshire this is the charming child of gifted gardeners Anne Wareham and Charles Hawes who have created an extraordinary landscape out of the land around their home. It's like a scene from Alice in Wonderland and I kept expecting the Mad Hatter to arrive at any moment!!  Marvellous planting; clever use of structure and colour; tantalising vistas over the undulating hedges; and a photographic heaven are all hallmarks of this wonderful garden.  

It is glances of the areas within - like the Meadow (above) - that are notable features of this garden, which is divided by immaculately clipped hedges, revealing a series of magical garden rooms like the Cornfield Garden (below) once you venture inside them. I can't even imagine how many hours it takes to keep the hedges so perfectly trimmed, but they're a vital ingredient of this extraordinary garden, which flows like river, down the hillside.

Anne's special Cornfield Garden garden is particularly striking, with its boxed hedge enclosures, hand painted black enclosing rails, adorned with all the plant names and hand-made brick paths. She tried to grow weeds here once, but failed dismally because they wouldn't grow to order.  But be warned, this is not a garden for the feint hearted .... it doesn't fit the norm and you won't find immaculately tended herbaceous borders or stretches of striped lawn.  This is a garden that will really make you think!

Veddw is all about colour, shape and form and is well worth making a detour for if you are anywhere near the Severn Bridge - it certainly ranks as one of the top gardens I've seen yet, and I shall  definitely be going back next time I'm within 50 miles of it.  You will  see that I have also allowed the pictures here to tell the story, rather than describing the garden in detail.  The Veddw website has a full garden description with Charles' photographs.  I'm really glad I visited because this is one of the gardens that has been on my wishlist for more than a year and it certainly sails into my "Top Ten List" at the end of my first year of blogging.

Save the wonderful contemplation pool (above) till last and you will be able to reflect on your visit to this amazing garden.  Veddw is open on Sundays from 2.00 - 5.00, but check the website for full details and prices.  This is definitely a garden worth making a detour for and a reason to be in Wales on a Sunday.

Anne has written a book about creating the garden at Veddw, with photographs by her husband, Charles. "The Bad Tempered Gardener", published by Frances Lincoln, is an extremely good read and covers a lot more than the garden! 

I'm the luckiest woman in the world!!

Udaipur, India (January)

Today marks the anniversary of when I started blogging and I want to say a really big thank-you to all my readers; all the friends I've made on line; all the garden owners who've put up with my endless questions; and most of all to my family and friends, who've watched me or joined me Galloping round gardens all over the world. THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!

The Wave Garden, California (February)

It's been a wonderful year and much has been achieved - some 100+ gardens reviewed; a hospital built in India; many air miles accumulated; and times of great sadness and joy! It all began because of my dear father .... when he was dying last year, we used to visit gardens together in Cornwall - on the days that he was well enough to be pushed in a wheelchair round some of the best gardens in the world. They were truly wonderful days and I shall always remember the joy that they brought us when time was running out. I started photographing gardens then and once he was gone, I started blogging. Thank you Paul.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, North Carolina (March)

I've met wonderful garden owners; made many new friends; kept battery companies buoyant with all the pictures I've taken; and made pilgrimages to far-flung corners of the globe to find new places and new faces. There's been some terrible disappointments in terms of gardens visited, but also some real surprises.

Majorelle Garden, Morocco (April)

I've been stopped at borders; travelled all night on buses, trains and planes; got sick and recovered; but I've had incredible fun too, despite the ups and downs. Many of you wonder how I do it, but I've already written how and why and if you want to know, here's the link.

Veddw, Wales (April) - to be reviewed next week

A special thank-you goes to all the garden owners who've allowed me to visit at very short notice, or let me in when I've appeared at the gate. And to all the people who've helped me overcome plagiarism, picture stealing, computer glitches and camera hitches.

Cothay Manor, Somerset (June)

There's certainly been more than a few nights in grim hotels ... when I wondered why I carried on .... but the good times have far outweighed the bad! And the gardens more than made up for lumpy pillows, foul food, dirty rooms and noisy neighbours.

The Harold Peto Garden, Wiltshire (July)

What I have learned is that gardens and gardening are a wonderful way of putting the world in perspective. You see the seasons change; you witness extraordinary weather conditions, but nature always bounces back and provides more beautiful flowers, regardless of the weather.

Austria (August)

I've managed to build a hospital in rural Rajasthan which is nearly ready to open. And I'll be honest, I'm more proud of that achievement than anything else I've done in my life. But none of that would have been possible without the unerring loyalty of my Indian business partner and the encouragement and support that I've received from family, friends and benefactors. And I've even managed to visit gardens in India on my travels there.

Val Rahmeh, Menton, France (September)

Thank you too to all the gardeners who read my blog, who've become fans of The Raven Foundation on Facebook and given us moral support as we've been building the hospital. Just knowing you are there makes all the difference!!

Nyman's Garden, West Sussex (October)

And as we reach the end of May, the list of gardens that I hope to visit gets longer and longer, so I hope you'll continue to follow me around the world. I don't think my garden wish-list will ever be completed!

Sheffield Park, East Sussex (November)

So today, I leave you with a selection of the gardens that I've seen throughout the year - they are featured in the month in which they were photographed, so I am not expressing any preferences here - I just wanted to share some of the wonderful sights I've seen. If you'd like to know more about any of them, you can click on the caption - it will take you to the original entry. So here's to the next year of visiting gardens .... and who knows where I'll end up!!

Sussex Prairie Garden, West Sussex

Cothay Manor ... you'll never want to leave!

Deep in Somerset, there is a garden so wonderful, you'll never want to leave! It's Cothay Manor near Taunton and it's quite exquisite. I was there earlier this week with another well-known blogger visiting from abroad (whose identity I'll reveal later this month) who agreed this was a truly remarkable garden.

To get to Cothay, you must drive down winding country lanes with high hedges and few passing places, and even though the journey will leave your heart in your mouth, nothing can prepare you for the idyllic scene you see when you arrive at the Manor. First glance of this incredible property is the ancient gatehouse overlooking the moat (top) and then you access the main house and garden through a meadow dotted with wildflowers, with different views of the manor across the long grass (above).

Then the magical garden unfolds before your eyes - sweeping vistas across large expanses of greenery, with immaculately clipped hedges, and a series of garden rooms at the rear of the manor. Perhaps the most impressive sight at this time of year is the Unicorn Garden (below), where the stone statue presides over drifts of white tulips, but in reality, it doesn't matter where you wander because you will be amazed at each new scene you see here.

Cothay is an ancient property, well-documented in the history books, and you get wonderful glimpses of the house and adjoining buildings as you stroll through the gardens. But it is the foresight of former owner, Lt Col. Reginald Cooper, who planted a 200-metre yew walk, when he purchased the property in 1925 that makes the gardens so exceptional today, combined with the skill and commitment of today's owner, Mrs Mary Anne Robb, who we encountered in the garden when we visited this week.

Cooper was great friends with Nigel Nicholson (of Sissinghurst fame) and Lawrence Johnstone (Hidcott and Serre de la Madonne) and he planted a series of garden rooms off the yew walk. The real joy of Cothay is that each garden room brings new surprises and you will find yourself gazing in amazement at each new vista you encounter, thanks to the talent of today's lady of the manor, Mrs Robb. She loves her garden dearly and works with a team of gifted gardeners to maintain the high standards that make Cothay such a joy to visit.

This is definitely a summer garden, best enjoyed between May and September, where each new month will bring more flowers into bloom. And if you lived nearby, I suspect you would return every week to see what is flowering, and soak up the magic of this ancient country idyll. I live too far away to do this, but still had to tear myself away at the end of my visit because time had stood still for me here!

The Bog Garden (above) is another delight not to be missed, made from the old river course and complete with giant stepping stones. But the real truth of Cothay is that it doesn't matter where you wander here - you will be delighted. The garden is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11.00 and last entry is at 16.30, but DO make the effort to get here - you will be amazed! There are many other wonderful gardens nearby that I'll be reviewing in the next few weeks, but this is the jewel in the crown!!

Wordless Wednesday ... on the road

Very few words today as I'm on the road .... visiting gardens ...

and most that I've seen have been quite spectacular ...

Home tomorrow, so will start posting again ....

and if you're wondering where these pictures are taken .... watch this space!

Bloomsbury Set gardens blooming in Sussex!

If you want a really memorable day out in East Sussex, visit the gardens of the well-known Bloomsbury Group sisters, Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf - who resided at Charleston (above and below) and Monk's House - but remember that they have fairly restricted opening hours and to see them both on the same day, you need to make it a Wednesday or a Saturday.

Charleston was the one-time home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, who were part of the Bohemian circle of writers and artists, collectively known as the Bloomsbury Group. It's a charming house (above) sheltering beneath the South Downs and there are regular tours of the property for those interested in Vanessa's paintings. But it's the garden that I went for and it's a fine example of Arts and Crafts planting with a lovely walled garden, filled to bursting with densely-packed flower beds and a riot of colour.

Monk's House at nearby Rodmell, outside Lewes (below) is one of the most enchanting gardens I've seen yet this year and was the country retreat and cottage home of Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard. And like Charleston, the charm of this garden is the dense planting and vibrant colour displays - indeed every inch of ground in the main garden is packed with stunning perennials that beg you to come back and look again and again.

Just as impressive is the orchard, overlooked by a typical Sussex flint church, and underplanted with spring bulbs. But I'm told that Monk's House was not always in this glorious state - it's entirely due to the efforts of the current tenants that it has been returned to its former glory - a husband and wife team, who spend a lot of time in the garden, assisted by volunteers. Their efforts have certainly paid off and this is a garden that I'll return to time and time again!

Charleston is open Wednesday through Saturday and entry to the house is by guided tour, with tickets purchased from the shop on site; Monk's House is only open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and is a National Trust property, so entrance is free to members.