Getting out and about at last

Now that Lockdown measures have eased and gardens are back open to the public, I have been keen to get out and visit again.  I’ve been feeling a bit down and hemmed in recently, so this was probably what was needed to perk me up.

We hadn’t been to RHS Harlow Carr since last October and as we normally visit several times a year, I decided it was time we went again.  We had to book a time slot to arrive by then we could stay as long as we liked up to closing time. We had a picnic in the car park to save carrying it around the gardens with us.  The car park is next to a woodland walk so is quite a nice place. There’s a lovely path which skirts the edge of the woods and leads you to the gardens.

We felt quite safe in the gardens, there was hand sanitiser in various places, notices advising about social distancing and no crowds of people, plenty of space to walk around.

Once in the gardens we noticed lots of changes since our last visit and despite there being less staff to help during lockdown the gardens were looking lovely and well tended.

I’m always impressed by the container arrangements—so big and bold.  Too big for my garden, but I can still get ideas for planting combinations.

We came across this border which was full of different varieties of Rudbekia.  It was a Rudbekia trial, apparently 2020 is the year of the Rudbekia.  I didn’t know that. I also didn’t know that there are so many varieties of Rudbekia. I recognised about 3 names out of the 43 which were planted there.

The streamside walk was looking very colourful.

The sweet peas in the kitchen garden were much further on than mine.  I thought that someone needed to cut them before they went to seed. I would have liked that to be me.

Walking through the scented garden towards the foliage garden where we always like to sit for a while in the summer house, we had a surprise as we weren’t allowed through into the foliage garden. And it looked much different, we couldn’t see the summer house, just a gravel path with flower beds alongside leading to somewhere. It was all a bit mysterious.  Then we spotted the information board which told us that work was in progress to make this little garden into a Secret Garden with a serpent path. What we could see of it looked lovely and I can’t wait now for it to be finished so that we can explore.

The Alpine house was looking busy with lots of people wandering through, I didn’t want to get too close to anyone, so we didn’t go in. We walked around and looked through the windows spotting this amazing looking aeonium.  

I had a good look at the alpine troughs as we walked around the outside of the Alpine House as I am going to re plant some of mine at home.

I loved the beds planted up with annual flowers, cornflowers, calendulas, poppies etc.

Some of the beds in the big herbaceous borders were being dug up as they were trying to eradicate bindweed which was taking over. I know what a nuisance that can be, we have it on the allotment. There was still plenty of spectacular colour to be seen  in other borders, though.

We ended our visit by looking round the plant centre and shop and of course I had to buy something.
I bought sempervivums and sedums for my alpine pots, there's always a good selection at Harlow Carr.

Through the Garden Gate--June 2020

The month of June just seemed to fly by, I can't believe we are now in July.  We had a lot of rain in June--some of it very heavy, but we also had some very hot days. After all that rain the garden is looking very lush and fresh, the colours are brighter, the green is greener. Have you noticed how lovely it always smells after the rain? The rain has also made some areas of the garden look quite bedraggled.  We have some tall grasses--Calamagrostis which have flopped over. They can be quite annoying when they flop over a path, blocking the way and then you get showered with raindrops as you try to negotiate your way around them.

Despite looking bedraggled in places I can see that the effect I wanted to achieve when we first planned the garden--that of having little secluded seating areas surrounded by planting--seems to be working. Its not a big garden but when we sit on the patio, surrounded by tall grasses and plants either side of the archway there are other parts of the garden we can't see.  I like that, it gives us some privacy.

patio area

lower seating area

A few weeks ago there were a lot of pinks and blues in the borders, now there is a lot of yellow from the Alchemilla Mollis, Lysimachia, Thalictrum and golden grasses.

Alchemilla mollis

The clematis have established themselves well and are now in flower and scrambling up the obelisks and over the fence.

clematis

This poppy has gone over now but was really lovely it is called 'Bolero'.

On one hot sunny day we spotted a Humming bird hawk-moth on the white Valerian, apparently Valerian is one of the flowers which these creatures like. It moved too fast for me to photograph it though.

white Valerian

The patio pots are flowering away.  I bought some new herb pots to replace some which weren't looking as good--rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano and put them near the kitchen door. It's easier to snip them here instead of having to go down the garden, where they were before.

front garden border

Last year we made the borders in the front and side gardens bigger and planted them up with cottage garden plants.  Now they are looking good and much more colourful and abundant.  So we now have a much better view from the house windows.

front garden

I am linking this post with Sarah's blog at 'Down by the Sea' for her monthly
'Through the Garden Gate' post.