Hidcote Manor

its ten years next month since I

was able to visit Hidcote Manor

in the lovely Devonshire hills of England

this was a garden created by a wealthy American 

Lawrence Johnston

and for forty years his horticultural outpourings

flooded these gardens creating a wonderful

place of vistas, floral colour blends and what

we call now as "garden rooms"

Luckily this garden never fell into disrepair

and has been run by the National Trust since 1948

Johnston really did conquer the concept of garden rooms
Hidcote is cut up into numerous plots
each one themed by colour, style or seasonality

the style is perfect for adopting
individual components for a space at home
but my favourite would be the allee of Beech trees leading to pastures
followed hotly by the "Long Walk" of pleached hornbeams
both of which would take quite a number of years to achieve

pleached hornbeams on the Long Walk

the sheer volume and diversity of plants is quite overwhelming
it certainly is a garden where am army of gardeners
do spend all year maintaining

but there is a sheer cleverness in the plant selection
where colours blend so well or
contrast so vividly
and a real testament to having perpetual point of interest
in the garden no mater the season

Astrantia in a shaded corner

so if you are just happening through Devonshire one day . . . .

the "Red Borders"