And now a few words from Mark: Great Dixter is absolutely stunning- both the gardens and the house. I have been here five days and I am still having 'wow' moments. Despite all of the pictures I have seen and all of the descriptions I have heard, I still was not prepared for how amazing it is here. Whenever I need inspiration, I simply look up at the house and count the chimneys! I am thrilled to be here and look forward to the coming months.
On Sunday I took Mark on the footpaths to show him the surrounding countryside. I purchased a Collin's Wildflower Guide while at Wisley, so we took that on our walk and started keying out flowers on the way around. Right now in the coppiced woodland (more on this great idea later) the wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) are carpeting the ground. The English bluebell is not far behind with it's foliage creeping through the forest floor. 
We came across this plant on the side of a dirt road. It's a native Orchid and we are not sure which one yet. There are a few early blooming Orchids here so we are keeping an eye on it to see the bloom. 
A back roads sign that brought images of feral children to mind.
It started to rain, again, while out walking but caught sight of not one but a double rainbow forming. I could see the beginning and ending of both rainbows but couldn't get it in the photograph. The one was alot brighter than the other and they only lasted a few minutes. 
On Monday there was a study day with Fergus talking about Succession Planting in the Mixed Border. It was in Yeomans Hall in the house. Many notes were taken and diagrams drawn in my notebooks. It was a great talk, with amazing slides, in the sense that it helped me understand what to expect with the Long Border in the coming months. It gave detailed ideas on how to really maximize the use of your garden space. This is through the use of different perennials and bedding plants, self-sowers, and climbers.
Fergus talked about Pea sticks to grow climbers up. These are younger branches of Carpinus betula (something that won't root into the soil) that are used to build a structure for the plants to grow through and look almost similar to a shrub. I built this one earlier in the week while working with him in the Long Border. It was built for different types of Clematis sp. some perennial peas too. The one built below was to get the vine to grow up into the tree. I learned about the importance of succesion with plants such as Allium neopolitano and Begonia grandis. When one is active above ground, the other is dormant below and then they switch while never leaving an empty space in the garden bed. Here tulips that are planted in the border are pulled out once they start to go, they are dried on racks to go dormant, are counted and then stored to be used again the next year in a different area. Many great things were learned and Fergus was such a great speaker. The talk and the slides kept many smiles on the faces of the gardeners who participated.
The ominous Gunnera manicata awakening from it's winter sleep. The leaves of this plant are huge and extremely tall. Once fully emerged I will show the scale of this monstrous plant.
I wanted to say that I have gotten some emails from friends sharing stories about plants they are growing and what is happening back home. A good friend of mine, Joseph,wrote to tell me about the excitement of the first Galanthus coming up in his backyard in Harlem. He was excited to see the Monkey Puzzle tree I wrote about since he had planted some in his backyard. Since he has Southern Magnolia already flourishing there he figured why not try the Monkey Puzzle. There are alot of microclimates in urban environments where you can sometimes grow things that normally you wouldn't be able too. This email came at a good time because I will be doing my first interview soon with a gardener who is gardening in a microclimate in London. It's a beautiful garden, a great gardener, and if you do have any questions or curiosties please let me know. I will gladly ask her.
And now, since it is dark and cold out, a few of us will be sitting next to the fire with some food and special cider.......... (there is a gardener here who knows the recipe of the cider......... i promise to interview them too to get that recipe...................:)
The front meadow again with a clipped hedge......
Simple pink Camelia blossoms in a simple pink vase in the pantry kitchen........
There are trails that you can take throught the countryside called footpaths and pedestrians have the right of way even though they go through private properties. I followed some and kept waiting to get shot at but never did. There are so many fields you get to walk to and so many beautiful views. There is a windmill that I plan on walking to and also a castle. So far these guys are the only living things I have encountered....
Another foot path that I call the "scary footpath" because it was dark from all the pines and huge, massive doves kept flying out and startling me, and it was also getting dark. I plan on going back to this spot though to see the ferns when they awaken (they are the brown on the lower right).
This is my favorite neighbor so far, his name is Ringo and he calls and calls when I come to visit. You will love my new friend......
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of going to Wisley Gardens with Fergus where he was to judge some perennial plants with others. These are the trial fields of Wisley where all of the plants are available to the public in the trade. It was great to see all of the information regarding the plants. 
And here is my first sighting of our favorite celebrity tree, the Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). It seemed he didn't want his photo taken as he kept flipping me off.......
The beautiful hillside garden with it's many glorious conifers........
And the new glass house at Wisley, a beautiful shape. 
I also went sheep herding with Fergus' sheep too............ I am now a country boy. And here with any further ado is Ringo...............
This is my room, known as the night nursery(that's what it was originally used for) and there were 2 beds. Of course i had to have the one with the red canopy, i have never had that before.
My first view of the gardens from my bedroom window the next morning.
The front lawn filled with crocuses and daffodils and the walkway to the front door. 
I feel much more settled now that i have a bed of my own and can unpack. I am off to bed and hope your all doing well........
These are just some simple gates that enter into the neighboring park called Green Park. It is not planted as heavily but is equally beautiful.
This is the Queen Victoria Memorial situated right next to Buckingham Palace in a round-a-bout.
The trees here are severely pruned to prevent from touching the sides of the buildings (I think, and please correct me if i am wrong.....) The pigeons took up perching in them and it looked very strange to me.
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