Spring, Sissinghurst and Hastings.....

After a month(!) of being in England, buds on the trees are finally beginning to open. The bulbs will soon be taking a backseat to some of the Malus and the Magnolias that are getting ready to bloom. The temperature was getting a bit warmer but there was soon a drop and the weather went from sun to snow.... Even though some plants in the garden are just waking up from their long deep sleep, Fergus' magic is obvious and apparent by putting them straight to work.
Here is the emerging colored foliage of Spiraea japonica 'Gold Flame' underplanted with Hyacinthus orientalis 'Delft Blue' in the Barn garden. Regal jewel tones combine with only the use of two plants.




The unfurling of the fern fronds, otherwise known as crosiers, stretching upwards to get energy from the sun. Some ferns are edible in this stage of growth, though i have never had them. Has anyone? Are they good?

Here is Mark watering in some bedding plants that were tucked into the Tulips so the succession of color will continue on... Ladybird poppies will soon flower adding large splashes of red to continue on with garden succession. Anyone have any good suggestions for spring combinations that they like to use in their garden? We took a ride to Hastings which is a 20 minute drive south and is right on the coast. This was an important fishing port for centuries and you can still see the buildings where the fisherman would hang their large nets to dry. One of the many quaint side streets. We had to purchase 'wellies' which are rubber boots. These were necessary because with all of the rain comes mud and it just gets everywhere.

These little guys were seen in one of the windows of a bakery. This is the first view of the English Channel that I have had yet. I hear in summer it is still really cold to swim in though. I'll take their word for it.
Sissinghurst garden is right in Kent which is only a short drive away. It was created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. She bought Sissinghurst as a ruin and took it on, while he was in the Diplomatic service and this was where they retired too. Vita was a writer (who was lovers with Virginia Woolf) and had her study in the tower which she allowed no one to visit. The more I walked through the gardens the more it was understood. There are many pockets and rooms throughout with many vistas to see. There were always details to enjoy like these tulips on display. This may seem strange for some to do, thinking why not just plant them into the garden, but once they start to decline you just move the pot out of view. Smart... One of the many flowering Quinces that were espaliered through out the walled gardens.
Another lovely and striking spring combination of Helleborus orientalis (purple/mauve flowered) and with Scilla bithinica underneath. One wonders what the next plants to come up are? The meadow with their beehives. And just another vista....... I am very interested in following this garden through the seasons.....
This is the silhouette of the European Robin, smaller and rounder than the ones at home. They are very curious birds and will fly within a foots distance to watch what you are doing in the garden . When worms come out while weeding, I usually toss them in the direction of the closest bird. They snatch it immediately and are always happy for a free meal.

My cousin Cathy came to visit this weekend, she had an interview at West Dean for their furniture restoration program. Congratulations on being accepted Cathy!!

On Saturday morning Aaron and I picked Mark up from Heathrow airport. He said he breezed through customs in less than a minute. Go figure, huh. Mark and I went through the Professional Gardener Training Program together at Longwood Gardens. Once we got back to Great Dixter Mark kept looking around in awe. (A few people have asked me questions about Great Dixter and I feel though I can explain what it is to a certain degree, I would like to send you to their website. This will do justice to what Great Dixter is and what it stands for. Here is the link: http://www.greatdixter.co.uk/ )



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...................:)

What a first week it's been and it's not over yet............

It could not have been a better first week and there's still a few more days to go.... Here are some photos I have taken around the garden. My room is where the two double windows are in the yellow part of the house on the second floor (right below the roof). And as you can see all of the bulbs are going nuts right now......

Here is a closeup of that madness..........



A beautifully done espalier against the wall........The front meadow again with a clipped hedge......Simple pink Camelia blossoms in a simple pink vase in the pantry kitchen........
On the way to Peasmarsh to get some groceries I saw this view down someones driveway. I thought it was pretty appropriate to show that I have officially "landed". 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.......
Wisley is well known for it's fruit orchards and programs...... I know one fine lady gardener who has been looking into this program.....................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...............

The magic of Great Dixter......

On Friday I met up with Andrea, we were to catch a train out of the city to get to Great Dixter. It is about an hour and 15 minutes South of London.-- Great Dixter will be my home base this summer and is one of the best gardens in England. It is home to the late Christopher Lloyd who was very influential in pushing the boundaries in the garden. -- So we finally arrive and it is dark now when Tom picks us up. He is a gardener at Great Dixter as well. We drive down so many windy roads in the rain and the windshield of the car was fogging up. I had no idea where I was going and couldn't see except out of a little patch free of fog near the dashboard. There were huge hedges on either side of the road (of Prunus spinosus) so i couldn't see anywhere but forward. I was beginning to feel like a package that was being delivered somewhere. Once we arrived it was so dark i could not see anything but the wind and rain were definately making their presence known. As we were greeted at the door by Gabby(a gardener from Hungaria) I felt as if I had stepped into a dream. She fed me dinner by the fire in the Solar room and i couldn't even speak. The house is like something out of a fairy tale. This is the front of the house.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.

Gabby was kind to leave a flower arrangement for me so i took a photo. I realized i could see myself in the mirror without seeing the camera.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........

Friday.......

Today is my last day in London for a while, it's out to the countryside tonight. After 3 failed attempts I was able to finally make it to the Museum of Garden History before it closed. The museum, which was founded in 1977, is in an old church, and is the first museum of its kind. It was filled with old photos and tools. Some quick facts I learned are:
-With bouquets violets represented erotic love and the carnation represented courtly love. The return of one flower from the lovers bunch meant the acceptance of their love.


The vase below is actually a cucumber straightener (c. 1880). It is open on both ends and the young cucumber was placed inside the tube to ensure straightness...... I'm just going to move on... Old and very sixties advertisement for Lawn mowers........
The latest accessory in London fashion. Actually, just read the caption. Do you know where your pony boots are?
And Joyce, and all other Palm lovers, this is for you. The weather is so mild in the city that I have seen many a Palm and Cycad planted in the ground. This one is in a round-a-bout. I am not sure which one it is. Does anyone know? First person gets a free ticket to England... ok, I'm obviously joking. Anyone know?