Despite Peter telling me it hadn't rained at WBP for almost eight weeks, the universe decided that the three days I was home would be the perfect time to bucket down. The gardener and farmer in me didn't mind, although it did not make for the brightest condition for photos. It did provide some dramatic stormy backdrops for shots such as the one above of a sphinx with Badger's Wood in the background.
As we head into autumn the greens will give way to yellows and browns, so until the new growth and unfurling flowers of spring, like trumpets, herald our long awaited opening, here are some shots of the greenery....
Above and Below: Plums and Prunes.
Above: Quinces.
Above: A cider Apple tree (Sweet Alford).
Below: A dual grafted Apricot tree.
Above and Below: Beurre Bosch Pears.
Above: Belle de Jumet Pears. They are a late harvest pear and should be ready by the end of March.
Above and Below: Damsons. These should be ready mid-late March. Peter is going to pick them and then we shall make Damson Jam when I return in 4 weeks.
Above: Elderberries.
Below: Turkish Figs.
Above: Before Netting.
Below: After Netting.
Above: A view of Badger's Wood from the roof. On the right you can see the culvert which has been placed in antcipation of building our Palladian Bridge.
Above: The final good shot before it tipped down...
Above and Below: A brace of Heron who have made their home at WBP. Heron are a protected species, so they are very welcome to come and fish in the lake or pull up worms on the lawn.
Above: Parterre with buxus partitioning planted, awaiting the planting of the flowers in the spring.
Above: The Bell Lawn and Urn en Flambeau from Terrace.
Below: The same as view from roof.
The Camellia Lawn
Above: View down the lime walk from the roof, looking towards the site of the rotunda.
Above: The view from the Rotunda towards the Bell Lawn and Urn en Flambeau
Above: The view towards the manor from Rotunda.
Below: The view towards the Elysian Fields and Farm from Rotunda.
Below: The Elysian Fields, where we are going to sow our wild flower project.
Above: One of two newly replanted knot gardens. The original ones succumbed to a lack of weeding and neglect during a single spring from which they never fully recovered. This time we have planted just the buxus hedging, and have planted it through weed matting with mulch on top...
We replanted them in spring just gone. We had to remove everything, spray the ground out three times, and start from scratch. Willoughby, rest his soul, was still around, but not up to helping much...
Once the hedge is established we will grow the herbs in nice pots above the ground (as the main failing of of previous attempt was the difficulty of weeding around the herbs, not the hedges). The pots will additionally provide interest through their height. Peter has become excellent at shaping the buxus...
Below: Hibiscus syriacus "Coelestris".
Such a lovely shade of purple.
Above and Below: We have added a focal point to the view through the olive grove in the form of a bust of Helena on a spare plinth from the building project.
Lastly the two corners of the garden seldom shown (as they are far from reaching their potential). Spencer's Corner...
This is the corner through the archway in the hedge where Spencer is buried. This winter we are going to plant a thicket of oaks there.
The other corner is known as "Little Hollows". We plan to create a semicircular seating area in this area, looking back towards the manor. Behind the seating will be our lilacs and some silver pears. At present there is a small recycled shell planter on a recycled plinth...
In the next post we will give you a sneak peek into the interior progress. See you again then.
