Great Dixter Manor: Part Two

By CadyLuck Leedy on November 15, 2016

 

Previously we learned the history of Great Dixter and today we will continue our walk around the grounds and gardens.  Apart from a couple of mixed orchards and a scattering of trees, there were no gardens here when the Lloyds arrived in 1910. There are many out-buildings on the property including several old barns. As buildings continue to be restored it is good to know that nothing is thrown away, but recycled to use on other projects. Old, thin, laminated tiles were used for the new roof on the loggia, that was previously the old chicken shed with rotted walls.

I think these buildings may be in future works…… or maybe not.

However, this might need an improvement……..it is the handicapped bathroom! Very primitive, but you get the feel for how things once were!

Most of the garden design was by Edwin Lutyens.  The gardens are separated by yew hedges, which are sometimes curved, low brick walls, and many, many paths!  The borders are mixed and in all colors. There is no segregating plants of differing habits, so you see shrubs, climbers, hardy and tender perennials, annuals and biennials, all growing together and contributing to the overall tapestry. There are nineteen different gardens here!

Some of the paving is of York sandstone.  London’s pavements were ripped up and replaced by tarmac, and the stone became available for garden use. Lichens grow on it, making their own patterns, particularly noticeable at their ‘flowering’, in April. But the stone is slippery when wet!

There is a large nursery here and many folks came to shop!

Nothing is wasted! Save the rainwater!

One of the young gardeners showing us the grounds was a student from the U.S. She is participating in the USA Christopher Lloyd Scholarship. The scholarship provides a gardener from the United States with a year-long, practical education in the traditional style of ornamental gardening as practiced at two of the world’s most respected gardens, Great Dixter in East Sussex, England, and Chanticleer near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

The scholarship offers an American gardener a chance to develop practical skills and an understanding of the ‘sense of place’ needed to manage complex, innovative flower gardens such as those at Great Dixter and Chanticleer. It is hoped that the scholar, in turn, will inspire a future generation of North American gardeners, passing on knowledge and skills. The student spends 11 months, from September to July, living and working at Great Dixter, immersed in all aspects of the garden’s operations and also attends symposiums and visits gardens, plant trials and garden shows. The final month of the scholarship is spent working at Chanticleer. Wow how great is that?

A map of Great Dixter is Here! I hope you enjoyed our tour of Great Dixter! I certainly did. This is the last garden of the year on my English Garden Tour! I have enjoyed every one and hope you did too! Until next time in the garden!