Great Dixter, East Sussex, UK
Here is my first entry for the “Good Fences” Photo Challenge! Every year I do my own English Garden Tour of selected gardens in the UK. This is a handmade fence at Great Dixter Manor and Gardens in East Sussex. I chose this photo because it showed part of the manor house, the wildness of this section of the garden and the use of old limbs and twigs for fencing! Enjoy!
See more about the Challenge Here!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
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.
The Loggia Roof, Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
I think these buildings may be in future works…… or maybe not.
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
However, this might need an improvement……..it is the handicapped bathroom! Very primitive, but you get the feel for how things once were!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
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!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
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!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
There is a large nursery here and many folks came to shop!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Nothing is wasted! Save the rainwater!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
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!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
This is the oldest section of Great Dixter Manor and as you can see it tips to the left!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
All great manors have a fascinating story to tell and Great Dixter is no exception. Nathanial Lloyd, born in Manchester, made his fortune when he founded his own color printing firm in 1893. In 1905, he married Daisy Field and rented a manor home in Rye where Nathanial could play golf on the weekends. He became so successful in his business, that by 1909, he was able to retire and devoted himself to golf and his passion for shooting. Nathanial and Daisy began to look for an old house to buy and they purchased Dixter, (a manor completed by the end of the Middle Ages), and its immediate grounds and farm buildings in May, 1910, for six thousand pounds, and the manor was re-named Great Dixter.
Nathanial and Daisy Lloyd
Lloyd hired Sir Ernest George as his architect, but soon realized that the apprentice to George, Edwin Lutyens, was the man to complete his manor. Lutyens wanted to enlarge or adapt existing buildings by using local materials and build on existing traditions. He drew up plans which consisted of the mid-15th century original home and added additions to it, by bringing a yeoman’s house from Benenden. He then added another addition to the house in 1912. So the manor then consisted of three houses, beautifully connected together. Lutyens admired the work of Gertrude Jekyll, who had a reputation for complimenting the grounds of the manors to the garden, which was a new approach to the English Garden. The ideas of Jekyll led Lutyens to design an English Garden for Great Dixter. Lutyens went on designing and building to become “the greatest British architect of the twentieth (or of any other) century.”
Edwin Lutyens
This was the ” Yeoman’s House” moved from Benenden, seventeen miles away! I don’t think I could have had that big of imagination! How could the combining of the houses work? The Yeoman’s House was literally falling down!
The House Moved from Benenden
Nathaniel and Daisy Lloyd raised six children at Great Dixter where they all developed a lasting attachment to the house and a deep knowledge of the garden. One of the bathrooms still has the pencil marks on a wall, recording their increasing height year by year. Selwyn (1909-35), the eldest child, went into the family business, but died at a young age from TB; Oliver (1911-85), whose second Christian name Cromwell spoke of Daisy’s ancestral connections, became a medical doctor and academic; Patrick (1913-56) was a professional soldier and died on active service in the Middle East; Quentin (1916-95) served as the estate manager for Great Dixter for many years; Letitia (1919-74) trained as a nurse; Christopher (1921-2006), the youngest child, was born in the north bedroom of the Lutyens wing and for the rest of his life Dixter was his home.
The Lloyd Childen
With the renovations and extension complete by 1912, Great Dixter was a large and comfortable family home. Central heating and electric lighting were installed from the onset and there was a domestic staff of five or more, including a chauffeur, a cook, two housemaids and a nursery maid. Outside staff included nine gardeners. For four years during the First World War, part of the house became a hospital and a total of 380 wounded soldiers passed through the temporary wards created in the Great Hall. In the Second War, Dixter housed evacuee boys from September 1939 until it was decided that they should go further west and away from the path of enemy aircraft.
After Nathaniel’s death in 1933, Daisy was in control until her death in 1972. Her contribution to the garden was most evident in the wild flower meadows, but her passion for all things plant related was as extensive as it was infectious. She was a determinedly energetic lady, an accomplished cook and brilliant embroiderer, who, having taken to wearing Austrian peasant costume, became an eccentric figure on the local scene. Christopher Lloyd, exceptional gardener and writer of gardening books, was the last Lloyd to occupy the manor and it was left to a charitable trust upon his death in 2006.
Christopher Lloyd
Part of the manor is open, but no photography is allowed inside!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
But we did manage a photo of the garden from the window!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
We took many photos of the gardens around various out buildings such as the oasts, which were restored in 2012.
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
This was one of the meadows. I just couldn’t get wrapped up in it though. I didn’t like the formal topiaries mixed in with the meadow. I would have preferred all lawn around these, but they didn’t ask me.
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
I think they were undecided too!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Flowers, flowers everywhere!
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
The Loggia…….with more flowers and plants……
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter, Sussex, UK
I hope you enjoyed the history of Great Dixter! There is a lot to explore here, so we’ll meet up with you again tomorrow! Enjoy!
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Here are the final photos I’ll show from Pashley Gardens. Truly, if I had one garden that I liked the best above all others I have seen in the last two years, it would be this one. The setting among the rolling hills and ponds was breathtakingly quiet. The garden was immaculate with all flowers and plants labeled. The gardeners could answer all my questions. The restaurant was very good and the view of the lawn and the pond was perfect for relaxing. The gift house had interesting gifts that I did not see at any other garden. The sculpture in the garden made you feel you were in a fine outdoor art museum. If I lived near I would have bought all the plants available from Pashley Manor and planted them in my garden. I would be proud to grow “London Pride.” I would attend the Tulip Festival, Rose Week, the Dahlia Delight, and at Christmas would shop with the fragrance of mulled wine wafting over me as I bought the orange and cinnamon candles and mince pies! I would be there so often they would know me by name! If you love visiting gardens add this one to your list by all means!
The Vegetable Patch at Pashley Manor and Gardens
The Vegetable Patch at Pashley Manor and Gardens
Here we are in the Vegetable Patch with the chickens and the rabbits……
The Chickens at Pashley Manor and Gardens
The Rabbits at Pashley Manor and Gardens
And green leafy plants…….
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Now to go to the pool area………
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
A good way to read a book……
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Next the green house………
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
My Favorite piece by Helen Sinclair……….The Waif.
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
A peek through the gate………
Pashley Manor and Gardens
Pashley Manor and Gardens
to see the Bowsers that guard……..and the twirl of her skirts…..
Pashley Manor and Gardens
And a close up to show the Manor is actually pale pink!
Pashley Manor and Gardens
The plant area with a small chapel where the gift shop is……..I’ll collect my goodies…..
The Gift Area at Pashley Manor Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
And say goodbye!
Pashley Manor and Gardens
I hope to visit again soon! See you in the garden!
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter is the private home and garden of the late gardener and gardening writer, Christopher Lloyd. First let’s look at the doors I found there!
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
We had a great deal of action with doors here……. keep the door open……..
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Ring the bell loudly………
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Don’t go in……..
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Go in……..
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Duck or grouse (grumble or complain because you have hit your head)…….mind your head……….
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK
We rang, we opened, we closed, we ducked, we minded, but did not grouse, and we enjoyed all the doors!
Soon we will explore the history and walk the grounds of Great Dixter! See you in the garden!
This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors?
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
There are just so many many beautiful details to this garden I couldn’t resist showing more sculptures, the manicured garden and the walk along the ponds! Which way should we walk first?
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
A cottage is nested in the woods!
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
These little guys have a grand place to play!
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Maidens take a dip!
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
We’re about to tuck into an arbor here!
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Here is one of my favorites, Goose Girl by Marion Smith!
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK
I am so glad we were told about this garden. I must remember to always ask the locals about gardens in the area where we are staying! What a treasure Pashley Manor is!
For Information about openings and special events at Pashley Manor Gardens look Here! See you tomorrow in the garden!
Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK
While I was touring homes and gardens of the National Trust and National Garden Scheme this year, there were also two independent gardens that were recommended to me by my hostess at the Potting Shed. One was Pashley Manor near Ticehurst in Sussex. One afternoon we made our way there………
The land was owned by the family of Passelewe or Passele, a prominent family in medieval times. Simon Passelewe held many judicial posts including that of Justice of the Jews in the reign of Henry III, but his prominent role was extorting money from religious houses on behalf of the king. Sir Edmund de Passele, in 1317, built a hunting lodge on an island that fills the greater part of the largest of three ponds. On his death it took twenty years to solve the dispute over his property because two wives claimed his inheritance and one was willing to murder in order to keep the inheritance for herself and the children. During the War of the Roses, around 1454, Sir Geoffrey Bulleyn, great-grandfather of Ann Bulleyn, a prosperous merchant and Lord Mayor of London, bought the property. The property consisted of 600 acres of land, a garden, watermill and an iron furnace.
Then over the next several hundred years the property changed hands many times and in 1922 Dr Hollist sold the estate and it sat vacant up to 1945, when it was occupied by troops and families escaping the bombings of London, for brief periods of time during the war.
The present owner bought Pashley Manor in 1945, as it was, then described as a haunted house. In 1950 going from the Grimm’s sketches of the manor from 1780, that were found in the Burrell Collection at the British Museum, the family was encouraged to restore the manor to it’s original closely timbered look from the early seventeenth century. The ivy on the house, was held in place by thick wire, and was a foot thick, but seemed to be a protective layer against the weather, and the boarding underneath was well preserved. The original color of the house was a hot shade of ochre yellow with dark brown trim! Even the brickwork was washed over in a dingy yellow, but now over the years most of the bricks have faded to a warm red. The wash that was placed over the hot yellow ochre turned the house into a soft shade of pink and I found it quite striking! It is the first thing that gets your attention as you enter the long driveway to the house and gardens!
The Landscape of Pashley Manor
The Driveway of Pashley Manor
Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK
The first sculpture as you enter the garden is His Eminence from Pisa!
His Eminence from Pisa, Pashley Garden
His Eminence from Pisa, Pashley Garden
We were soon to discover this is no ordinary garden! This garden shows off beautiful sculptures as well, from April through September. Twenty-three artists offer one hundred and thirty pieces of their artwork for viewing throughout the garden, and they are for sale also! Each piece is marked with a sign from the designer. Oh my, we are in for a treat! Let’s go in!
The Rose, Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
The garden was meticulous! The flowers breathtaking, so let’s just wonder!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
There are the formal gardens, the rolling countryside and three ponds to wonder about!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Each piece of artwork was in a perfect spot in the garden to show it off!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
I liked the use of twigs to make a fencing and to support the plants.
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
There is also a fine restaurant on the premises as well as a gift shop!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Without a doubt my favorite flower was this one!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
There were sculptures everywhere!
Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
This was my favorite groundcover, saxifragis x urbium. It is called “London Pride,” and has been grown along garden paths since the 1700’s. It has a fragile, spiky, soft pink flower in spring. Many of the elderly folks are drawn to this plant because they are reminded of their time in the war and Noël Coward’s song, by the same name, recorded during the Blitz. Cuttings from this plant quickly re-colonized at bomb sites and reminded Londeners that they too could re-build and move forward! Listen to it Here! Do any of you remember it? The video and music is a tear jerker!
London Pride, Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK
There is so much to see and admire in this garden. We’ll be back tomorrow! See you in the garden!
A Cottage at Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
To me, no garden tour in the UK would be complete without a visit to Sissinghurst, the home and gardens of Vita Sackville-West. I made my way back again this year to make sure they had not changed anything on me!. It is still one of the most beautiful gardens! So without further ado I present another National Trust property that you will never forget! If you are not familiar with Vita Sackville-West, you might want to start with this story, Here.
There are several smaller cottages on the Sissinghurst property, well not so small exactly! I think I could handle living in one of them! There are multiple gardens in addition to the main property.
This is the entrance to the featured gardens. We try to be one of the first there, because it gets crowded very quickly. The entrance is still closed.
Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
When the entrance is opened, that leads to another entry through the Prospect Tower. This photo is looking back at the Main Entry from the garden.
Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
The Back of the Main House, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
A little secret…….the head gardener leaves free packets of seeds from the Sissinghurst Garden on the narrow ledge in the alcove below the stairs to Vita’s writing retreat. They are gone in the first 15 minutes! Hurry!
The Priests are still guarding and giving their blessing!
Sissinghurst Garden, UK
Remember the Sissinghurst Garden is made up of several outdoor garden rooms all featuring a different color that fades into the next gardening room. My favorite is the White Garden so I always go there first.
The White Garden at Sissinghurst Gardens, Cranbrook, UK
The White Garden at Sissinghurst Gardens, Cranbrook, UK
My absolute favorite are the silvery-grey flowers and leaved plants!
The White Garden at Sissinghurst Gardens, Cranbrook, UK
The White Garden at Sissinghurst Gardens, Cranbrook, UK
The White Garden at Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
Next we go into the garden of lavenders and purple flowers.
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Purple Garden at Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
From there we go into the Pink Gardens………..
The Pink Garden at Sissingurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
Sweetpeas in the Pink Garden, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Pink Garden, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, UK
The Pink Garden, Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
For another look at the Garden from last year look HERE!
On the way out I looked over the out buildings again………
Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
And the Old Barn where the gift shop and restaurant is now.
Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
The oasts are still there………so I am happy to say they are taking really good care of the grounds…… To learn about Oasts Look HERE!
Sissinghurst Garden, Cranbrook, UK
To keep up our energy we stopped at the Three Chimney’s Pub nearby….. AGAIN!!!
Yummy!
Yummy!
Another year complete with my Sissinghurst fix…..
PS For a really good read about Vita look HERE! See you tomorrow in the Garden!
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
Doesn’t 1 Elm Cottage at Windmill Hill just seem like the perfect place to live? It does to me! It just rolls off the tongue,”I live at 1 Elm Cottage at Windmill Hill!” This is our last garden for the day and compared to our previous stops Windmill Hill is a metropolis! What a delight the gardens have been on the Herstmonceux Trail! They have all been very different and 1 Elm Cottage is no exception!
The garden was chosen because this gardener has physical handicaps and she wanted to show what can be done with a little space and ingenuity! She says her long-handled fork is her best friend! What a delight she was, as she welcomed everyone to her lovely garden!
The garden is set at the front of a long row of connected cottages on a very, very busy street. Her cottage sets back from the others, but is still a connected cottage and I wondered if at one time this might have been a business with a parking lot. It was unusual too, because I don’t remember seeing a garden in the front of the cottage. Most of the gardens are in the back. She said the front space was a wasteland when she took it over. It now is a stunning garden packed full of edible and flowering plants and a critter or two that I really liked! So let’s get a move on and tour this garden!
The Windmill in Windmill Hill
There really is a windmill at Windmill Hill!
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
She collects rainwater to recycle……
1 Elm Cottage
And has water for these little guys….. even though they don’t ever move!
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
This garden seems larger than it is because it’s layered with plantings and seating areas in different heights.
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
I LOVED these fellas, they don’t move either, but you had to look close to see that!
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
1 Elm Cottage
This tiny garden had three sitting areas!
And a greenhouse!
1 Elm Cottage
A lovely garden girl……..
1 Elm Cottage
And lots of watering cans!
1 Elm Cottage
The Gardener at 1 Elm Cottage!
I hope you enjoyed this garden as much as we did! Tomorrow, it’s Sissinghurst, AGAIN this year!!!! It is one of my favorite gardens! See You There!
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
We are still absorbing the Montana Garden; the garden chock full of hidden and secret places, all with a different theme.
The Montana Garden
Towards the back of the property is a small setting of unusual trees and an arbor that draws you to that area to have a look see. There were quite a few guests photographing the palm on the right!
The Montana Garden
Notice all the twirling and enchanting features in the trees? Look up, look down, look everywhere! However, my eye was focused on this tree! I loved it! I could just sit on that bench and talk to that tree!
The Montana Garden
This secret garden is covered in shade and filled with many types of ferns. A garden oasis of lush!
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
I felt I was on Survivor, looking for the Immunity Idol! Ah! There it is! Now, if I can hide it before anyone sees me!
The Montana Garden
This arbor provides a very peaceful and restful area in the Serenity Garden.
The Montana Garden
And here is another!
The Montana Garden
Every garden could use a Pooh Shed too!
The Pooh Shed at Montana House
The Montana Garden
And a reading area that can be moved around!
The Montana Garden
This piece was an attention getter too!
The Montana Garden
Another tree to talk too! My daughter always called them the crying trees. You know the weeping willow?
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
The Montana Garden
With one last look at the garden we’ll say our goodbyes to the gardeners, since we have one more stop in another garden before the day is over. We’re headed for Windmill Hill next! See you there!
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