Wednesday 11 June 2014

Day 1. The great escape!

So it's that time again, the time for escape! After weeks of running about like a rapidly deflating balloon (without the reduction in size sadly), yesterday morning I boarded a train to meet my Mum for our annual Garden Break. Last year our destination was glorious Florence, this year a more modest but just as stunning Somerset.

A very competent meet up at Bristol Parkway saw us bowling along to Derry Watkins Special Plants in Cold Ashton (which wasn't!), for a look around her garden and a talk about Umbelifers. The weather was lovely, the garden beautiful and we were greeted with tea and cake - perfect!

Lovely lawns...

...gorgeous gravelled terraces...

...and perfect ponds.

Some great combinations, like this Cotinus 'Grace' and Cynara cardunculus (Cardoon),


Eschscholtzia and Nepeta,

Allium Christophii and purple Angelica

Cerinthe major, Eryngium oliverianum and Euphorbia

Iris and an umbelifer.

There were drifts of white Astrantia,

and pink ones with Peonies,

and terraces overflowing with Mexican Daisies, Geraniums and Nepeta x faasenii.

 And the most extraordinary plant that I thought was a sculpture at first but turned out to be a Kalanchoe beharensis. Incredibly porcelain like and unreal, but stunning!

It was a stunning garden and a very interesting talk, I knew that Cow Parsley, Angelica and Ammi were umbellifers (plants with an umbrella shaped flower head), but I didn't know that Astrantias and Eryngiums were too. Thank you Derry!



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