Hedges and Topiary on the Passionate Gardener Tour

 Hidcote

 Hidcote

 Hidcote

 Hidcote

Vann

Vann 

Pettifers Garden

Rousham Gardens

Rousham Gardens 

Great Dixter

Great Dixter 

Great Dixter 

Sissinghurst

Sissinghurst

Hedges: From the Outside In

I have been struck by the beauty of the hedges on our tour. I thought some of the most moving and elegant photographs were looking at the gardens from the outside. The images don't feel welcoming yet, to me, they don't feel forbidding.  I have always admired the contrast of view over the horizontal line of a hedge. The lines are elegant and simple.

What ho Hidcote!

 The White Garden at Hidcote

 The Red Border

 The Stilt Garden

 Bertie Bainbridge and Hidcote gardener, Philip Bowell

Philip Bowell in The Central Stream Garden

The Central Stream Garden

We spent a damp day at Hidcote, the famous National Trust Garden of the late Lawrence Johnston in Gloucestershire. I can never get enough of this garden with all the rooms, focal points and interesting plants. The downside is that no one else can either and Hidcote can be very busy making a cold, damp day an asset by being a crowd deterrent and producing excellent light for photographs.

I was very pleased to run into fellow blogger, Bertie Bainbridge, author of his information-packed blog called What ho Hidcote! Bertie is a trainee gardener at Hidcote and gives insight into the daily life there. He had just returned from a work placement at Monet’s Garden in Giverny and I was actually surprised to run into him. Unfortunately, I didn't have a long visit because our group was about to leave for another gem of a garden called Kiftsgate a short distance away.

With just a few moments to spare, Bertie took me to the greenhouse to show me some of the tender plants that were about to be placed in the garden once the temperatures became more cooperative. This had been an especially cold and wet spring in England and the garden was behind schedule. Interestingly, in NH we have had a very early spring and I was taken aback to find lilacs blooming in both places.

The highlight of this year's visit to Hidcote was meeting Philip Bowell, one of the gardeners.  Philip has been gardening at Hidcote for some 30 years now and probably has the most intimate knowledge of the garden of anyone alive today. In those days, the gardeners, including Philip, were often trained in the garden. When he first arrived, there was a very limited budget and many groundcovers and time-saving devices were implemented resulting in a watered down version of Johnston's masterpiece. Gradually, as the budget increased, the garden was brought back to its former glory. They now have a staff of gardeners and a training program for apprentice gardeners like Bertie. It is quite a thrill to see this garden in mint condition.

The Best of English Gardens 2012

I am pleased to report that I  will be assisting my good friend, Mick Induni, on a tour of English gardens from May 15-24. I am delighted to return to Britain to visit some of my favorite gardens including Great Dixter, Hidcote, Sissinghurst, Stourhead and Wilsey to name a few.We will also be attending the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

My role will be, as Mick puts it, a sort of “horticultural expert'' to compliment the exceptional British tour guides who will be leading the tours. My mission will be to give an American perspective on how to incorporate ideas from the English gardening tradition into the participants' own gardens back in the states. For a complete itinerary, see Mick's website at The Best of English Gardens.

Mick has a wide range of extraordinary tours on the other side of the pond. For more information, check out his website, Discover Europe.

The Glasshouse at Wisley

Stourhead

Sissinghurst 

Great Dixter

The Chelsea Flower Show

Hidcote Manor

Kiftsgate Court

The Quiet American Gardener

The Famous Red Border

The Pillar Garden

Alliums and Poppies in the Rock Bank

The White Garden

The Long Walk

The Long Walk Reward

I love the fact that one of the most iconic gardens in England was created by an American. Gavin, my fellow tour guide, likes to point out that Lawrence Johnston, the creator of Hidcote, became a citizen of Britain and had stronger alliances to England at the end of his life. However, although he was born in France, the fact remains he was an American.