The Cottage garden and Azalea Bank at Sissinghurst were ablaze with color when I visited last week with the Best of English Gardens Tour. The palate of the Cottage Garden tends toward the hot spectrum and late May was no exception.
The central feature of the Cottage Garden is four large Irish yews. The yews are not perfectly upright, adding to a more informal feel to the garden.
Columbines were a prominent feature to the garden.
Seed is collected for the best coloring of this unnamed variety each year.
Wall flowers burnt brightly in the drizzle the day I was at Sissinghurst.
Apparently Harold Nicholson was not a big fan of azaleas and felt they were too suburban. Vita Sackville-West often won the debate over which plants made their way into the garden and the hot-colored azaleas were no exception and remain a feature in the Moat Walk.
Tulipa sprengeri was well-represented in many of the gardens we visited and made a worthy companion to the peeling bark of Acer griseum.
Great pics of a lovely garden which I have never visited, even though I live nearer to it than you do.
ReplyDeleteL,
DeleteI'd be going every month if I lived nearby. Lots to learn. There are more garden visits from this trip coming.
Is this an annual UK trip you're making? Very worthwhile - the first photo is more than perfect, fellow axial view fan!
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky to do this trip 5 times. I always learn something new. Yes, I like my axes and Sissinghurst has them aplenty.
Thanks so much for posting your photos of this great garden. I hope one day to visit it too, and your pictures have made me want to even more! -Beth
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the picture, Beth. I was fortunate to be there when this peak of hot color happened. I was there a week later and the Moat Walk had vanished. I think moments like this happen throughout the season at Sissinghurst. I hope you are able to visit someday soon.
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