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Tuesday, 18 February 2014

First garden visit of 2014

On Sunday, my good friends Katy and Alison and I set off for our first garden visit of the year to Hodsock Priory, to look at the snowdrops.  We have been visiting there for quite a number of years now. Above is the lovely gatehouse.
The woodland walk with the drifts of snowdrops is what Hodsock is known for and they are very beautiful.  There were a lot of the double snowdrops this year. 

 This bit of woodland made me think of fairies or hobbits!
 There are also a lot of cyclamen coum in their lovely shades of pink and white.
 This was one of the larger snowdrops - S. Arnott.
 Narcissus Cedric Morris was flowering away on this bank.
 The spidery flowers of witch hazel looked vibrant against the blue sky (when it eventually appeared).
These trees looked as though they were going to be felled, but made a statuesque addition against the sky. They reminded me of the totem sculptures by Henry Moore which I saw at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park back in 2008.
Here's a photo I took from the 2008 visit - can you see why the trees reminded me of these?
The bare trunks do look rather majestic.
 More of Henry Moore's sculptures at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2008.
When the sun came out, it did make some rather nice shadows across the clumps of cyclamen.
 Here's a snowdrop which Katy very kindly bought for me - I love the blob of green (no, I won't be turning into a galanthophile, but I did like this pattern).  This one is Galanthus Elwesii and will be added to my garden soon.  It was lovely to be out and about.
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15 comments:

  1. Unknown18 February 2014 at 18:25

    Beautiful! So nice to see that flowers are flourishing somewhere! And I love the sculpture...thank you for sharing! Chrissie x

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    1. Ellie Foster18 February 2014 at 22:12

      Thanks, Chrissie. The snowdrops and cyclamen are certainly flourishing there! There is a mass of sculpture at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Elisabeth Frink, to name but three) and it is lovely to see the sculptures set in the landscape, rather than in a gallery. It is somewhere I would love to visit again (Angie Lewin is exhibiting at the moment, but only until this weekend I think, so I doubt I'll make it up there by then!).
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  2. Stins18 February 2014 at 20:37

    Looks like a little moustache on the last picture ;-).
    What a beautiful garden Ellie; when I see those pictures it makes me want to go on with our own plot!
    Love from Mirjam.

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    1. Ellie Foster18 February 2014 at 22:15

      Thanks, Mirjam. It does look like a moustache - I hadn't realised that until you said it - it made me laugh! It is a lovely place to visit, but has got a little too popular with lots of people visiting and a little more commercial than we like too. Perhaps next year, we'll visit some snowdrops closer to home. I did some pruning the other day - roses, buddleia and my autumn fruiting raspberries, but I hope I haven't been too early with it! There is still lots of time for ice and snow!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  3. Joy18 February 2014 at 23:36

    I did enjoy that visit Ellie, thank you so much. I don't think I've ever seen so many snowdrops in one place before - magic! The cyclamen come in such gorgeous colours - and so lovely to see them in their natural habitat, and I love the pretty snowdrop your friend so kindly bought for you. The tree trunks are very majestic standing there like guards. Thanks so much Ellie! Hugs, Joy x

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  4. Ellie Foster19 February 2014 at 09:33

    Thanks, Joy. It was a lovely visit. The drifts of snowdrops were really beautiful - a nice reminder that Spring isn't too far away. I was very lucky to be given the snowdrop and when it flowers next year, it will be a reminder of the visit.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  5. Annie Cholewa19 February 2014 at 10:30

    I just posted a pic of witch hazel on my blog ... it always make me smile. And those snowdrops ... wow!

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    1. Ellie Foster19 February 2014 at 12:26

      Thanks Annie. I saw your witch hazel and thought - ooh, I've posted about that too, but you beat me to a comment! There was also some wintersweet there with its waxy flowers, but sadly, I didn't get a photo. Snowdrops are one of my favourite flowers, giving us hope in the depths of winter.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  6. Hannapat19 February 2014 at 18:52

    What a gorgeous display of snowdrops, simply beautiful. I must plant some this year. Thanks for the gorgeous tour of the beautiful gardens and there are so many beautiful flowers out to brighten it all up. What a lovely day out! xoxo

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    1. Ellie Foster19 February 2014 at 22:16

      Thanks, Hannapat. It was a lovely day out and even the weather was on our side with a bit of sunshine occasionally. You can never have too many snowdrops in my opinion!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  7. cookie20 February 2014 at 16:15

    Beautiful photos. It looks like even the weather played it's part in a lovely day out.

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    1. Ellie Foster20 February 2014 at 19:59

      Thanks, cookie. The weather certainly helped - it was rather cloudy when we got there, but the sun eventually decided to come out.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  8. Josie20 February 2014 at 20:55

    Thank you for sharing such stunning photographs and reminding me that spring is on its way. I found your blog via google and am so glad I stopped by.

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    1. Ellie Foster21 February 2014 at 10:29

      Hello, welcome and thanks, Josie. It is always so lovely to 'meet' new bloggers. I really enjoy the changing seasons in the UK and try to incorporate these into my blog, usually in the form of visits or things happening in my own small garden. I hope that you will stop by again.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  9. sweetbriardreams23 February 2014 at 18:56

    It's so lovely to see the snowdrops and other spring bulbs making their appearance after all this weather. Spring is definitely on its way. x

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