Baumber Walled Garden

There are quite a few photos in this post, but I feel justified in including them, as this is the first garden visit I have had since June 2019!  We headed out last Tuesday and although the weather was a bit unsettled, with some showers, it was lovely to be out with my friends Katy and Alison.  Baumber Walled Garden is set in an old walled garden, as the name would suggest.  It is unusual as it has a double wall and the area in between has been planted up on a couple of sides.  You can read about it here and the history of the garden is here,

It is definitely not a traditional kitchen garden and has lots of different areas.  There is a large swimming pond and lots of grasses have been planted around it.

Some areas had an exotic feel.

You can see the swimming pond better in this photo.

They hold weddings at the garden and the marquee in the photo is evidence of this.

This relatively simple planting of alliums, where just the seed heads remain, together with the lavender was very eyecatching.

A white and green border led up to this little arch - perfect for romantic wedding photos.

The white and green theme continued on the other side.

Another area contained this interesting oriental structure, complete with replica terracotta warriors.

This perennial and shady border beneath the trees was one of the in-between-the-walls areas.

More grasses were dotted about in different beds.

On the wall where the greenhouses once stood is a lovely beachy area.

The grasses here become the waves as they dance in the wind...

...I think there were four types of plant to make this area, but it was really effective.

Looking across the swimming pond on the way out.

Looking back the other way.  Katy and Alison knew I would love this garden and they were right.  It has lots of quirky features and some fabulous planting.  There is also a very good tearoom which, of course, we had to try and I had a wonderful time.  They also have plants for sale and yes, I came home with one - a Rhodanthemum 'Marrakech' which is a plant I have been after for a while.  

I foresee more visits in the future.

Lavender Shortbread

 I have had some lovely blog swaps this year and you may remember I received a lavender shortbread mix in my 'From My Home to Yours' swap from Emma in Jersey. Chris not so subtly reminded me that I hadn't made the shortbread, so I thought I should get on with it.

However, I was a little nervous as I remembered Norman's lavender meringue (photo from telegraph.co.uk) from this year's Great British Bake Off and I hoped that the lavender flavouring wouldn't be quite so strident as that.  Mary Berry said she hadn't tried lavender meringue before and didn't want to again!  In the dry mix, the lavender wasn't really that evident, but once the butter was added, it showed itself!

 The biscuits were absolutely delicious, with a delicate but definite taste of lavender.

We took some to work and our colleagues agreed how lovely they were.  Many thanks to Emma for sending me the mix as I'm not sure I would have tried it otherwise and I would have been missing a treat!

Garden Visit - The Garden House, Saxby (part 2)

 Here are the rest of the photos from our visit.  This was the first time we had seen the roses in bloom in this part of the garden.

 There was a beautiful combination of roses and penstemon here (possibly Penstemon 'Heavenly Blue', 'Sour Grapes' or 'Alice Hindley').

 Further along there was an introduction of deep red with another penstemon (Garnet?).

 Looking back through the garden the other way.  I do like the formality of the hard landscaping and the yew and box contrasted with the 'floofy' penstemon.  (I really should find a more technical term for floofy - exuberant, perhaps?)

 We walked through more wildflower meadow down to the pond and saw flashes of purple (a type of knapweed, I think).  There were lots of insects about and they seemed drawn to either my hat or my suncream!

 This was the first time we had visited in time to see the lovely wildflowers and grasses.  Usually, we visit before it has grown up or after it has been cut down. 

 We kept seeing flashes of the most brilliant blue which, I later discovered, is the male Damselfly.  We noticed one had landed but on closer inspection, he had landed for a purpose!  A polite term is the male and female 'in tandem', so I shall stick with that!

 Walking back towards a much looked forward to cup of tea, the lavender path gave a lovely vista of the surrounding fields.

 Back through one of my favourite areas, the Cathedral Garden.  Meditative, quiet space, full of greens - pleached limes, grass and hedge - three elements working together so well.

Another view of the space.
We really enjoyed out visit and I am looking forward to the next one...

Also, today is our 20th wedding anniversary - I can't believe that it was so long ago!  Those years have just flown by!

Garden Visit - The Garden House, Saxby (part 1)

 Yesterday, on a really hot and sunny day, Chris and I went to my favourite local garden, The Garden House, Saxby, which has appeared several times on my blog.  On previous visits, we had not managed to visit in time to see the meadow, so I was really hoping we would see it!  I wasn't disappointed.  Initially, it was a haze of white ox-eye daisies and plantains.

Then we could see subtle pinks... (This photo reminds me of an Angie Lewin woodcut or lino print - something like this?)

Angie Lewin - Meadow II

(After that little interlude, back to the visit.) 
..and then the bright red of poppies...

 ...contrasting beautifully with blue cornflowers.  A perfect combination.

 This is one of my favourite photos from this visit.

 A little further on, there were a few irises still flowering. Chris really liked the caramel and butterscotch tones of this one (we think it was 'Howard Weed').

 However, I preferred the pinks and purple of this one.

 I do love to see what I call 'floofy' planting, and this is where my garden cannot compare to one like this, as they have the space to plant in huge drifts, which look amazing.  My poor plants don't have the space to be drifts and have to jostle and crowd one another. I suppose if I stuck to fewer varieties, I could then have more of each one, but "my name is Ellie and I'm a plantaholic", so that would never work!

 The obelisk garden provided a view of greens and yellow.

 More lovely planting, with red hot pokers looking red hot!

More drifts of pastel colours, with a touch of terracotta, for contrast.

 Some varieties of lavender were just starting to flower and the scent wafted alongside us as we walked up here.

The Tudor/Elizabethan gardener sculpture was almost hidden by the rose leaves. 

(More photos of the rest of the visit in my next post.)



Saltfleetby

The pictures featured in this post were taken at Saltfleetby on the Lincolnshire coast. This is a huge expanse of sand near to the Donna Nook bombing range. However, to get to the sand, you have to cross a large area of tidal mud flats. This journey caused us much hilarity as we lost our flip flops several times and got ourselves covered in mud! Once we reached the beach it was wonderful, as we were virtually the only people there. I may use elements of these photos to create a piece of felt. I particularly like the purple of the sea lavender.