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A year in the life of...
Susan Allan's
Blog
26/07/10 - Susan Allan's Blog
Walk in the gardens 26
July 2010
It has been a miserable day weather-wise. But I was passing the gardens
and decided on the spur of the moment to wander round as the rain had stopped
and I had a coat and suitable footwear in the car with me. First thing I
saw of course was the new Interpretation centre! I knew that the garden
staff had been busy getting material ready for it but hadn’t realised
it was now open to visitors. It makes interesting reading even for someone
who has known the gardens for over 40 years. You can sit in out of the rain
there as well and I noticed some drawings by young visitors on the wall
and tables.
The Rhododendrons are mostly past now but Rh. Polar Bear is in full flower.
One specimen is near the entrance glade and another on Spring Bank. Rh.
Ariel in the old garden has a few lingering flowers. The herbaceous borders
are full of flowers as are the rose border. The smell from them was good
too. Generally in the garden there was a great fragrance. As I was walking
up towards the stables (the building including the potting sheds, gardener’s
office and toilets were originally stables) I got a distinct whiff of eucalyptus.
I met up with Cameron, the cat, in the walled garden. He’s a poor
old man of a cat now but was quite vociferous! No sign of the other cat
though. And I didn’t see any peacocks either or hear them!
There seems to be a reasonable crop of plums again this year but they won’t
be ready for a while yet. The plum jam has been very popular but I sold
the last jars last week.
On a day like this you can see just how dark it can be in the gardens when
the tree canopy is in full leaf. It is a wonder that any plants can grow
in some places. There is quite a contrast in the areas where trees have
come down in the gales.
After a comparatively dry June there is now plenty of water in the pond
garden!
I hope to make a more thorough tour of the garden next time I visit.
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