Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
I’ve been somewhat distracted since yesterday hence my blossom photo, of a Dogs’ Tooth Violet, isn’t the best but I still quite like it.
You’re probably wondering what could possibly have distracted me! Well, you could call it a blossoming because yesterday a whole new grandson came into my world and I am so happy I don’t know what to do with myself!
My friend has this most beautiful fragrant orchid. Most years it flowers abundantly and has a wonderful scent that fills the house when the suns warms it. It lives very happily in the conservatory, has densely packed stems and is about two feet wide and nearly as tall! It was given to her by a South African woman many years ago. I know there are some orchid experts following me, can any of you name it?
I’ve been to one of my favourite gardens today, looked after by the Royal Horticultural Society, Rosemoor is near Great Torrington and an hour from home. It’s a garden for all seasons and perhaps best known for its midsummer display of roses. Much as I love roses, it can be a bit busy there for me then and the rose garden is more formal than I like a garden to be.
At this time of the year its heaven, full of the earliest of spring flowers and shrubs and the trees look stunning in their nakedness. There is fragrance everywhere, most noticeably from Daphne, Viburnum and Box with the occasional waft of Eucalyptus. The most common snowdrops are coming to the end of their season but they have many varieties still looking fresh, crocuses are abundant, and the dwarf narcissi and hellebore are exquisite.
Rosemoor is divided into several sections, a winter garden, herbaceous, woodland, exotic and the original garden created by Lady Anne Palmer who gifted the 65 acres to the RHS. To reach Lady Anne’s garden you walk through a tunnel under the road towards the house which is surrounded by a more relaxed style of planting with Mediterranean area and the stone garden.
A very well planned vegetable garden produces an abundance of fresh food for the restaurant as well as seed for research. Right now the espaliered fruit trees are still dormant, but this really shows the skill involved in maintaining them. Strings of last season’s onions hang in a thatched summerhouse along with pumpkins, gourds and dried peppers and everywhere you walk there is an orchestra of birdsong.
Modern water features and ponds can be seen in the formal areas and there is a large lake stocked with Rudd and visited by ducks, and amphibians. The area around the lake has been refurbished since I was last there, smartened up and I prefer it as it was, but no doubt health and safety had to be considered, so it now has an improved path to the edge and a wooden bridge that I do like.
The icing on the cake today was a sculpture exhibition, a wonderful selection of art scattered throughout the garden, and great fun to turn a corner and find the next piece. It was all for sale and for those with a few thousand ponds to spare there were some very desirable things to choose from, my favourite was called ‘Refuge’ and of course was way beyond my reach.
I spent five hours happily wandering, it’s a very peaceful way to spend a day especially as the sun came out after lunch. Perhaps I will go back when the roses bloom or maybe when the vegetable garden reaches its zenith in August, whenever it will always be a delight!
I think I have created a pdf thingy of some of the Rosemoor sculpture photos I took, try clicking and let me know if it works!
I went to walk in Danes wood today hoping to see snowdrops. There were a few along the lane from Poltimore to Killerton but none in the woods. Disappointing, but never mind, I’ve found a photo from a couple of years ago.
Determined not to get too snowdrop depressed, this is what I took home instead.
I know. But I didn’t promise to be rational did I???
I woke up today feeling my usual upbeat, happy self but after awhile some gloom began to creep in. I started to think about some of the big challenges ahead this year. So this afternoon I walked the dogs in the park, chilly, but I was hatted and gloved and it was full of colour. These are some of the things I saw.
I’m not even going to bother telling you what caused my early morning wallow, I’m sure that somehow it will be okay and these little bursts of cheer have helped me to put my normal, positive head back on!
A waft of the most heavenly smell again today, I really love those rich plant perfumes! This one reminded me of a shrub I had planted in my old garden. I took my time to select the perfect variety because of space limitations and at the time my choice was quite hard to find. Mahonias are large prickly evergreens with four inch long tendrils of yellow flowers in early spring and my variety was Buckland. Apart from size, another reason it had to be this one, was that it was first bred by the late Lionel Fortescue, when he lived at the Garden House http://www.thegardenhouse.org.uk/ one of my very favourite gardens to visit, an hour away across Dartmoor. Seeing and catching the scent today made me wonder how my old garden is doing now, if the planting I did is appreciated.
Daffodowndillys
Today I saw my first daffodils, does this mean that it’s spring? I turned around a corner in the grounds at work and they they were, totally unexpected. Bright rays of sunshine flowering their little heads off. A great big smile from me, they made my day.
Today is Boxing day and feeling too stuffed with too much rich food, it was the day for a good walk along the canal path. The weather has been mild as the weather people keep telling us so I’m forced to use their cliche – unseasonably! The buddleia bushes have thrown up fresh, silver green leaves, instead of the mouldy brown you would expect in late December. Umbelliferous plants have buds on stems remaining from summer and new shoots bursting from the undergrowth – boy do they have a shock to come, unless we really are going to skip winter this year.
It was a very pale pink flower that drew me really close though
Yes I really did take this photo today in Devon!
As well as this one,
I decided against harvesting them, hopefully they will provide some smaller beastie with a treat for supper. Apart from anything else, legend has it that Old Nick himself pees on any blackberries after the tenth of October. I expect it’s an old wives tale started to protect children from the tiny worms that commonly infest hedgerow fruit at the end of the season.
They were still a delight to see!
For many years I have been visiting Dartington Hall in Devon, twenty five miles from home and have often raved about it to my friends. It’s a stunning place held as a trust began by the Elmhursts, a visionary family since the 1920’s. Part of the estate is farmland and woods as well as a landscaped garden. It’s a major centre for education and performance of arts and until last year was home to Dartington College before its move to Falmouth. Each summer it hosts a literature festival, Ways With Words, when for two weeks the grounds are filled with people relaxing between events. The festival attracts world class writers from all genres and my only criticism is that perhaps it is becoming increasingly high brow. I’ve photographed the grounds in all seasons, there is always something to see.
I think one of my favourite times to visit is February when the scent of witch hazel assails you before you can find it – unless like me you know just where it is.
But of course I’m really fond of snowdrops
Followed by the crocus
While I’m here, this is my dream office, it has the most amazing view of the valley 
and I’m sure I could be incredibly creative here if only they would let me have it instead of filling it with garden tools.
No prizes for guessing the sculptor!
It’s a permanent feature
unlike this one, resident for a few months and that I took lots of photos of.
Dartington has plenty of space for performance rehearsal
and quiet contemplation
The planting is elegant and striking
There’s a restaurant and bar,The White Hart, it’s name may have been inspired by this detail on the ceiling of the hall itself.
Places to climb 
Abundant summer flowers
Sunny benches
Shady walks where who knows what you may find.
But don’t let the gardener catch you doing this!
unless you can think of an excuse very quickly!
Dartington is special, I’ve loved sharing it with you and hope that you get to visit one day.
Shady walks
I’ve just subscribed to The Daily Post where each week there is a photo challenge. Here is my first attempt. I bought a compact macro for my CanonEos 450D about a year and a half ago and never have got to grips with it, my shots always disappoint me. I probably thought that just screwing it on would be enough for me to suddenly take amazing photos – wrong! Anyway today I had about 30 tries at the Echinacea, beginning on fully auto, hopeless as the flash cut in. Then I tried aperture value, slightly better, and then being really brave I went fully manual and this is the result. I’m not that pleased with the result but too lazy to get the tripod out to make it any better! I’ve signed up for a digital photography course with the Open University in October, so maybe…just maybe, I’ll make some progress.
Lucid Gypsy 