Thursday, June 14, 2007

Gardens through Time










After the Rose revolution border, and the Kitchen garden the path leads to a series of seven connected gardens.They were televised in 2004 as part of the BBC's Gardens through time.I have a book which traces the history of gardens from the Pre Roman days up to the 20th century.The interest is what plants and flowers people were growing, and how the fashion of the day has shaped those gardens.As we look forward we always look back too.











There is a Georgian garden from the 1700's, a Victorian garden, A matterhorn Alpine garden from 1890 (which i cant remember seeing.parts of the gardens were closed off), A Jekyll-Lutens garden which will get its own post, a 1951 festival of Britain garden, a 1970's outdoor room garden, and the final one is a Diarmuid Gavin Contempory garden.









Pictured above are the Victorian Pagoda which is strikingly red, but appeared to be stood behind thick shrubs accessible nowhere from the garden.
I am actually in a photo above, sat in a Follie.I thought it looked like a traditional african hut with the willow roof.I love the ideas of follies, shady comfy seats where you can watch the garden, and smell the flowers.The 18th century used follies and great seats around country estates for the owners to enjoy the views.
We have comfy chairs and tables now, an advancement from the follies of old.







An unknown flower bud, and in the victorian garden a row of Strawberry plants below a stone wall. One of the flowers is a pink, the other one is unknown to me :)






The final two pictures show the Auricula theatre, and inside a walk through shed, lots of fried flower heads, and seedheads. Old fashioned room decorations taken from the garden.It is from a Alium.There were certainly plenty of Aliums to dry seedheads from all over the gardens.
Next stop the Spectacular Jekyll-Lutyens Garden...

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