Jo's 2019 Review

Hello Everyone

Hope you are all keeping well. Mixed bag of weather this week with more rain on the way but we all know our gardens need it so let it rain. We are now reaching the end of this series of reviews as I'm writing about 2019 this week. I know it was only last year but I've found some photos I haven't shared before so this is another view of the garden you may not have seen.

Let's start with this view taken in January 2019, photo 1. I'm standing on the lawn in front of the side of the house looking towards Bowling Green Lawn. It includes part of the Front Lawn and part of the Headache Tree Bed with the Parrotia persica in the middle with a sea of white under it being the snowdrops already in flower. It was another good year for everything in the garden.

At the beginning of February we had snow for a couple of days. Not very much, just a sprinkling but enough to make everything bright and beautiful. Here is the Arboretum, photo 2 and the pathway down to the pond, photo 3. The snowdrops and crocus were everywhere in February. In Tom Tiddlers Ground, photo 4 and the Millennium Orchard, photo 5.

March was a beautiful month in the garden. It seemed as though Spring came early that year. Maybe it was the snow we had but everything burst into flower and there was colour everywhere. Even the Old Conservatory joined in although I'm not sure about the perspective of this photo, photo 6. The fruit trees in the Peach House were full of blossom. Here is a different view showing how wide the trees are, photo 7. Then there was the Magnolia in the Pergola Garden, photo 8. the daffodils on the Tulip Terrace, photo 9. The Scilla in the Rock Garden, photo 10. The dark pink Magnolia in the Rose Garden, photo 11. Then finally in March the Berberis darwinii, photo 12. This shrub is native to Chile and Argentina. It was named in honour of Charles Darwin in 1835 as it was discovered on the voyage of the 'Beagle'.

In April the fruit trees planted against the West Facing Wall in the Kitchen Garden were looking established, photo 13. The dogwood frames would have heritage sweet peas growing up them through out the summer.

Moving on to May. The Acer pseudoplantanus 'Brilliantisimum' looked beautiful. It looks yellow here but sometimes has a peachy hue to it and it creates a wonderful foil to the vibrant lilac coloured flowers of the Wisteria, photo 14. The Echiums in the bed on the New River lawn created quite a stir that year, photo 15. They were fabulous all through the summer. For a change I have included a photo from the other end of the Iris bed, photo 16. Stunning display which ever way you look at them.

In June the Cornus kousa took centre stage around the pond, photo 17 and the Medicinal Plants in the Kitchen Garden were looking vibrant in the sunshine, photo 18.

The Genista aetnensis, the Broom tree, maybe prostrate but it is never beaten, photo 19 (July 2019). The flowers are such a pure yellow they dazzle you in the sunshine. In the Bowles Bed in front of the house the Yucca was in flower as well photo 20 (July 2019). It is always a very striking plant.

Come August it was time for the Hostas to put on their show, photo 21.

In September it was the turn of the Sunflowers to make everyone stop and stare, photo 22. There was a real mix of colours and sizes but the Blue Tit didn't have any preference. It just enjoyed them all, photo 23.

October brought the Autumn colour to the garden. At the front of the house you were greeted by the beautiful Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', photo 24. Walking along the path towards the Pond you were greeted by a wonderful collage of colours, photo 25. In the Kitchen Garden the pumpkins and squashes had been harvested, a bumper crop that year, photo 26. The display of Pumpkin People playing chess was an inspired creation by Steph, photo 27. It was just fabulous.

In November the Taxodium distichum, the Swamp cypress, was truly impressive, photo 28. Here you can see the younger tree beginning to compete with it's older neighbour.

Then finally it's December and my last photo is the Pond, photo 29. Looking so different from October. You wonder where all the foliage has gone??

I hope you have enjoyed this look back over 2019 and that brings us to the end of this series of reviews.

Next week it might well be 'Back to the Future'!

Best Wishes

Jo