Every September I try and go along to NT Baddesley Clinton to see the dahlia and scarecrow displays so one sunny afternoon last week B and I visited.
Timothy came too.
Dahlias
Although very beautiful the long dahlia bed if I am honest didn't seem quite as stunning as usual and this notice explained why.
Still lots of colour in the herbaceous borders.
Usually at this time of year there are butterflies on the dahlias and sedums but this year I saw none. However, on the way to the kitchen garden we saw quite a few Red Admirals feeding on rotting plums - sorry I couldn't get any closer to get a better image.
Scarecrows in the Kitchen Garden - this year the theme was the Wizard of Oz.
This was the closest Timothy would go to the Wicked Witch!
B discovered something I had missed in all the years I have been visiting Baddesley - this tall bird bath has a dedication to Edith Holden - sorry rubbish photo I couldn't get the camera high enough to get a picture of all the words but I will take a pen and paper next time I go and make a note of the words.
Nice display of cuddly toys in the gift shop - the lop-eared rabbits had very similar colourings to one of our rabbits - Pipkin (sadly no longer with us).
No cake - I had to get back to do a food shop :(
16 comments:
Very colourful but what a shame about the Dahlias!
I can't warm to Scarecrows for some reason. What a shame about the cake.
Treasurung blooms wherever I find them at the moment
What a fabuous place to visit and the Dahliaas look wonderful as does all the scarcrows. i have a Henry bear and he is going away soon with me toMalawi again. I am sure he would like Timithy. Have a great week ahead.
Toffeeapple - Thank you. It is a shame but there were still some lovely dahlia specimens.
I think scarecrows are a bit like marmite - you either love them or hate them :)
Simon Douglas Thompson - Thank you - good to still see autumn species flowering :)
Margaret Adamson - Thank you. Do hope you and Henry bear have a good time in Malawi - Timothy sends his best wishes :) Have a good week too.
What a shame they had an issue with their supplier, still the ones pictured still look stunning :) and it's always fun to see scarecrows!
Pam - Thanks Pam - perhaps not always a good idea to change your supplier :) There are a couple of villages round here - Lapworth and Hampton in Arden that have scarecrow festivals I've been to in the past - always fun :)
Such a shame the dahlias weren't quite so spectacular this year. It sounds as if the gardeners are working hard to sort it all out for next year. We saw some lovely dahlias at Biddulph Grange over the weekend although some had been cleared out and the beds dug over for the end of season. I love those wildlfe soft toy animals especially the hares and rabbits. Timothy was very brave to go so close to the wicked witch:)
Rosie - Thank you. Yes, hopefully will be as good as ever next year. I would love to return to Biddulph Grange - we only had about an hour there when we went as it was nearly closing time - the gardens were spectacular! :) and I would like to see the new fossil display. Very tempted by one of those cuddly toys - but OH was with me and he thinks (probably correctly!!) that I already have too may. I think Timothy is still recovering! :)
Yes, a village near me - Gildersome - has a big Scarecrow Festival every year, we take a map and a long walk around to see them, lot's of fun to see all the effort!
Pam - ooh that sounds fun. People go to so much trouble to make the most amazing creations :)
Timothy was very brave, I think, getting so close to the Wicked Witch, bless hims!
Not a huge fan of dahlias, but I don't know why that is, because they are such vibrant, stunning plants with so much texture and variety. The yew tree is quite spectacularly berried.
Deborah Rustic Pumpkin - Thank you. Timothy is still recovering!!! :)
I don't normally like bright bold showy flowers but for some reason I do like dahlias perhaps because my dad used to grow them.
Dahlias are such lovely blooms. Nice selection of scarecrows. Sadly our village seems to have dropped the scarecrow competition. Not enough entrants I think.
Midmarsh John - Thank you John - the variety of colours and shapes with dahlias is quite amazing :) What a shame about your village scarecrow competition.
Lovely event despite the problem they had with the flowers, I love the Dahlias and wish I had the space to grow them at home. You have taken some lovely photos.
Amanda xx
Amanda Peters - Thank you so much. I would love a small dahlia bed here too - keep trying to persuade OH to dig up some of the main lawn now the kids are grown up so we can have more flower borders!!
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