On the final day of B and E's trip to the Isle of Man I took myself off to Hidcote. I've visited Hidcote twice before many years ago when D and E were younger and fell in love with the gardens especially the idea of "garden rooms" and the huge amount of perennials there. We went in August so the famous "red" borders were at their best. I've wanted to return for years and really should have visited again before now as it is only one to one and a quarter hours from home. It was very busy there but I would imagine these world famous gardens always are.
The gardens cover 10.5 acres (4 hectares) and follow the "Arts and Craft" principle consisting of formal garden "rooms" near the house and a more naturalistic style further away. They were created by Major Lawrence Waterbury Johnston (1871-1958) who was an American who had taken British citizenship. He enjoyed hosting garden parties there where tennis, badminton and squash were played. He made friends with many gardeners of the era who thought along the same lines as he did and he was also a plant hunter who collected rare and exotic species for his garden. He introduced over seventy plants into cultivation for example Hypericum "Hidcote", Lavendula "Hidcote" and Verbena "Lawrence Johnston" which are still grown today.
In 1907 he bought Hidcote and lived there with his mother Gertrude Winthrop. He began to redesign the gardens working in phases first creating the garden "rooms" near the house in Arts and Craft style. Following service in the First World War he returned to Hidcote in 1919. His mother had bought additional land enabling him to extend the gardens. By the 1920's and 1930's the garden was complete and Johnston started to stock it with plants many of which he had collected himself.
Johnston's horticultural "bible" was "The Art and Craft of Garden Making" by Thomas H Mawson who followed the Arts and Craft style. Johnston also drew influences from many other plantsmen and garden designers of the period.
The gardens were even more beautiful than I remembered and so there are quite a lot of photos in this post! although not too many words. I have mentioned the name of various parts of the garden where known which I hope are correct but there again I did go back and forth a lot and returned to areas which may somewhat have confused the issue!! Sadly, I didn't have a huge amount of time as I had to get home for family chauffeuring so there were some areas I did not have time to explore such as the Wilderness, the Great Lawn, the Alpine Terrace, The Beech allee, Limes Arbour, Long Walk and the Central and Lower Stream Gardens.
East Court Garden
The Series of garden "rooms" close to the house were my favourite area
The Maple Garden
I didn't get names of all the gardens I visited in this area but they included The Green Circle, The Poppy Garden and the White Garden
The Fuschia Garden
The Cosmos flowers here will look lovely when in full bloom
The Bathing Pool
Mrs Winthrop's Garden? - there are that many garden "rooms" it is easy to get confused!
The Upper Stream Garden
Great Lawn
Pillar Garden with clipped yew pillars
Rock Bank
I've seen these flowers in other National Trust gardens and they always attract bees and hoverflies. I looked in the plant centre before leaving but unfortunately couldn't find any to buy.
A viewpoint over the Gloucestershire countryside.
Stilt Garden with its pleached hornbeams.
The Red Borders - this part of the garden was cordoned off - it will look stunning in a few weeks.
Gazebos - sorry the second photo only shows part of the gazebo - there were too many people round this area to get a photo of the whole building.
The Lilac Garden
The Kitchen Garden
The Plant House - again heaving with people so I couldn't get a photo showing the whole of the interior
Lily Pond
The Long Borders (again a lot of people so I only managed one photo of the whole borders)
The Orchards
And finally back at the manor house
I visited the shop and then had a cup of tea and a blackcurrant flapjack in the tearoom. Note the scones to take home!!
A quick wander round the plant centre and I did buy one of these Hidcote Lavenders.
I certainly plan to return more regularly as these gardens would look gorgeous whichever time of year you visited. A few hundred yards from Hidcote are the Kiftsgate Gardens which also look worth a visit.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
Reference - NT Guide Book to Hidcote
17 comments:
I would love to visit these gardens, the Lilac garden especially looks beautiful! I think i'd come away wanting all the plants for my tiny garden! Also the flapjack looks delicious!
Isn't Hidcote something else? I love Hidcote lavender as one of my favourites, for it goes well with the smaller patio roses in my garden. Timothy looks beside himself next to the bag of scones. How wonderful your trip, even if you had to cut it short, for it looks as if you had the place almost completely to yourself. All those smaller spaces, so easy to cherry pick ideas for your own garden!
I've got a rambler rose, "Kiftsgate" - it has grown up through a biggish Hawthorn tree and gives me an "umbrella" of flowers over the canopy. Stunning. Grows to 50 feet (you have been warned!)
What an absolutely stunning garden - as usual, just wish I was nearer! I especially love those borders crammed with plants which just gently sway over the path edges. Amazing plantings and as you said, a place to visit month by month really as it must evolve wonderfully.
Thank you for sharing.
P.S. That yellow flower might be one of the Echinaceas (Cone FLower) - the bees love those. I nearly bought one at Malvern yesterday but succombed to a hot pink Scabious instead.
Pam - Thank you. There is something about Hidcote that is very special. I had to resist temptation in the plant centre!!!
Rustic Pumpkin - Thank you and yes Hidcote is just amazing. Lavender would look super with patio roses. Some of our garden lavender is quite old so I am keen to make sure I have some new plants! Appearances are deceptive the place was teeming with people. Luckily it is large so easy to escape but in the garden rooms I had to wait for people to leave to get photos! As you say so easy to get ideas for your own garden.
Bovey Belle - Thank you and Kiftsgate sounds amazing - will look out for one of those.
I hope one day you can find a buyer for your lovely house and move closer.
You could be right about the yellow flower. I have recently bought two more Echinaceas as I keep losing the ones I have :( I had a gorgeous pink cone flower which bees loved but sadly lost that too :( Hot pink scabious sounds gorgeous - I had a chocolate one but another plant that I lost :(
Hidcote is of the gardens, along with Great Dixter, that I would love to visit one day. I remember the garden rooms at Sissinghurst and I love that idea. Looks as if you had a super day and I've enjoyed all your photos:)
What a beautiful trek. Garden rooms are great ideas. Here we call our outdoor garden space near our connected to our homes the Arizona Room. It's a place where you can eat or have your coffee with friends outside. I love the spaces.
Rosie - Thank you. So pleased you enjoyed the photos :) I would love to go to Great Dixter too and of course Sissinghurst. There is something so lovely about the idea of garden "rooms".
Rohrerbot - Thanks Chris. What a lovely name you give your garden outdoor space. I remember your posts on your garden and it was so lovely and I am still envious of your hummingbirds! :)
Hidcote is lovely....do go to kitsgate..
if you are in the area of Great Dixter I preferred Pashley Manor Gardens :)
The Quacks of Life - Thank you and I will even if I have to make it a separate trip :) Thanks also for tip on Pashley Manor Gardens :)
The Quacks of Life - Just realised where exactly Great Dixter is - my son is on about going to Battle and a re-enactment so might at some stage be in the area. Trouble is will be possibly October when gardens perhaps not at their best!!!
The Quacks of Life - Pashley Manor in the area too! You are right the gardens there do look rather lovely.
It is such a lovely place, I just love all the different garden rooms, but like Pam I think my favourite is the The Lilac Garden. Have not been anywhere like this, this year so have enjoyed looking through your photos. I would love to see what it is like round Christmas time.
I would have got some of the Lavender, but it's one of those plants I don't seem to grow well in my garden! I just love the smell, out of a tin is not the same.
Amanda xx
Amanda Peters - Thanks so much. I liked the Lilac Garden too - I would imagine it would be good in the winter due to the yew hedges and topiary etc. Not sure if they are open though so would have to check.
Lavender does ok here although I have lost a few over the years. I much prefer fresh lavender to some of the so-called lavender products you can buy. I used to dry the flower heads though but now I leave them for the birds as Goldfinches seem to like the seedheads :)
I love Hidcote gardens when I visited a few years ago.
A friend told me that the nearby Kiftsgate gardens are better. I have not yet had the opportunity to visit.
CherryPie - Thank you. Hidcoteis sublime. Interesting though what your friend said about Kiftsgate which is very close. My original plan was to visit both but in the end I went on a different day and didn't have enough time. Kiftsgate was open when I got there but closed when I left about 2.30.
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