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Iford Manor (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1) ... I knew that Iford Manor was my kind of garden when I saw the statue of "Dying Gaul" perched on top of a wall. We can't afford one for our garden but we do have a little version inside the house - The garden continues uphill with areas that are naturalized as well as manicured  -  A very theatrical area with some of the statuary from Peto's travels - Peto loved curved benches. In addition to Italian gardens, he was influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement. Some think that his love of curved benches came from the paintings of Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Some copies of his works were found in Peto's files - "Expectations" by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema Small buildings also dotted the landscape - The largest building was the cloister which housed more of his classical treasures - There is even a Japanese garden - Various pathways and woodland trails led to a road above the gardens. This set of stairs was roped off, but there were more ...
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March coming in like a lamb



Saturday was such a beautiful day and one that made the promise of Spring a reality. The morning started off chilly as we headed out for our usual Saturday morning breakfast and errands (usually either Panerra or Bojangles, Panerra won out this week). By the time we got back home, the sun was out and the temperature was rising.

 It eventually climbed to 70, a nice balmy day with some wind but a warm wind. It felt so good to outside! I cut back the monkey grass and picked a bouquet of daffodils. We have two large clumps of daffodils blooming in the side garden, on the south side of the house. I noticed that the daffodils on the north and west side had not opened yet.

Unfortunately another blast of cold air arrived on Sunday night and plunged us back down in the 20s. This is supposed to be short-lived though and it will eventually get warmer during the week.




 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. organicgardendreamsMarch 4, 2014 at 1:11 PM

    Hi Phillip, your daffodils are so beautiful. Love your bouquet! Are the blue flowers in it sea lavender? Is this flowering in your garden right now, too? That would be very astonishing to me. Wishing you a lovely spring. Hopefully we all can enjoy a wonderful gardening season!
    Christina

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  2. Phillip OliverMarch 4, 2014 at 1:13 PM

    Hi Christina, yes, the daffodils are blooming but they were lying on the ground after the colder weather came in on Sunday night. I should have picked all of them. I'm not sure what the purple flower is - it came from a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store!

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  3. BeckyMarch 4, 2014 at 2:55 PM

    I think the blue flowers are statice. I envy your warm weather and daffodils. Here March came in like a polar bear. The snow pack will have to go before I see mine!

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  4. Lisa at GreenbowMarch 4, 2014 at 3:02 PM

    You lucky dog. I love seeing these beautiful spring flowers. We still have melting ice and snow. Hopefully by tomorrow it will all be gone. Not sure since it is to get down to 18 tonight. UGH.. I am so ready for warmth and these lovely spring beauties.

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  5. NicMarch 4, 2014 at 4:59 PM

    Beautiful! Meanwhile here the temperatures remain below freezing, although the witch hazels and snowdrops are desperately trying to flower the moment the sun comes out.

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  6. AaronMarch 4, 2014 at 5:30 PM

    March came in like a frozen lamb popsicle here in Middle TN!

    Hopefully we'll thaw out tomorrow...

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  7. WayneMarch 5, 2014 at 3:47 AM

    I'm happy to see spring is somewhere. We still have over 2 ft of snow. :-(
    But your pics give me hope that we're not too far behind.

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  8. Lynn HuntMarch 5, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    Phillip, your daffs are an inspiration and encouragement that spring might actually arrive one day! We played golf on Sunday and did some gardening but we're back to the deep freeze in the next day or so. I wish this weather would make up its mind!

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  9. Edith KentMarch 5, 2014 at 4:30 PM

    Beautiful photos Phillip. My daffodils are pretty but I didn't get pix this good.

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  10. EveMarch 6, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Outstanding photos Phillip! That cold blast was rough on the daffodils, mine weren't fully out yet. Hope they come back to life this weekend and the air warms a bit more.

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  11. EveMarch 6, 2014 at 4:23 PM

    PS the purple flowers are Statice flowers. They are very popular in floral arrangements. I've never grown them.

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  12. CarolMarch 7, 2014 at 12:53 PM

    We got a cold icy storm Monday night. Really got to some of my plants. We lost lots of limbs and trees, but thankfully, hubbie found someone to clean it up for us and all was better when I got home Wednesday. My beautiful Magnolia took a hard hit. Really ready to get to spring!

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  13. LesMarch 8, 2014 at 5:44 AM

    We went from 73 last Sunday to snow on Monday. Cold rain all week after that, and finally today the sun is out and it is supposed to get to 60. I would work in the garden today, but the soil is like chocolate pudding.

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  14. SwimrayMarch 8, 2014 at 2:59 PM

    As I enjoy your spring treats, today was our first spring day here in Virginia. . . Finally. Monday was snow, and today was jacket- less. I look forward to the days when my daffodils look like yours.
    -Ray

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