Skip to main content

Featured

Kiftsgate Court Gardens

Just right down the road from Hidcote is Kiftsgate Court Gardens. This garden was created by Heather Muir beginning in the 1920s. Muir's daughter, Diany Binny, came to live at Kiftsgate in 1954. She would add the half-moon pool and redesigned the white garden. She also first opened the garden to the public. Today, the tradition continues as granddaughter Anne Chambers and her husband maintain the gardens.    Heather Muir was a friend and neighbor of Hidcote's Lawrence Johnston (their houses are within one mile of each other), and he inspired her in the garden's design. However, the two gardens differ in character and have their own unique characteristics. While Johnston's garden is laid out in strict geometric lines, Muir took a more naturalistic approach. Muir added many heirloom shrub roses to the garden and is famous for the 'Kiftsgate' rose, which occurred from a seedling in the garden. Unfortunately, we were too early for the roses. There were a few like t...

Japanese Silver Grass "Cabaret"

Japanese Silver Grass "Cabaret" (Miscanthus sinensis) - It flops like crazy and gets much larger than I expected. We have been very dry for the past month and need rain really bad. The ornamental grasses, however, do not seem to mind at all.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I don't think anything fazes the big grasses. Pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It drives me crazy when plants flop like that! My Karley Rose grass flops after every rainfall, but quickly pops back up once it dries. But it's strictly a summer grass. The seed heads shatter and don't look like much in winter.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts