Stourhead (Wiltshire, England)
Stourhead is one of the most famous gardens in England. This massive estate includes a Palladian house and park-like garden (2300 acres!) that surrounds a huge man-made lake. It is one picture-perfect view after another. The expression "a living work of art" certainly applies here. Now, to my embarrassment, I missed some of the main features, including the house! I don't know how it happened, as I had a nourishing English-style breakfast, I wasn't under the influence of anything, and I even had a map of the premises. Looking at a map of the grounds of Stourhead now, I can see that the house is situated in an unusual location, removed from the main house and the visitor entrance. It is past the Stable Yard, which wasn't that interesting and I had turned around and headed back to the entrance and our bus (I had already walked around the lake and gardens). I regret that I missed the house. Henry Hoare II inherited Stourhead in 1717 when he was twenty. He built the...
Your garden looks stupendous this August, especially given the recent heatwave. My Osteospermums mostly shut down flower production during the summer months (although, when I'm lucky, the plants themselves don't perish). My snapdragons are done and gone. The chaste tree I planted years ago from a tiny pot is still small and hasn't flowered but I haven't given up on it. Oddly, I haven't even seen flowers on my Hesperaloes this year - maybe too little water even for them :(
ReplyDeleteThe photo of Yucca 'Coral Glow' is looking very nice against the weeping cedar. It's not often that you shoot this angle of the garden. It looks to be a dark leaf Euphorbia in the back. Do you know which it is?
ReplyDeleteChavli
Chavli, that is Euphorbia 'Blackbird'. This bed is along the elevated retaining wall next to the driveway (that goes downhill). It has been a challenge finding things that grow well there.
Delete