Tuesday 20 May 2014

Hidcote

 
 
Hidcote Manor Garden, in the North Cotswolds.
 
An Arts and Crafts garden, this is one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever been in. Lawrence Johnston began to create the garden in 1907 and over the space of 30 years he transformed a field containing just a few trees to a magnificent garden. It consists of at least 12 outdoor rooms
which are colourful and intricately designed, connected by a maze of narrow paved pathways. Added to that are great open vistas, a wood, a large section of 'wilderness', a kitchen garden, an orchard, great lawns, a tennis court, a bathing pool, a pond, and so much more.
 
The first time we visited was in the middle of winter and it was a delight then - but this week's visit was something else: everything was bursting with colour and it was magnificent.

 
 
 

 
By the side of the house, near the White Garden and the Maple Garden.

 
 


The Maple Garden, and in the distance one of the stone thatched cottages that were once home to the gardeners.






One of the maples, the copper colour bright in the sunshine





One of the delights of the many rooms is that there are so many openings from which to look through to another of the rooms
 
 
 



The tulips in the Old Garden were in full bloom






The honey coloured Cotswold stone always a delight
 
 
 



another look at those tulips


 
 


Everything is connected with paved pathways and seeing through to the next room is always a pleasure
 
 
 



a magnificent rhododendron




 
The Circle, a symphony of blue and lilac
 

 
 
 

 
and the iris are stunning
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 


peeping through





some open spaces too, in contrast to the intimacy of the 'rooms'




 
The entrance to the Bathing Pool section framed by topiary of two birds
 
 
 
 

 
the steps down to the Bathing Pool - every single detail is carefully thought out in this garden
 
 
 


 
The Bathing Pool
 
 
 

 
looking closer
 
 

 

looking at the Bathing Pool through the hedge opening - so much in this garden is framed





a delightful little garden house




 

with modern murals
 
 

 


old tiles





and more modern murals
 




 
The Poppy Garden
 
 
 

 
The Upper Stream Garden
 
 





Moving on to the Central Stream Garden





 
over the bridge
 
 

 
 


The spectacular wisteria covering the Tool Shed






one more photograph
 
 
 



walking out of the Tool Shed I found myself under and inside the wisteria





the scent was heady





 
The Lily Pool which is by the Plant House
 

 
 

 
One of the four wisteria trees at the end of the Long Borders
 

 
 

 
The Orchard
 

 
 

 

and then we entered The Wood
 
 

 

 
The Beech Allee
 

 
 

 
peaceful and cool and we seemed to be the only people there on a hot and very busy day
 

 
 







The Great Lawn, and I loved the curved line of the hedge






beautiful, colourful  borders
 
 
 

 
 

The Stilt Garden, leading
 
 
 
 
 
 
on to fields with the most spectacular views of the Cotswold countryside
 
 

 
 
 
looking closer
 
 




The Pillar Garden






The Rock Bank
 
 


 
The Long Walk
 

 
 
 


which lead to the edge of the garden and more spectacular views of the Cotswolds





The Wilderness





 
The Wilderness still
 

 
 


between the Hudrangea Corner and the Central Stream Garden






Mrs Winthrop's Garden





a round stepping stone over the stream leading on to




 
The Lime Bower
 

 
 


some colour





retracing our steps




 
another look at The Long Walk
 
 

 
 

and then we found ourselves  in The Bathing Pool Garden again, and noticed this lone Himalayan Poppy





a stunning flower

 
 


and a stunning blue.
 
 
 
 
 
and when Ken went to the shop, I stood under the dogwood, or handkerchief tree.
 
'This place is a jungle of beauty; a jungle controlled by a single mind; a jungle never allowed to deteriorate into a mere jungle, but always kept in bounds by a master hand': Vita Sackville-West.
 
 
 
A long post? Absolutely. And yet I have shown only a fraction of this extraordinary garden.
 
 
 


2 comments:

  1. It is indeed such a beautiful garden, especially at this time of year. I always think how wonderful life must have been for those wealthy enough to develop such gardens in those days, and be able to enjoy them without the visiting hordes of today! I seem to remember reading that the soil was not suitable for a great many of the plants which Lawrence Johnston wanted to grow, so he imported tonnes and tonnes of appropriate earth.
    I too enjoy the one-room-into-another views.

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  2. Johnston was obviously driven - the beauty of the garden is a testament to that, and your story of importing soil confirms it. We've been so lucky with the weather recently Olga, and it's such a pleasure visiting all those gardens which as you say, were only accessible to a handful in the past.

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