Sissinghurst: Final Installment

It's time to finish up our little tour. I hope you enjoyed Part One and Part Two.

Before I start, I wanted to mention that I came across this book,V. Sackville-West The Illustrated Garden Book, A New Anthology by Robin Lane Fox. I just had to have it (that it was bargain priced was added incentive). As you may know, I love the month to month format and skipped right to May, since this was time period of my visit. Having read the introduction, I realized that the book was not exactly as I had thought when purchased, but nonetheless quite interesting. I had thought that it would tell me what Sissinghurst is like each month...and it does, sort of. It is, though, a collection of columns by Ms. Sackville-West that the editor believes many of which are not in her already published books. So, while the columns are delightful (more on that in a minute), it is not a book of see-this, see-that, etc. in May at Sissinghurst. Which, I suppose, upon reflection, is actually good since it is now too late for me to see those things and I can only hope I saw the highlights! What I did see was wonderfully enjoyable, but I am sure you could visit on a daily basis and see new things.

To the book, though....The first column in May is entitled Carpeting. Carpeting? Ah, ground covers! I laughed with delight because this is my current focus. If I needed a push or a pat on the back, or just a "Do It!", this column provided it. There in words written many years ago are my thoughts come to life backed by someone who put it in practice. In other words, you can choose what to fill a space or Mother Nature will. Ms. Sackville-West was not overly fond of bare spots and actually says "cram, cram, cram" with regard to placing plants and finding room for the next one. Vita, Vita, where have you been all my life??! (I am ashamed to admit that this is the first of her works I have read...correction, am reading.) That is exactly my philosphy although my humble small garden is no Sissinghurst (or will be), but it is crammed, crammed, crammed! I wouldn't have it any other way!

So, now I am eager to get on to the other months (as they come!) and I'll turn back to April because, you see, the columns are more like gardening conversations. I have begun to see why she was so adored and her columns generated such response.

On to the pictures...with a few notes...as I mentioned in a previous post, there were more than few people there. It was difficult, no downright hard, to get pictures without people in them. I hope you'll excuse the folks that pop up in these. Couldn't be helped. They were there for a wonderful experience, too...and who can mind a garden enjoyed by people who love it?


























*****
"...the more do I become convinced that a great secret of good gardening lies in covering every patch of the ground with some suitable carpeter." (page 69)

"...to follow my advice of cram, cram, cram every chink and cranny." (page 69)

*****
All pictures clickable

Some Sissinghurst Flowers

Okay, a small addendum to the final installment...surely you won't mind, right?


Clematis 'Asao'

Ficus Carica 'Brown Turkey'


Gladiolus Tristis

Clematis macropetala 'Maidwell Hall'

Columbines




Lupine

Wisteria

Daffodils in the meadow

Sissinghurst Trilliums

Wordless Wednesday: Sissinghurst

Garden Trips: Sissinghurst (Part Duex)

Let's resume our visit to Sissinghurst, shall we?

We'll call this "Sissinghurst From Above".


This picture is looking down at the entrance. Beyond the entrance, the building that you see up and to the right is where the National Trust Gift Shop is and beyond that, is a small cafeteria. To get to where we are, you enter a narrow tower with even narrower stairs (room for one and a half persons...meaning, if you meet someone coming up or down, one of you has to turn to the side.). These steps lead up to Vita Sackville-West's office...where you can peek in and think she has just left for a moment...and where she had views of her gardens to gaze down upon. Beyond Vita's office, is the roof...where we are now perched.


Here you can get some idea that Sissinghurst sits out in the countryside.



A close up of the garden you glimpse in the previous photo.














Well, that's all for today. I think you call tell that there's lots to explore. In another post, we'll get a closer look at some the gardens you're seeing from above.

Garden Trips: Sissinghurst

It's cold outside. Snow is everywhere. Schools are closed. Let's go somewhere fun!

Sissinghurst



Castle Garden is the famed garden of Vita Sackville-West and her husband Sir Harold Nicholson. It is now part of the National Trust scheme (as the British say) as the taxes due upon the deaths of Sackville-West and Nicholson would have caused the sale and loss of the garden(s). Sir Harold made arrangements with the National Trust to take over the properties upon his death (and after Vita's) so that the gardens would remain. We were told their son still lives on the property in a home on one corner.

It was crowded on the May day in 2006 that we arrived. Lots of avid gardeners eager to see everything and, in some areas, it was a tight squeeze. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful English spring day and the showers that came out later didn't deter a single one of us.

Isn't this fun?



Or this?



But, I know what you really want to see are some beautiful flowers:










How about some long views:











I hope you enjoyed our little tour! There's still more to come (another time), some views from the tower (you can see so far!), trilliums (I love trilliums!) and assorted other views.