The cottage gardens at RHS Hyde Hall

On Sunday while MOH was cycling 102 miles around Essex (he completed it in just under seven hours if you wondered) I thought I'd do something less boring instead, as that old TV programme said.  It's Why Don't You? I think you'll find. No problem.  But anyway, I took myself off to RHS Hyde Hall.

My visit got off to a confusing start. The lady giving out the maps asked me if I wanted to go to the playground first as she started pointing things out. And she looked at me strangely when I said I thought I was probably a bit old for the playground. Or she must have thought me daft, because she persisted and wondered if my children might like to go there.

My turn to look confused now, because as you know I don't have any children. She looked behind me and so did I. And guess what I saw? Three small pairs of eyes looking between me and and the map lady.  I'm not sure she believed me when I said I'd never seen them before, but when they ran back to their mum she seemed content that I didn't need instructions to the playground after all.

I headed off and instead of heading up to the hilltop gardens first I took a left and headed for the cottage gardens. Yes, there's two of them. I headed into the Modern Cottage Garden first and this was the view I was met with.

If you're wondering what makes a cottage garden modern, I think it's partly down to the layout which when viewed on the map had a tetris like layout, rather than the more fluid beds of the traditional cottage garden next door.  The planting too was different, with the more traditional cottage garden plants like angelica and hollyhocks in as you've guessed the traditional cottage garden.

Like many places there seem to have been a lot of poppies this year, and now there's a lot of seed heads. I found one though that was a little different...

AN S SEED HEAD

The paths were lined with hostas, in fact the same sort that I have in my own garden where I've discovered they make a great edging plant, just as they've used them here. The grasses gave lots of movement and I loved the golden, much taller grass.

In amongst the grasses I spotted this bright pink flower, I've no idea what it is but I knew I liked it.

In another corner I found an area of orange spikes, and I was reminded that I'd not seen my red hot poker plant at home this year. I know these aren't red hot pokers, but they jogged my memory.

At the end of the Modern Cottage Garden there was a gap in the hedge into the Cottage Garden.  And straight into a ginormous patch of angelica.  And like mine, it's in flower.

When I moved past the angelica my view was very cottage garden.

In both of the cottage gardens there were plenty of benches and that was lovely, and hardly any were being used either. So my top tip if you want a sit down is to try here. You'll have a fabulous view too.

And once again the roses were calling me. This chunky wigwam frame was almost completely covered with a climbing rose.

Feeling refreshed after a blast of dense planting I left the cottage gardens to explore further afield - and you know what, I never did make it to the playground!

Beautiful Beaugency, and roses too!

I've already said that I arrived in Beaugency with a bump, but in actual fact it was more of a crash landing after I somehow misjudged the kerb and parted company with my bike, much to MOH's amusement. And my own too, once I'd picked myself up and realised there was no damage. In my last post from our Loire cycle tour I showed you the effortlessly pretty garden (and bike park) at our hotel in Beaugency. 

Today there's pictures from this pretty, picturesque town which in some ways reminded me of Devon villages with its streams running alongside the roads. But warmer, well on the days we were there anyway.

It's been the site of numerous military conflicts and has been occupied on four occasions by the English, I wonder if it was as pretty then and if that influenced their decision?

Being directly on the Loire, Beaugency was an important commercial centre and like many its role changed when trade moved from the river to rail and it became a market town for the surrounding farms. Today it retains some of that, but relies on tourism too.

Our sightseeing here was on the streets, we hadn't moved into full chateau-mode here but like all of the towns we visited it had its own. We were content with a wander and some cycling around its streets and capturing its prettiness on camera.

The Hotel de Ville was pretty impressive though; the detail on this 16th century building is amazing and it was definitely one of those the-more-you-looked-the-more-you-saw kind of places.

Our hotel was at the end of this pretty street. And you wouldn't know it - because they're not in the shot - but there's two restaurants in this road too. We ate in one and I had the largest piece of bavette steak I've ever had. It's a cut of meat I'm a fan of here in the UK too, but this one was fantastic.

Many of the houses had rambling roses growing up them and that added to the charm of the place.  These tightly packed roses were one of my favourites and they are the first of many rose pictures to follow as the flower of our holiday was scented roses. 

I think I may be just becoming a fan...

Shabby chic. For real.

I ended yesterday's post on our cycle to Beaugency saying that sometimes just because you're cycling you see parts of hotels that you might not otherwise see. It was true in Melton Mowbray when we "parked" in the compound, a real working part of the hotel. In Beaugency though the garage included a small pretty courtyard garden and a much larger store which intrigued me, but more on that in a moment.

First the courtyard garden, of course it helped that it was sunny, but it was packed full of plants - some roses, lots of geraniums and some plastic garden furniture. Bizarrely the orange chair fits right in and adds to the charm, the mirror leant against the stone wall is also a lovely touch.  Both of these aren't things we typically go for in our gardens, but seeing how well they work here I think we should all be braver!

The row of pots above separated the small garden from an area of bike racks, and it's a good reminder that a collection of pots can be arranged in a row to define spaces. And just look at those succulents at the start of the line in metal containers, I think I need some of those in my own garden!

MY EYES DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FIRST, BUT NOTE THE CHILD'S BIKE IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR

There was a lot packed into a small space. In another view there was a terracotta pot holder which brought more texture to the space and a glass terrarium. To some, MOH included, this space might look like a junk yard but I'm in awe of how effortlessly put together it looks.  There's a chance that it is both of those things, but I'm seeing the prettier side of it.

Up in the heavily pruned laurel tree sat a bird cage, I think any bird had long departed but it's exactly the type of thing you see in shabby chic shops, this one though is looking much more rustic than those ever do. Further down the tree there were enamel and plastic jugs hanging in a strange collection.

Turning away from the garden and back towards the store area of the garage I spotted these leather panniers hanging on a single nail on one of the building's beams. You can see behind, it's a real melee or items. Just in front of this picture there were a couple of large armoires standing there both grandly and forlornly.

There was a ladder leading to a half platform and I'd have loved to seen up there, but not being so good with ladders and not wanting to be a complete nosey parker I restrained myself. Underneath the platform were a series of characterful lights, either ready to be put into action in the hotel, or perhaps having been retired, or maybe just an avid collector of pretty things?

I soon settled on the idea that the owner was a collector of pretty and functional things. I mean for a garden so small I don't think he needed two tin watering cans, but they did look great and bring interest to the storage space.  Or perhaps they're containers-in-waiting?

Who knows, but it was great to get a glimpse into this very real, pretty and practical space. And it was a great reminder that you can make use of pots and other paraphernalia to bring personality into a space. Since I've been home I've acquired a couple more succulents, I'd forgotten about the metal pots in this garden until I sorted through my photos, so now that's what I need to pot them into.  My recent "rule" of only using terracotta or black pots in our garden is rapidly being extended to include zinc-like pots, but that's ok I think.

Are you influenced by the things you see on holiday?  I am, for sure!