A bit more than a hint of lavender

For this burst of lavender and today’s flowers on Friday we’re heading back to the Chelsea Flower Show last year, and into the Grand Pavilion, which if you’ve been to Chelsea will know it’s an assault on your senses. Often a pleasant experience, but confusing at times too with the sheer array of exhibits on display.

And while we’re not in traditional lavender season, there is some rhyme to my logic, as in the autumn sun on my morning walk to work, I’ve been smelling lavender. There’s bushes edging the boundary of a development as I head towards Greenwich Park, and when the sun’s out the air is filled with lavender, which I’m sure the insects, and residents alike are enjoying as much as me.

So when I headed into my flower photo store and stumbled across, rather than brushed past, this lavender from that moment on there was only one flower I was sharing today. And when I say one flower, I clearly mean one sort with many varieties. No longer is lavender just purple, or lavender.

But often wherever there’s lavender, there’s bees and the Chelsea Flower Show was no different, although these were probably the best behaved and inside their hive, or it was empty. One or the other. Though imagine if you were a bee and stumbled upon the whole flower show, surely too much for one bee to cope with.

But, ah, just breathe in - can you smell the lavender?

A tiny, modern cottage garden

On our wander around Orford recently there was one tiny garden that stood out for me. It wasn't in my last post as somehow, despite its part in the pretty village, I didn't want it to get lost in the traditional-ness of those photos. So I'm sharing it alone today:  

It is a small space, but one that packs a lot in and I'm sure makes the short walk from road to door delightful. I can't decide if I like the iron gate and railings, the planting or the mix of render and brickwork and use of traditional materials in a contemporary way.

But I definitely like the overall effect and it shows you can put your own stamp into even a small space.

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!