A walk around Great Dixter,Sussex..

Lovely blog Sandra, are they snapdragons by the oast house? Is the sunken garden a pond? Have you still got your tan lol? :-)

Very much enjoyed, you have shown me areas I have never seen on TV programs. Is it still privately owned or taken over by a trust.

Looks a lovely place to visit.. the gardens are lovely, glad you all had a great day out..

Great pictures Sandra, I may get there one day. I liked all the views, and the sempervivums were good, but of course the picture of you and Carole topped the lot !!!! (creep)

Lovely blog, I visited this garden some years ago and seeing your photos is a reminder of all the different areas. I particularly remember the sunken garden.

Great blog what a lovely garden you an Carole must have really enjoyed that :-)

Thank you Ba..and the answers are yes,Snapdragons,yes,a pond with various planting around it,and yes,very much so,re the suntan ! Lol.glad you enjoyed the brief glimpses of the many different areas to this lovely garden..
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Thank you Brian,there was so much more we would have liked to have browsed around,but time was limited,and another visit would be nice,in your own time..As far as I can glean from the leaflets I got there,It is still privately owned,but they are supported by The National Lottery,via their heritage fund..and Historic Houses Associations..they also have a Friends of Great Dixter account,if people wish to help keep it going..they have a website you may be interested in ..www.Greatdixter.co.uk.So pleased you enjoyed it:o)
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Thank you Holly..It was well worth the visit,and somewhere I have always wanted to go..The coach tour had a theme,of Gardens of Sussex,which was the main reason for choosing Eastbourne as our base..Carole and I were in our element,but our OH's enjoyed them too :o)
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Thank you Cinders,you would love it there..and yes,you are a bit of a crawler :o) Carole will not appreciate this photo,when she sees it,I'm sure..but it is what it is..no airbrushing at all ! Lol...My OH just takes them without a thought..but what the heck ..see how we suffered for the cause? ha ha.
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Thank you,Jaykaty..I'm glad it brought back some nice memories for you..I'm certain it will do the same for us too :o)
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Thank you,Kidsgran..We wouldn't have missed the opportunity to go there at all..it was lovely..and I think Carole will be posting another blog on another place we visited,when she has time..

Pleased you have put this blog on Sandra you have far more pictures of the lovely gardens than I have, and those two ladies look as though they belong there [ not so sure about the flat hairstyles though lol].

I'd love to go there Sandra, I've seen it on the telly, it looks to be right up my alley, well done getting the photo of the painting, usually they have signs warning you as you enter so its their own fault, lol, pleased you enjoyed it and thankyou for sharing your photo's.....

Thanks for such a lovely blog, so many gorgeous flowers and I loved the sempervivum bed!

Thanks Carole,I had more time than you,if you remember :o) Don't you like flat hair ? Lol..mine is usually always like that..must start carrying hair gel,for further photo shoots ! ha ha
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Thank you Sue, it really would be right up your street..maybe one day eh? so much to see,and not enough time,but we saw the best bits we thought..I was glad I got the photo of the painting too..I wasn't going to delete it :o)
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Thank you Louisa,I'm glad you enjoyed the little tour..I always think of you when taking photo's of Sempervivums..like other members with their favourites..:o)

Fabulous blog Sandra thank you.

Thanks Scotkat,you are more than welcome.glad you enjoyed it...

What a delight his garden is B. I have never been and it is not far from us as the crow flies! I did attend a talk by the head gardener once and he said they use part of the house for students who are on horticultural courses and the like and these students are usually hands on in the garden. Your photos are gorgeous and the topiary/wild meadow bit is similar to Prince Charles's. Lovely.

Gosh, it looks hot!!

What a really fabulous garden and I love the house.

Methinks I could live there but if I did the garden might not look so good and the tea room would be very disappointing!

Thank you,G.mage..you must make the effort one of these days....it would be a lovely day out.... We got leaflets given about different study days,alongside other info. They are mainly monthly events,and some with the head Gardener,and some with a friend of Great Dixter and Christopher Lloyd..Most seem to be prebooked events on a variety of topics..It looks to me,that anyone can attend,not just for students of Horticulture,from April to November..they may have their own courses..it also says,Refreshments and lunch are provided on these days,plus 10percent off plant sales..Get a move on,G.mage before they get full up !lol.( no prices given) I bet it's expensive..I might check their website to have a look :o)

Thank you Chris..and yes,as you can tell,it was very hot ! It looks picture postcard,doesn't it? I will let you into a little secret..the tearoom is already disappointing..but it is a garden and a House first and foremost,not an all dancing,all singing garden centre..It is only a machine,with one man pouring you one out into a plastic cup..tea or coffee..we couldn't taste much difference,as they were both horrible..but we were grateful for a sit down,and dishwater would have been just as acceptable as it was unbearably hot....come to think of it,that couldn't have been much worse :o)..anyway,the money was going to a good cause,to help this place to keep going..I'm sure you could turn it into something more palatable..do you do Scones? Lol.

Its just a few miles from me Bloomer and we love to visit but havent been this year. They sell great plants there.

Scones, er well not really, but then we all have to start somewhere!!!

I bet it is pricey too, still they have to maintain that garden somehow!!

How lovely to live so near,Denise..It would have been nice for Carole and I to have met you,but in view of the scorching temperatures,driving wouldn't have been a pleasant experience for you..We didn't have enough time to have a good look around the plant sales area..maybe as well,as they wouldn't have survived the journey .I hope you think I have given it justice,as you know it so well..

They would probably be better than mine,Chris..I seem to have lost the knack...but hey,I might get lucky woth the new cooker ! Lol.

Bloomer, I promise you they would NOT be anything like as good as yours and I am not just being modest!!

I often wonder why they aren't as good as they used to be..maybe I was only kidding myself..as the family never complained..only on the pain of being told off,probably :o)

such a lovely blog bloomer, i really enjoyed it thanks.

Thanks for providing a tour of a place that I've always wanted to visit, Bloomer. Glad you took the photo of the painting before you realised it was not allowed, as it's wonderful. It's a long way from Preston to Sussex, but maybe one day. I love the meadows and the oast houses but the tearooms don't sound too tempting!

Lovely blog and pictures Bloomer I have only seen it on tv so it was nice to share your visit and get an update, Aw shame about the tea rooms though, what they need is a packet of Yorkshire tea, a jar of Nescafe, a boiling kettle, scones and some cups and saucers result even more money for Gt Dixter!!

Thanks S.lad..glad you enjoyed it..a must see place,if you are ever in the area :o)
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Thanks T.bear..it was a long way for us too,so we wouldn't have seen it if we hadn't been on a garden themed coach tour..Glad you liked the photo of the painting..I don't think it was as much about this,as the very old furniture etc,that was in the main room..anyway,I'm glad I took it :o) Such a kindly face..I think he would have made a good Father Christmas !:o)
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Thank you Neellan,I think most of us have only seen it on TV too.so it was lovely to meander round and see it for ourselves..TheTearoom was actually an open sided barn,or outhouse,with picnic type tables and benches..I guess it would take too much money to make a proper one,with extra staff to pay...maybe if we went again,we would throw the money in the dish,and make do with our own water.Lol..we did however,buy a couple of fridge magnets from the gift shop..so that would help to swell the coffers..:o)

A perfect Father Christmas indeed!

Glad you agree,T.bear :o)

I think you visited at a better time than we did last year, Bloomer! we went in early June which was a little early for a lot of the planting.Also, the house wasn't open.Maybe because I'd looked forward so much to eventually visiting and I am such an admirer of Christopher Lloyd, I expected too much and came away a little disappointed!
It was a little early in the year, I think.Also, I know it's purely a matter of taste but I felt the uncut lawns/meadow type grass around the Topiary just didn't see quite right.Two completely different styles that I didn't think looked right together.But, there you are, it wouldn't do for us all to like the same things, I suppose!

I'm sure that was the case Paul..I would have been disappointed too..I was like you in my thoughts about the Topiary mixed with the Meadow area,it didn't 'gell' for me either..I have just looked at the leaflet I picked up,and the House isn't open on Mondays..and only from 2-5pm the other days..With us being on a prebooked coach trip,they open up by prior arrangement..Maybe you will get there another time,when it is all in full bloom..that would make such a difference..

Yes, I'd like o p in Ugust /September when the tropical type garden by the house is in full swing.
We were on a coach trip but maybe it was. Monday( I can't remember)

Lovely blog Sandra ... I'm ashamed to say even though we're only about 40 miles from Great Dixter we have yet to visit! I keep hearing tales of the long queues to get in ... not being privileged like you & Carole with them opening up especially for your coach party! I love those 'crammed with plants' borders and the water lily is a beauty. Sempervivums just don't excite me though ... good thing we don't all have the same taste in plants. Did you not have your personal hair stylist on board the coach? You both look happy and healthy ... flat hair or not ...:o))

While I love the high summer in this garden, I must admit the meadow does not work for me either, it feels odd with its topiary which is so formal in an area that is left to nature.

I bet that would be lovely,Paul..any more celebrations coming up? Lol..a gentle hint in the right direction,might be in order..:o) I hope I am on the right track here,as I seem to think it was a gift?

You really must have a day out there Shirley.We went on a Friday,and there was only our coach there,saying that,the main holidays hadn't started then...you could always drive to Tenterden for lunch ..Michael's old stomping ground:o)We found a lovely little cafe there..
I'm not a lover of Semperviviums either,but i know a lot are on Goy,hence the photo..and as for a Personal Hairstylist..I didn't even have a comb ! and it shows:o)

I'm glad it wasn't just me,Denise..I just looked in passing,as it didn't hold my interest at all..One or the other would be more pleasing..

I agree Bloomer.

No, that was the garden visits this year Bloomer when we went to National trust gardens in Kent and Sussex.The coach trip last year (same area) we paid for ourselves( very good of us don't u think?)

That is where I got mixed up then Paul..a regular habit :o)..I remember now it was NT gardens you went to..You enjoy it much more when it's a freebie. Lol.