VISIT TO DOTTYDAISY'S OPEN GARDEN
By tetrarch
27 comments
We planned to do this a while ago and booked an overnight stay just outside of Winchester. We arrived on Sunday at 1pm from Bristol which was an hour early, but DD and her family took pity on us and let us use her facilities to clean up, for it was boiling hot and even the aircon in the car couldnt stop the persperation!
We decided to have coffee and a cake first as having read the previous blog by Floribunda, realised that the cakes would be gone if we didnt get in first…its called prioritising lol!!
We then spent a wonderful hour browsing around DD’s magnificent garden, starting with her OH’s pride and joy..the front garden, and very nice it was too!
The red clematis is Niobe I think, but cant remember the second. It actually has a more violet cast than the picture. The sun was quite bright when I took it.
We then went down the side entrance and saw more of OH’s handiwork. A lovely pot of gooseberries on a bush (Im growing one myself, so was very interested) and two attractive little sheds…“His” and “Hers”. We didnt look inside so we were not quite sure what their use was…..no friends, they were too narrow for that!!!
We progressed to an area full to bursting with succulents growing beautifully in sinks, pots and in a gravel garden. They looked so good, I think my OH might be tempted to try something along those lines.
Then for the little pond made from…you will never guess…a whisky barrel! No Yorkie, dont bother to rush down, there is none left, and I must admit both DD and her OH didnt show the effects..not a stagger or a red nose between them lol!!
As we entered the garden proper we were met with a blaze of colour but what caught my eye first was the glorious lily which looked like someone had shaken paprika over it, and the toning alstroemeria next to it.
This border was also a real picture with the tall white flowers, the magenta geranium philostemon and the heuchera vying for attention.
There were roses on the arch, but the star was undoubtedly this fantastic clematis which stole the show!
We walked under the second arch resplendant with a Paul’s Scarlet rose and loved the dovecote tucked in behind it.
We walked around the jungle and came out the other side to be met by a wall of people who had descended on the garden without us noticing!
This lady had to get quite close to the honeysuckle to smell it despite its great mass, as the lavender borders smelled really strongly in the hot sun. I cant believe these were the little plants in the picture DD posted a month or two ago..they were lovely.
The next picture shows what miracles can be snatched from the jaws of disaster…the resident badger decided to dig around the urn in the centre of the lawn..and just look at what DD’s OH did to rescue the situation..some decorative bricks, some gravel and a lawn rescue potion and voila! The piece de resistance!
Two other plants caught my eye one of which I managed to buy later (see my Hillier blog) was the geranium Blueberry Ice (the darker side of the flower is the colour, the other side was in sunshine), which is far more stunning than the picture conveys, and the lovely grass (which I now have in my garden!) Calamagrostis x acutiflora “Overdam”.
Finally, when we left we walked along the sea wall and took a couple of pictures to show you what a lovely day and a lovely place it was.
It just remains for us to say thank you to DD, her OH, daughter and grandaughter for a wonderful visit.
28 Jun, 2011
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Comments
Lovely blog Tetrarch...great to see so many visitors and I loved that lawn repair!! :))
28 Jun, 2011
Me too Karen. That was a good idea. Wonderful garden, lovely pictures, thanks Tet.
28 Jun, 2011
Thanks Tet for a great blog - love the Blueberry Ice and Calamagrostis. Will now look for your Hillier blog!
28 Jun, 2011
Yes! That Blueberry Ice is gorgeous! You had a fantastic day to see DD's lovely garden, it looks so grown up from the last open day! It's marvellous...and so is your blog Tetra, thank you for putting it on!
28 Jun, 2011
A very descriptive blog of a beautiful garden, thanks Tetra.
28 Jun, 2011
Lovely photos Tet! So clear andi really like the close up pictures.
And DD what a beautiful garden, there is a lot of hard work in there, that lily is just gorgeous and the urn is really lovely.
Thanks Tet.
28 Jun, 2011
MY.... oh my you said you could write a good story, I love the blog and so will OH (gone to bed, still whacked!!) you have done our garden a great service, thanks Tet it was a pleasure to meet you both, popping over to your other blog now....xxx
28 Jun, 2011
A lovely blog for a lovely garden,Tetra..I enjoyed your visit very much..Love all the wonderful plants..and those his and her sheds are great ! So much love and hard work,has gone into it,for everyone's pleasure..Thank you .:o)
29 Jun, 2011
its lovely to viset gardens of frends on goy , d.d garden is stuning .......... wish i cud have gone but this is the next best thing !!! .......... i allso went to puddleducks garden on fri ( theres a blog on too) very diffrent but but just as lovely ............... heron was there too ............ remeber him !!! lol trying to get him back on here .
its wonderfull wot can be dun in a small garden !!!
29 Jun, 2011
Thanks everyone for your kind remarks, but the proof of this blog is the garden!!
I must say that it was a total experience..not only the lovely garden, but hey folks, book a Travelodge for the Solent is beautiful, Winchester is fantastic (never get tired of that place), Hilliers and Mottisfont just a stone's throw away (for a giant lol!) so it was doubly worth the trip. Havent yet finished the Hillier and Mottisfont blogs but will later today.
Thanks DD, you were the perfect hostess, not a whisper of a grouse that we turned up early, bless you. Our Calamagrostis has been split in two and planted, I found some Cerinthe seeds in Tescos yesterday! the Cleome and Tropoleum (?) are planted and it looks like you have next year's plant sales sewn up as there will be a loooonng queue for cuttings of Blueberry Ice!!! So the memories of our visit now have daily reminders in our garden.
Cristina, I must look for your blog, I dont know Puddleduck, but I most certainly remember Heron..his snow scene was the first picture I saved to my favourites.
29 Jun, 2011
Lovely blog Tet and lucky you for being there on such a lovely day.
29 Jun, 2011
Good pics...
glad you had such a nice trip to Dotty and the seaside :o)
29 Jun, 2011
Thanks Annella, TT. DD did specifically ask us to bring good weather, so we did lol!
Annella, I do like your avatar.
29 Jun, 2011
enjoyed that Tet--- Dd's garden is lovely and the weather looked wonderful, thanks for sharing xxx
29 Jun, 2011
Lovely blog, lovely pictures. Well done!
29 Jun, 2011
Lovely blog Tets, almost feel as tho' I've been there and that Blurberry Ice is something else !
29 Jun, 2011
Thanks Pamg/Sheilar/Val...Oh drat! I really shouldnt have mentioned the Blueberry Ice...bet they will be scarcer than ever now, and I havent got mine lol!
29 Jun, 2011
What lovely photos and blog about DD's garden - that is somewhere I definately would love to visit if it were nearer.
29 Jun, 2011
I thought about you sunday with visiting DD garden, it looks beautiful, so glad you had such a lovely day,
30 Jun, 2011
What a treat to visit DD's garden....so full of beautiful plants and you had a lovely welcome too, despite being early. They did have the weather for their open day which makes everything so much more enjoyable (along with cake & a cuppa of course...lol).
The 'repair' job around the urn is very appropriate...looks like it's been there for years...well done to DD's hubby.
Thanks for sharing your piccies with us, M. It as lovely to visit DD's garden with you :)
30 Jun, 2011
So pleased you were able to visit this garden too ... it's changed in a few subtle ways since our visit ... the succulents area has minimized ... and the urn in the centre had a Heuchera! You certainly had warmer weather too ... and could see the Isle of Wight from the foreshore? : o )
1 Jul, 2011
It was a lovely day Shirleytulip..we arrived at 1pm but couldnt see the Isle of Wight until about 6pm as there was a heat haze! Must have played havoc as they had the "round the IOW" boat race that day. We had a lovely walk along Brownheath, down to the shore too.
1 Jul, 2011
Sounds like a really good day . . . . .
2 Jul, 2011
A grand day...one of those memory days when Ken and I (with blankets around knees and our eartrumpets tuned in) will some years hence, say to each other...Do you remember when.....
2 Jul, 2011
LOL, Tetra! : o )))
2 Jul, 2011
He doesnt hear half of what I say now..ear trumpet already ordered!!
2 Jul, 2011
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Wish I could have been there, Dottydaisy certainly has a beautiful garden, thank you so much for sharing the pictures with us :)))
28 Jun, 2011