The first words I wrote down when I came back from my recent visit to Great Dixter were
exuberant, dense, lavish, lush, height, glorious, emotional
Overwhelmed for a while, until I’d written a few more words – one liners, single words, they gradually started to fill a page or two in a little notebook I carry. Then the sorting and editing of the photos, so many of them to choose from, it took time and effort to whittle them down, and to be honest I’m still left with plenty of thoughts and photos.
It wasn’t until I sat down at my pc, still not having any real idea as to how I was going to capture Great Dixter in words that I came up with the initial post title “The great in Great Dixter”. How could I join these thoughts up, to make some coherent sense of it all, to find a way to show-and-tell, to work out which photos would be good for a post? To describe the garden and the affect it has on me.
It provokes an emotional response, maybe that is because at heart I’m a gardener masquerading as an IT girl, but I think if I took anyone there they would respond to the garden. And respond on many levels. Great Dixter challenges the senses and the imagination, with textures, heights, colour and scale and scent.
The size of the land that Christopher Lloyd had at his disposal is out of the ordinary, but the gardens within the garden are scalable for the average gardener. The house is at the centre, with garden “rooms” off to the sides, there is a uniformity of structures, with yew hedging, York stone paths twisting and turning, intersecting with others, using the lay of the land to take you up or down, shallow steps to lead you, benches in convenient spots.
The height and girth of the yew hedges are such that you can only get the merest glimpse of what is to come, all making the wanderer wonder at what is to come.
In the Exotic Garden you weave your way around narrow paths, densely planted either side with towering ferns and banana leaves, purple verbena bonariensis used to punctuate and drift through the leaves, bright bold dahlias and cannas towards the front. But it is the jungle like density and height of the planting that is overwhelming, takes you away from your daily cares and transports you to another world; a tropical and lush world of beauty and greenery, feathery fronds, bright scarlets and pinks, and looking down at soil level there are yet more plants, no gaps are left here, no voids left unfilled. The ground level plants are thriving under the canopy, providing yet more colour and texture in their leaf design and patterns.
I can imagine sitting down on the paths, having brushed my way through them like some long lost explorer, and watching the sky above me through the canopy. Well that is what I’d like to do, just to lie there on the ground and look and wonder upwards. It is the planting alone that makes me want to experience that sensation. I’m so grateful Lloyd ripped up the “miserable roses” in the Lyutens designed Rose Garden (once a former cattle yard) and started again.
Lloyd, described the sound of the rose garden being ripped up “as music to my ears”. Which is not what most gardeners would think. But this is where Lloyd steps out on his own, that he felt a lot of roses together don’t ad dup to much, and that “they are blobby and without style for much of the year, the bushes themselves are undisguisedly ugly. Vicious too.” Dramatic stuff ! And not to everyone’s way of thinking, but if you will allow me to mix my metaphores, he cut his own jib and blazed his own trail
The aim was to create a late summer-autumn garden, to have plenty in flower and full leaf, full of luxuriant planting and plants. To create a tropical feel with plants that are hardy enough to withstand a British winter, admittedly a number of plants are wrapped up for winter and don’t take their winter clothes of straw and horticultural fleece off until mid-Spring, while others like Dahlias are dug up and stored.
He was keen to keep the garden “lively and full of interest and colour” long after the middle of August when usually an English garden starts to die back. It gave Lloyd and his head gardener Fergus opportunity to experiment with tender plants. It is interesting that he was never tempted to change the overall layout of the gardens as a whole, liking the structure and the design elements, referring to the “original bones” of the garden as being “sound and satisfying”.
To start again, and with such a breath-taking change, a sweep of ‘out with the old in with the new’ takes bravery and imagination, with planning and preparation; but also a willingness to accept that somethings may not work out or go to plan. To be prepared to start again, to try something new is something we could all learn or be reminded of. and I know in early Spring, when the gardens re-open I’ll be paying a visit to the nursery to help us re-stock our garden, all the while taking inspiration from Great Dixter.
This post is the second part of a series, the first one can be found here
I say this all the time ,but I LOVE your blog….today’s post was something I know I’ll read again and again…you completely nailed how it feels to stand in awe of nature, and feel grandeur and humility at the same time. Absolutely brillaint post!!
Thank you doesn’t do your words justice ! It really is a wonderful place to visit,I could go there time and time again and always find something new or beautiful to look at, but then you’d understand that 🙂
I love the way you describe your journey through this beautiful plant life my friend 😀
Cheers
CCU
Hi there CCU, and thanks 🙂
so beautiful, so beautiful… Thank you dear Claire, how nice to watch them in this rainy day! Love, nia
I hope the sun is shining Nia 🙂
Those dahlias are beautiful! Love the colors!
You redesigned your blog, didn’t you?! I’m way behind on my blog reading, so forgive me if it’s been awhile and I just now noticed.
No worries Julie, as you can see I’m way behind on replying to comments !! Yes I changed the theme in WordPress, still playing with it though…. and thanks for dropping in !
wow… this is something I’m going to explore further. You piqued my interest! Beautiful post!
Thank you!
Just gorgeous!
Thank you for popping in and enjoying the trip!
More here:
http://www.greatdixter.co.uk/
oops… posted too soon. Meant to say I like your review and photo selection very much!
You’re so good at sharing this experience…I can imagine myself right there, with the narrow paths and dense foliage, the garden rooms and hedges…very inspiring! Thank you, Claire!
Thank you for your kind words Cindy! It would be fun to have you along 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Claire! Those dahlias are just gorgeous. Dahlias are at the top of my list for next year!
I like the small ones like Bishp of Llandaff (sp?) but would be happy with any Dahlias, I seem to have to do a battle with the slugs and snails for them!
Love the Dahlias!
They are fab aren’t they
Those a re squealing colors. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Lovely.
The are big and loud and proud aren’t they Alice!
No doubt, after reading this, how much you love the place, and how it affects you…
You’re quite right about ‘good’ gardens affecting even non-gardeners…I will never forget Hubby’s reaction the first time we went to Monet’s gardens. 🙂
ah Marie, I’ve seen the paintings I’ve seen wonderful photos, but have yet to see Monet’s gardens… tut tut, must do better next year!
I would give my right arm to have enough land to have discrete gardens in different styles ann with completely different pallettes of plants. This is on my must-see list.
I know what you mean about wanting more land to create gardens within a garden! Maybe I should start playing the lottery !!!
That first photo is so pretty!
Thank you Yummy !
I like the thought of a garden having original bones that don’t really change. Great post Claire and I’m loving those dahlias!!
Thank you 🙂 The bones were obviously good bones!
Beautiful dahlias, and lovely reflections on your visit. It clearly has inspired you a great deal.
Hi Cathy, it really did inspire me, I could wax lyrical about it for hours….. as you can see….. 😉
Great photos of a beautiful garden. It must be spectacular in person
Thank you Karen, it really is one of the most beautiful gardens I know and well worth a visit !
I think it’s wonderful, Claire, that you’ve such a beautiful garden within your area and the good sense to take advantage of it. I really need to follow your lead and get back into the habit of frequenting this city’s gardens and arboretums. I must admit though, it would be hard to beat those dahlias. They are spectacular!
You know John for many years I’ve been a bit lazy about visiting places, but now I’ve been it makes me want to see more. I can imagine that you have some wonderful parks to visit, and just the word “arboretum” sets me off dreaming !
Your post was certainly lively and full of color and emotion! I long to have a garden like this one to visit. I can imagine that entering each room was just a wonderland!
Hi Smidge, you chose a great word there – wonderland. Just perfect, like a kid in a sweet shop all bug eyed is how I would describe myself 🙂
I love this view of Great Dixter from such a personal viewpoint it’s so interesting to read your responses and impressions…and of course, lovely pics….
Thank you Valerie, I think gardens create a very personal response and reaction, so I appreciate your kind words !
oh the colors! Just beautiful, Claire. This garden is really exceptional, starting with the idea of an English garden without roses! The diversity of color, shapes and foliage would be breathtaking, and I can really understand why you felt challenged in organizing your description and photographs. Good job! And I’m really glad you’re giving the garden the attention it deserves through a series of posts and photos. You do cover a lot of “ground” between gardener and IT girl! 🙂 D
🙂 Hi Debra, I think I’m a gardener at heart, but somehow I have ended up working in fields that do interest me, they just don’t enthrall me as much as gardening does!
He does (or rather did) leave some roases in th emixed borders, and they are beautiful, I think it was the idea of a single garden just of roses that didn’t appeal – and I do understand why. as you say though a grand English garden without a rose garden is certainly different !
Lovely post! Love Christopher Lloyd and Fergus. Makes me wish it was Spring again and the beginning of a whole new season. Must go though Winter first tho!
They were such a great team weren’t they? And it’ slovely to see the work that Fergus is continuing with.
I love not just the way you describe Great Dixter and your emotional response to it but also your description of the process of writing up your visit to the garden.
Thank you, it was pretty mind boggling to get back and realise I had so many photos I could share, let alone try and organise my thoughts !
You write so beautifully. I’m especially captivated by your photographs! So lovely.
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Hi Claire .. beautiful flower photos .. do you know the name of the pinkish-purple tiny flowers? I’ve discovered one volunteer growing in my yard (a surprise) and it resembles a teensy Buddleia .. thanks! A.M.
Thank you – and yes I do – it is a Verbena Borariensis – a perennial that is lovely in a border as the flowers are held high on fine stems so other plants and leaves can poke or shine through. I’m not sure ho whardy it would be for you, but I’m sure you could investigate. I love it, and was lucky enough to get a plant from a friends garden 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bonariensis
Wonderful tour and insights into a great garden – thanks, Claire!
Thank you, I realise how fortunate I am to have such inspiration so nearby. So many ideas I can take away and work with 🙂
Stunning photos Claire – I adore Dahlias. And Iove the new header photo!
Thanks – the photo was taken in west St Leonards…. just down the road so to speak 🙂
Aha – near my parents!
You make it sound like a must-experience place, Claire. So lush, both physically and mentally.
It is like getting a dose of inspiration and being restored at the same time – a heady mix !
I came across this second part before the first part… because I’ve started going back through my mails and notes after a long period of holidays. Your description of the garden definitely gives us a sense of the greatness, and also a sympathy and feeling for the man who tended this garden. Your pictures are wonderful too. And I regret that the garden is so far away. Still, the taste is very real… and what you’ve told about his intentions, regarding the seasons, brings many thoughts to mind.
Thank you Shimon, I think there are some very special and talented people, and I believe the man who created these gardens is one of them. Something I can learn from and enjoy, so it’s been a pleasure to share the experience
I am so happy to have come upon this blog post. I’m another North American fan of Great Dixter (my most recent visit there was late September), and I know the difficulty of trying to describe to someone who’s never been there just why and how Great Dixter IS so great! This is wonderful. Hope we meet there, or here (I live in Maryland) some time.
Lovely to meet you too. Meeting another fan of Great Dixter is always a special pleasure !
Now wouldn’t that be wonderful to meet up there, so you went in September, it’s a lovely time of year to see it, in all its full blown glory.