Thursday 11 April 2013

Pots of charm at Perch Hill




You could be forgiven for thinking that on a rather bleak April day there would be nothing to see at Perch Hill. But a useful nudge, courtesy of  F.B,was all it took to get me Down the Lane and up a hill to visit Sarah Raven's cutting garden yesterday afternoon. Whilst we are definitely a good 6 weeks behind in terms of Spring, there was still much to enjoy. In actual fact, I rather appreciated seeing the architecture of the garden, the bones of it....support structures and evergreen muscles in the shape of box hedges.









There are brave artichokes making their first frond like forays and some purple sprouting broccoli that made my head swim with pasta possibilities...



Once inside the greenhouse the thrill of spring colour! And it is a thrill after this long winter and our abnormally naked landscape. Singing, glorious primroses with egg splotched centres and their friendly petal faces, luminous in the weak sunlight.All in generous groups made sensible by Sarah's lovely colour combinations.In a way, these early Spring flowers are heralds...we keep the faith that Spring will be along and they both cheer us and trumpet what's to come.




My very favourite still life of the day was this...delicate lilac lined shells in a beautiful glass container paired with a purple glass vase tumbling with green and mauve hellebores...delicious...oh, and the cacti...fuzzy, spiked perfection.



Perch Hill will be open again on April 27th, more details here. You can read more about my previous visits to Sarah's garden here.

Reports of a fine and warm weekend to come!
Along the drive way, towards the Cowshed, the cherry trees are heavy with bud and longing to burst open...the hawthorn hedge is finally tinged in the freshest of green...I think of this...
~~~
As the month draws on, there is a sudden rush of warmth and in a day or two the garden is a changed world, as in a fairy story where a spell has been suddenly lifted. Barely budding trees thicken with green, the spinnach is rampant, and the rhubarb, that a few days back was pale and stubbly, is like an enormous tropical plant. The cherry trees that should have been in bloom for Easter, now burst into festoons of hanging blossoms....
Extract from Four Hedges by Clare Leighton
~~~

Here's to festoons all round!

-x-

12 comments:

  1. What a wonderful place to visit. Thanks x

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  2. Good Afternoon Sarah-Jane, How lovely to see some colour in the garden. Here in the North East plants are struggling due to the cold. I have daffodils peeping through the soil, but that is all at the moment. So it was a treat to see the gardens at Perch Hill.....a promise of things to come.
    Best Wishes
    Daphne

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  3. I so want to visit Perch Hill, Sarah Raven's books are so full of wonderful colour and inspiration. Even in this cold bleak Spring it looks fantastic. Sarah x

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  4. beautiful gardens, you are so lucky, ali

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  5. Perch Hill should be quite close where i live. Have you ever visited in the Nymans garden? Ever since i saw your first photos from Perch Hill , i have wanted to go there. your photos are so beautifully taken!

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  6. I loved your return visit to Perch Hill. Sarah has some wonderful ideas and always inspires me. It reminded me that it is quite a few years since I last visited Perch Hill. You are lucky having it close by.
    Sarah x

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  7. What a truly lovely garden just so pretty, that's what I'm doing today spending a day in the garden.

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  8. What a lovely garden and such gorgeous images you have taken I feel as if I have visited with you. My fav pic is of the hellebores.

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  9. It looks wonderful - I especially love that huge tree :)

    Hoping that Spring arrives soon for you!

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  10. Thankyou, I have always wanted to visit Perch Hill, and although we will be down that way later in the year, I am not sure whether we will still get there, really enjoyed your post and lovely images...

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  11. Just love your posts.
    They are so cheering, I'd love to go to Perch Hill, maybe one day when I'm back in the UK I'll go.

    We should have the sun on Sunday here in NW France.
    Here's hoping !
    Diane. x

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  12. Thank you, love your blog and the pictures on pinterest, I should like to subscribe to your blog but I'm not with any of the mentioned sites, so I'm sending this as anonymous, but if I can subscribe, let me know please. M.B.Willetts

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Thanks so much for contacting me! I love to hear from you it makes me smile x

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