Spring comes to Wakehurst Place

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Wakehurst Place is commonly known as the country cousin of Kew, started when the air in London was too poor for a decent arboretum. You can get in on a National Trust ticket and it is unusual in that it is not closed on a Monday/Tuesday like most NT places. Its just outside Ardingly but the walk from the nearest train station (Balcombe) is rather arduous, so we took the car!

There has recently been a drive to plant a staggering number of cyclamen and this is the result – impressive but a little gawdy to my eye.

This on the other hand I could not get enough of – its Iris Reticulata – Joyce – which is the one, so Gardeners World tells me, that will come up year after year. Wish I had some!

A lot of the woodland walks have heaps of Daphne Bohlua – so the smell is overpoweringly wonderful. There is the Jacqueline Possel (pinkie) but also a white one which is very floriferous. Dont know the name though.

And of course some pretty camellias. None of the ones in my garden are out yet so I was rather relieved to see that the fireworks are yet to come in Wakehurst too!

There are some lovely little daffodils and crocuses, but frankly everything looks good cos of the wonderful structure of trees.

Aah what a lovely garden!

• 21 Mar, 2010
• 7 likes

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