Meeting Beth Chatto: June 2012

What a beautiful garden, thank you sheila, i would never have got to see this otherwise, lovely pictures and how brilliant to meet the lady herself!!

Nothing wrong with those photo's Sheila...It looks beautiful as expected....I can picture myself floating in that boat, anice bottle of wine secured with a piece of string cooling in the water..bliss

The Buddleia Crispa is a suprise...I tollerate my Buddleia just having them in a corner for butterfly's...Maybe I should try something like this. :)

Hello Sticki..Are you home?

great pics SB what a lovely garden and thats a novel way to grow a buddleia might even give it a go .Thanks for the tour it was wonderful :)))

The most beautiful garden I've ever visited. Highly recommend a visit there:)
Thank you for sharing:)

hello pimms, yes just back today!!

Wonderful Sheila. Great photos, and the garden - well who wouldnt love a park for a garden. Loved it thank you.

I hope you had a good holiday..and Sheila, how was the open day?

Obviously a wonderful day for you Shielabub and to get to see the great lady herself must have been the icing on the cake.
I just loved that Buddleia, what a great way to grow it as they can be so unruly.

yes thank you, will take a bit of time to sort the photos for a blog [took too many!]

Thanks very much everyone, for your generous comments. :)) Sending you a PM, Pimm's!

Oh, Sheila, that is just perfect! How I envy you. Like everyone else, I think the buddleia is great, but I am SO impressed with that huge hosta!
Thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks for that, Sheilabub! What a fabulous garden! The verbascums are to die for - just love them!

What a wonderful place and a great day out,Sheila..you were lucky to see that wonderful lady..what an inspiration she is,and has been, to create that garden..thank you for sharing your visit with us..just love it all :o)

Hi Gattina, Mel and Bloomer - thank you for joining me! Yes, I'm a lucky "girl" :))

Fantastic pics, what an idyllic garden xxx

Lucky you to meet the 'great lady.' Lovely garden - very 'manicured.' But then you've seen my garden, so I suppose I would say Beth Chatto's is tidy!

What a beautiful garden Sheila and how lovely to be driven there for a special day out. I love all aspects and the huge borders, great vistas and that Hydrangea climbing up a tree, i got rid of mine because it was doing nothing leaning agaianst the fence, but this is a great idea, just need to plant a tree now!!! and the icing on the cake meeting Ms. Chatto. Wonderful

What a lovely day you had Sheila...and I loved the way you described it for us...your enjoyment shines through the words on the page. 89 eh? and still sprightly and cheerful...well, I think that's a great endorsement for gardening and an encouragement to us all! :D

Aaawww, thank you so much Gill and Karen. :)))

well written sheila and glad you enjoyed your visit, pics are fab and i would love to see her garden, love the boat on the pond :o)))

Thank you San!

A wonderful blog Sheila, in my favs

Gosh, thank you Annella :))

thanks Sheila...and thanks to Marianne for making sure I saw this blog. Wonderful...I loved the verbascums!!!! gave me an idea for the V's in my garden. (the pebble mulch). This is fav. material...will refer to this blog again!

Oooh thanks Lori . . . don't think I know Marianne, will have a look for her!

I have always wanted to visit this nursery being an ardent fan of the great lady, thanks for taking me there, inspiring isn't it? superb photos and some very novel ideas.

Fabulous. Mustn't it be a wonderful feeling to look at it and think "I did that..."

You're very kind Dotty . . . thank you! Hope you get there one day . . .

Yes, Steragram, I agree. But BC is amazingly modest - always saying that she owes a lot to her late husband's scientific knowledge.

The really brilliant people are often the modest ones as they have no need to prove anything to anybody...and aren't they always the nicest to talk to?

Your so right Stera....

Yes - well said Stera...

Enjoyed your blog Sheilabub. It brought back some nice memories. I visited BC's garden many years ago after she had written the 'Garden Tapestry'. A book I still own and refer to even now. She is a great advocate of right plant/right place, which is some of the best gardening advice Ive ever received. Its a shame she's getting on a bit, we have lost some really great gardeners in recent years. She was a great friend of Christopher Lloyd but was not afraid of putting him in his place when she felt he was being controversial! How funny, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in one of their conversations!

Many thanks Poppy. Have you seen the Beth Chatto/Christopher Lloyd correspondence in a book called "Dear Friend and Gardener"? You'd love it!

Oh that looks like one for the Christmas wish list. Thanks Sheila Ill have a look :))))

. . and I've ordered a copy of your "Tapestry" recommendation. Good this!

I'm just enjoying the tennis Sheila, but have really enjoyed this interval round Beth Chattos garden, fabulous photos with a great feeling of open space in her gardens, it looks very serene, would love to go someday too. Going to remember the book too, that sounds like a great read!

Thanks Janey . . . loved the Federer result!!

Hoping he's not going to have QUITE such a good result this afternoon!

Well - there you go Gattina. What a star, and what a match they both gave us!

I never thought to see Andy Murray quite so emotional. Good match, though.