Hidcote March 2nd

Hepatica nubilis
(less showy, but very beautiful white hepatica canadensis grows wild in vermont)

Every day there are a handful of volunteers who come to work in the garden and each day a different section of the garden (there are three sections headed by three different people) gets the volunteers to help them with various tasks. Today we weeded the fuchsia garden brick walkways and then moved on to the Pillar garden, raking, weeding and pruning. I was very happy in the afternoon pruning the dead wood out of the Viburnum tinus, (an evergreen viburnum that is in full bloom this February). AND then the sun came out and it was very welcomed. It has been pretty cold, hanging just above freezing day and night. Anyway, the following photos are a quick glimpse at several parts of the garden in the late afternoon light.

This in one of the older parts of the garden.

The Theater Lawn

Hellebores!

A view looking into the Hydrangea corner at the beginning of the Wilderness section of the garden. Not exactly the type of wilderness we are used to. Not sure if you can notice the plants of the hedge, but they are a mix of yew, box, and ivy all wound and grown together. It makes the hedge feel very alive and full of movement.

A view looking back on The Long Walk. I included the cut limbs just to show how the place is really in a state of upheaval and work, trying to get the place ready to open in a few weeks. There are masons and builders everywhere! It is definitely a state of the garden that the public never gets to see. I think it is cool to see such progress, work, and change.

Mrs. Winthrop's garden (Lawrence Johnston's mother). This is also in the middle of a big masonry project. I think that this is going to be one of my favorite parts of the garden. The view looking out is very beautiful! It seems to be a garden for sitting and seeing views and receiving sunshine.

Side entrance to the Pillar Garden.

Hellebores on bulb slope.

Looking in through the gate at the stilt garden. In the distance you can see the giant Cedar of Lebanon, which is one of the only plants planted before Johnston's time at Hidcote.

A view of the Rose Walk. I think that this is one of my other favorite parts of the garden. Apparently there is purple and white wisteria that hangs over as you sit on the bench.

Polygala myrtifolia
These last few plants live in the glass house.

Pittosporum tobira

This is the first garden I worked in and it is the view from the Plant House. The large yellow flowering tree in this picture is a dogwood and it has the most unusual flower, somewhat like a witch hazel in size, but it kind of a fuzzy little ball. It is called Cornus mas.