Mistletoe

Last month following a visit to Larch Cottage Nursery in Cumbria (blog 79) we decided to visit the grade II listed gardens of nearby Askham Hall on the Lowther estate.

You enter the garden through the homely cafe situated in the converted Barn; it is always a good idea to begin a garden visit with a little sustenance.

The garden actually opened for the NGS back in June but up-to-date news about daily happenings is displayed on the board.

We are given a map, simply drawn and ideal for children, the guide on the back outlines over twenty features in the garden. Right outside the cafe is number one, the mediterranean herb garden with a selection of edible herbs.

The garden route begins between a gap in the beech hedge and a walk through walnut trees; our guide reminds us that they were introduced into this country 500 years ago.

The ground slopes away from the cornus trees just taking on their autumn colours.

Dried heads of allium long-since flowered rise above the fading leaves of hosta grown in the little bricked beds.

Before taking the steps up to the terrace we enter the woodland walk and find ourselves at the yew tree, rather unique in the fact that it is multi-stemmed and rises from the root.

Just at this moment I spy a red squirrel, busy in his nut gathering; he is just too quick for me. There is plenty of natural wildlife here, with newts and frogs inhabiting the pond,

and there is evidence of deer with these simple but clever wire defences.

The path leads on to the Land of Giants, an area planted with very tall herbaceous plants

such as Eupatorium ‘Massive White’ which towers above us,

we feel like dwarves against the Miscanthus,

and the young leaves of the Paulownia still looking so fresh and are the size of dinner plates.

I watch a group of visitors struggle across the lawn with a wheelchair. An impossible task but until you have pushed one you have no idea how limiting it is. To the right of the green sward is the herbaceous border, at its peak in the summer months, it is an incredible 230ft long (70m).

In the centre of the border we find the steep stone steps,

which take us on to the terrace where there is still plenty going on from the grasses and late perennials,

I particularly admire the appropriately named Sedum ‘Red Cauli’.

Yet more steps to climb,

but a little sign of encouragement drives us on.

At the top lies a flat area of lawn; straight ahead is the symmetrical listed house. Previously a family home of the present owner it is now an award-winning 17 room hotel with a restaurant.

To the left the neatly mown straight lines draw our eyes to the Wellingtonia,

a hundred years old it is the largest tree in the garden.

To the right a Gypsy caravan has come to rest. Now a place for the newly-weds to sign the register,

it was built in 1900 and was originally on wheels.

Photo on display in the cafe

Askham Hall is perched above the River Eden. You can hear the soothing sound of the water as it flows by, and, glimpsed through the branches on its bank is the Mill Cottage.

Lowther Church can be seen in the far distance.

It is on this same side that steps lead down to the parterre,

a private and secluded area reserved for the house guests, we do not linger long

before walking back around to the front of the house where a fine pair of salmon swim through the air,

and view the rolling farmland through the whimsical topiary which date back to the 1800s.

Passing through the courtyard, we marvel at the rope knot arch,

and the virginia creeper Parthonissus quinquefolia which provides dramatic colour to the grey stone walls.

A bicycle directs us to the kitchen garden and through thick hedges of ‘Discovery’ apple,

we find orderly raised beds bulging with fine produce.

It is decorative too, colourful Malope trifida ‘ Vulcan’ mingles with a collection of herbs,

and the striking heads of purple artichoke.

The poly tunnels are also productive, ready to supply restaurant and cafe.

For the ignorant like me a chilli is a chilli but here in pots are many varieties, all labelled some carry health warning signs as to the strength and I wonder that no one has thought of a Richter-type scale to measure the hottest.

This is also a working farm; the sound of chickens clucking nearby is broken by the crow of a cockerel, and over the fence ducks swim on the pond, whilst in the distance are the pigs and sheep.

This beautiful garden has a certain vibrancy to it. Open to the public, it has not lost its touch of being a family home. Located in a glorious setting there is just about everything from the history to horticulture, stunning views, a rich variety of planting, fun topiary, vegetables and fruit, and even fine dining. Thought has also been taken to provide interest for children, carefully avoiding that overload of education that at times can take away from the enjoyment of visiting a garden.

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I was very surprised to find a garden open for the National Garden Scheme on Monday 2nd January. So with Christmas and New Year safely over for another year we set off on a bright but very cold day to visit Robinson College, Cambridge. The first of my 90 garden challenge.

None of the familiar yellow signs were displayed because this is a garden open most of the year. Directed by the NGS Gardens to Visit book, we entered through the Porter’s Lodge. It is the proceeds from the garden guide that you buy from the Porter which are donated to the NGS. The guide is a complete joy and provides the history, a comprehensive list of the plants and maps:

Entering the very modern courtyard we were disappointed to find the chapel with its John Piper windows was not open.

The entrance to the garden was not terribly obvious and it took us a little while to figure out which steps to take.

Up and over a stairway we found ourselves in the college garden. It is icy cold and the bridge is a touch slippery. Leaving the main building behind us we crossed over the Bin Brook into what is an amalgamation of gardens from Edwardian to Modern.

It is not specifically a winter garden as such but there was plenty of interest, either in the form of colourful bark,

or winter flowering shrubs such as Mahonia with yellow flowers exploding like fireworks.

The Sarcococca or winter box generously lining the path was smelling a dream.

Throughout the gardens there are plenty of places for scholars to sit, to think and to dream. Was the sail-like stainless steel sculpture meant to imitate the shape of the Wellingtonia (sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Pendula’) growing across the flat lawn. Or is it the other way round?

“Sailing into the future’ by Philip de Koning

Also called the Weeping Redwood, this mighty tree is almost human in form and looks as if at any moment it might pick up its branches and lumber right across the lawn.

A beautiful vase stands in front of an older college building,

and to the side is a cluster of seed heads of Verbena bonariensis which add a little interest and highlight the smoothness of the green beyond.

Even the unripened figs are a delight in the morning sun.

Not all the buildings are modern and at the entrance to this house is the inevitable bike with a Jasmine nudiflorum growing magnificently.

A metal fence with a central moongate not only provides a frame for the newly planted ivy Hedera hibernica to climb but also divides an eating area:

The Bar table seems refreshingly modern but somehow keeps a natural feel. The giant golden oat Stipa gigantea brighten the border behind.

Lutyenesque steps are an striking feature and also cleverly link a serious drop in ground levels.

Round the corner a splash of colour catches my eye, cyclamen so small yet so bright:

Old, old espaliered apple trees stretch their boughs along the straight path.

The outdoor theatre was created in memory of Maria Bjornson a celebrated stage designer. The empty stage now waits for its next summer performance:

Mistletoe Viscum album inhabits the surrounding trees growing on the outside of the college grounds; always so high up in the branches and out of reach,

within the garden it grows on the apple trees at eye level. You just don’t appreciate how very pretty it looks; the opaque berries are enchanting.

We were the only visitors in the garden that morning except for one Japanese student, the odd squirrel, a noisy cock pheasant and much to his surprise, and ours, a muntjac deer. Sited on the other side of the pond and viewed from many angles are two ghostly objects apparently in silent communication:

“Conversing Figures” by Christophe Gordon-Brown

We return to the main college building. It is the juxtaposition of the old and the new which is so striking; an aged tree lies propped up in front of the modern red brick building.

The sound of rushing water can be heard as it travels under the many levels of brick passageways,

and it is the many layers of gardens that have been so absorbing. We have enjoyed the sculptures and the spaces throughout the garden; the enclosed and the open, the wild and the tamed, the formal and the relaxed with a huge variety of plants and trees. It is a perfect garden for the scholar not just to sit, study and contemplate but also to eat, watch and even to act. We look forward to returning in the summer.

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The Garden Gate is Open

Garden visiting, looking at what is through the garden gate, especially those open for National Garden Scheme, with just an occasional foray here and there.

Askham Hall, artful acres of abundance. (83)

Robinson College: Old with New and Mistletoe too. (1)