Saturday 30 June 2012

The Victorian Walled Garden at Edmonsham House




Last Wednesday was another grey, drizzly day. In the afternoon we drove up into Dorset, to see the gardens at Edmondsham House, in a hamlet just north of Verwood. The house is of Tudor origins and has Georgian additions. The gardens and parkland reflect this long history. There are the steeply grassed banks of a cock fighting pit from the Middle Ages. There are fine specimen trees and a pond in a shaded dell.
On our visit, it was the sheltered and colourful beauty of the Victorian walled garden that gave us the greatest pleasure on an otherwise damp and dull summer`s afternoon.

Delphiniums and other herbaceous perennials thrive on the alkaline soil of this landscape, which is at the southern edge of the chalk hills of Cranborne Chase.



Contrasting drifts of nepeta ( catnip) and acid green Alchimella mollis.




Soft grasses and flowering perennials border the gravel pathways.





There are scented  shrub roses



Several varieties of delicate cranesbill geraniums flower in clumps beside the path.





A deeply scented rose.




I liked the dark bronze leave of this rose. A lovely contrast to the surrounding brighter greens.



A climbing rose against the lichen covered red brick wall.


A Victorian chimney pot.



A large part of the walled garden is now an organic kitchen garden, carefully managed by the Gardener and his team. Short courses in organic gardening are sometimes held here.




A domesticated wild flower, Vipers bugloss, is part of the companion planting scheme that attracts bees and beneficial insects to the garden. Calendula and borage are also grown.


The outside of the walled garden, as seen from the lawn beside the house. Several climbing roses have been trained along the wall. One of the loveliest was a pale creamy apricot rose, with a sweet scent, that arched across the warm red brickwork at the end of this fine old wall.





12 comments:

Down by the sea said...

The gardens lovely so lovely at Edmondsham House. We visited there about 10 years ago and enjoyed them them. It looks like a return visit is long overdue!
Sarah x

helen tilston said...

What a delightful place Edmondsham House is. I love the thought of an organic garden. The roses are just beautiful

Helenxx

Bovey Belle said...

What a beautiful garden. One to put on our list of places to visit when we are next down your way. How lovely to see Viper's Bugloss growing in the garden - why not? It is SUCH a beautiful flower. I can remember being bewitched by it, aged 6 years old, when my dad bought me the Observer's book of Wild Flowers. I was 30 before I first found it growing in the wild (in the Purbecks).

Ragged Robin said...

What a beautiful garden - looks well worth a visit and a lovely place to wander around. Love the roses and the Viper's Bugloss.

Kath said...

glorious photos, how I'd love a walled garden!

Pam said...

I too would like a walled garden. And a stately home. And lots of money...

Or I'd actually settle for a bit of time to myself.

Em Parkinson said...

What an absolutely stunning place. I've always dreamed of a walled garden but will doubtless never achieve it, so it's a treat to see your lovely photos. Thank you.

The Wessex Reiver said...

A lovely posting of a wonderful garden. I like walled gardens.

And off message I thought I'd drop a reply to your comment on my blog The Richard Jefferies museum is wonderful, it's on the outskirts of Swindon at a place called Coate, near Coate Water. Sadly the farmland Jefferies knew is about to be built on, so his beloved view of Liddington Hill will be lost forever. Here's a link http://richardjefferiessociety.co.uk/museum%20guide.pdf

The Weaver of Grass said...

Walled gardens are perfect for protecting plants in the sort of summer we are getting this year. The wealth of lovely flowers makes we want to be there. Absolutely lovely.

thelma said...

What beautiful photos, like everyone else always love the idea of a walled garden, with peach trees growing against the wall of course.

Angie said...

That victorian chimney is a wonderful example of those times...loved sharing your day.

Anonymous said...

A true feast for the eyes!