Prairie Sunday

The Sussex Prairie garden has been on my computer list of ‘favourites’ for ages; I don’t remember where I got the link from in the first place, it just looked a really lovely garden to visit. On Sunday we made the trip, meeting up with Arabella Sock & the bedsock.

So what was it like you ask. Stunning.

I suppose in concept the garden is quite simple; large sweeps & drifts of perennial planting, each variety in very generous dollops. The site is surrounded by trees with glimpses of the South Downs in the gaps. What is lovely is that you can walk in amongst the planting on lots of pathways & really appreciate the contrast of textures & colours, movement & variety. Sometimes the planting is over your head so you almost get lost amongst it. There are lots of seats so you can just sit & contemplate, some in amongst the planting, some on the edge. The place was awash with bees & butterflies & dragonflies around the pond areas.

There were some sculptures in the garden too, some of which worked well in my view,

others not so well

Despite the look of the perennials the garden is very new & the hedging has a way to go before it has the necessary impact but it a glorious way to spend a few hours. There is a terrace where you can sit with a coffee & a delicious slice of cake &  chat about the experience. I am aiming to return for the October opening when the grasses will be at their best. Oh yes, & apparently there is an excellent pub close by.  

 

It is probably no surprise that the creators of the garden are working with Piet Oudolf. If you are interested the Prairie Garden has been reviewed here, here & here.

 

Guerrilla Gardening Lazy Trollop Style; the sequel

 

I thought it was about time you saw the results of my experiment in guerrilla gardening which I wrote about here. The pictures speak for themselves…

What do you think? Is it a success or perhaps another one of those ‘works in progress’ of which I seem to have many.

Whilst I could blame the cats, dogs, foxes & anyone else who uses & abuses the alleyway, in truth I think it is purely a combination of my laziness & the Grimsby fish sellers.

Still, not one to be downhearted, I have more free seeds from the Hampton Court Flower Show which I will scatter in the autumn this time & possibly with a little more in the way of preparation. 

The buttocks in the picture are a statue in the gardens of Hardwick Hall, a fascinating National Trust property in Derbyshire.