Hello garden lovers and greetings from Sussex, England.
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My last week of holidays has been a jolly old time spent with three very dear friends from America.
We were in a quaint country cottage in the sleepy village of Fittleworth.
Our first day was spent at Hampton Court Flower Show, admiring the show gardens, rose pavilion, floral marque and product stalls.
Guest speakers included Jim Buttress, head of the Queens Royal Gardens for many years and now a familiar face on TV – a very funny and down to earth man.
Naturally we visited many wonderful gardens during the week, all at their blooming best.
West Dean was a standout.
It boasts a beautiful sunken garden and magnificent 300-foot-long pergola, draped with clematis, honeysuckle and sweetly scented roses.
We celebrated my birthday with a High Tea at the historic Gravetye Manor.
The manor was once home to the great Victorian garden writer, William Robinson, now a five-star boutique hotel.
After a delicious spread we headed into the garden and caught up with an old friend, the head gardener, Tom Coward.
Earlier in the day we visited the beautiful gardens at Nymans and at Borde Hill, with its glorious roses and Italianate Garden.
A great treat was a visit to Munstead Wood, former home to the most famous garden writer and designer of the early 20th century, Gertrude Jekyll.
Now the home of Lady Clark whom we met on a visit last year and ‘hit it off.’
It was her 92nd birthday, I organised a visit with a cake and gifts to celebrate!
A wonderful few hours was spent discussing the garden and its restoration, reminiscing about old times - Lady Clark was active in World War ll and I was invited to sing to the assembled group – Roses of Picardy!
Stately Home visits included Petworth House, Arundel Castle and the flamboyant Brighton Pavilion, all filled with priceless treasures.
We also enjoyed the simple pleasure of driving through the country, stopping at a layby for fresh strawberries and pulling over in a quaint village to admire the ancient church and streetscape.
Many antique shops were picked over before a visit to the local tearooms for a coffee and cake fix.
We enjoyed evenings at the local pub and naturally partook of the traditional Sunday roast, also fish and chips by the sea on Brighton Pier.
The trip closed with a visit to our good friends at Great Dixter.
Here we all celebrated a firm friendship based on a mutual love of gardening, life and laughter – with a song or two of course!
Happy gardening,
George Hoad