Garden Visit: Lytes Cary Manor

After a year of trying, I finally managed to get the SUP team together last week for a visit to Lytes Cary Manor. As you can see we had the perfect day for it: the only (minor) downside was the amount of wasps, but then it does seem to be a particularly good year for them everywhere. If anything the gardens are even better than last year: there's lots more pots and many, many sultry Dahlias, including D. 'Arabian Night', which I'm also enjoying in my garden at the moment. S and D have fallen in love with the place: have a look here and here for my reports on my previous visits - with lots of photos - and I think you'll fall in love with it too.

Whilst we're on the subject of garden visits, I'm delighted my latest guest post is on this very topic over at The Guardian Gardening blog today. I'm exploring the issue of how garden visiting is becoming the victim of its own success and what can be done about it. I'd welcome anything you can add to the debate.

I'm blowing my trumpet even more: you may have noticed my welcome to BBC Countryfile Magazine readers at the top righthand sidebar. NAH and I went to Devizes for the afternoon recently for one of our gentle wanders around and to visit their brilliant newsagent which stocks the biggest range of magazines I've ever seen. For some reason I idly picked up this month's copy of Countryfile and then found Veg Plotting is their blog of the month! What an unexpected surprise :D

You also have an opportunity to do some trumpet blowing of your own. By popular demand Emmat is running another Emsworth, the fun virtual village show with plenty of honour to compete for. So, if you fancy being an allotment showoff, or you have some carefully made handicrafts, or have been practising your floral skills, or if you're simply just a Nigella with attitude, there's bound to be a category you can enter. Get cracking and click on here or the picture in my sidebar to go there! Hurry, hurry, hurry - you have until September 5th to do so!

Comments

  1. Hermes25 August 2009 at 21:43

    I like the look of Lytes - my sort of place.

    Chippenham is featured in the History Centre blog this week:
    http://www.wshc.eu/blog.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deb25 August 2009 at 21:54

    Well done for being Blog of the Month! I don't get to visit that many gardens, maybe I will now the children are getting older!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sylvia (England)26 August 2009 at 10:04

    I visit lots of gardens each year and overcrowding is one of the problems especially at National Trust properties. I have also found they close areas either for maintenance (not valid they are not open every day) or due to ware on narrow paths (valid) which has really spoiled my visit. Hidcote was awful as on top of crowds, areas closed they were filming with very bright lights. I do find private gardens quieter and need our support to maintain them, also they are more innovative and full of ideas.

    Going to Scotland next month, so hope to enjoy several lovely gardens. Best wishes Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Elizabeth Musgrave26 August 2009 at 13:31

    I love that picture VP, just perfection. And congratulations on the blog of the month!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anna26 August 2009 at 21:26

    I was going to say that Lytes looks like a lovely garden but ....:) Congratulations on achieving blog of the month in the Countryfile mag.

    I am off to have a peek at Emsworth.

    ReplyDelete
  6. VP28 August 2009 at 15:39

    Hermes - if you like Great Chalfield Manor, you'll love Lytes Cary because I think it's even better! Thanks for the link :)

    Deb - thank you :) The trick I've found with my niece and nephew is to find a garden with something they'll also like!

    Sylvia - from what I've learned from Lytes Cary Manor is that sometimes areas need to be rested because of the sheer numbers visiting or because something's happened. For instance LCM has had some parts of the garden flood, so things need to be dried out thoroughly before the public can go over those areas again. Grass paths and lots of visitors don't seem to go together that well either. I suspect that places like Sissinghurst are going to have to make some sympathetic alterations to their grassed areas so their high visitor numbers can be maintained without a detriment to the gardens.

    Elizabethm - thank you :) And I believe you might be seeing Zoe soon? If you are, do give her my love.

    Anna - thank you and Lytes is indeed a lovely garden. Enjoy Emsworth - how about entering some of your produce? It's a fun show ;)

    ReplyDelete

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