Well, the best laid plans don't always work out... I'd arranged to visit Harewood House with a friend, assuming it would be open at weekends in the winter. We arrived to find the gates closed! Apparently they take a couple of weeks in the New Year to take down all the Christmas decor (quite a task) and get the place set up for the next season. So, plan B then... and we turned round and made for RHS Harlow Carr instead. It was chilly but dry and we enjoyed a wander through the gardens.
Everywhere is very much in 'wintering' mode but there were still things to notice and enjoy: shapes, colours, textures. The red dogwood stems were really vibrant against an evergreen hedge.
Drops of moisture clung on to the broad leaf of a leek in the kitchen garden:
The bark of a young Betula Nigra (black birch) tree was papery and peeling:
There are textured seed heads and grasses that make sculptural shapes, even though devoid of colour and life. The skilled horticulturists and garden designers of the RHS know exactly what to leave and what to prune to create interest throughout the year, even when it's cold and the plants are dormant.
You made a good post from the winter garden.
ReplyDeleteJust waiting on spring.
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