South of England 2006

• South of England 2006

Monday, August 14

We stayed for two days in Plymouth and explored the countryside.

Cotehele

• The house at Cotehele, Joanne and Virginia discussing the back border
• Back of the house
• The garden
• View across Saltash valley from Cotehele
• Virginia and Joanne in front of the inn at the quay

Tuesday, August 15

The Eden Project

The Eden Project is a botanic garden built in an old quarry. Joanne took the quick way from the top down to the domes - on the zip line.

• Joanne at the visitors center
• Joanne suiting up for the zip line
• Waiting for the zip line
• Joanne on the zip line at the Eden project - Ready, steady, gone!
• In the tropical dome
• Sculptures in the temperate dome
• Domes and the hemp garden

Pine Lodge

• Virginia and Joanne at the slave garden
• Pan of the border (from hot to white) of the slave garden
• Horse fountain
• Quiet pond with Cornus alternifolia 'Argentea' on right
• Frog fountain
• Lillium nepalensis
• Phormium with red Japanese maple, Budleia and fountain in background
• Giant Australian tree fern
• Paving and Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'
• Pretty path
• Bridge on pond with green slime in Japanese garden
• Closer view of black mondo grass with bamboo fence
• Vista from bottom of garden

Heligan

We arrived late at the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Joanne and Virginia went in, I stayed outside and took this photo.

• Pan of Cornish countryside

Wednesday, August 16

We stayed in Falmouth for the rest of the week. This day was devoted the Cornish tin mining.

Pool near Redruth

There are two National Trust sites with old Cornish beam engines in Pool.

• Cornish beam engine
• Outside end of the beam
• Cylinder and parallel motion
• Engine at visitors center
• Joanne at the piston end of the beam of engine at visitors center

Blue Hills Tin Stream, near St. Agnes

• Assaying tin with a shovel
• Water driven hammer mill
• Hammer mill in action
• Virginia and Joanne by the sweeper
• Shaker table, Joanne inspects the Hydro Cyclone
• Ruins of Cornish beam engines dot the countryside near St. Agnes
• Engine house converted to offices

Thursday, August 17

Today was devoted to Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Scilly islands, off Lands End to the west.

Penzance

• Ready for the helicopter to Tresco

Tresco Abbey Gardens

• Tresco Abbey Gardens slope down towards the sea
• Aloe fountain
• Huge Astelia chathamica
• Witchford basket pot with Echeveria planting
• Fountain detail
• Shell encrusted gazebo
• Detail of gazebo interior
• Olive trees in crushed gravel with signature blue bench
• Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop'
• Echeveria
• Aloes with geraniums on rock terraces
• Virginia examines an aloe
• The Long Walk
• Echium wildpretii and Restio jut out from base of ferns
• Australian tree ferns Dicksonia antartica
• More Australian tree ferns
• Sculpture at end of Neptune Walk with Agapanthus
• Top of Neptune Walk with Witchford pottery basket pots
• Echeverias growing on a roof
• Virginia in tree fern forest
• Tree fern forest
• Huge Asplenium nidus
• Crozier of Cyathea (tree fern)
• Tree fern croziers
• Agapanthus and Cordyline australis near ruins of the old priory
• Ruin of old priory
• Archway of old priory ruin with echeveria and agapanthus
• Interesting tree trunks
• Goddess sculpture
• Grotto covered in Passiflora coccinea
• Enormous agave
• Virginia under grape vine covered arbor
• View up terraces
• Begonia with Holboellia coriacea and echeveria
• White and blue agapanthus
• Norfolk pine
• Aloes and agaves together with echeveria
• White banksia
• Upper terrace
• Witchford pottery with begonia, agapanthus and palm tree
• Pitcher plants Sarracenia (pitchers and flowers)
• Agapanthus inapertus and papyrus
• Brugmansia sanguinea
• Pauls standard garden occupation
• More agapanthus
• The way out
• Time to go

Friday, August 18

Falmouth

Joanne and Virginia took the bus to nearby Trebah and Glendurgan gardens. Paul stayed in Falmouth with the camera.

• View from our balcony at Saltaire Guest House, with Pendennis castle
• Our balcony at Saltaire Guest House
• View from our balcony
• WWII gun protecting Falmouth
• Pendennis castle
• Gun collection at Pendennis castle
• Falmouth docks

Saturday, August 19

This was a travel day. We drove back to Plymouth, took the train to London and met Linda and Greg, then we all rented a car and drove to Lavender Cottage near Rye to stay for a week.

London

• Paddington Station

Lavender Cottage

• Lavender Cottage, where we stayed in the country north of Rye
• Rosa 'Albertine' on fence by our cottage
• Rose from cottage window

Sunday, August 20

Today we went to the Detling Steam Rally, a fair where everyone brings their old cars, trucks, tractors and other things to run and show off. Joanne got to drive a double-decker bus!

Detling Steam Rally

• Joanne by "my" traction engine
• Washing machine
• Threshing machine and baler
• A little Case engine running the baler
• Old steam truck
• A modern music box
• Tanks in the militaria area
• Little tanks too, by the bus driving exhibit
• A WWII mobile canteen, open for business with authentic tin cups
• Tank heads out to the parade
• Joanne ready to drive a bus
• Joanne drives a bus

Monday, August 21

Sissinghurst

• Entrance walk
• Sissinghurst tower
• View of the white garden from the tower
• View of the formal gardens from the tower
• Virginia takes a photo in the white garden
• The white garden
• Sculpture and willow in the white garden
• Crinums and yew hedges flanking a walk
• The purple border
• The Luytens bench
• Rosa glauca, Rubrum lilies, Eucomis comosa and bunny tail grass in the purple border
• Vibernum, Barberry and Crinums in the other direction along the purple border
• Rosa glauca, Rubrum lilies, Eucomis comosa and bunny tail grass in the purple border
• Statue hidden at end of vista in the winter garden
• Clematis 'Alba luxurians'
• Clematis 'Alba luxurians' on gate with astelia in pot behind
• Crocosmia, Knifophia, Helianthus, Miscanthus, Catalpa and Carex in the hot border
• Golden Vibernum opulus, Phormium, Echinacea, skyrocket juniper and a wonderful green plant in the hot border
• Linda in the purple border
• Some kind of wonderful polygonatum

Merriments Nursery

• Nicotiana sylvestris
• Amaranth
• Japanese and blue borders
• Shale bed with Verbena bonariensis
• Giant Echinacea
• Persicaria behind Teasel
• Acer griseum with hosta and grasses
• Striking structures
• Striking structures up close
• Orange border
• View into gravel garden

Tuesday, August 22

Kent and East Sussex Railway

• Northbound train arriving Northiam
• In our vintage carriage
• Paul is happy to be on a train
• Greg in carriage
• Bodiam castle from the train
• Arrival and Bodiam station
• Greg in cab
• Vintage train leaving Northiam northbound
• More of the train leaving
• All of us on the platform

Great Dixter

• The house with Clerodendrum bungei
• Paris polyphylla in the woodland garden
• Echeveria in a fun ceramic pot
• Sunken garden
• Container planting in the sunken garden
• Exotic garden
• Unknown plant in exotic garden
• Wonderful dahlia in the exotic garden
• Dahlia 'John Howard' on right
• Black Colocasia with pink Canna, orange Canna and immature Eucalyptus
• The long border
• Rosa moyesii 'Geranium' hips
• More long border
• Color transition from purple and dusky gray to shocking red with black
• Peacock topiary
• The house from the wild garden
• Sunflowers and Amaranth in the wild garden
• Grasses in the wild garden
• Schizophragma integrafolium on a wall

Wednesday, August 23

Battle Abbey

• Virginia in the novices quarters

Herstmonceux

• Large refracting telescope
• Joanne by big reflector telescope
• Greg fussing in the Volvo

Nymans

• Borders

Thursday, August 24

We drove to Portsmouth to visit the tall ships and naval museums.

Portsmouth

• HMS Victory
• HMS Victory Admirals's cabin with Lord Nelson's dress uniform
• HMS Warrior (first iron warship)
• Gun deck of HMS Warrior
• Galley
• Virginia and Joanne by the belowdecks wheel

Friday, August 25

This was a more relaxing day, we just went to explore Rye.

Rye

• The church tower with very old clock
• Rye castle
• Camber castle in the marshes surrounding the city
• Rye from the church tower
• Paul waits outside an inn

Saturday, August 26

Another travel day. We drove to Gatwick, dropped off the car and Linda and Greg for their flight to Scotland, then took the tube to London.

London

Sunday, August 27

• Buckingham Palace from the back
• Band playing on Sunday in St. James park
• Joanne and Virginia in St. James park, London Eye in background
• Belly dancers perform at dance festival by the National Theater

Monday, August 28

Kew Botanical Gardens

• The Palm House
• Virginia and Paul in the Palm House
• Huge lilies in the Lily House
• Border and the Orangery

Back to London by boat on the Thames

• Peace Pagoda
• Bus crossing Vauxhall Bridge
• London Eye and County Hall
• The boat we took from Kew

Tuesday, August 29

London

• Playacting in the Tower of London
• Paul by the Martin tower, Gherkin building in background
• Edgeware Road neighborhood from our hotel room

Wednesday, August 30

RHS Wisley

• Formal entrance garden
• The dry beds
• Woodland garden
• Agapanthus behind Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora
• Mixed border with Sedum and Knifophia
• Bee on double Cosmos
• Colchicum
• Black Mondo grass with Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' and 'All Gold'
• Fountain with horsetails
• Lily pond and house
• Hydrangea serratifolia blooming
• Pond at the bottom of the tropical garden
• Long borders
• Virginia at the Long Borders
• Section of Long Border
• Another section of Long Border, huge castor bean with Catalpa in the back
• The hot side of the Long Border
• Red Dahlia with Salvia 'Hot Lips'
• Cool section of the Long Borders
• Bench with Abelia grandiflora
• Part of the garden designed by Penelope Hobhouse
• New David Austin rose 'Teasing Georgia'
• Impatiens in the trial beds
• Dahlia in the trial beds
• Red dahlia in the trial beds
• Layers of Eupatorium in the trial beds
• Laying out a new trial bed
• Overview of the trial beds
• Demonstration garden that showed at the Hampton Court flower show, with rain collection canopy
• Virginia in a demonstration garden with Nicotiana sylvestris
• Tropical borders
• Gonphocarpus fruiticosus
• Another view of the tropical borders

Thursday, August 31

London

• View from the London Eye
• Joanne on the Eye
• View south from the Eye