November 2011

November 2011

måndag 10 augusti 2009

A weekend in the beginning of August


The Grove, located in the South of England has everything you’d expect. With 300-acres of park and woodlands, an award-winning spa, world championship golf course, three restaurants, tennis and croquet.

The Grove’s history is rich and interesting. In its heyday, The Grove was the venue for country house parties for royalty and society’s elite, regular guests included Queen Victoria, Lord Palmerston and Edward VII

Since then, The Grove has had many varied uses, including a gardening school.
This beautiful sunken garden at Kensington Palace was planted first in 1908, transforming part of the gardens occupied by potting sheds into a garden of classical proportions. Today, the garden continues the tradition of rotational flower displays in the spring and summer. From April to October when the garden is looking its best these vibrant colors and exotic planting are on display .
As it was modeled on the Privy garden at Hampton Court Palace a style of gardening seen in the 18th century I had to see that as well.

So we went to Hampton Court and guess who we met -

Henry VIII (1509-47) he lived here 500 years ago, however, still walking around at the castle!!!

The very first Privy garden from Henry VIII’s day was the King’s private garden, and very few people would ever have gained admittance to it up until the 18th century. The newly reconstructed Privy Garden, from 1702, is one of the most accurately reconstructed gardens because so much was recorded about the original garden.

The 20th Century Garden at Hampton Court is a special place with contemporary style plantings with trees and shrubs in an informal setting that creates a place of peace away from the busier areas of the gardens
A private top floor garden

John Madejski has given the Victoria & Albert Museum £2 million to create the new garden, designed by Kim Wilkie, located at the heart of the Museum. The courtyard walls have been softened by plantings of blue hydrangeas as well as Salvia 'Enigma' and Dahlia 'David Howard'

I seems to me that they have the same problems as I have to keep all the hydrangeas Volvo blue.