Sofia,Bulgaria

Arrived into Sofia just as the sun was setting and the landscape reflected a yellow wash of color across vast fields of crop and pasture, fringed with low forested hills in the distance  and cumulus cloud overhead. I said to Brad that we could be arriving into Dunedin Airport but without the sea view.

We were met by an English speaking quide who took us to our hotel in the city -bright pink facade and six stories high called The Renaissance Hotel. Pink must be their color of choice as the Wizz Air flight we flew in with had pink markings so we are in the Pink!

We shed our layers of clothing thankfully once we got inside,to get our suitcases through we had to wear the extra layers . Brad nearly faced a big bill but we stuffed her bag in and passed inspection.
The customs check is very perfunctory but we had nothing to declare so we were happy to escape quickly into the lobby area and look for our taxi  man.

We set forth to check out the night scene as food was a priority,a long time since my bread roll at Luton . We did a circuit of the streets around the hotel but eating places were rare until we came across a side street with an Italian Restorante which served up lovely authentic food served by a Bulgarian women who said she did not speak English but she coped with our orders very well . We had an appetizer of prosciutto and fromage with bread and oil followed by ravioli and tomato sauce . Delicious fare washed down with a Bulgarian beer.

First impressions of the city are favorable, some interesting public buildings and an array of churches from denominations as diverse as possible Jewish synagogue,Muslim mosques and Christian churches line the streets up to our hotel,The parliament building and government offices were well preserved but streets are rough in parts and lots of empty shops,public spaces,graffiti all tell a take of poverty and lack of amenities . It will be interesting to see more in our travels tomorrow.
Well it is time for a read and a good night's sleep so signing off from Bulgaria.

Loseley Park Garden

Loseley Park has been the home of the More -Molyneux aux family for five hundred years before gifting it to the National Trust . It was built in 1560 and the walled garden was laid out in the 16th Century.
We arrived just in time for lunch in the Tithe Hall, fresh chunky sandwiches again and served inside on big round tables, perfect for conversation . I am starting to get to know a few of the conference goers now.
We had a speaker after lunch on saving collections of plants and the work going into this project in the UK and beyond.
Then we were let lose into the garden,especially the walled garden a,though I did make time to walk down to the duck ponds and along the moat walk which was on the south side of the garden designed to have  lovely views across to the flower meadow on the other side . Water lilies were out and kingfishers were in attendance so a nice area to browse through.
What can I say about this garden? It is quite special and some parts particularly so.

I loved the white garden, as beautiful as any I have seen anywhere. It may be the time of the year but everything was so healthy,well grown and robust and the arrangement of the plants was superb . The water feature and design stood out for me . White roses,hostas,hebes,hydrangeas and masses of perennials made it a special place . The sound of water running and the soft light on the silvery shades gave it an atmosphere of tranquility and romance . One could imagine the owners of the house strolling here with a pims in hand to enjoy the ambiance together.

The rose garden was a mixture of old and newer roses although it says in the literature they are old roses.This got the rosarians going.
This award winning garden was a birthday present from Mike to his wife Sarah and is planted out with over one thousand old fashioned roses, edged with box hedging and enclosed in the taller hedging and pillar roses to give it height and interest. I noted the lack of companion plantings which had given the other gardens such depth and color and I think the roses did not have the health and vigor of Mottisfont . Here they did not under plant but the plantings were quite dense . The rugosa rose was popular here with lots of varieties I could identify . Bonica was a more modern rose with a delightful color and  albas moss roses,bourbons,gallicas damask and English roses took your eye as the paths followed around the symmetrical plan of the garden . In the centre was a gazebo covered in a white climber and providing the centre point to the design.

The legendary plantswoman, Gertrude Jekyll had a passion for the place and she had a border named after her as she had a hand in planning the garden originally but not a lot of her work still can be seen today but the area reflects the structure,style and design she would have used .

There is also the largest wisteria vine I have ever seen reaching along the brick wall and covering it from top to toe in the area where the tennis court was once.

The herb garden too was a delightful space and sadly my battery had run out so no photos of this part of the garden and it's culinary and medicinal plants designed to keep the family in good health.
Vegetables and fruit also had their own space within the walls and all the produce goes to the house for catering at the cafe.
The afternoon was coming to an end and we had a final cup of tea with biscuits before climbing back aboard our coach and driving back to the Holiday Inn at Winchester.
And so ended a delightful conference,new friends and new gardens to talk about maybe better to dream of as they are on a scale beyond most of us to manage . Thank goodness for the National Trust . Amen......

Gardens to die for!

Wednesday 25th June was another beautiful day for our garden rambles, the sun was shining and after a substantial English breakfast we set off by coach to Hinton Ampner. Ever heard of it? No I imagine not, but let me introduce you to a very special garden run by the National Trust in the vicinity of Cheriton, not far from the centre of Winchester.

This garden was introduced to us by the head gardener, John.D.Wood who spoke at the first day of the conference and gave us a potted history of the place and the improvements  since he arrived about six years ago . Previously he had worked at Mottisfont under John Wood and absorbed the master's touch. He met us at the bus and gave us a conducted tour of the property. Well he tried but people got distracted and wandered off to explore the various walk ways and paths which lead into surprises and vistas across the farmlands.

This garden was the vision of Ralph Dutton,also known as Lord Sherburne who designed and established the garden after his own plans and ideas . Today you can enjoy the vision he created by taking long walks leading to vistas across the Hampshire farmlands . He constructed a haha so that animals could graze up to his lawns yet seemingly connected to the view . He was also keen on topiary and in front of the house there is a long terrace where his art can be observed .

The rose garden he designed for his mother but the roses did not flourish , they disliked the climate and soils and eventually died off. Mr Dutton was a man of steel and he persevered against the odds until he found the roses that tolerated the area and today you can see old and some quite rare roses happily blooming in various parts of the garden.
A feature was the vibrant ramblers tumbling from huge trees or climbing up supports cleverly placed at the foot of shrubs to encourage their growth upwards. Klifsgate,Wedding Rose,Lykkefund were very special and the scent was delicious.
I am not sure of the spelling but r. Sins Wilsonnia is a rare rambler rose with huge clusters of white blooms and massive leaves for such a rose.It may be the only one in the UK today. Very scented and quite beautiful.

There were other collections too of beautiful Salvia,Viburnum,grasses and dahlias . One long bed of a rose called,A Whiter Shade of Pale was especially striking and made a feature of the garden beside the reflecting pool.
I also enjoyed the hedge which is designed in a cloud fashion,another of John's features and frames a lovely view across the fields where once a battle raged in 1631 or there abouts . Quite a whimsical idea which I got the feeling he enjoyed doing.

We wandered the grounds for some time before coming across the walled garden which John has had restored,what a delight that was with vegetables,fruits and herbs in abundance and served up in the cafe as fresh as you can get. Centre stage was a large scarecrow guarding the young lettuces and greens most at risk of the birds. I hope his trouble is rewarded . The other notable thing in this garden were the fruit trees espaliered along frames,their trunks were amazing,so thick must be very old indeed but still producing fruit for the residents and visitors to the garden.
More delicious shortbread and tea before we left the garden and travelled further along the M3 towards London albeit Guilford as it turned out . Next installment to come.....

London sojourn . June 27,2014.

Today is my chilling out day before travelling onto our next adventure starting tomorrow from Luton Airport to Sofia,Bulgaria.
The sunny weather continues here in London . I have been down the high street in Stroud Green to pick up cardboard boxes for Lou and some bits and pieces needed for the trip . Can you believe that I left the data card out of my camera behind,no wonder I could not take photos of Mottisfont!Dumb!
My washing is done and I am half way through packing for the walk so enjoying my leisure time.
The Heritage Rose Conference was better than expected as people were friendly and I made some new contacts in the rose world during coffee breaks and bus rides to see the gardens . I had to keep my ignorance in check so listened and learned from the experts, many had nurseries or were responsible for public plantings in their country of origin.
The day at Mottisfont was everything I had hoped for . We were put into 4 groups and allocated a team leader from the gardening crew who took us around and explained the workings of the garden and the history of it.
David,the head gardener explained how the garden came about and how he had developed it over his stewardship,he is an impressive man and we'll loved by his team of gardeners .He also gave us an insight into the work of Graham Thomas who established the original rose garden and for whom the conference was named for. I had no idea so much went on behind the scenes and that politics played a role in gardeners lives as well as other occupations . A fascinating insight into the back door so to speak . The car park development and the use of modern design were contentious issues.
Joan took us around the enclosure garden and explained the companion plantings and the thinking behind some of the choices and options taken,followed by a tour of the estate beyond the walled gardens down to the main house and grounds by another senior gardener . The magnificent trees on the estate are under his care and we were introduced to one of the top ten trees on the national  registrar of oldest trees . We also saw the original spring which gives the Priory it's name and checked out the mosaic angel and the features of the building.
Then Johnny Bass took us for a tour of the walled garden climbers and ramblers and explained their care and conservation . Lots of features for climbers to grow on and the variety was impressive.
We had a marque for our meals although many of us ate outside under the trees as it was very hot,about 28 degrees so very warm.
We also had time to explore the house and garden after the tours finished so I took a look through the art display at the house . Graham Thomas was also an artist of note so some of his work was on display along with the original collection of the Russells and some recent work from artists in residence . I explored the shop and spent time sitting in the main garden and smelling the roses . The perfume was everywhere although there were complaints recently that the didn't us scent was invasive!and spoilt the experience,could not see it myself as it was a mix of all the fragrances around me.
It was about six before the bus was loaded up and we returned to the hotel for a well earned rest . Great training for Bulgaria as we walked for hours in the heat . Thank goodness for my brolly.
My only disappointment was that I did not get to see Stockbridge,we drove to Romney because of the low bridges but same lovely countryside to enjoy.