In an English Country Garden

At the weekend I was at Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale in Yorkshire.  No need for words really.  Just wander with me, in the warm sunshine.

Many of the daffodils are past their best, but an army of compatriots leap to attention behind them.  I’ve seldom seen such variety in one place.  Arum lilies quietly stand guard over the pond.  The soft colours of Spring are all around me, pierced by the vibrance of Japanese acers.

At this time of year, and with such weather, my Place in the World would have to be in an English country garden.  Ask me in Winter though and I suspect you’ll get a different answer.  Revelling in my surrounds, my intention had been simply to capture an armload of beauty for Cathy’s photographic challenge over at Wander.essence.  But I’m sure she won’t mind to share.

 

118 comments

  3. My garden can’t begin to compete with this one. Sadly, many of my tulips didn’t bloom, the daffs went over quite suddenly it seemed, and only the damson blossom waved in the icy cold winds that gripped us for so many weeks. Mind you, the cherry blossom round about seems to be doing well and it hasn’t carpeted the streets yet. My azaleas insisted on flowering at the wrong time and got their bruised brown looks quite quickly, and the camellia blossoms were too heavy for the stalks and their droopy heads could hardly be seen. Still, lurking around are some lilies and irises which should appear any day now and the roses are about to burst into flower, and when I see these, then I am happy.

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    1. I’m surprised at how well everything looks after such a cold, wet beginning, Mari, but it’s certainly made up for lost time since then. There’s lots of pink blossom about and we were up in the woods at Durham this afternoon, in a thick carpet of bluebells. My rhodies are all doing well and clematis is creeping everywhere. Trying to time it right for a visit to Cragside. 🙂 🙂

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  4. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to walk among such beauty, even if only virtually. I say this to you often, but I miss such rich landscapes. Blue is lovely and the sea divine, but I am longing for the sweet sights and smells of an English spring #jealous. Blown away by your magnificent photogrpahy.

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  6. Here it is … the first of the English garden. Just heavenly photos, full of stillness and beauty! This time of year is magical here in the U.K. and the gardens are glorious. The photo of the lake is perfectly framed with the bridge peeping out between the various colourful foliage… reminiscent of Monet’s I guess? Happy Weekend, Jo! 🌺🌻

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  7. How lovely Jo, there’s seems to be an abundance of gardens up your way. The daffs have long finished down here, what a difference a couple hundred miles make. Happy Saturday darling, I’m off to spend some time with my work daughter’s little man 🙂

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    1. There are some lovely ones, Gilly. This is a bit of a favourite, and it was nice to have it more or less to ourselves. Last time we were there was Halloween, which was rather foolish of us. 🙂 🙂 Have a lovely weekend, hon!

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  10. Laughing about the correction to the Arum lily name. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it called anything but Skunk Cabbage around here. Lovely images of lovely garden. Soak up enough of that beauty to last your through the next winter.

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    1. Presumably it doesn’t smell great, Gunta? 🙂 🙂 I didn’t get close enough to find out or I’d have ended up in the pond. I’m posting more of the Arboretum today, but without the Skunk Cabbage. 🙂 Thanks, hon!

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  15. A beautiful day, wonderful colors (and smells, probably), and a peaceful environment. I’d call that a perfect combination. This is a place where one could sit on a bench and enjoy life for a long time! I stumbled on Cathy’s blog thanks to you, Jo. I might have mentioned it already, but we will just miss her in the Four Corners area when we set out that way in June.

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    1. Oh, what a shame, Liesbet! She is one heck of a woman, and we had a very happy get together in Tavira, a few years ago. 🙂 🙂 And yes, the Arboretum is a wonderful place to just be.

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    1. My other half corrected me. (as did Jude, of course- can’t get away with anything 🙂 ) It is in fact a Yellow Skunk Cabbage, but how poetic does that sound, Meg?

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      2. I was relatively close and it didn’t smell bad to me. Any closer and I’d have been head over heels in the pond. Then I might have been the skunk. 🙂 🙂

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