Look on yonder earth.....
According to Wikipedia: in England the word picturesque, meaning literally in the manner of a picture; fit to be made into a picture, was a word used as early as 1703 (Oxford English Dictionary), and derived from French pittoresque and the Italian pittoresco. William Gilpin's Essay on Prints (1768) defined picturesque as a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture.....
We have been revelling in this year's glorious explosion of flowers. Falling on from a trip to imbibe the beauty of the bluebells in Ashridge Forest, we have slipped south, across the Thames, to sip the delights of Sussex....
Not before, however, a glimpse of the walled garden at Houghton Hall, which lies just a few miles from our Norfolk village.
I am not going to attempt to name everything, partly for fear of error, but also as many names have little to do with the soul of the plant. This one, for example, might be called Gold Dust, but then it could be Chandelier, or Grand Perfection..... To me it is the extraordinary unfolding of the mystery that attracts - not what someone chose to list it as in the catalogue.
And this pink beauty could be Gabriella, or Garden of Clusius, but then maybe not, and does it matter?
But I do know what this is, and I wish you could breathe the perfume as well..... Wisteria, a wonderful climbing vine with cascades of lilac racemes (though, sadly, the one over my front door has not yet reached maturity - seed grown plants can take 15 or more years to flower, and you have to prune them correctly....)
And look how it frames these potted tulips - a display to melt anyone's heart.
Anyway, below the Thames we visit several gardens. The archetypal picturesque of Scotney Castle (where that much-loved aesthete Mrs T used to holiday) is ablaze with rhododendrons, azaleas and kalmias:
I shall leave you to put your own names to these - it is quite literally mind-blowing, though the restrictions of two dimensions, the lack of a gentle breeze across the screen and the absence of scent all diminish the pleasure:
Next stop is Charleston, long-time home of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell and several of their children and friends. This modest farmhouse is filled with works of art and craft, of which I may wax illiterate on another occasion, but the gardens are just pure joy:
Though some might find there are too many purple passages:
Not far away, we climb the 217 metres to the top of Firle Beacon, from where the views south to the English Channel and north across the Weald are stunning. While the domesticated flowers of managed gardens can be thrilling, the breeze-brushed carpet of mixed wild flowers and grasses here quite takes our breath away.....
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Then to Farley Farm, the post-war home of Roland Penrose and Lee Miller. Again, I intend to tell more of the story here at a later date, but just look at this riotous border:
And imagine this rose:
Then, all too soon, we are back home, where the lilacs catch the morning sun:
Later, I walk through Lodge Hill woods, where the invasive rhododendron has it moments of glory:
And the rowan trees shake their delicate blossoms over my head:
It's all too quick. Only the other day it was dark in the morning and the world was forty shades of grey. Now I cannot but tread over the daisies, their sunny little faces smiling at me as I trample by:
And before you know it, Spring has Sprung, and the flowers have done their job and seed heads catch the light before being blown every which-way by the air:
Laying down the gossamer tissue in Itchycoo Park that will be woven into tomorrow's world......
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
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| The Picturesque at Scotney Castle |
Look on yonder earth:
The golden harvests spring; the unfailing sun
Sheds light and life; the fruits, the flowers, the trees,
Arise in due succession; all thing speak
Peace, harmony, and love. The universe,
In nature's silent eloquence, declares
That all fulfil the words of love and joy, -
All but the outcast man.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
from Queen Mab
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| Red Roses for You |
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With very many thanks to all those who have made a donation to my Thames Path Walk (which starts next Wednesday) in memory of my wife Amanda, here is a link to my Just Giving page for anyone who might be tempted to support the National Brain Appeal: