It’s a year since I first visited NT Tyntesfield. That was an amazing time of discovery. Today I’m back again simply to take a wander through the grounds, visit the rose garden & enjoy the big blowsy dahlias by the kitchen garden.

Tickets for the house are sold out by the time I reach the entrance point. The girl is most apologetic, but it’s not a problem – the sun is shining  & hopefully so are those dahlias!

Come with me if you will. We shall take the path down to the house & rose garden. The view is breathtaking. The trees provide welcome shade for families & couples sitting on the lawn enjoying picnics or simply the beauty of their surroundings.

Insects adore plants like this & if you look closely the flower top left has a bee sat on the flower! It’s a tall architectural statement plant – it looks at home in the border here, but I confess, as a gardener it’s not something I like. As a keen photographer though I think it makes an excellent subject!

The colours in this border are more to my taste. I love the combination of the pinks & blues. I think it’s a mallow at the back, tall & double pink – I could happily have that one in my garden!

This image is from the rose garden, but I love it for the acer that makes a great focal point. The planting here is softer, with great grasses – I cannot resist tactile plants! Sunlight plays on the grasses, they seem to dance & play in the brightness, swaying gently. I would love to be here early in the day, or perhaps later when visitors are homeward bound & simply enjoy the peace, solitude.

Tomorrow I will continue our walk around the estate, but for now I will linger a while here in the rose garden.

Today it’s a proper summer’s day. Gorgeous wall to wall sunshine & I am stuck indoors after the supermarket shop! But I can still escape & watch the world through my kitchen window. Here in my tiny garden there’s a blackbird, a boy. He’s busy scooping up crumbs. In the top corner of the garden there’s a shadow, a young blackbird. “Dad” pops up & deposits the food store on the grass, then he disappears. It seems we are the bird day care nursery!

It’s fun watching this young bird explore the garden, test the crumbs he’s been left. He’s even ventured to sifting through the soil though I don’t know if he’s too certain of what is treasure & what is worthless in food value!

There’s another bird now on the wall, collecting food. This one is mum, she seems a young, perhaps first time mum. She came yesterday with her youngster. I imagine this is her young bird sat in the corner. She sits quietly, completely still, watching, waiting, but I am uncertain what it is she has seen. Once she has her food, she takes flight across the garden. Clearly this little bird is not her responsibility! While I’m in the kitchen I watch “Dad” blackbird return to his offspring a few times. I wonder how far he goes, does he maintain a watchful eye on junior?

So my trail continues… Everyone tends to associate Westonbirt with autumn colour, but I found plenty of stunning colour on my wander through the old arboretum.  The flower from this tree looks much like honeysuckle. I love the colour, how could I pass by without stopping to enjoy this close up & capture the image to look at again?

Hydrangeas are looking good this summer, maybe because of the damp start to our summer!  Here there’s a good selection in different colours. In my garden they flower pink – the soil isn’t suited to bring out those gorgeous blue shades. I love this one – the way the flower is shedding onto the leaves. I call this my fairy dust bush! The individual flowers are very simple & the colour of the sterile flowers so pretty. I wish I had a garden large enough for a bank of these shade lovers.

I couldn’t resist this tight flower bud! It’s a really vibrant shade that looked even brighter in the mid day sunshine. And when it opens the colour will be so very different – others on this shrub were blue.

Back to leaves & this is one I cannot resist. It’s a rhododendron with the most amazing leaves. The photo doesn’t do justice to the colour. The underside of the leaves is a rusty shade of red with a furry texture. I could happily live with this plant in my garden (if I had the space) just for the architectural leaf pattern. I adore plants that are tactile!

Coming to the end of my trail I found this plant. Again it’s the leaf & stunning colour that caught my attention. It might be exciting to take the new walkway & look down on the trees, have your head up in the clouds, but I like to keep my feet firmly on the forest floor, be down among the trees where I can get up close, really experience being part of the arboretum. I had an amazing time at Westonbirt & came away with lots of photos to enjoy my visit again & again!

It’s forty years ago that I first came to Westonbirt. Like most people I came to see the startling autumn colour. Today there’s still plenty of colour, especially if you stop & look closely. The seasonal info board tells you what plants & trees to look out for & even provides a map reference to help you spot them! Funny, but many of the people on the old arboretum trail don’t seem to be using a map.

I like the unusual, something a little different…

This tree reminds me of Christmas decorations – lots of baubles dangling from the branches. I couldn’t resist reaching up to touch the seeds that felt soft. It’s a bladder nut tree, which spoilt my idea of Christmas a little! But I cannot resist touchy feely trees & shrubs….

This tree looks amazing & it’s huge! This is just a small section of the tree, a smoke bush. With the sun on it I think it adds to the effect. This will always be my candyfloss tree!

Do you remember doing bark rubbings as a child?  I think we used wax crayons to rub over paper to create a copy of the texture. Perhaps it’s my second childhood but I lingered by this tree simply to run my hands over the bark, feel the texture. It felt dry, like it should be brittle, but look up to the amazing height of the branches! Suddenly I felt really tiny standing beside this tree.

I love the colour of these seeds, they are stunning & really stand out against the assorted shades of green all around. How can people walk by & not spot these decorative gems? I think this is a maple, but the seeds resemble sycamore in their shape because the trees are related.

Now this tree isn’t very pretty but I love the outline. Looking up to the tree top it appears to be bent. So what caused it? I like to imagine the tree touched the sky so high has it grown, now it has to bend a little – the sky really is the limit!! Perhaps it’s how the tree grows, maybe the top is so light it simply bends in the breeze, but I like my version best.

For me this is what makes my personal trail through the trees special – spotting the detail, quirky, having fun, but learning too about this amazing place & some of the very special trees that grow here. It always takes us longer than the recommended time allowance to complete our walk. I have a tendency to wander off the path, investigate a shrub, spot  fungi, maybe a blackbird or two. Tomorrow I will share the rest of my trail including pockets of colour.

It’s a few days since I last added to my blog. While I’m out enjoying walking &  gardens, I don’t set aside time for typing! Today’s been fine & dry – ideal to cut the lawn. It’s not a thing of beauty but I like my patch of green & so do the birds. Blackbirds spend an extraordinary amount of time searching the lawn for hidden treasure.

My finds of the day have been weeds, bindweed mostly. It has established itself on one side of the garden & despite my best efforts keeps popping up, twining round my favourite shrubs & roses. I have found bindweed is a great source of therapy! Ideal to pull & tug by the roots when frustrated by what life throws at you!

My front garden is also in need of attention. This is even smaller than my patch of grass! Originally this was a small grassed area, sitting alongside a driveway. Other houses in the terrace now have a gravel or tarmac to replace their front lawn. I have another patch of green – ground cover plants! These probably cost  a good deal less than the gravel that adorns neighbouring gardens.

Today I have added another heather to my patch. This one, unnamed, was a bargain find while doing the weekly grocery shop! My 35p heather spent some time by the kitchen door, where I could keep a watchful eye over it. Now it’s joined its big cousins in the front garden. Come the spring I am hopeful it will have built up the energy to reward me with flowers. This is another bonus of using plants versus gravel I have colour in assorted shades of green plus flowers! I admit some of the gravel does also sport a few random plants… These have arrived on the wing! There’s a few dandelions but also a few tree saplings. The proximity of sycamore trees means we often find these grow in the smallest amount of soil, my front garden & even gravelled areas.

This is my favourite garden. It’s a level walk & you are free to explore the different areas from kitchen garden to orchard, pond to formal lawn. It’s a lovely quite space that changes as the seasons progress.

The Courts is renowned for its topiary. It’s a high maintenance garden & the grounds do credit to the team that clearly work hard. But today its the colour in the borders that I have come to see & indulge in. It’s been a summer that requires work – roses have needed dead heading frequently, even in my small garden. The rain has been cruel to many blooms, but here there’s oodles of colour.

This NT garden is set out in a style reminiscent of NT Hidcote, with rooms, each a little different. There is a distinct colour theme too in some areas. I love the colour combinations & mix of plants that create bursts of vibrancy or freshness. The picture of the sunflower is brilliant. I had the advantage of the light playing on the lime coloured leaves forming the backdrop. It’s plain to see how the flower got its name!

Our visit coincided with the school holidays so there was a child’s trail around the garden teamed with an Olympic theme. We resisted the temptation to join in with the activities, but the boards were very informative & I learnt something about the trees in the grounds. All except this one…

This one is a bit of a puzzle.  The leaves are huge, the flowers remind me of mimulus, but I’ve no idea what the tree is. Time for a spot of research. I think.

I love the hot colours, the way the pinks, scarlets & orange shades fight of attention. The hot beds attract butterflies & bees. After I’d taken this shot I realised there was a bee sat on the flower cone!

This one was a bonus! The flower is verbena. It’s very much in vogue, popular with garden designers. I love the shade & so it seems do butterflies. This is what I love about the Courts. There is so much to see & enjoy. It’s a super place to wander, take your time & absorb the stillness. A bonus is there are numerous seats well placed around the grounds – in sunshine & shade. It’s a beautiful place to stop & simply be. A meditative place if you like.

It’s amazing the detail that’s there – you simply have to look a little closer… As we were leaving I noticed a board of activities showing butterflies for the Big Butterfly Count. It gave me the chance to put names to the butterflies we’d spotted during our visit. Perhaps next time I should ask for the children’s activity sheet?

I always enjoy a visit to Lacock. Walking through the lovely  abbey grounds  there’s often the chance to spot wildlife. Visitors will most likely be greeted by one of the resident cats, at some point. One popular spot is in the greenhouse next to the botanic garden. This is my first port of call. I love the botanic garden – to see the changes to the border across the seasons.

Look up in the greenhouse & you’ll see nets high above your head – to deter early pickings! Here there is an amazing grape vine that crops well. Visit at the right time & you’ll discover  grapes provided for taster sessions.

Further on we stumbled across one of the cats – this one managed to find a quiet spot off the main path.

Our walk took us close to neighbouring fields & here on the gate  was a little bird. It was only as he moved that I noticed him, so well did he blend into the background. I didn’t want to move towards him & frighten him away, so chanced getting a clear shot of him.Thank goodness for zoom lenses & digital that allows lots of images! Some were too blurry to make out my little bird, but I am childishly pleased with this shot! It shows him quite well….

So what is he? While I was trying to photograph him another bird also popped onto the gate. A robin. So maybe this is a young robin? The wing mark is very distinctive – it’s not a robin. Back home I researched him further, could it be..? No, that’s wishful thinking. I believe my cute little bird is a spotted flycatcher. While I watched he darted off his perch, returning to another spot further along the bar of the gate. My visit was special if only for spotting this gorgeous little bird. If only I had my I Spy book of birds from my childhood! I wonder how many points he would have earned?

I also enjoy wandering around the abbey grounds for the colour, and right now the rose garden is a special place to be. Okay so the weather’s not been kind to roses this summer, but this newly planted area is beginning to take shape. I’m fortunate to live close enough to return & watch the garden develop, compare the condition of roses here to my own garden! Lovely to spot a Munstead Wood rose, but sadly it’s taking a well earned rest from flowering. But I did find this gem…

I love the colour of this. The bloom is just perfect & I like the way the buds are full, red showing little sign of the gorgeous shade of the flower that will burst open.

I saw a photo a few days ago from NT Stourhead of a Tulip tree. Here  in the courtyard there is a huge tree with just a few flowers remaining. This one was quite high up, especially for someone like me at a smidge under 5′! But I’m really pleased with this shot. It shows the petals clearly, thick & waxy & despite the creamy white shade there’s no real sign of the petals being “browned off”! It is also fitting that it’s at Lacock, the home of photography, that I achieved some decent shots to share.

I return to this place many times. I will be back to see the botanic garden border in all its fiery glory when summer burns away to leave an autumn glow.

I just happened to be looking out the window. Now what did I see? A bird? A plane? There was no noise, simply something coming up the road… A cat perhaps?

No. At 4.30 on a Sunday afternoon this is what I saw coming up the road….

At last! It seems summer has arrived. Phew! What a scorcher!! The heat is powerful, I feel like I am melting. This morning started with a thick blanket of fog.; not something I would associate with summer.

Maybe it’s all the baths, but the water has evaporated from the bird bath. I seem to replenish this countless times! Just as I am heading out with a litre bottle of water a female blackbird perches on the edge of the bath. I feel like a housemaid from years gone by. Not quite keeping to the time scale of the lady of the manor who is ready to dip  into the bath & requires my attendance!

Once again the bird bath is the centre  of attraction in the garden. Today it played host to a sweet little bird & her friend. I love this shot. These little blackcaps had a lovely time splashing in the bath!  I had the water level quite high so at times the birds disappeared from sight. Perhaps they shared the bath time, keeping an eye out for predators to ensure their mutual safety.

They were a complete joy to watch. We don’t often see them in the garden, certainly not at this time of year. Whilst in the garden one of them decided to taste the berberis berries that are on offer right now. Being small they were able to work their way through the shrub in a more agile way than the blackbird has achieved!