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?