A VISIT TO GREAT DIXTER
When I visited Great Dixter in Kent UK for the first time in early September 2014, I felt quite emotional approaching the familiar front entrance of this wonderful 15th century manor house sitting comfortably in the garden. I say familiar only because I had read a great deal about Christopher Lloyd's garden and the development of his home Great Dixter in 1910 by his father Nathaniel Lloyd and the architect Edwin Lutyens Parts of this house date back to 1450. Read here if you wish to know more.
I was visiting the Loi Thai's charming blog Tone on Tone this week. Loi fills his posts with beautiful photos of Belgian style antiques he sells in his shop as well as of his own home and garden. In one of his posts Loi refers to Christopher Lloyd's quote from his book 'A well Tempered Garden' -
" If Hyacinth scent is cloying, I am perfectly happy to be cloyed" This delightful quote prompted me to look back on the photos I took when visiting Great Dixter last year and I thought I would share these on the Blog today. While slowly scrolling through my many photos (apologies), I happened to be listening to Sir Edward Elgar's 'Nimrod'. The combination was perfect and moving. If you have access to this music, try the combination!
I visited Great Dixter and Sissinghurst on the same day. This was my first visit to both and I looked at my photos of both for weeks after. What an incredible experience to visit these gardens at last. We were lucky that the weather was grey and chilly, resulting in relatively few visitors. I did, however, loiter about waiting for people to step aside before photographing! Mr. R-I was most patient!
As it was late summer, Great Dixter was awash with Dahlias, Zinnias, Rudbekia, Salvias and more. Strong warm colours which I love. Great Dixter was, and still is an experimental garden and changes are constant. Fergus Garrett was head gardener for the last 15 years of Christo's life. It was a garden of consideration. Every day they would walk around the garden asking themselves, "Is it worth it, does it grow well, does it stand on it's own". Many decisions were made, some of which required immediate action and others left as and when the seasons dictated.
The garden is filled with a great variety of plants offering different sculptural elements, leaf contrast, and textures. Interestingly, Christopher Lloyd preferred to call his Long Border a "mixed border" and not a perennial border. I have added a link to a video at the end of this post where Rosemary Verey pays a visit to Great Dixter. Christopher and Rosemary Verey talk about Dahlias and much more. Christo shows her his "Exotic Garden" which I remember from my visit. Their interchange is so delightful and one feels that there was a friendly rivalry between them. They refer often to 'hot colours' as opposed to 'cool colours' which were obviously more popular at that time. Christopher it seems, was not afraid of moving against popularity.
I do hope you enjoy looking through these photos. It was a perfect day for photos - good light and no sunshine!
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| Can you see the Daschund in the topiary? |
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| A pebble mosaic of Christopher's two daschunds - Dahlia and Canna laid in 1998. |
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| Most of the borders were at shoulder height and we walked through tunnels of blooms and colours and textures. |
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| The Long Border designed by Nathaniel Lloyd and Lutyens. |
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| I love the Heleniums in the foreground which I also grew on South Acres. They flower in late summer. |
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| The sedum in the foreground just being to colour |
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| Look at those wonderful chimneys |
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| I loved this window |
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| I love the three Oast Houses on the right. |
Below is the link to the video of Rosemary Verey's visit with Christo at Great Dixter. The video was filmed in late September of that year, a time when this garden is possibly at it's best. Christo refers to Fergus his head gardener, and today, Fergus Garrett still manages the garden. I met him briefly, as he walked about followed by two Daschunds who could be heard barking in the garden from time to time! If Christopher Lloyd could walk around his beloved Great Dixter today, I know he would be proud. To view this delightful video please click
I loved Great Dixter with every cell and fibre of my being. I especially loved all those terracotta pots shoved up against the borders and all that colour and texture. I was just so clever.
ReplyDeleteI saw Sissinghurst the same day (and cried when I walked under the arch to the garden because it had been my dream to visit since 1995 when I started my 1st garden and tried to recreate the white garden with white blooms and grey foliage) I saw Great Dixter too and it was a fascinating contrast. I thought some of the plantings at Sissinghurst were a bit municipal but maybe it was the time of year I was there…
I bought my niece a tiny vintage garden fork from Great Dixter…It was a child's fork and I wish I had it here!!
Have you read Stephen Anderton's book about Great Dixter? His mother was uber controlling and loved forcing everyone to action group tapestry projects. Christo liked to offer meat to the McCartneys who were hard core vegetarian and lived nearby. Love the blog as always.
And happy birthday! x
For me Great Dixter was like coming home... I cannot explain how this garden moved me. The borders were shoulder height - it was exactly what I adore in a garden... warm strong colours, confident planting and the hedges/topiaries were breathtaking. I concur exactly regarding Sissinghurst .... I think the garden is earning it's keep and more and the plantings seem to be a bit more pedestrian. Although the cottage garden was wonderful and of course, the buildings that dominate are majestic. I shall have to look for that fork!! Will get hold of this book too. Thanks so much FF - and for the birthday wishes xxxx
DeleteSorry that should read "It was just so clever" oops. I love the Tone on Tone blog too x
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous Jenny - thanks for sharing this wonderful visual feast x
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Beth - it is easy to see that I was completely bowled over by this garden!! xx
DeleteI have wonderful memories of this garden when I saw it for the first time 25 years ago and have always wanted to return to it. I had planned to go back this year but with a new grandson on the way we decided next year instead.( I am flitting over to France for three weeks though in July-to visit Provence and Paris) but would like more time in England next year.
ReplyDeleteI digress, I remember 25years ago how I loved their late summer borders and the strong colours they used and over the years have been introducing more to my farm garden as it works well in our strong sun and clear blue skies.That is what i remember the most from the garden and the symmetry- perfection.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos- spurs me on to plan my trip next year.
xx Marilyn
I love looking at photos os special trips too!. I still haven't been to the gardens at Sissinghurst even though my husband's friend lives right next to it...But I must start planning better bc I keep saying next year next year. But I did get my tickets to Chelsea flower show today!! woo hoo! are you coming this year for it? Hope you had a lovely day today xx PS I discovered Loi just before xmas when Meg from pigtown design told me about him.
ReplyDeleteYou should make this your garden year Naomi!!... starting with Chelsea! I am going to Chelsea too - on 21 May!!! Please try to visit Great Dixter - the two gardens are quite near each other - about 30 minutes drive between the two. We HAVE to meet up this time!!... High tea somewhere in London! xxx
DeleteI am going May 19th!! Even if it's for 10 minutes I am coming to say hi - but please let me know when you are free so I dont miss you again and I can make sure I am free!! xxx
DeleteLoved all your photos Jenny. I haven't yet visited (one day….) but feel like I have a much better idea about the garden, which is really about the plantings, and so inspired. Funnily enough I have been discussing plans about my front garden today, which I am about to redo, and was talking about hot colours, and fashionability of plants. Probably because I am going to be doing a slightly unfashionable garden. There will not be a little gem magnolia in sight! It's going to rely more on plants, and crazy combinations to give a more modern but 'Victorian' feel to the garden. A bit like what is going on here. Interested to see so many things in pots too - obviously they change them periodically when things are finished and replace with something else? xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Heidi...I laughed out loud at your little gem comment!!... I couldnt agree MORE!!! The garden at GD is in Arts & Crafts style. When we lived on the farm, I designed an herbacious border outside the stone cottage and decided on hot colours to compliment the warm sandstone. This is when I discovered the rose Ashram - beautiful warm orange. Those pots were almost my undoing!... It was far more beautiful in the moment... meticulously looked after - the lovliest garden I've ever visited. Visit Woodbridge Nursery's website - Tasmania - they have a great selection and they ship efficiently. Look for Heleniums - they are late summer flowering and are a joy xxx
DeleteWow. What a glorious riot of colour and plants together that I wouldn’t have thought would go together well. Planning a trip September/October so good to know that the garden is lovely then too. Can’t beat terracotta pots they always look super. Lovely post thanks. Hope the little patient is doing well. Tonkath
ReplyDeleteHi Tonkath - The garden is so confident!... plantings of all sorts of colours, textures and forms together . You will adore it! The little one is struggling but hopefully will turn the corner this weekend.. Thanks so much xxx
DeleteI absolutely love/love Great Dixter as well! The buildings and the gardens - the joyous colour plantings which seem to be designed with the eye of a painter. Was on the same garden tour as FF - and so funny I bought one of those tiny garden forks too - for my indoor pot plants. Wonderful that Fergus is still there - he gave us a fascinating talk also. Think perhaps he makes all the difference in keeping its special spirit flourishing.
ReplyDeleteSissinghurst was a bit of a shock to me. I'd first gone there, only a few years after their deaths, on a small private visit conducted by one of the Nicolson's close friends, she had quite a few anecdotes about them too. There were no other visitors that day. It was stunningly beautiful and still felt very much a private home and garden. Also we were lucky to be shown into parts of the house and garden not open to the public today. So it was a bit of a jolt to see it with enormous coach parking lots, cafes, huge souvenir shop, toilet blocks etc and thousands of people. Still loved it - and understand how everyone wants to see it now so they have to provide these amenities. But somehow it seemed to have lost something of its old spirit. Felt rather the same way about Rosemary Verey's garden, lovely though it is too.
Your photos are toto (as my grand-daughter would say) wonderful! Best wishes, Pammie
Hi Pammie!.. I had exactly the same reaction to Sissinghurst ... I was still in awe of the majestic tower and buildings and once inside it felt better. I loved the cottage garden there. There is nothing like Great Dixter ... and I love your idea of it being designed with the eye of a painter... Fergus is a genius!!! xx
DeleteI love your blog and your selections of gardens. I have always wanted to do a garden tour in England. I just bought HRH HIGH GROVE. I had it shopped from the UK before Rizzoli pick it up. Sissinghurst looks stunning! Thank you for sharing! All the best, Rié
ReplyDeletesorry I meant Great Dixter.
DeleteHello Rie! Thanks so much for the comment and dropping by. I am so pleased you enjoyed this post on Great Dixter as this garden is very close to my heart. I am looking forward to posting more about our garden travels in the UK in late May this year. Jenny xx
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