Tatton Park

I had been booked on our Kenilworth Gardening Club trip to Tatton Park earlier this year.  Mr S and I were watching footage from the Show on the BBC earlier in the week, and Mr S decided he would love to come with me this last Saturday.  He just managed it as we had a couple of cancellations!  Its was lovely to walk around together...and then sit and enjoy the music, and share our views....

One of the gardens which had caught his eye on the BBC footage was the one with glass panels, and in the flesh it was even better.  Called 'A View Within', it had many elements of interest, which the Designer Eileen Wood has incorporated without the garden feeling overstaged.

Stepping stones through Ajuga reptans 'Mahogany'.  I do have Ajuga reptans purpurea but the form of this one is rather interesting.

A closer view of the glass panels by Julie Langan Architectural Glass Art: wouldn't it be amazing to look out at these at night with a light shining behind and through the glass?

Another attractive back to back garden was 'Inner Sanctum' where a querky brightly coloured water feature was playing in the far corner:

One of the little plants which appeared earlier on a friends facebook page with an appeal to me to identify it was Phacelia or Scorpion Flower.  I found a good description of the plant by Higeldy who also supplies seed.  As well as looking good tucked in amongst other plants, Phacelia is beloved by bees and hooverflies, and also good for cutting, and with its unusual form certainly one I would think of growing next year.  It looked lovely in a mixed border in one of the back to backs:

I would have thought that at the Tatton Park plants would have been correctly labelled.  This plant was on one of the first displays by the entrance.  There were several  clumps of this sedum  all labelled with this name! The spelling I believe should read Sedum Telepinium so there is a u missing, and it is quite the wrong label if my searches showing a tall sedum are correct. In fact Sedum Telepinium it is a sport of Sedum Autumn Joy, and is similar in growth,  which grown here in my garden.

With a cream margin to this little sedum, together with the yellow and orange flowers, this plant really appealed to me.  Sadly on Saturday morning they had no plants for sale, so I took this picture.

 

 The name of this sedum is most likely Sedum Kamtschaticum variegatum and I have even traced a supplier! 

Here are some other plants which really appealed to me.  I can see that in the coming years my interests may focus on clematis...

Taylors Clematis

This Clematis Viennetta is similar to Sieboldii...do you remember Viennetta Ice Cream?  Often brought out as a desert for family Sunday Lunches during the 1980s!  It was a novelty, but soon replaced with the lovely homemade puddings.

Further one there was another clematis grower: Priorswood Clematis

Clematis Arabella

I liked the way the flowers were held on long stems...lovely for my In a Vase on Monday arrangements!

Clematis Justa

This year I am growing more fuchsias, and could not help but admire this mountain of flowering fuchsia plants.

There was a good specimen plant that caught my eye on account of the form of the branches and the colour of the bloom which had a white tube and sepal, with a lavender blue corolla, plus its name Star Wars!  Moreover there was a plant available!

Another little special bloom, which I shall may want to add to the garden:

Scabious Barocca

then there were the sheds and sculptures...but I think I need another blogging session to cover that!