| Another area is the
Japanese garden. Water and stepping stones and bridges feature strongly. I
didn't notice any koi though |  |
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There are some ornamentally shaped trees but not really bonsai. It seemed a
little crowded, but then it was laid out in 1908. |
| As the bamboo fills with
water it overbalances to empty itself and bangs back down when empty. Hence
the title of 'Boar Scarer' |  |
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Picturesque but rather crowded. |
| Heron sculptures and a
bowl fountain in a quiet corner. |  |
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This is the star pond built on the site of the old tennis courts. It forms
the start of the formal Italian garden. Originally it was for Mr. Butchart's
collection of ornamental ducks. |
| The Italian garden laid
out in a formal manner. It is walled all round. The buildings form the
visitor centre and the 'Gelateria'. Very popular in the summer. |  |
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I like fuschias - OK? |
| Who's a big boy. I'm glad
I don't have boars like this in my garden at home. The bronze was cast in
Italy. The snout is quite polished! |  |
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There were lots of coleus of which this is just an unusual example. |
| We have begonias - but
not this big. |  |
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One of several huge hedges taller than several people. It takes a long time
for them to grow this big and they do well to not have bare areas. |
| Where would the flowers
be without the insects to pollinate them. |  |
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These sedums are part of the Mediterranean garden. Unusually the flower
spikes come from between the leaves. |
| Most of these do well at
home. In some ways we were disappointed at the number of planted out
annuals. It makes a great show for the million visitors but needs a lot of
staff. The gardens are in danger of losing the skill which went into the
original planting. |  |
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A very pretty planter with a nice variety of colours. |
| A reminder that the
gardens would be lost without the irrigation systems even in the maritime
weather conditions where it rains quite a lot. |  |
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Hidden around are the moss covered art works portraying animals. We didn't
spot this one the first time round. |
| We did go back to the
sunken garden. It is without a doubt the jewel of the gardens at this time
of year. It is almost the most skillful in its design given the difficult
terrain to work with. But with time and money and manpower much can be
achieved by a knowledgeable designer as Jennie Butchart obviously was. |  |
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Hidden in the shadows as we left were these moss deer artfully posed in a
shaded corner. |
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