At Great Dixter

Spent the afternoon at the home and garden of Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter. LLoyd was one of the most influential gardners of the 20th century, doing things his way, often to the dismay and condemnation of the gardening fraternity. He famously dug up a bed of roses that had been in the garden for years to replace it with an exotics garden. He was a champion of informal gardens which he let grow rather than manicure. This did not mean that his garden was unplanned, it wasn't, but it was left to develop as nature intended.

Lots of blip opportunities with the last of the tulips in full glory or even blowsey in nature. But it was the little detail I tried to capture with this old barn with forget-me-nots and orange tulips growing against an old barn with just the hint of an open door that you want to look through. (that's what I learned on a course last year). The extra is of house leeks planted on the roof, looking good growing in the old tiles. The final one is of a view of the house between the arches.

The house itself is very interesting, built in 1450 and undergoing renovations it was bought in 1910 by Lloyd's parents who had Sir Edward Lutyens design additional wings using materials from another old house that was being demolished, much the same way as Stoneacre on Saturday.