A Field of Stones

A wet day from the start today. I had arranged to go down to Stonefield Castle, near Tarbert, to advise the lady - an ex-receptionist - who is now trying to run the garden without any knowledge or experience. 

It's a huge and very special garden, with massive rhododendrons grown from seed collected by Joseph Hooker in the Himalayas in the mid-1800s. They've had no real gardener there for a long time and as the house is run as a hotel, they've been reluctant to spend much money. Things might be changing, however, so knowing that I've always loved the garden they asked me if I would go down on occasions to help them come to some decisions. My Blip today shows a huge old Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans' in its early autumn dress in front of the castle, an unusual colour for an evergreen conifer!

Fortunately by the time I got there the rain had gone off, but just before I came to leave the heavens opened and I got soaked! It's good to keep my hand in and to see all these beautiful plants though!