The ‘Wilderness’ at Hampton Court

L3 Day71 A very chilly cycle and saw lots more daffodils on a walk around Hampton Court Gardens. But a very dull day so no good photo today! The Wilderness part of the gardens was originally Henry VIII’s Great Orchard. In 1680’s a fashionable French garden was created for Charles II’s most famous mistress Barbara Villiers. It had outdoor ‘rooms’ with walls of high hedges laid out in geometric patterns. Today the worlds oldest puzzle maze is the only remaining part of the original Wilderness (closed at the moment re Covid). Since the early 20C the Wilderness has been famous for its daffodils in spring. There are over one million bulbs including many varieties of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils.