Inspired by Kew

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was really inspired to add a few new plants to my garden after my recent visit to Kew Gardens. It was the Rhododendron Dell there that really captivated me. En masse, they looked incredible, and there were so many different varieties and beautiful colours that I'm sure it would have  been impossible not to find at least one to fall in love with. Add to this the fact that they produce beautiful blooms in Spring, well, I just had to find some space for a few.

I already had one Rhododendron, a Percy Wiseman, that had been languishing against the fence for a few years. Although it bloomed, you couldn't really appreciate it as it was tucked behind other plants. I bought this one forward, and it's now sitting snugly between a Hebe and a Hardy Geranium. It got a good feed of ericaceous compost, and has looked spectacular for the last fortnight, blossoming with little speckled flowers.

One of my new purchases was this gorgeous Azalea, Mme van Hecke. It looks just as good in bud as in bloom, and is evergreen, always a bonus I think.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I don't 'do' red in the garden, with the exception of strawberries and tomatoes on the patio, so I was about to pop this Azalea, Geisha Red, back on the shelf. Looking again at the plant though, the buds appeared more pink than red, so I decided to risk it. I'm glad I did, as they have indeed bloomed a delicious deep pink colour that blends in beautifully with the others. 

The last purchase was this Dwarf Rhododendron, Impeditum. It has lovely little purple/blue flowers and I was taken with it enough to purchase two, the second of which I've placed in the new area where the garage was removed.

So, this is my very own little rhododendron dell, and I'm looking forward to seeing the plants grow and merge over the next few years.

The rest of the garden is looking full and lush at the moment, and though we've had a few really lovely sunny days, it's mostly been rain, rain and more rain. I do hope that's not the theme for our 'summer' again this year, as I'd love to actually sit in the garden and appreciate everything out there!

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Kew Gardens

It was my birthday last week, and Mr Spoons 'n' Spades offered me the day out of my choosing (woo hoo!), and I plumped for Kew Gardens, not having visited since my children were young.

Overall, my impression of Kew hasn't changed much. There are some really great areas, like the Japanese Garden and Rhododendron Dell, then there are some areas that really let it down and lack interest and I think they could do so much more with. Queen Charlotte's Cottage is one, it's a cottage, please add a cottage garden to the entrance instead of a dull patch of lawn, the bees and butterflies would love it, and so would I! 

But, I'm being picky, because we spent a beautiful sunny day here, strolling around, and found many beautiful areas to admire. Here are some of my favourite photos from the day.

As I mentioned, the Japanese Gateway garden is just stunning! I think it's the first time I've ever visited during this season, and it was definitely the best I've ever seen it. The cherry blossom was in full flower, and the gorgeous red blooms among the rockery were simply amazing.

Some of the Camelias had finished flowering, but many were still flourishing. Such beautiful varieties and colours.

There were some lovely little plants in the alpine house, and most seemed to be in bloom. Lucky for me!

The Rhododendron Dell was packed with glorious colour. I'm still waiting for mine to flower at home.

And the cherry blossom scattered around the garden was breathtaking, especially against the clear blue sky.

Of course, there were Bluebells and Snowdrops.

I always look for form, layers and interesting colour combinations when I visit gardens, and these are a few of the photos I took to remind myself and maybe replicate certain features for my own garden.

I could share so many more photos from the day, but I'm sure Blogger would go into meltdown, so I'll leave you with a last one of me, taken in front of the British Orchids. 

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