Hopping into the Hanbury Garden, the buds on the nearly 100-year-old Rhododendron ‘Cynthia’ (pictured above), set out by Christine Hanbury, were developing at great pace in January, and by May are putting on a wonderfully vivid display again this year. But in case you needed another reason to pop by, the views from this garden perfectly frame the changeable seasonal colours of the wider parkland, making it a lovely spot to come back to time and time again.
At the time I visited in late January, the showstopper, in my view, of all the gardens had to be the Winter Walk, another area which is constantly evolving.
The Winter Walk is full of contrasting textures and colours, with varieties of vivid reds, oranges and yellows from the Cornus (Dogwood’s), ornamental grasses showing rustic to black shades, evergreen shrubs, and the delicate purple-white flowers of the Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ shrub, which will change to black berries later in the year. There is just so much see, not forgetting the white of the peeling birch bark, the pale ornamental bramble stems (Rubus cockburnianus), the distinctive Mahonias, and the fragile Snowdrops, together with timeless Heathers placed around the boarder. I wish I could list them all here, but you will have to come see for yourself, as even on a rainy day this is not an area to be missed.
Further into the Winter Walk preparations are continuing for its gradual extension over the coming years.
