Wednesday 29 April 2015

Coughton Court

 
 
 
Coughton Court has many delights to offer visitors, from priests' holes to wonderful gardens but at this time of year the main attraction for us is the Wild Wood of Arden and this is the first place we headed towards last Monday.
 
 

 
 
The wood is disappointingly small but a real delight. It may be a surviving area of the ancient Forest of Arden which Shakespeare used for the setting of As You Like It. The forest was first documented in the 11th century. Large sections were cleared through time to provide fuel, building materials and grazing land. The nature of the local soils meant that once the original oak and birch woodland was removed, heath land developed. Heath was preferable to the wild wood, which was viewed by people with fear and suspicion.






The bluebells cover most of the floor of the wood and they're the first thing you see once you go through the gate

 
 
 
Thick carpets of bluebells like here, take hundreds of years to form. They divide gradually underground. The flowers also disperse seeds, but they are too heavy to be scattered by the wind so the bluebells spread only very slowly.
 
 
 

 

The bluebells in this wood are mostly native, English bluebells, which have smaller flowers growing on only one side of a floppy stem as opposed to Spanish bluebells that have larger flowers growing on both sides of a vertical stem.




The wood is situated on a small hill so up the steps we went
 



lovely path snaking through the bluebells.




 
 A real joy.
 



Leaving the woods we walked across the field, crossed the little bridge





and reached the river walk





it's a very shallow river



 
the wild garlic is just starting to flower - it's mostly buds
 
 

 
this is an exception
 


 
so we'll have to come in a while to see it in its full glory.
 
 
 


The bog garden is at the end of the path




everything has been cut low, so we noticed something we had never seen before





this statue sitting comfortably in the middle of all the plants




we walked around to have a better look




 
another one has been revealed too.
 
 
 


Next, the tulip field. Last year we were able to buy some tulips, but there's only very few left now





but they're real beauties




 
 
 


 



The walled garden was our next stop




which consists of a series of 'rooms'




we moved from one to the next




the wisteria trees have a long way to go




we reached the lake




great reflections





we then turned left and continued walking round the walled garden




lots of tulips here too




white



 
pink
 

 


with dew on the petals even though by then it was midday
 
 
 
 
and then we'd come full circle and reached the house.
 
 
 


Monday 27 April 2015

A riot of colour

 

Lush. Lush and luxuriant. Such pleasure in taking all of this in. Greece was green too, always is in spring, with gorgeous wild flowers, but this is totally different. Wonderful.




I am in the Mill Gardens looking across the river.



 
I then cross the bridge and enter Jephson Gardens. This small wall is new and the flowers look lovely.
 
 

 
I then reach the gate on Wills Road, where the rockery looks glorious
 
 
 


and oh! the tulips standing erect and proud.





Tai chi in the park



 
so much colour....
 
 


This is another new section. They were working on it when we left, and it's still work in progress





such wonderful contrast of colours.




More tulips further down the path



 
looking closer at the glorious red
 
 

 
This is the central display of the Gardens. Very colourful, not so much to my liking, too formal, but the colours are magnificent nevertheless
 
 
 

 
but I do like the less 'intense' beds
 
 


particularly these white ones.



 
An abundance of tulips
 
 

 
my favourite flowers
 
 


lots of hellebores




cherry blossom




looking closer




and I have reached the gates that are opposite the Pump Rooms




with a riot of colour




on either side.