In 1980
Prince Charles bought Highgrove in Gloucestershire
as his home
The following year
he moved in and
proposed to Lady Diana Spencer
With easy access to London, Wales,
and other Western counties where the Duchy has most of its properties,
and other Western counties where the Duchy has most of its properties,
Highgrove continues to be Prince Charles's primary residence today
Lucky for me, the gardens are open to the public
a few times a year :)
- sadly, no photography allowed -
.jpg) |
| source |
Prince Charles is widely known for being
an 'environmental ambassador' (my words)
So not surprisingly,
his garden is chemical-free & organic
with many sustainable features
 |
| The Carpet Garden source |
The Prince of Wales saw the property as a blank canvas
and was keen to create a garden that would
'feed the soul, warm the heart, and delight the eye'
as well as a space to experiment with some of his ideas
Although his 15 acres of cultivated gardens are managed by 15 gardeners,
you can definitely sense he has a strong role
in the planning and upkeep of the gardens
in the planning and upkeep of the gardens
The property holds a national collection of ferns, hostas, and beech trees
And there are many different garden 'rooms' which hold exotic plants and flowers
as well as gifts from famous people and heads of state
I couldn't wait to see what surprise was around the next corner!
I couldn't wait to see what surprise was around the next corner!
 |
| source |
Although quirky,
each gardener has his or her own yew topiary to clip as they please (above)
They have a bit of a competition among themselves
Just one example of how this garden is quite unique
Another interesting feature is the stumpery
which was popular during the fern-crazed Victorian era
but rarely seen in gardens today
A stumpery is an area of placed dead trees and stumps
providing natural vessels for plants (i.e. ferns & hostas)
 |
| The Stumpery source |
Other unusual spaces include
the Carpet Garden that looks like an oriental rug,
a potager designed in a St George's Cross and St Andrew's Cross,
and the delightful playhouse built for Princes William and Harry
We finished our tour with yummy lunch and tea in The Orchard Room
and nosed around the shop
I walked away with this onsite quote (in hieroglyphs) buzzing in my head:
'The flowers in the garden are a reflection of the stars in the sky'
If you are a gardener, this innovate garden is a must see :)
Alternatively, buy 'The Garden At Highgrove' book here
34 comments:
Loved this post!
I was disappointed that I could not take photos, as I am sure you were too, but I expect it is all to do with security.
A stumpery!!! How insanely cool is that! I have never heard of that but what a unique way to display so many species of plants! WOW! I love learning something new! The gardens are beautiful...I would love to be one of the lucky 15 who get to tend to them!
LOVED! LOVED this post ... your words were brilliantly written and descriptive. How wonderful to have been able to see and experience the loveliness of the gardens!! Thank you for sharing with us .. xo C. (HHL)
Oh what a gorgeous garden. The house is pretty nice too! Thanks for sharing. Might have to include that on a trip home in the next few years.
You have a FANTASTIC blog! I can't wait to read more! Thanks! Tammy
Simply stunning!
Ooohh! Thanks for the virtual tour! What a delight!
I loved these pictures..I can only imagine how beautiful it is in real life. I admire his quirky ways there too!
It is a great garden - we especially loved the Stumpery. I was with a group of ladies from London, we went the first day it opened in spring and I have never seen so many daffodils! We all commented on the absence of anything "Diana".....
I will not be able to attend the Bloggers Tea but I am looking forward to reading about it on your blog. Cheers!
It looks like such a beautiful place to visit - tranquil and peaceful. Your picture of all the topiary trees looks almost like an oil painting.
Have a lovely weekend,
Nina x
Hi Laura, lovely blog. Beautiful Photos :D
*New Follower*
Welcome! Popping over to yours now... :)
That must have been amazing! Sorry to miss you at the tea - maybe next time ;)
Thank you!! You are so sweet ;)
Me too!
Thanks, Nita!
Hi Laura,
Wow, Highgrove looks wonderful.
The gardens look amazing, and wouldn't it be great to have a peek around the house too!!
Hope you have a lovely week,
Lizx
Ps: all signed up for Bloggers tea party-so looking forward to meeting you
Maybe our next Blogger's Tea could be at their house - wouldn't that be amazing?! See you on the 2nd ;)
I admire the gardening culture in your beautiful country.Not only Prince Charles but most of you have the thing for flower and garden culture!! Chapeau!!
Looks great! Just the kind of garden I would expect Prince Charles to have! Ada :)
Wow, what a wonderful day out! I am amazed that you could get refreshments there too. The Victorian Stumpery looks fabulous. I wish you all the best with your blogger tea, I wish I lived closer. Have a wonderful day, with much love, Linda x
The gardens sound and look beautiful! I love that quote you posted at the end!
It looks LOVELY! That first photo is especially beautiful. Formal but still pretty.
Cheque in post....yay!
Sxx
Yea! See you next week ;)
How lovely to have a "stumpery". You could go there when you felt stumped.
Loved this post and your last one too. You really do sniff out the very best of British life, don't you?
I have to agree with Iota, in fact I came back to the blog in hopes that you have been somewhere else and I can look at the gorgeous photos!! :)
Clever, you :)
You are so sweet! Yes, come back :)
Oh wow, they look just incredible. Although I'm not sure I'd want to go if I couldn't take photos - it really is a deciding factor for me these days and the reason I havemn't visited Eltham Palace yet.
This look gorgeous! What an opportunity. We've had a couple of sites we've happened to find out about before the open day- and it's such an exciting feeling. I do admire Charles' environmental efforts, and although I'm not a gardner I do appreciate a lovely one- so I'll have to keep this one in mind for sometime in the future! Thanks!
Bet that was gorgeous. What time throughout the year is it open?
Hi Leigh, I think usually Apr - Oct, but only when he is out of house. You would have to look online, as I think it varies based on his schedule. XOL
That's beautiful. No one loves their gardens like the English, that's for sure.
Ali x
Post a Comment