you will also find details on this page of the Annuals Border.

PARTERRE.

This is one of the few formal features of the garden. The parterre is about 30ft x 15ft , with box hedges making up the compartments.There are 8 beds - with scented herbs planted in them. These change from time to time , but at present we have

1. Thymus vulgaris

2. Santolina chamaecyparissus ( cotton lavender )

3. Feverfew

4. Artemesia 'Powis Castle' ( wormwood) & Chamomile

5. Lavandula stoechas ( french lavender )

6. Salvia officianalis purpurascens (purple sage)

7. Origanum aureum ( golden oregano)

8. Calendula - marigold

In the centre bed is a bay tree .

view from above . Chris always cuts the box on derby day !

PERGOLA

The pergola leads the way to the secret garden, and links several areas such as the South Wall Border ,Main borders, Woodland beds/paths, parterre and annuals border. It is constructed of 'rustic' poles , with a little trellis in places. The feature plants are Roses - Altissimo,, Felicite Perpetue, Traditon, New Dawn, Compassion, Leaping salmon, Bantry Bay, Albertine,Alberic Barbier, Mme. Gregoire Staechelin , Galway Bay & Clematis - viticella 'Polish Spirit' , texensis 'Duchess of Albany', alpina ' Helsinborg', alpina, macropetala spp. , redheriana, tangutica , & montana alba.There are also honeysuckles Lonicera - 'Graham Thomas', Belgica, and japonica.

View of the parterre through the pergola. The clematis is the early flowering macropetala species.

Alberic Barbier

Above photo - another view of pergola - the pink rose is the local 'Bantry Bay', which we have had in flower on Christmas day !

Rose 'Bantry Bay'

Rose 'Alberic Barbier' .

Around the parterre and adjoining the pergola is a small cottage border of pinks , Francoa , galdioili , Verbascum , Penstemon , Linaria 'Canon Went ' , Lychnis coronaria & others.

same again - showing parterre & pergola.

Archway leading from the parterre through the pergola , and into the secret garden . Roses are 'New Dawn' & the red 'Traditon'

ANNUALS BORDER

This is at a right angle to the pergola , and acts as a screen for the polytunnel ( see veg./fruit page for polytunnel ) .  The annuals are also alongside the parterre. These flowers are grown from seed each year , and are at their best from the end of July until October, increasingly taking the lead as the main flower borders fade a little.

We grow different flowers here every year , but some are yearly favourites , such as the 30ft row of sweet peas at the back of the border. Also grown every year are cosmea, antirrhinum, agrostemma, statice , echium, calendula, poppies, cornflowers .

You are also likely to find -Statice, Helichrysum (straw flowers), Nigella, Eschscholzia ( california poppy ) Linaria ( toadflax), Convolvulus, Rudbeckias - Toto/Rustic Dwarf/Chim Chiminee, Poppies - Paeony/Flemish/Ladybird,  Nasturtium, Salpiglossis,  Schizanthus,& others. This photo shows the delightful Ladybird poppies, with Echium'Blue Bedder' and Convolvulus tricolour 'Royal Ensign' .

2003 was a good year for sunflowers.

The ever cheerful Rudbeckia 'Rustic Dwarfs'  ( actually about 50cm)and the Rudbeckia 'Chim Chiminee' are still in flower in October.

You can't miss these shocking pink lavatera !

The more elegant charm of Cosmos. 

The extravagant flemish poppies.

It never ceases to amaze us what packets of seeds can do in just a few weeks. A bit ' blown ' by late August - but still a pleasure.

The annuals also provide cut flowers, some of which are dried.