Midsummer Harlow Carr

We paid a visit to RHS Harlow Carr on Monday, on a damp, warm and humid midsummers day. Light summery rain showers with sunny spells in between, coat on, coat off, coat on again.

A delicious flat white in the café to escape the worst of the rain, then a slow leisurely stroll through the woodland area which was glowing with colour thanks to the expanse of candelabra primulas in full floral flood.

We were last here on the eighteenth of May, and since then the garden has exploded with growth and colour. The  wide mixed borders are nothing short of magnificent, and really the best is yet to come - this is just the warm up before the colourful August/September visual extravaganza.

On Monday we were sharing the garden appreciation experience with lots and lots of school children, their excitement and joy were palpable and very inspiring. By accident I found myself walking along with a large school group in the kitchen garden, and just loved their wonderment as they learnt about the actual real food that was growing right there in the beds. J was bench sitting, and I enjoyed my time wandering the small pathways in and out of the edibles.

As well as the abundance of glorious colour, there were so many scented flowers in bloom. The roses were stunning, spilling over archways and filling whole planted areas with their beautiful perfume.

It's also the start of the Sweet Pea season which as you know I absolutely love love love. Most of the SP arches and towers are in and around the kitchen garden, and as always I really enjoyed seeing so many flowers growing alongside the veggies, fruit and herbs in true potager style. Not just sweet peas, but marigolds and nasturtiums flowering in abundance amongst all the green leafy edibles, it was so lovely. I wish I'd taken more photos of these beds, but there were so many children I got very distracted listening to their excited chatter and lost myself for a while in reminiscing about my own Little People taking their summer trips to this very same garden.

Some of the sweet pea supports were very rustic indeed, just a wibbly tower made of twiggy sticks...

....but there were also some wonderful woven willow supports too. I think I could do with a couple beautiful towery willow things for my big yarden pots to replace the odd assortment of old sticks and bamboo canes currently acting as plant support.

I spent a lot of my time with my face in these blooms, gently inhaling the delicious fragrance. Natural floral scent is intoxicating, isn't it? Lavender, sweet peas, roses, jasmine, honeysuckle....I love them all.

As usual the RHS plant shop was looking incredible, I don't know how they manage to keep every single plant in such pristine condition.

In May, the displays that caught my eye were lupins and foxgloves - in June is was all about the hydrangeas and of course the roses. There was a huge display of David Austin roses, oh my, they were so incredibly beautiful and fragrant and desirable. Thirty three pounds each mind you, but they were super lovely, every single one flowering beautifully.

Lots of potted dahlias looking very glamorous and showy too....

....and I really fell for this open variety, isn't it a beauty? Sadly I didn't think to name check it, but trust me, it was stunning.

Pots, pots and more pots, who knew they could be so inspiring? I think any kind of shop display which organises items by colour will immediately please me to no end, I am very predictable like that. 

We had a browse through the gift and homewares shop which was as lovely as ever, so many beautiful things displayed to perfection. More English Soap Company paper-wrapped soaps (I've seen them in a lot of shops just lately). I lingered by the chocolate for way too long, but luckily for me they didn't have my fave Lime and Seasalt flavour so I was able to walk away empty handed. Felt secretly proud of myself for that.

It's always a joy to visit these gardens, and even on a drizzly day the colours, scents and vistas were hugely inspirational. Next time we go I think the huge main borders will be in "Sungold" mode and I absolutely can't wait for that to come around.

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Comments

[Frances Anne]

A most welcome, cheerful riot of color! Next spring I really must risk the squirrels digging up the sweet pea seeds, and plant a crop of them anyway. Definitely a favorite!

[Sandra]

Roses are my favourite flowers but I'm not so keen on some of the David Austin. Some of them are very distinctive and to me have a completely different look, that reminds me more of other species of flowers,rather than roses.

It's to do with the centres of some of them radiating outwards, instead of being concentric. Some are still rose-like though. Not a mega fan but I'm probably in a minority as I've seen them frequently admired. They are still pretty of course but definitely not my favourites.

[Geeha]

Lovely sea hollies, Eryingium, by your feet in picture 4. We have Big Blue in a pot. My favourites are sweetpeas, they remind me of my dear departed dad. Your blanket got the colours just right. At this time of year it's no wonder gardens are one of your inspirations.

Thank you for lifting my spirits with every blog entry

[Debbi Robertson]

Love this oh, so colourful post! You are inspiring me, and I may just head out to the nursery tomorrow so I can fill some pots.

I've no idea if you could/would answer a question, but I'm a "nothing ventured" sort so here goes: Your sandals (4th photo) are Adorable, and I've love to know who makes them! :)

[Lee]

Gorgeous! But what are the spiky blue flowers in the 4th photo down? (the one with your sandalled feet)

Our daylilies (hemerocallis) are blooming already - a month or more early. This crazy weather is to blame, everything else has finished early as well

[Fiona T]

We are off to Somerset tomorrow (we all agreed at work today that you cannot say this without saying sommmuuurrrset) to visit some gardens.