Wednesday 20 July 2016

A Return to Mottisfont



Mottisfont is one of  those places my wife & I love to visit. Last year we went along to see the roses and felt we were a little too late to see them at their best so this time we visited early in June. We were not disappointed







Their new reception area is now completed.



The lawn looks immaculate as ever












When I walked down here last year there were just the pillars with the roses you see on the right hand side. Since then they have added the posts on the left hand side & the ones in the foreground adding a wrought iron arch

 This is the rose growing on them called the Pilgrim





As you walk in the walled garden the first of  the roses come into view and the smell was heavenly

And you can't help being drawn over to them to look and smell their fragrance.






The roses and flowers in the waled beds were superb.




Even the little box hedges were neat.





The seat made a nice setting for a photo but I had to wait a while before it was empty.





Even getting a clear shot through the arches.




It was the roses we had come to see






and they looked perfect.


The foxgloves, and roses compliment each other.


The flowerbeds looked neat and tidy if a little bear in places.




This wall really stood out with the roses growing along it




Again I was trying to get a photo with no people in it




I was lucky to photograph the seat  through the arch with the roses growing over it and no one sat in it

The small fountain is popular with people looking at it, lucky no one were there when I took this but the seat was occupied

Looking all the way along the arches





Shrub roses with foxgloves





More foxgloves




The borders packed with flowers






It did not matter which way you went the paths had people admiring the roses
Or sat on a bench looking at the guide





Allium I learnt the name from my wife, I like the delicate flowers on them


While we were there looking at them an elderly gent leant over to my wife and asked what type of flower it was. She said" I think it's an Allium" the gent then turned round to his wife and said the lady says it's an Allium. I think he thought my wife was an expert on plants. He's right she knows the names I don't, I just plant them





Walking back along the path






Looking in roses and finding bees and looking at more pink roses.














We wandered out of the wall to look at the grounds





and view the surrounding area

Then walking back I spotted this sculpture I don't remember it from my last visit. It's called Alien and is a Bronze Resin by David Breuer- Iit's on show for a year at Mottisfont

We left feeling really pleased and inspired at seeing the roses again but stopped off at the gift shop and found the plant centre, bad move I ended up buying a load not only that but behind the centre they also sold roses of the same variety as the ones we had just seen. We passed on them even though they were the cheapest I had seen. We decided to come back again a week or so later but nature intervened and the heavens opened up not only doing for our roses but when we came back to Mottisfont  the roses had passed their best and were well and truly trashed and looked dreadful. We took one swift look and went home feeling disappointed.
Hopefully we will return again next year when they are at their best.

 
This was one of the few I took on our second trip and is of a Veilchenblau one we have bought and are growing in the garden, hopefully it will look like this one day.
Hope you enjoyed our visit to Mottisfont