A VISIT TO GIVERNY

Sometimes you can't be choosy about when you visit a garden. The opportunity arises and you just have to take it. Such was the case when we arrived at the port of Le Havre, France, on our recent 14 night Transatlantic cruise. We had less than ten hours in port and it was my plan to take this opportunity to visit Monet's garden at Giverny. We would rent a car for the two hour drive and with this in mind we booked a car and I purchased the garden tickets on line. That would save us time waiting in line for tickets on an expected busy Saturday.

Torrential rain greeted us as the ship arrived in port and for a moment we just considered staying on the ship for the day. But it was only for a moment. Dressed in our rain suits we took a taxi to pick up the rental car (Europcar) and were soon on our way. It is a pretty straight run to Giverny. Take the road towards Rouen and then head towards Vernon. We crossed the Pont Clemenceau, over the Seine, in Vernon and followed the sign towards Giverny and into the parking lot. Judging by the cars and buses the rain was not putting anyone off.

The internet is such a wonderful resource when it comes to travel. I took advice on how to book, the route and also where the entry for ticket holders was located. We entered the garden in the bottom left hand corner and soon found ourselves in the flower garden, Clos Normand, named for the high walls which enclose the garden. The gardens in front of the house are comprised of long beds separated by gravel pathways. This is probably a little more formal than in Monet's day.

Whether because of the rain, although I suspect it is always this way, traffic is confined to just a couple of walkways which at times were very congested. Where foot traffic was not permitted it  was a bonus to be able to take photographs without people, although I would have liked to have been a little closer to the flowers.

The wide central pathway with rose arbors, which leads to Monet's house, was also closed. The photo makes one believe we are alone in the garden.

As you can see by David's attire was was still raining. We never go anywhere without the full rain suit, but for me holding an umbrella in one hand, to shield my camera, makes photography difficult.

The beds were filled with spring plantings; tulips, wallflowers, and many iris. A cottage garden style, but restrained by the pathways. Here is a selection of irises in bloom that day.

When Monet's bought the property in 1883 the current flower garden was an orchard but Monet removed the trees planting his favorite flowers. He was once heard to say, " All my money goes into my garden"

When we finally reached the house there was a long line to go inside so, waiting for the crowd to subside, we enjoyed the planting beds of tulips and forget-me-nots.

Then we headed into the gift store. I wonder what Monet would have thought about coasters, mugs, napkins, t-shirts and umbrellas, all bearing images of his iconic painting, 'bridge over a pond of water lilies'.

I took the opportunity to take photos of the images of Monet around the walls.

We then visited the house where no photography was allowed. Next the pond with water lilies. In Monet's day the road which separates the formal garden from the pond may not have even been paved. It was probably just a cart track which he crossed without problem. He likely never heard more than the clop of horses passing by, at least until cars came on the scene. Now they have created a tunnel under the road to get visitors safely across.

There was no pond on the land when Monet added this piece of land ten years after he came to Giverny. A small brook ran through the property and against the wishes of the villages but with permission from the local authorities he dug a small pond which he later enlarged. He had collected several Japanese prints from which came the idea to create his Japanese water garden.

The water lilies may not have been in bloom on this early May day but the wisteria, which Monet planted to grow over the Japanese bridge, was.

We left thinking that even on this rainy day the garden was as beautiful in spring as it must be when the roses and water lilies are in full bloom during the summer.
The village of Giverny is mostly taken over by restaurants and artist studios and the museum. It was lunch time but we decided we would rather go into the town of Vernon to find a local place to eat, which we did. We found a small bistro where we enjoyed a glass of wine and the plat du jour. A quick look around the town and we were on our way back towards the coast with plans to visit the town of Honfleur before returning to the ship.

Chateau des Tourelles, Vernon, on the banks for the Seine.

Le Vieux-Moulin, Vernon. The remains of the old bridge with mill house built in 1600.

Medieval house and parish church in the Place Barette, Vernon.
We now retraced our journey back, turning off to visit the 17th C fishing port of Honfleur with its half timbered buildings and quaint streets.

The sun was out and this town was bustling with tourists. We walked around the harbor and down the quaint narrow streets before returning to our car and heading back to Le Havre to re-join our ship. Tonight we would sail for our final destination Southampton, England. It had been a great day.

REMEMBERING THAT DAY 70 YEARS AGO, JUNE 6TH 1944

Remembering that day 70 years ago, the day that is now known as D Day, when 9,000 lost their lives and 100,000 marched across Europe to defeat Hitler. It was known as Operation Neptune and completely took the Germans by surprise. Among those who landed on the beaches of Normandy were 73,000 Americans, 61,700 British, 21,000 Canadians, 3,000 Australians and many other nationalities.

Let us remember their sacrifice and celebrate the freedom they gave us.

STANDING CYPRESS STANDS PROUD

Last year on a garden tour one of the gardens had a magnificent display of standing cypress, Ipomopsis rubra. I think I had shied away from this plant because it is a biennial and its feathery first year growth would get lost among my garden bullies.

Then the removal of several branches of my Spanish bayonet yucca left me in need of a plant that would grow tall among the remaining yucca stalks.

I didn't actively seek out the standing cypress but found their pretty rosettes of green feathery leaves in 4" pots in the fall. I bought 3 and planted them in the newly opened space. I wish I had been here a few weeks ago when all the spikes were in flower. Most have now gone to seed.

Among the stand of reds is one yellow spike. Apparently this is not unusual and in a field of reds there will always be a few yellows. Out of three plants I think I got lucky.

With all those seed heads I wonder what my chances are of them showing up again next year.....or will it be the year after that. In any event I think I will look for plants in the fall and may scatter some of the seed heads outside.

BEFORE I REALLY GET GOING

Can you imagine how much I have to share about the gardens I visited on my travels? But wait, all in good time. I have my own garden and there were one or two nice surprises waiting for me when I got home.

I can have a little bit of England in Texas. Old Foxy foxglove, Digitalis sp. was blooming her head off. I have tried for years to grow this plant and finally this year opted to grow it in a pot. Count on me trying that again next year.

Monarda, Peter's Purple is a mass of blooms. There is a frenzy of bees and other insects around the plant. This plant should be in every Texas garden.

The lily pads had just about covered the stock tank pond and there was a bloom. This bloom is the hardy water lily, Nymphaea 'Colorado'

The twist-leaf yucca, Yucca recurvifolia,  was flowering. I moved this one into the garden a few years ago because there is no way a flower survives out in deer land.

And while I was gone tomatoes, Celebrity, Yellow pear, Black Krim, Yellow boy, Sweet 100. and peppers, Pinot noir, were ripening. Mmmm, nothing like a home grown tomato.

What a nice welcome home, garden.

HOW THE MANOR HOUSE AT UPTON GREY MADE ME THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT MY GARDEN

Of course my garden isn't anything like The Manor House. It's just that it was in my thoughts as we arrived home on Wednesday from a five week holiday. Five weeks during which time not a finger was lifted in my own garden.

Because we often travel for long periods of time I am used to coming home to an overgrown garden. For the first few days I usually look around in despair, sometimes shed a tear and the conversation will often turn to the possibility of selling the house. Then I say I am going to makes changes to the planting, to make an easier planting, so that when we leave this won't happen. It always does. When I left larkspur, poppies, love-in-a-mist and countless other annuals were in full flower and the massed plantings of bluebonnets were still setting seed. Now, their brittle dried stalks are crying out for removal.
 But this time was different. Yes, all the overgrown and dead plantings were waiting for me but I felt differently about all that had to be done to return my garden to normal and all because, on the very last day of our trip, we visited The Manor House at Upton Grey, Hampshire, England.

The Manor House at Upton Grey

You may never have heard of this garden. In fact it was just by chance that I was reading about Gertrude Jekyll and there was mention of this garden she had designed at Upton Grey. I googled it and found on their website that it was no more than two miles from where we were staying on our last two nights in England. We just had to visit. We arrived in the village of Upton Grey on Monday lunchtime and following the directions headed to The Manor House. As we pulled into the driveway there was a small sign saying, Closed on weekends and Bank Holidays. Wouldn't you know that of all the Mondays in the year this was a Bank Holiday Monday. Still, there would be a chance to see it tomorrow and so Tuesday found us pulling up the driveway into the small parking area in front of the house. As we walked over towards what might be the entrance we were met by the head gardener, Phil Brailsford, who took us into the garden room at the back of the house. Here we would pay our £6 entry fee and could learn about the amazing history of the house and garden.

When Rosamund and John Wallinger purchased the house in 1984 it was in an extremely delapidated condition, the garden an overgrown tangle of weeds with none of the original planting left. The Wallingers began the task of restoring house and garden. Later we were to meet John Wallinger in the garden where he shared with us that there were many broken pipes in the house that they had to wear Wellington boots to walk around. He also shared the cost of the property which, in 1984, was the same price we paid for our tiny, zero lot-line house with postage stamp-sized garden, in California. Of course we could never have met the financial challenge of restoring such a property. Rosamund Wallinger was  no gardener but she set about researching the history of the garden and found that Gertrude Jekyll's original plans for the garden were located at the University of California, Berkeley. She made a special trip to secure copies of those plans and along with photographs set about the enormous task of restoring the garden to the original plans.

Because Rosamund Wallander had no preconceived ideas about what she liked in a garden or even which plants she favored she was able to set about implementing the original plans along with the suggested plants. Finding those plants was not an easy task particularly as Jekyll sometimes did not specify the exact plant, saying only pink peonies. The plans were Jekyll's original plans for the garden and not necessarily those that were sent to the house.

It took over a year to clear the site. The dry-stone rock walls, which have always been a signature of Jekyll gardens had to be rebuilt and the beds sterilized and manured before planting could begin. Now 30 years later the gardens are as true to Jekyll's plan as they could be. It is likely that Jekyll never set foot in the gardens of the Manor House but if she came there today she would be justly proud of her garden plan and of Rosamund Wallander for bringing it to life.

The Pergola walk

Time to go out into the garden where we found both John and Rosamund Wallander, dampened by the morning drizzle and always ready to stop and chat and answer a question.

Steps leading to the rose lawn

Drystone wall

Formal garden

Peonies soon to fill the beds with their pink blooms

The yew hedge border

The bowling lawn and tennis lawn.

Delphiniums

The kitchen and cutting garden

The potting shed

This way to the garden

Entrance to the Wild Garden

Shallow grass steps leading to Wild Garden

Mown grass paths in Wild Garden

The pond with Iris orientalis

Oh to visit this garden in June when all the roses and peonies are out. I'm wishing now that I had taken more photos especially of the Wallanders. As we left the garden with Rosamund Wallander's book, 'Gertrude Jekyll, Her Art Restored at Upton Grey', in hand, I mentioned to David that he should have taken a photo of Rosamund as she was signing my book.

So now we are home and there is much to do in my own garden. It may take me a week or two to restore order to my gardens but nothing like the task that the Wallanders faced. That is why this time I am getting on with removing the spent annuals without complaint. 

THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE

This is the view from the bottom of the steps outside the vegetable garden. What's a gardener to do when she has extra plants she can't give away? Why, find a new home outside.

Salvia leucantha has a companion this year, the pink primrose, Oenothera speciosa. Where did she come from I wonder. Well, we all know that little plant. Then there is the spineless prickly pear putting on additional pads this year but no flower buds, as yet. In between there is a galvanized tub with fresh water for the deer. The pink poppies in the foreground were untouched by foraging deer. There's a Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida, just peeking and Mexican feather grass, Nassella tenuissima. They are surrounded by a thick bed of ¼-½" granite gravel. If I was doing a garden again I would create large spaces with this granite with just a few individual plants like this.