We had our first frost last week. It was only enough to dust house and shed roofs but still a reminder that the weather could change at any moment. With that in mind, I headed out to Cerney House, a local garden that has long been a favourite.
I knew that since my last visit the team had introduced more late flowering things, especially dahlias, and I wanted to see it before cold weather ends the display.
Given the difficult summer we’ve all had, there was still a surprising amount of colour and not just from the usual autumn stars. Cosmos, antirhinnums, and kniphofia were adding interest to borders and filling the cutting beds – another addition since my last visit.
Cerney House has always had a soft, romantic air and this was heightened by the soft October morning light, and the way plants are gently succombing to the change in seasons.
The new dahlia beds were worth the trip, even though I had almost left it too late. Lots of flower and a real mix of colours, all set off by the old brick of the Walled Garden.
Needless to say, the display proved that the ‘rules’ about colour don’t always apply when it comes to borders with orange, pink and yellow in a glorious mix.
One unwelcome change since I was last at Cerney House is the destruction wrought on the knot garden by blight. The team are cutting back, feeding and hoping this important element of the Walled Garden can be saved.
It’s not the first Cotswold Garden I’ve seen that is struggling with growing box and I fear the twin threats of blight and box moth caterpillar could bring big changes to many of them.
It was a lovely few hours wandering around this garden and a reminder to make the most of any chance to enjoy the change from summer into autumn before winter really does arrive.
You can find out about Cerney House opening times here.
You can read about more of my garden visits here.
Sign up for an email alert for new posts.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022 Mandy Bradshaw
Re the threat to box from blight and moth; please advise any garden you may visit to go to the website ebts.org where there is loads of scientific and practical information about combatting both. As the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we are passionate about keeping such an important heritage plant alive and well in all our gardens both historic and domestic.
Will do 🙂