Hopton Rose Garden

Hopton Hall opens its grounds twice a year - in early Spring for snowdrops, and July for roses. This year I was waiting impatiently for the dates to slip by because generally everything in my garden was flowering early due to the warm weather, and I was worried the roses would have flowered and finished before Hopton opened its gates.

I needn't have worried though. The people at Hopton obviously know their roses well for when I visited at the beginning of July they in full flower with plenty of buds still to open.

Short hedges and tall conifers give shape and structure to the garden, and the roses in their many colours flower exuberantly within their 'compartments'.  

These marvelous scented deep pinks were my favourite - Guy Savoy - but every bed had something new and delightful in it.

 

June

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June was another busy month = 

My younger daughter and her boyfriend came to visit for her birthday,

 my grandson came to stay for school inset days, 

and the whole family went away together for a weekend at the end of the month  - so lots of fun, food, board games, and, while we were away, table tennis and table football.

Ashford 

There  were also afternoons out to see the well-dressings at Tissington, Ashford in the Water, and Youlgreave,  a trip to see the roses at Calke Abbey, a damp visit to Belton House, a hot one to Sudbury Hall

At home the  Lady Sylvia rose flowered - it's the only scented one I have in the garden and it's lovely = and the variously coloured pinks flowered - possibly their best year ever.

Redcurrants were ready to pick so I made Danish Rod Grod (Red Pudding) served with yogurt rather than cream

On my daily walks, I noticed blackberries and elderflowers beginning to flower.so the year is really moving on.

Youlgreave

Sudbury Hall

 

Sudbury Hall

Despite being so close to home (45 minutes dive) I hadn't visited Sudbury Hall till last Christmas. Then, we mainly explored the house with its seasonal Cinderella decorations and ignored the garden (snow attempted to fall a couple of times while we were there), so I'd always intended to go back in nicer weather. 

Heading past the door to spend a weekend with family seemed like an ideal opportunity but this time the weather had swung to the opposite extreme of one of this summer's heatwaves. 

Passing through the courtyard and by the Children's Museum we walked along the gardens on the south front, through an area of woodland which I believe has bluebells in spring, and along the edge of the lake. Not far but quite far enough as the day got hotter. I maybe should have gone into the house which might have been cooler.

 

Calke Abbey - roses

One of the advantages of being a National Trust member is being able to return, particularly to local properties, several times a year and see the gardens change throughout the year.

Last time I went to Calke the wisteria was the main attraction. Going back in June the roses were the stars.

The lawns on the hillside leading up to the walled gardens are full of wild flowers, but inside the walls everything is more ordered.

Formal beds sit in the centre and roses brighten the surrounding walls.

And heading into the kitchen garden the scent follows with roses against the walls and lavender down the centre path