Garden plants

[Joy]

Yes and what an amazing spring we're having here in southern England - my cats are also watching the baby blackbirds! I've seen plenty of Robins as well. Last year we had 5 hedegehogs in the garden and I'm hoping they'll return this year to nest as well.

Hedgehogs? AWWWW, how cute!

[Peter]

Back to plants, lovely programme on tv the other night about renaissance gardens around Florence. Interestingly there was a misconception about the Renaissance garden when many were restored in the early 20th century - they imagined there were no flowers, just greenery which is apparently far from the truth. They showed the most beautiful gardens with the most stunning setting imaginable - a view of Florence! One such was the gorgeous villa Gamberaia http://www.villagamberaia.com/home

[Megan]

Beautiful pictures Peter, I looked in gallery section too.

In Sir Walter Scott's novel, Kenilworth, there is a wonderful scene where Queen Elizabeth 1, walked around the garden at Kenilworth Castle, which by the way has just been wonderfully restored, and as she walks around she sees a statue , which as she looks, seems to be more and more life like and is in fact real and somebody hiding from her. It is a theme that Shakespeare played with in the Winters Tale, where gardens are places of beauty and nature and where you are taken in by the beauty in every sense of the word.
There is of course a wonderful knot garden in the grounds of what was Shakespeare's house, a nice quiet spot that we love.

A lovely garden and Tudor manor house which is extremely evocative of the Elizabethan age is Coughton Court, Nr. Stratford-Upon-Avon. You literally feel , when you are walking around that you are transported back in time, it has more atmosphere than say, Hatfield.
Coughton Court was the seat of the Throckmorton Family, who narrowly escaped execution for their faith in the 16th century. It was the scene of the meeting of the gunpowder plotters. Even today, when you walk around, it is a place that doesn't give up its secrets. There are some extraordinary items in the house, including a priests garment stitched by Catherine of Aragon, the discarded wife of Henry VIII, and a rosary of Mary Queen of Scots.
The garden is a wonder to walk round.
One small picture here:

http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/coughton_court_garden

[Peter]

Very interesting Megan and some great photos - I'm visiting nearby Parham house today, perfect with this weather! http://www.parhaminsussex.co.uk/