Wrest Park in Springtime

We visit Wrest Park in Bedfordshire quite regularly as I love to see it's grounds and landscapes through all the different seasons. These are photos from an April visit this year. 

There were plenty of spring plants to see in the gardens. Cowslips were making an appearance in some of the grassy areas and there were some beautiful displays of miniature daffodils, tulips and pansies in the formal gardens. They looked rather stunning grouped together in their shades of pale yellows. There were more tulip displays by the orangery, which were just about to come into bloom - only a few had started to flower, but they're going to look stunning over the coming weeks. 

There are always some new developments at Wrest each time we go, this time some lovely new and more formal gardens were now in place to the right side of the house with further gardens being developed over to the left side, so it will be interesting to visit again in late spring or early summer to see how things are coming along.

Find out more about Wrest Park:

English Heritage - Wrest Park

Cowslips making a welcome sight

New formal gardens on the right side of the house

Peaceful spring walk by the waterside

Gorgeous shades of pale yellow

 

An early tulip

I spotted this little group of Easter wind flowers, one of my favourites for April, a small, colourful and delicate plant. They're also known as the pasque flower and thrive in rock gardens and borders - a sun lover with silky cup shaped flowers. 

See Wrest during different seasons - more blogs on Wrest Park:

Autum

Swans at Wrest

At Wrest With Snow

January in the Garden

It's a dismal and cold time of year and a time when many of us don't venture out in the garden. I had a litttle look around ours this week to see what's happening out there and was surprised to see that even at this time of year there were little signs of activity here and there! 

A little area of 'chrysosplenium macrophyllium' was out in full bloom, brightening up a little patch that will be filled with bluebells soon. A member of the saxifrage family and easily mistaken for an elephant ears bergenia, which is also a saxifrage and flowers in January. The new shoots of the bluebells are pushing up all around them.  Their little pink flowers are a welcome sight in the pale January sunshine. 

The foliage from small alpine plants give varying glows of green.

The geums were still in flower - their little orange flowerheads have been out in bloom all year round! 

Assorted heathers around the garden were giving little pockets of colourful interest.

My favourite for this time of year - the delicate yellow blooms of winter jasmine - were brightening up a dismal corner. 

Ivy plants dotted around the garden have turned a lovely mixture of russets and red. 

Winter pots and baskets add a lovely show and are ready to bloom at their best with a bit of sunshine and mild weather. Pansies in a variety of colour always brighten up the patios and front garden.

The bright pink of the bellis perennis shines out amongst the pots and baskets. 

All in all there is still plenty going on out there!