The Walled Garden At Holkham

We visited the 'Walled Garden' at Holkam during a recent holiday in north Norfolk. We've been before on several occasions and each time we visit, the garden has been developed even more. The garden is an ongoing restoration project, named the 'Beyond The Walls Restoration Project'. The aim is to restore the beautiful garden for future generations to enjoy. 

It truly is a hidden gem and just as the guide book describes it - 'step through the ornate Victorian gates to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere, stunning array of flowers, seasonal fruit and vegetables and beautiful colours and scent.' 

June was a fabulous time to visit with a stunning wildflower display on our way to the garden and many of the flowering plants in bloom. Catmints, roses, geraniums, rock roses, sweet williams, cornflowers and delphiniums being just a few. I think the rose garden was the star of the show on this visit, out in first and full bloom it made a stunning display of all rose varieties. Having said that the sweet peas were rather beautiful too and then the old greenhouse areas - packed full of sweet williams, cornflowers, delphiniums... mmm... very difficult to choose a favourite. 

Take a look at the pictures and choose for yourself...

Autumnal Flowers

It's autumn and there's still plenty of colourful plants in the garden. The last of the summer bedding plants are still going strong and there's still fruit ripening on the apple trees and tomato plants. Salvias give displays of white and pink along the edge of the borders and the berries on the weeping cotoneaster tree are vibrant. 

Sedum plants have begun to bloom adding clusters of gentle and deep pinks and the verbenas are still happily reaching out to the sunshine we've had recently. Hydrangeas are another of my favourites, they can always be relied upon for that late summer and autumn colour. We've have different colours and varieties for interest in the front garden. 

Amongst the hydrangeas there's a scattering of other perennials still adding colour - catmint, Johnson's blue, anemones, late roses, geums and daphne. Then there are the autumn brights - the yellows of the potentillas and rudbekias. 

It's possibly one of the most beautiful times in the garden before autumn slips into winter and the days draw in. 

September in the Garden

It's been a beautiful September so far and the sun has kept on shining. The garden is still full of colour. I've been especially enjoying watching our new front garden bloom and bloom. We had a large tree taken down earlier in the year and this created lots of space for new plants and also turned a dark dull space into a bright and sunny one. We chose a mix of varied lavenders, anemones, purple wallflowers, catmint and a whole mix of purple and pink hydrangeas to create a beautiful jumble of frothy colour. One of the best things about it is how it has just grown and grown and now there is little room for weeds, so it's been relatively easy to manage. It's also been a real haven for butterflies and bees and that has been a really lovely surprise to see just how many have been visiting. I sometimes walk past to my car and a whole flurry of butterflies will rise up and flutter above the plants. 

I'm now thinking about planting some spring bulbs in readiness to give some colour in spring and perhaps a few autumn sedums to just add a bit more late colour as the summer flowers die back. 

Beautiful anenomes

Mop cap hydrangea

Lace cap hydrangea

Late flowers on the Daphne

Catmint behind the bird bath

The butterflies love the purple wallflowers

Blues, pinks and purples

Catmint

A patio peach tree in a terracotta pot amongst the jumble

One of my firm favourites lavender

July in the Garden

July is pretty spectacular in the garden this year. I've been really pleased with the new planting in the front garden where we had a big overgrown tree chopped down earlier in the year. We deliberately tried to choose plants that would come at their best during June and July and be a magnet for the butterflies and bees. We picked various colours of blue, lilacs, purples with a few pink and white plant varieties too. 

The weather conditions during the last year have been good for breeding butterflies and we seem to have literally created our very own butterfly garden, so I've been delighted. Planting out new plants and just seeing how they turn out and what unfolds can be so rewarding! 

Varying heights of purple wallflowers and different varieties of lavender. 

Butterfly enjoying the blue catmint. All the blue and purple plants have been covered in butterflies. Every time we come out of the house and walk past this area we are treated to dozens of butterflies fluttering up from the plants. It has been fascinating, you find yourself stopping and staring, it's not so good if you are in a rush! 

Enjoying some verbena, which is now out in full. 

Delphiniums are out at the back of the borders. 

Wallflowers, lobelia and geraniums make a good combination by the back patio. 

The water lilies are just beginning to flower now, the pond is full of their leaves and blooms. 

Bright pink carnations make a great colour combination with the bronze leaves and pink flowers of the heuchera. 

Sidalcea malviflora flowering in the back border. 

The tomatoe baskets are full of fruit and are ripening nice and early with all the hot sunshine we've been having. 

There are still plenty of foxgloves blooming and popping up in all different places. I love the colour combinations of this one. 

I've made a few pots full of wildflowers planted from seed and they are looking great at the moment, full of vibrant colours. Cornflowers are one of my favourites, I love this shade of blue. 

We have quite a few hebe plants flowering in pinks, blues and purples, another good one for the butterflies! 

There are lots of these little froglets around. We have to look out for them jumping into the house. The pond is full of frogs, when we have the heavy showers we've had recently they all seem to come out of the pond and jump across the garden. It's a mass exodus of frogs and quite entertaining and funny to watch!