|
From the front drive, turn left and head off towards the south front of the house. As you approach the square front lawn, you will see a path leading to the left.
Take this path, ignoring any turns off and you will come to a wrought iron gate.
Through this gate is The Formal Garden.
David Jordan - © National Trust
This is a very eye-catching garden in early spring, when the geometric shapes cut into the lawn are filled with Hyacinths.
Each bed is filled with a single colour variety, either blue or white, specifically chosen to flower at the same time.
The bulbs are planted in December to ensure that flowering (approximately 19 days ) coincides with spring opening to the public.
During summer and autumn, until the first frost, the garden is planted with dwarf Dahlias, again in two colours, in separate beds.
Both varieties have bronze foliage, 'Ella Britton' with yellow flowers,and 'Madame Stappers' with bright red flowers.
A tall Yew hedge cut very straight and precisely once a year surround the garden.
Within the confines of the hedge are several pieces of sculpture, two pairs of bronze urns, nineteenth-century copies of urns made by Claude Ballin for the gardens at Versailles, France. Two eighteenth-century English stone seats with lion mask carvings, and a figure of Father Time holding a sundial in the centre of the garden.
| 
The Formal Garden
