Polseden

Last week saw a visit to Polesden Lacey, seemingly last visited as long ago as early June. See reference 1.

Fox gloves long gone, but the first flowers to catch the eye were the substantial plantings of a new rose, Rosa ‘Margaret Greville’, launched at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. A fine rose, but which, contrariwise, led to thoughts about how odd it was that we have made Polesden Lacey into a shrine to a rich parvenue, who made her inherited beer money come good by marrying it to a good name who was also an officer in a smart regiment, that is to say the Life Guards. He had the tact to die relatively young, leaving her the space she needed to flourish as a fashionable hostess - and now all the trusties go weak at the knees at the mere mention of dear Margaret's name. All that said, it was a fine rose which photographs well. Further evidence that my longstanding aversion to pink roses is wearing off.

The herbaceous border running along the formal gardens to the west of the house was in very good form, as was the thyme and lavender enclosure we had noticed on our last visit. Such good form that we took our picnic there, which had the interesting effect of keeping out all but the most intrepid wanderers. Most people just peeped in, saw our picnic and then peeped out again, perhaps not wanting to disturb what they took to be a private moment.

Then, beyond the cold frames we came across some flower and vegetable beds we had not really noticed before. Flower beds particularly good, despite looking as if they were intended more for cut flowers than anything else.

Quite a lot of fruit trees, including some interesting low rise cordon apples, with a lot of fruit which looked pretty much ready to go. We wondered what was going to happen to it - thinking that a lot of it was likely to go to waste. Perhaps the volunteer gardeners were allowed to help themselves - which would be fair enough.

Last stop, the triple fenced hen house, noticed on previous occasions.

We passed on the second hand bookshop in a corner of the house and passed on the posh wet fish shop in nearby Great Bookham, not being in the mood for the superior tones of the fish men there.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/flowers.html.

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