I made it to Heronswood yesterday under a cloud of threatening skies and the visit is best told in pictures.
The rain fell for only a short while and we found shelter under tall shrubs and ornamental banana trees. It was wonderful to visit the gardens, but the position of the estate wasn't like I had imagined. I had pictured a long driveway leading up to the historic home, which would be perched high on a hill surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland. Heronswood was perched on a hill with stunning sea views, but developed (residential houses) land surrounded the property and the gardens didn't meander over hundreds of acres!
The gardens were very impressive however, despite being smaller in scale than I had imagined. Once you are inside the estate you can imagine the gardens being surrounded once a upon a time, by rolling acres stretching down towards the sea. I left Heronswood inspired by the mixed plantings, shady garden rooms, styles of garden beds and beginnings of a Spring colour palette. The original home is simply beautiful and although it wasn't open to the public the day we visited, it was a stunning backdrop to the established but ever-changing gardens.
I bought a few new food plants for our garden. In addition to these fruit/nut trees/plants:
Golden Delicious, Crab & Red Delicious Apples, Almond, Olive, Pear, Apricot, Nectarine, Navel Orange, Blueberries, Strawberries, Lemon and Mandarin
We now have the following to add to our supply:
Passionfruit, Avacado, White Sapote, Quince and Tamarillo
I also bought some medicinal plants, windbreaks and a few flowering plants to attract bees.
We had a lovely day and I shared the visit with my mum who had also been wanting to visit these gardens for a long time. I would highly recommend Diggers for purchasing healthy plants and I like supporting companies that strongly promote self sufficiency and heirloom seeds. Have you ever been to Heronswood or do you buy their plants and seeds?
Thanks for visiting,
Amanda x
