“Did you see the piece on Cambo in September Gardens Illustrated? If I lived up your way I’d be there every weekend” was the comment left by Rob at Our French Garden in a recent posting. No, I hadn’t… but I went out to get myself a copy pretty sharpish!
Cambo, I featured back in March with two postings on their fantastic snowdrop display Look out, look out… and Blooming Special. After this Rob did mention that Noel Kingsbury had been up to Cambo and that there was a new North American Prairie garden being planted out. I had been eagerly keeping an eye out locally for any word on this all summer.
Opening my copy of this magazine I was stunned! This garden is just over an hours drive away and I had never visited it until earlier this year. The snowdrops were breathtaking but my visit last Friday just blew me away.
The selection process of photos has begun but I can see already that this could take some time. However, I was desperate to share some images ahead of my posting so that others within an hour or two away may also enjoy this garden too.
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Quotes from the Gardens Illustrated article highlighted:
“Cambo is strikingly contemporary – since 2001, the planting has been influenced by the ‘new perennial’ movement”
“Grasses play a major role in linking areas visually, and in providing continuity from one season to another”
“Sophisticated design and technical approaches to planting make Cambo a very exciting place indeed”
I would tend to agree with all of the above… and with Rob. I plan to try and visit this garden a few times more before the end of the year now.
On the home front, regular visits are still taking place to our hedgehog house. The image below shows a screen grab from my desktop earlier tonight. You can also see the cover image of the September issue of Gardens Illustrated should you want to pick it up too.
When working on the PC in the evenings, I can watch ‘Live’ any visits to our hedgehog house. Times of visits vary a little and sometimes they don’t appear before I switch my PC off but the next day I can see the leaves have been moved around suggesting someone has been in.
The black screen is where I see the live image. You can also see the remote control image that I use to take video and photos. The long strip shows the photos taken. I thoroughly enjoy having this opportunity to peek in on night wildlife visits.
Coming back to garden visits, recently I heard from another blogger, DAFFODIL PLANTER, inviting me to share my seven favourite gardens. Well, not surprisingly, Cambo has been immediately catapulted into my top three! Ah… but it may well be a few weeks before I finalise this list. Now, this is going to be fun. I expect I’m going to have to refer to a few photo albums on this one 🙂
Tomorrow is the 15th and Garden Bloggers Bloom Day once again where bloggers from around the world post on what’s in flower in their gardens. If you want to take part with a posting pop over to Carol’s posting at May Dreams Gardens with your link and from there you’ll be able to browse other gardens too. Have fun… Happy Bloom Day for tomorrow 😀
I wish I didn't live so far away – would have loved to visit that garden! Your photos are gorgeous – looking forward to more…
Katarina
This is good stuff and your pics do it justice.
They're getting it right at Cambo. As I said before, 'if I lived up you way….'
I have read the article Shirl. The full page photo on page 31 just leapt out of the pages at me. It's a garden that I would dearly like to visit to see the snowdrops at their peak, but now there's another compelling factor to go. I think we must point our campervan in that direction sometime soon. Looking forward to reading your full report 🙂
I do have the copy of garden's illustrated… But hadn't twigged onto it being 'your' garden in there! *hangs head in shame*
Hmmm I shall have to find my copy again and have a look!
I think I must've been too busy salivating over the wonderful pink sunflowers that everything else was forgotten… (I need some of the pink and cream ones!!!!)
Btw, I hope you got some free black hollyhock seeds with it too! I'm looking forward to mine next year…
Omg Shirl, so sorry I forgot to mention how wonderful your photos are, I need to visit the gardens too it would seem! Definitely my type of place!
When I went to RHS Harlow Carr a month or two ago (hmmm never did post about that!) an elderly lady was sat on a seat talking to her presumed grand children… She left mum and I rather wound up as she was chuntering away saying ‘it’s a disgrace this garden, they haven’t even tidied things up and dead-headed’ Obviously she had never heard of Piet Oudolf and leaving plants for their Autumn/Winter structural interest. And to be honest, as far as I recall things were tidy… Well good luck to her and her bare Winter garden with only soil to look at!
Lovely, all of it. Echinacea is out of season here; good to see all that gorgeous pink.
Thanks for the reference to Campo. Looks like they are doing a fine job on the garden. It will be on our 'to do' list the next time we come back to Scotland. Kind of neat that one could actually imagine staying there if the economy would just get a little more healthy…
It sounds like a great garden Shirl, as your lovely photos show. I well remember the wonderful Snowdrop feature you brought us from there earlier this year. I look forward to seeing more from this lovely place.
🙂
What a beautiful garden and such lovely photos too – have just got back from 10 days away on the south coast of Brittany – what a change in the weather – have just put the heating on – a few days ago was basking in warm sunshine and swimming in the sea! Hope life's treating you well… take care Miranda x
Hi there Shirl, looks like a wonderful garden, and your photos are beautiful. I love all the coneflowers. They're about finished here, but the finches are enjoying the seeds.
What beautiful photos! I've enjoyed looking at your blog so thank you :o)
Hope you continue to enjoy the beavers.
I look forward to more beautiful photos of Cambo.
Hi again everyone, hope the weather is being kind to you 🙂
Katarina – Thanks, look forward to sharing more. I didn’t realise this was almost on my doorstop 😮
Rob – Thanks, I hope they will. This was a fascinating garden to walk around. I agree they are getting it right and what’s great is that they keep on pushing forward to new stuff. LOL… yes, I hear you… I’ll try to keep up the visits at different parts of the year. I’d love to see it on a frosty/misty morning 😀
Anna – Ah… I’ve some photos I guess you’ll like then :-)) Yes, this is all news to me too. For years I have seen mention of Cambo in local garden centres but always associated the snowdrops with other gardens. So glad I discovered it earlier this year but have to say this summer walled garden completely caught my imagaination. Oh yes… get SATNAV for the campervan and set it as a favourite 😀
Liz – Ah… I can see why you were distracted by the pink/cream sunflowers… they caught my eye too. Yes, got the hollyhock seeds. I see I could be sowing them now 😮 Would love to see them in my garden too! Thanks, glad you liked the pics. Oh yes… wait until you see the rest! Not quite sure how to show them, perhaps in two goes with some tomorrow for wordless… I was certainly speechless walking around. Ah… the line between untidy and structural beauty can be a difficult one for many. My garden is small so I do control what I allow to stay in place over winter. I’ve many shrubs for winter structure too. Not too much bare soil but enough to see the birds running along it 😀
Nell – Thank-you, nice to have you visit. Yes, it’s a shame when the coneflowers go over. Ah… I agree that is a gorgeous pink 😀
John – You are most welcome, there’s quite a lot going on throughout the year at Cambo. Yes, I would definitely recommend it as a rather wonderful item to a to-do list. Yes, quite stunning are the rooms to stay there with their four-poster beds. On the other side I think you’d get your accommodation free if you went up to volunteer. Not certain… check it out 😀
Hi again everyone hope this finds you well 🙂
Jan – Yes, it gets better with every visit. I wish it was just slightly closer and less winding a drive out there… although I can’t complain really. I can’t decide just how to share all my photos as I said above. There are perhaps just too many to story tell with. Mm… I’m sure you have the same problem at times 😀
Miranda – Thank-you, next time you are over in Dundee perhaps you might have time to a visit yourself. Yes, the weather has been wild here today (strong winds) and we’ve taken to have blasts of heating on in the evenings recently too. Thanks, life is moving on here with school daughter into a big year for exams and older sister returning back to Uni this week to repeat first year due to a number of health issues last year. Lots to think about as usual… expect you are busy at present. Keep well 😀
garden girl – Hi again, it really was. Ah… now that’s something I’ve never seen. I only have one coneflower in my front garden and the birds come to my shadier back garden. You must enjoy seeing them 😀
Jenny – Thanks for your kind comments and popping by. I guess your work with the beavers keeps you pretty busy… great to be part of this at the start though! Yes, I’ve added your like on my blog list so I don’t miss what the beavers (and you) get up to 😀
Happy – I look forward to sorting them out and to taking more on future visits 😀
Amazing photo's as usual Shirl, I very much enjoyed looking them over on my coffee break!
Thanks for brightening my day.
Ian (Dobbies)
Hi there Ian, a nice surprise to hear from you here 😀
Thanks, glad you enjoyed them. I’ve heaps of photos from Cambo and added a generous helping yesterday (without words) to support a future posting on my visit. I was blown away with the scale and feel of the Potager (my photos don’t do it justice). From someone who only grows the odd tomatoes, beans and potatoes in pots I came away from this area wanting an allotment!!
I guess you are very much into the seasonal swing at the moment! Hope you’ve plenty of helpers 😉