those that have great bones and mature plantings.
Historic Gardens of significance are few and far between in our neck of the woods.
One garden that never fails to inspire is the Abkhazi Gardens situated on a rocky plot of land in a Garry Oak meadow.
This space is such a gem and a favorite spot for a meander and a cup of tea.
A friend and I walked over and met for lunch in the tearoom before touring the magnificent grounds.
Lunch was a delicious hot pot of Abkhazi Tea and salad Nicoise served on fine china in the sun filled living room that once was the home to Prince and Princess Abkhazi.
This garden will come alive in the next month when the Rhododendrons and Azaleas bloom.
Here we see the "bones" of the garden.
The water feature or pond is home to two elderly turtles.
I have seen the turtles basking in the sunshine on a sunny day.
Wisteria
gnarled
ancient and vast.
Terrace adjacent to the living room which serves as a tearoom.
The Land Conservancy owns and runs the garden and they are now serving breakfast as well as tea and lunch.
On a warm sunny afternoon this spot is a lovely place to spend time.
It's an oasis of loveliness.
The terrain is rocky and there are many levels
the paths lead the visitor on...
and there are many spots to sit and observe.
The Hellebores were putting on quite a show for us.
a simple euphorbia looks bright against the rocks
creeping plants hug the rocks and grow in very little soil
A rare Tasmanian bush with purple seed pods
the volunteer opened one up to show us
She gave me several and I am going to try and grow one.
I'll need lots of luck as I do not have a knack with seeds.
The day we chose to wander the grounds started out as a sunny one but quickly turned grey and overcast.
You'll have to trust me when I tell you how amazing this place really is
as the images that I have taken really do not do it justice.
I posted about this magical place a few years ago and you can see it here in full bloom.
Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls:
all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations,
seductive surprises and then still more curves.
~H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers
Must run along as I am busy busy
going on a wee adventure
I'll be back soon.
9 comments:
No signs of winter anymore? How can this be, as we are still seeing masses of it all over. Oh, life is not fair, argh!
Lovely pictures though, sigh..
What a delicious name for a garden..it just rolls off the tongue like somthing from the Arabian Nights,of course the gardens are beautiful. Ida
Thank you for the tour of my favourite Victoria garden. Perhaps it is the fact that Peggy and I share a name that gets me, but it is the love story and the fact that a garden was created in a rather harsh landscape and just 'belongs'. I, too, love hellebores.
Peg
what beautiful photographs of an obviously wonderful garden! Have you even seen the PBS Docu-series "Gardens of the World"? It's hosted by Audrey Hepburn in her later years and it's lovely. I think you would enjoy it.
I would enjoy visiting the gardens . . . thank you for sharing your photographs with us. My Helebores are in bloom . . . such a lovely flower. Love the quote . . . I hope my gardens have plenty of curves and secret spaces . . .
Such a lovely place to spend a spring afternoon. I look forward to the display of rhodos that will soon be the highlight!
A garden in its earliest days holds a special peace and promise, which you have captured perfectly; thank you!
Somehow, I've never made it to these gardens, but you're inspiring me. Looks like a perfect spot for tea and a walk with a friend.
Dear Leslie, What a glorious tour of this garden! I always wondered what Hellebores looked like - one reads of them in novels and I never knew. I actually have some in our garden in Australia. I hope that Spring is springing happily in your part of the world. Here, we are feeling the first chill of Autumn. love Lindaxxx
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