where the beauty of dried flower and seed heads are at every turn. Hydrangeas heroically revel in their Hidcote habitat, their brown petals merging in with the landscape alongside intricate golden brown fern fronds and eye-catching Eryngium, almost white with age.
Every effort here is made to both preserve Johnston’s work and to carry on creating in the style of which he would approve. An aged Magnolia planted by Johnston 100 years ago is not in great shape and so to save the genetic material ‘air layering’, a special type of cutting used for cloning tricky plants, will hopefully ensure the future of this line. Meanwhile in the courtyard they are working to recreate Johnston’s original planting with unusual shrubs and climbers, along with many bulbs planted at the end of 2021. New technology is also embraced as the Great Lawn is now being mowed by an electric lawnmower, an invention which would have been beyond belief to Lawrence and his friends!
The garden is very grateful to the work of many volunteers and if this sounds like something you may like to lend your horticultural hand to, then why not join the Hidcote team on 17th January for a Volunteer Recruitment Open Morning?
Plants aside, there are other delightful reasons for making this your new year destination of choice! The Second-hand Bookshop housed in the old Chapel was charming, full of a wide variety of subject matter destined for your bookshelves. I particularly liked the ‘blind date with a book’ idea where a book wrapped in brown paper is just described in a few words – a great way to discover new material you may not have otherwise picked out!
The tearoom is a must and Mrs Winthrop’s Café (named after Johnston’s mother) did not disappoint – hot chocolate, chamomile tea, fruit cake and lemon drizzle – all offering a perfect end to our afternoon.
Why not explore for yourself? At this time of year when many gardens are closed, Hidcote is open for your delight every weekend. You could even try some Tai Chi – classes are running in the grounds on the first Saturday of every month all year round, booking for this is separate to garden entry and now open to reserve your place.
Here’s to Hidcote and a happy new year!
Catch Camilla on ‘Love Your Weekend’ with Alan Titchmarsh on the mornings of the 2nd and 16th January on ITV.
15
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
ENTERTAINMENT CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
