Garden Glory: (Showing Off a "Small Island" - Part 7)

It is inevitable, when playing tour guide in a familiar place, that you will make repeat visits to certain attractions.  Raby Castle is a case in point.  With its proximity to my in-laws' house, the Castle was an obvious choice to share with my sister and her husband last June.  And so we went, even though Spousal Unit and I had been there the summer before.  But make no mistake, I had no regrets; the Castle has stunning gardens, sweeping panoramas and, of course, a tea shop, that would occupy us while our guests toured the Castle.  Follow me!

My previous posts about this trip (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6)) have noted the uncharacteristically warm and sunny weather we'd been having.  Some evening rain put an end to that, and I rejoiced in capturing lingering raindrops on the flowers the next day. 

What is it about brick walls and stone parapets that shape a garden so?  When I first imagined the landscape design for the 'wild' acreage at our log house, I dreamt of the sort of 'rooms' that you see in a quintessential English garden, often created with the use of plantings and hardscape.  To this day I am inspired by this design technique (even if we are not using it in Montana!)

The walls of locally hand-made bricks were constructed with flues which, when heated, enabled sub-tropical fruits such as apricots to be grown on the south terrace.  Of these, only the White Ischia Fig brought to Raby in 1786 by William Harry, Lord Barnard, still survives in its specially built house, fruiting annually.

The gardens surrounding English castles and grand homes are often arboretums in their own right, with a fascinating array of trees, shrubs and flowers.  As a tree lover, I revel in studying the trees - color, texture, shape, placement in the garden - it all has a role to  play in the beauty of the space.

Many of the original features remain in the Raby Castle gardens, including two fine yew hedges, and the ornamental pond, which was originally constructed to provide water for the kitchen garden.

Yew hedges to right and left

Ah, the summer rose - riveting to the eye and tantalizing to the nostrils … below are the best of the bunch.

Occasionally, a garden will surprise.  This day, around a corner, we found a 'higgledy-piggledy' rectangle, populated by a variety of looming plants.  We wondered: could it be a forgotten section?  The head gardener's 'scrap' heap?  Done deliberately to show that an English garden CAN be disorderly?  Whatever the rationale, we loved the riot of textures, shapes and colors.

As I peruse my next set of shots, I am struck with wonder once again at the rolling landscape, dotted with majestic oaks and other aged trees that have seen Kings and Queens come and go.  This setting surrounding the Castle is referred to as the "Park."  Can you imagine anything more marvelous?

Groundskeeper's Cottage in the distance

Well, perhaps the view of the Castle …

Raby Castle is near Staindrop in County Durham, among 200 acres of deer park.  It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390.  Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Edward IV and Richard III, was born here.

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