Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens

The entrance to Sissinghurst gardens and castle on a busy May weekend.

In this enclosed section of the gardens between the old gate and the tower the climbing roses on the wall are at their youthful best and as an introduction to the gardens is one that grows on you during the season. Famed for its white garden and spring avenue Sissinghurst has much else to offer. Set in the Kent countryside close to Biddenden, Goudhurst and Tenterden in the weald there are woodland walks as well as the splendid gardens that can be taken from the estate itself.

Below is a picture from the rose garden showing the tower.

This year my sister and I missed the spring display of bulbs and the day of our visit saw the way the season was developing from spring to early summer as bulbs, already dying down, alowed the new spring growth to take over. Fresh green nut leaves, fruit tree leaves, budding summer roses, the established glory of azaleas and the pungeant aroma of wisteria took centre stage as newly planted sunflowers and the promise of sun drenched herbs prepared for the hot summer sun. As if to deny the summer its entrance the Magnolias displayed their last blooms and under the trees bluebells blossom.

We did not walk the cool woods but enjoyed the stroll around the lake wishing for more time on the day for a lengthy exploration.

Opposite: Azaleas at Sissinghurst

Okay, so too much purple prose?

But that is how spring in a well laid out garden grabs you.

There is something else as well. That is language. The first is the language of the wild life; the bees kept in the grounds, the song of birds feeding their young, the buzz of insects, the soft gabble of ducks and the unseen creatures rusting in the undergrowth. The next is the calling of children as they are introduced to their heritage. And then comes the languages spoken by the visitors; German, Dutch, French and Chinese to name a few creating a song that brings Sissinghurst alive.

I have a friend in New Zealand who loved Sissinghurst and she, like many others in the antipodes know of the gardens and know of the white garden and its one central rose bush. She, like many others, travel from all parts of the world to see it.

And I, like these visitors, am also glad .

Me trying desperately trying to look as if I am enjoying myself under a wisteria just outside the herb garden