In addition to the Walled Garden is the more formally designed Italian Garden, close to the actual castle. The garden was laid out by Countess Cecilia, the Queen Mother’s mother, c.1910 to designs by Arthur Castings. The fan-shaped parterres of formal beds are separated by gravel walks. Between the two gardens lies the Pinetum which was planted c.1870 and has a variety of exotic trees, many native to North America.
Other features include pleached alleys of beech, a stone fountain and ornamental gates which commemorate the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday.
Pleached beech trees
Like most formal Italian gardens there is a fair amount of statuary here.
And in September the beds were full of colourful dahlias of all sorts of shapes and sizes.
IF YOU ENJOY A WALK, LONG OR SHORT, THEN HAVE A LOOK AT JO’S SITE WHERE YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN IN WITH HER MONDAY WALKS.
Earth laughs in flowers 