Last Thursday I visited Harlow Carr, the RHS gardens near Harrogate, Yorkshire. I have visited this fantastic north east garden many times over the years and with each visit I have always found something new and interesting at which to marvel. This visit was no exception, it delighted me once again.
The alpine house was full of tiny explosions of colour.
Doesn’t the contrasting red and blue zing with happiness.
In the sub-tropicana garden there was a small glasshouse which houses various tender perennials.
and various potted succulents were set on the surrounding wall tops.
On the opposite side of the garden in the Lakeside Garden, two beds had been sown with annuals, mainly poppies, to attract pollinators. It was wonderful to see so many hoverflies and bees in such a short area.
I wandered about the Sandstone Rock Garden and its two ponds were so green and lush despite the heatwave.
Close by I found some knarled logs covered in moss.
My last port of call around the gardens were the main borders; to me these were the highlight of my visit. The clipped box pyramids which once stood at the end of each section of bed had been removed and planted elsewhere; now only perennials remained. The colours and shapes of the flowers and grasses rippled and undulated like a changing sunset; yellows, oranges, red, blue and so on. At every step there was a photo opportunity. Each clump consisted of around ten individual plants so together formed one large block of colour and texture.
The tones of each colour flowed into one another.
Pollinators were everywhere; here is one I managed to photograph.
I really did have a wonderful day and there is so much to see and so much to marvel at that I cannot wait until my next visit to Harlow Carr.
