Rainy Sissinghurst. Part 1

Less words, more pictures.

Almost everyone heard about Sissinghurst Castle and Garden, and who didn't can easily find information on Google.

Vita Sackville-West, a poet and a garden writer, and Harold Nicolson, a diplomat and author

moved to Sissinghurst in 1932 and started to work on a garden which now is one of the most famous gardens in England and one of the great gardens in the world.

Nowadays, a team of gardeners and volunteers is taking care of it. I had a chance to talk to some of them. They are very friendly, nice people.

Our hotel was in the center of London. On the morning of May 13th, singing 'London Bridge is falling down...', I walked to the London Bridge train station and rode for about an hour to Staplehurst.

The train arrived right when the local bus was ready to go to Sissinghurst.

A quick run, and I am on the bus, which was big, comfortable and very clean.

 Arriving in Sissinghurst, I consulted a local postman, who said it was approximately half a mile, well, maybe a bit more, to the Castle, and I started on my way.

Several minutes later, I realized that 'a bit more' was a very important detail.

I walked, and walked, and walked along the road on the narrow footpath, all alone despite my expectation that there will be crowds of garden lovers heading in the same direction.

Obviously, the majority of the visitors take another route.

The walk was very picturesque, pass woodlands, fields, farms and pastures.

I walk fast, and although the way seemed to be pretty long, I reached my goal in approximately half an hour.
To my surprise, there were no crowds. It was Tuesday, there was rain in the forecast, and it was just after 11 a.m. when the Garden opens.
I took a couple of pictures and voila! The rain started!

Everyone went for cover. I opened the hotel's umbrella and went for the garden!
A garden in the rain is still a garden, don't you think so?
During my visit, the rain was on and gone, on and gone. So, the pictures will be both dark and bright.
Many shots were dictated not by the rules of composition, but by the effort to avoid fellow guests being present in the pictures.
I apologize for not showing the garden rooms methodically, one after another, since often I moved to the one which was deserted at given time.
People were arriving. At 2 p.m. two tour buses appeared, but I was done by then.
Well, let's go! Keep your umbrellas handy!

These urns are absolutely beautiful.

Most of the pictures below are of the White Garden, that was originally planted as a Rose Garden in 1931 and turned into a White Garden in 1950. 

 View of the White Garden from above:

Perfectly trimmed yew walk at the right is incredible!

 The Chinese Ming vase was brought by Harold from Egypt in 1937.
The metal canopy to support the white roses was installed in 1969.

Vestal Virgin (Goddess of the hearth) by Yugoslavian sculptor Toma Rosandic, lead cast, 1935:

The outdoor dining area by the Priest's House with the white Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro-kapitan' climbing over the pergola (Erechtheum):

I read that there are five fig trees in the Garden, this one in the White Garden and four others in the Rose Garden. Lady Sackville, Vita's mother, gave them to Harold and Vita.
You can read about pruning the fig trees by Sissinghurst gardeners here.

Some of the plants growing in the White garden: silver-leaved weeping pear (Pyrus salicifolia pendula), 

Stachys lanata, iceberg roses, Rosa mulliganii (you can read about it here: The White Garden Rose), calla lilies, Gypsophila paniculata, Crambe cordifolia, Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White', Tiarella wherryi, Polygonatum (Solomon's seal), Chamaenerion angustifolium 'Album'(white willow herb), Veronicastrum, Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' .

To be continued. There will be more sun, I promise!
*
To see Sissinghurst posts # 2-8, click the Label 'Sissinghurst' or click 'Newer Post' below the comments.
The last post #8 is here: Sissinghurst Garden. Part 8, the Last. Random Pictures

***Copyright 2014 TatyanaS