Wisteria at Wisley

One of the advantages of visiting RHS Wisley at this time of year is to see some wisteria close up. I hadn’t realised before we went, but of course it makes perfect sense for Wisley to have wonderful wisteria. On this visit we tried many new paths, and after a wander through a garden full of box and ivy and leaving through this grand gateway we were about to head straight into the flowering wisteria.

And unusually straight past the peonies both in flower and in bud, well for the time being anyway.

Wisteria really is a wonderful plant, and I’m sure you can understand the pull to see it much closer up.

Wisteria is plentiful in our local area, it’s even in our neighbouring gardens - but I’ve not been able to get up this close to any of them. Isn’t it magnificient?

I have contemplated our own plant, and growing it against the cottage wall at the bottom of our garden would work well for us. I’m less sure if it would work quite so well for our neighbours living in the cottage though, so it’s never happened. I just have to admire from afar, or up close if I get the chance.

The wisteria had fairly grand surroundings.

And happy bed fellows.

With a final backward glance we headed off to explore more of what the gardens had to offer, and spoiler, there was plenty more to see.

Topiary at RHS Wisley

On our last visit to RHS Wisley, in February 2020, I saw something there I’d never seen before. You’ll know how much of a fan of topiary I am, so this discovery was a good find for me. A whole ‘alley’ of differently shaped and perfectly manicured topiary.

There’s little more that I can add, so sit back, scroll down and enjoy the fantastic shapes.

Unfortunately for us, Wisley is a little too far to be counted as ‘local’ for us during lockdown, but it’s somewhere I’m keen to get back to when the time is right. It was one of my Visit Seven gardens last year, and it was good to be able to get there once. I’ve not celebrated my 8th blogging anniversary here yet, which probably is indicative of the last year too. I’ll get there, I just need to work out how I’ll do that, as choosing eight places to visit, let alone gardens, feels ambitious right now!

The Echeveria Gallery at RHS Wisley

It seems like a lifetime ago since we visited RHS Wisley, but it was actually only six months. So much has happened across the world since then. I’ve not been as present on my blog as I usually am, but I’m hoping to be back here more often. Just a scroll through my unedited photos was enough to inspire me to start posting, and start editing photos again. I’m not sure if that’s coincidence that that coincides with a couple of days off, or something deeper.

I’m not sure if this is a permanent installation at Wisley, but I very much hope it is. The next time we’re there I’ll be heading to the hot houses (as usual) to check.

Either way when I saw these framed succulents, I knew they were right for today’s post. Before lockdown, I had plans to create my own frame of succulents but that’s been slightly scuppered as going to a garden centre hasn’t happened yet, even though they’ve reopened. My succulents over-wintered well, but I don’t have quite enough to fill a frame, and if i’m honest, I hoped to add to my collection!

Not that I plan to compete with this display, a single frame was my aim.

But maybe I should aim higher? And if not hight, be more ambitious. Though I suspect that once you start they’ll be addictive. I’m sure I’ve got a few more old picture frames hanging around. Well, not actually hanging around, but you know what I mean.

I’m not sure mine will be as grand, especially as I planned to hang them on the garden fence!

Looking more closely at the frame on the right in the picture below, you can just see some of the mesh which keeps the plants in place. I’d not worked out how I would do that, but this gives me some clues. I’m sure I must have something that could also work, though chicken wire might be too ‘open’.

The frame on the left above, I’ve just realised is much more stylised than I’d ever hope to achieve. Actually growing succulents vertically is my aim!