Lessons Learned

Since Mom has been back from her trip, she has been thinking very hard on what she actually learned.

She will be writing off this trip for business and also applying for continued education credits with the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. Win-Win!        So Mom......

What do the British gardeners do differently from their U.S. counterparts?

A 450 year old Chestnut Tree

They seem to have more patience. Maybe because they have such history. 

Most British gardeners don't seem to mind that a hedge, a covered arbor or an espaliered tree may take a hundred plus years to reach perfection.

They don't seem to mind manual labor as much as Americans. I saw very few power tools and no automatic sprinklers.

They really prepare the soil......REALLY prepare!

With layers and layers of soil amendments, turned into the soil with a shovel or a large spading fork.

They dig and divide their perennials often and think nothing of pulling everything out, fixing up the soil and replanting entire borders.

So much work, but worth the reward.

No more shortcuts back home, if we want these results!

Yet, they are not perfectionists. Most gardens were very informal, with a highly orchestrated unkempt look.

Making notes to seed some pretty things in the cracks of our pavers and stop wasting so much time, trying to keep them perfectly clean and weed free!

Many Thanks to all of our lovely hosts and guides along the way.

The Brits are a warm, funny and generous bunch.

We had a fabulous time.

The food was GREAT!

......with the exception of the mushy peas.

Cheers!!

(Now, back to our regular programming...more Wyatt!!)

Dining with Airedales

Sunday, we met up with Cousin Cate for a walk and lunch.

 Yeah! Cate's Here!

Kisses and Sniffs

We stopped to appreciate the art.

We walked around the Bishop's Close Garden at Elk Rock.

We went for a nice lunch at Manzana Grill.

Did you know that most restaurants in the Portland area are dog friendly, if they have outdoor seating. 

Cate helps her Dad with the menu.

I want to be a lap dog too.

...under the table for me.

Would you take 3 Airedales to a nice restaurant?

Would you take 3 Airedales?

Bone Appetit!

Wyatt, Stanzie and Cate

A Love Story and the Best Rainy Day

Sissinghurst Castle, was once home to the writers Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West, and its stunning gardens, are perhaps England's most famous. Sissinghurst, what can I say about this beautiful garden that Harold and Vita Sackville-West discovered and rescued. It occupies a very ancient site, from the middle Ages. There used to be a stone manor house surrounded by a moat - that was replaced by a mansion by the Baker family. In 1756 it was a prison camp and there was so much damage to the old building that at the end of the war, two-thirds of it was demolished. Harold and Vita came along in 1930, fell in love with the place and it was five years before they even had water or electricity.

 What remains now of the original house is the Entrance, a long building dating from 1490. Originally a stable it is now called the Long Library mostly used for storing furniture from her family home and all the books she reviewed. The Tower is what Vita wanted ... this is where she would write, isolated and content and it remained her sanctum until she died at age 70.

What we see now is a love story ... a story of a couple who have made this their home and turned their land into a series of gardens that draw oohs and aahs with each separate garden.

Today,

Notes from the head gardener. Highlighting the must sees.

Harold and Vita's love letters

Romance blossoms in every corner.

The Oast Houses were the place to dry hops.

A fire at the bottom, the hops spread out in the middle, the smoke vented out the top.

Cheers for Beer!

                          

A gardener's perfect lunch.

Fresh greens, spring asparagus and chopped egg.

A mossy bench.

We already have a plan to re-create this at home!

A good place to rest.

Next Stop.....

It was raining hard, but this was by far my favorite garden.

10 acres of beautiful gardens around a 17th century house.

I really felt at home here. This garden was fun!

A swimming pool, a croquet lawn, a grass tennis court, eclectic art and re-purposed relics.

I just wanted to invite all my friends, fire up the barbecue and have a party :D

The Siberian Iris look like a flight of butterflies in this inspired wildflower meadow.

A Victorian gazebo for storing the croquet sets.

Our guide and the homeowner, talks of finding broken pottery around the estate and how his wife made this lovely mosaic patio with the finds.

     

Vintage tools and signs as decor.

We wonder if they have a spare room for 2 hard Working Gardeners and 2 Airedale Terriers?

The 'Pride Bite' Squirrel

The nice folks at Pride Bites asked us to trial one of their toys.

'Sadie the Squirrel' showed up in our mailbox.

Let's see if this squirrel is "Airedale Tough".

It can be tossed for catch.

The stitching seems tough and so far it has held up to the claws and jaws of a LARGE Terrier.

It is grand for fetching.

It floats for swimming.

Next stop the wash machine.

....and Hallelujah! 

This month's "Bugsy's Box" arrived this week and guess what was inside? Another Pride Bite toy!  

Muddles the Pig :D

Now, we have TWO!

(I should share with Stanzie)

Wyatt

Click here to see all the great Pride Bite Toys, including personalized toys for your best friend.

Meeting Leo at Wisley

Wisley was a 60 acre estate that was given to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1903.

Today, the garden covers over 200 acres and offers visitors a fascinating blend of the beautiful and the practical. 

We needed a full week just to explore the perennial borders, luscious rose gardens and exotics in the glass houses.

A glass enclosed rock garden!!

It was here at RHS Wisley, that we met up with fellow blogger and FB friend, Leo and his mom Sarah!

We exchanged seeds and dog pressies. We chatted about dogs and gardens.

If you have ever wondered about your mixed-breed's ancestry, you should visit Sarah at 

Blackdogdna.com

  

When mom returned home, we found our pressies in the luggage, Right Away!!

Who is a "Nose Work" dropout? Not ME!

I was like a police dog searching for contraband.

I could work the airport...yes sir, as long as all the luggage was filled with dog toys and salmon jerky!

Thanks Leo and Sarah! 

Stanzie is enjoying the jerky and I am busy with my new treat ball.

...back to Wisley

Wish you could smell these roses through the computer.

 'Rhapsody in Blue'

Everything seems bigger and better here.

Look at this Peony!

Even the conifers seem greener and more lovely...

Yes, there was an Airedale sighting!

This is London's 'George', heading out for afternoon tea and biscuits. 

Not to be confused with George the Lad, he lives 3 hours in the other direction.

  

Next stop. Leed's Castle.

Hey, you can rent this place for weddings!

The bathrooms are a little antique :)

  
But, they do have this awesome maze that Mom and Christmas Tree Grandma got lost in for about 30 minutes. They actually had a dog collar museum, but it was temporarily closed for a re-do....doggone it!

Taking a break...the maze was exhausting!

Bee Happy

Next up, the love story of Sissinghurst and the best rainy day ever!