Late summer garden

 We had a day out yesterday, popping down to Somerset to catch an exhibition at Lytes Cary Manor, all part of Somerset Art Weeks this year. Called Herbarium, there are four sculpture installations around the gardens inspired by Henry Lyte, a previous owner of the manor, who translated one of the first herbal remedies manuals in 1578 and dedicated it to Elizabeth 1. The National Trust website describes Lytes Cary as a hidden gem, a timeless little world to reflect and enjoy, and it certainly lived up to its billing.

This is a wonderfully intimate house surrounded by a beautiful garden, restored in the early 20th century by the Jenner family after the house fell into disrepair. It feels like you're visiting someone's small patch of heaven and we came away with lots of notes about plants and ideas for borders and pots next year.

I loved the topiary in front of the house. Twelve yews - the Apostles - clipped into shape and acting like sentinels down that path, which is cracked and crazed and full of so many textures that I spent a lot of my time looking down at my feet exclaiming that every one was like a landscape design. Needless to say there are many, many photos of the paving that I am not boring you with.......

The first installation outside of these carved seats and orbs by Alison Crowther was perfectly suited to their setting but I noticed these small owls carved into a roof space and kept going back to stare at them before being chivvied along and reminded that there was a lot more to see.

 Every turn brought more plant combinations into view and I cannot recommend a visit to Lytes Cary highly enough, so much so, that we are seriously considering a return visit soon. I did not expect the place to have such an effect on me as I am not given to fancy, but I truly found it to be very special, something I was hoping I would also feel at the second place on our itinerary for the day.

Lots has been written about the field designed by Piet Oudolf for the Hauser and Wirth Gallery in Bruton and, having seen it on television in  its first year, I was intrigued to see how it was developing.
Well, the answer is, rather wonderfully as it happens.

I think we struck lucky with the day we picked. It was warm and slightly breezy, so all those signature grasses favoured by Mr Oudolf wafted and shook in the wind and caught the late afternoon light to perfection. So many of the 26,000 perennial plants have turned to seedheads already this year but the late season colour offered by anemones, echinaceas, asters and heleniums to complement them  alongside all those grasses is to die for. It is so worth a visit and all for the price of a donation to the local museum. A treat.

Of course, I had to buy a copy of the planting plan to see which of the 115 planted varieties went next to each other. Along with the long list of plant associations from Lytes Cary we did nothing but talk plants and gardening all the way home. Come to think of it, I was doing all the talking and planning and the head gardener was probably totting up the man hours.......

We had spent so much of the day pointing at plants and saying 'we already have that' and 'we have that too' but after visiting these two inspiring gardens, we realise now, like that well known Morecambe and Wise sketch, that we have all the right plants but not necessarily in the right order. Now the question is whether to redesign here and expend lots of energy on a garden we may leave within a couple of years or keep the ideas ready for a blank canvas in the future! Exciting times are ahead of us.