A Stroll Through Sissinghurst (Revised)*

Is it treasonous to have pulled for Andy Murray, a Scot, over Swiss-but-almost-seems-American Roger Federer in the Wimbledon finals? Is it wrong to wish for the rain they had? As we bake in the July oven over here in the Colonies I recall with more than a hint of wistfulness a recent cool and drizzly trip to the beautiful gardens at Sissinghurst, in Kent, England. As you know it is the the Duke of Kent who presents the Wimbledon trophies. Is that a coincidence or what.

The White Garden and Priest's House at Sissinghurst
A view across the renowned White Garden to the Priest's House at Sissinghurst

His Grace (my sweetheart who is not a duke but a cowboy, even though His Grace is what you call a real duke, like the Duke of Kent; and also what you call a cardinal in the Catholic church, if I’m not mistaken–have you got all that?) and I spent a few days in London at the end of a biking trip in France. I had never been to the famous Sissinghurst and had been dying to go.

Poppy at Sissinghurst
Have you ever seen such a poppy? Cottage Garden, Sissinghurst.

I realize you might not fall off your chair if I were to tell you this was not on the top of His Grace’s list. He likes to go to places like the Purdey gun store. And to dinner. But as usual he was a sport. A bonus was we were meeting his old Army buddy’s daughter, who lives in Kent and is adorable. He also liked the beer at the place she took us to afterward. So it was a win-win.

Poppy at Sissinghurst
Another poppy you can't believe, but it's true. Cottage Garden, Sissinghurst.

You can read the fascinating and often racy history (seriously…) of Sissinghurst here, and meanwhile enjoy this beautiful, cool stroll through the gardens… You will notice the skies are cloudy. All those postcard pictures in the gift shop are taken on one of the three days a year it is sunny. The rest of the time it looks like this. I don’t want to mis-lead you.

Sissinghurst
The Cottage Garden at Sissinghurst
Doorway to Main House, Sissinghurst
Doorway to the Main House at Sissinghurst. Isn't the shape of that bench just great?

 

Tower Lawn, Sissinghurst
Roses climb the walls along the Tower Lawn
The Tower at Sissinghurst
The Tower at Sissinghurst with the sun trying to break through... The rain magically held off just about long enough for us to walk around. Just about.
Cottage Garden and Tower at Sissinghurst
The Tower from the Cottage Garden
The Purple Border at Sissinghurst
Alliums in the Purple Border
Lupins in the Purple Border
Lupins in the Purple Border. Our lupins in California do not look like this, I can assure you.
Entrance to the Library at Sissinghurst
Entrance to the Library at Sissinghurst, where remain thousands of volumes belonging to the famous and occasionally infamous writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband Harold Nicholson. That docent is smiling because she knows all the naughty stories.
The Delos garden at Sissinghurst
The Delos garden at Sissinghurst, which wasn't really worked out successfully until the 1990s by then head gardener Sarah Cook.

One quick story about the Delos Garden, above, which failed as a Mediterranean homage in Vita and Harold’s day but which years later was transformed into an informal woodland thing that is brilliant. From the National Trust guidebook: “In all this elegance, Sarah Cook decided to keep one searingly mauve rhododendron ‘because without it, the whole thing would have been too polite.’ It was a brave move. ‘Rhododendrons are to us,’ Harold had announced in 1946, ‘like stock-brokers whom we do not want to have to dinner.’ This one,” the guidebook concludes, “seems impervious to any criticism.” It was not in bloom during our June visit, but I’ll take their word for it. Is it treasonous to think only the English can say things like this?

*Lest there be confusion, in the original broadcast of this post I had inadvertently changed Roger Federer’s passport from Swiss to American, which could have been a major inconvenience to him at customs, despite the fact that he is famous and everyone (except me who temporarily inexplicably forgot) knows he is Swiss. I regret the error and re-state my gratitude to the night-owl reader who so gently pointed it out. Sometimes, it really does take a village. Passport Control and I thank you again. I corrected the original and the early comments can be seen here.


16 comments

  1. what a lovely tour of one of my favorite english gardens. and as you mentioned racy stories complete the magic!

    if ever going again frances let me know, i can send you off on many private gardens that will put your heart in a tailspin
    xo
    debra

    1. Oh Debra, thank you! And thank you, too, for your beautiful blog! Dear readers if you haven’t visited 5th and State you are in for a treat. Frances

  2. What GORGEOUS photos, Frances! Love-Love-Love your trip.

    Truth be told: though I am a HUGE Federer fan (and now a fan of his little girls!!!), it was so hard to root for BOTH sides of the court. I mean how great was Andy Murray? And his tearful speech? He is a class act.

    …although now that I’m thinking about it, maybe rooting for “both sides of the net” is an analogy for our country and its political system. Wouldn’t it be GREAT if we had TWO sides that we wanted to win? Wouldn’t that be best for our country? How did I get into politics before 7:00 am on a Monday?!?

    1. Thank you dear Hollye and YES IT WOULD be great to root for both sides of the net in this great country of ours. Brava! Enough about class warfare; let’s just show some class, period! What an example these two great players are. Barry, Mitt, hope y’all were watching.

  3. What a wonderful treat to see pictures of my favorite place in England. On a trip their many years ago with Ryan Gainey, Harold Nicholson invited us into South Cottage. The whole family was fascinating. I can practically see Vita sitting at her desk in the tower.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Harriet

    1. Oh Harriet, what a wonderful experience that must have been. Ryan Gainey and Harold Nicholson in the same room must have been a treat, too. Thank YOU for sharing!

  4. LOVED revisiting Sissinghurst through your eyes… and how much more wonderful it is with gray skies that provide a better contrast and clearer color than a bright sunny day.

    The shape of the bench is astounding.

    I also think that everyone who reads your blog should take the challenge, right now, to somehow inject the phrase “searingly mauve” into a conversation within the next year.

    1. Randall this is an excellent endeavor! Shall we award prizes to the most creative? This was hilarious btw. Xox

    1. Hi Traci! Thanks so much for writing. I know y’all are baking down there. NYC is pretty sweaty, too. Loving your blog. xo F

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