Oak Lodge Garden

In Inveresk this afternoon we visited the gardens open under the Scotland's Gardens Scheme, starting with Oak Lodge, whose garden is longer than the eye can see and has two linked ponds with water lilies and Damsel flies.

Next we saw Rose Court, much smaller but with an intriguing garden shed inside a (?)yew tree and an old fan-trained pear.

Next on the list was the Shepherd House, which seems to be open at other times, it has a shell house with four stained glass windows designed by the artist owner (collage as Extra) and a rill to a carp pond. Here was a sale of used garden tools but we resisted the scythe, the fencing maul (a very large hammer to bash in fence posts) and bid on a neat old garden fork (if someone else offered more they are welcome to it).

And, lastly, the Green House, a modern eco-house built in the garden of an C18 house (currently for sale), which also has a rill and pond and banks of solar panels (I don't think these will grow...) and also served teas and cakes.

By now the rain had arrived so we kept the Inveresk Lodge Garden for another time as it is run by the National Trust and we can enter free.

My overall impression is that Irises are universally popular, rills are the In Thing and brick paths are almost obligatory. And very nice, too.