Back to Hidcote.

Until last year, I’d only ever seen Hidcote Manor Gardens in the winter. You’re aware then of the variety and architecture of Lawrence Johnson’s rooms. 

Last summer we had a July Arts Society visit and I was stunned by the colour and profusion of the different areas. Breathtaking. Sublime. Utter perfection. 

This year, they’ve been deprived of the staff and volunteers. (Only two at any one point and that meant the routine and skilled horticulture was impossible.) This year they’ve not managed to keep up, even more than less ambitious National Trust properties.

The plants and colours are terrific but it’s more wild and less varied. The orchard has returned to a natural flourish. In a very different way, it is still one of the UK’s most impressive gardens. 

Huge numbers of butterflies (and even ladybirds). 

If you can get there, it is well worth a visit. 

Extra: the rich Gloucestershire cornfields against the intense blue sky.