Everlasting Pea.

I’ve been invited to visit be spoilt by my sister and BiL for the weekend in Kent. So on the way I took the opportunity to visit Lullingstone Castle and World Garden. The castle (or rather a large Manor House) is not generally open to the public but I enjoyed my view over the large lake it faces for lunch.

The world garden was built by the heir to the estate, Tom Hart Dyke, who first shot to international prominence in 2000, when he was kidnapped in the Panamanian jungle on a plant hunting expedition that went dangerously wrong. On his eventual return he started the World Garden, taking over the Kitchen garden of the estate.  The beds are created in the shapes of the major countries and continents and populated with plants native to those areas.  Today, some 20 years later, it has matured … maybe a touch too much in my eyes but the weather this year has probably not helped!

I had a lovely afternoon wandering around, consumed the obligatory ice cream, and had another wander when I managed to catch this brimstone butterfly on some everlasting or perennial sweet pea - just the job for Flower Friday.