Reimmersed In Sissighurst

Today turned out to be a lovely early Spring day and my brother persuaded me that we should make a return visit to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, with our last visit being at least a couple of years ago.
The Garden is in the Weald of Kent and was created by Vita Sackville-West, poet and writer, and her husband Harold Nicholson, author and diplomat, from the early 1930's onwards.
It's famous as the epitome of the English garden with a series of garden rooms, each filled with different planting schemes and unique designs. Heralded for its beauty and diversity, the garden is a a result of the creative tension between Harold Nicholson's formal design and the exuberant planting of Vita Sackville-West.
We appeared to have timed our visit a bit too early to see the garden in its full Spring plumage as there still seemed to be a lot of planting going on, quite a lot of bear earth and most of the statues were still wrapped up to protect them against continuing frosts but we did still get to see some glorious drifts of crocuses and snow drops on our stroll through the grounds and nevertheless loved being re-immersed in such a wonderful unique setting.
My main image of the castle tower, taken through the entrance gate to the Garden, is all that remains of the original castle but still stands proud as a glorious counterpoint to the surrounding garden rooms.
My first extra is part of the Lime Walk section of the garden and just loved the shapes of the clipped hedges with the tower in the background and overhead branches casting some fabulous shadows on the ground below.
My last extra was captured just as we were leaving and is of a close-up of this be-horned fellow depicted on one of the gargantuan pots placed on either side of the entrance into the Garden.