Heading In

I headed to Nymans today for my Flower Friday feast. I initially thought it may have been a mistake given the car park was already busy before the gardens had even open, with mainly families of young children.  However, they soon disappeared once inside and were mostly confined to a separate field set aside for Summer Play (with plenty of activities to keep them happy), or seeking shade on what turned out to be a very hot day.

I had a lovely mooch around, including a very interesting visit to the house which is currently hosting an exhibition about Oliver Messel, celebrating his life as one of Britain’s leading stage designer, painter and architect of the mid-20th Century. The Messel family owned the house since the 1890's. A devastating fire in 1947 destroyed much of building, and the lack of resources at the end of WWII meant rebuilding was impossible.  It was handed to the National Trust in 1955, but the ruins were made safe and remained a base for the family to visit the gardens.  In 1976 it became home to Oliver's widowed sister Anne until 1992. Her eldest son was the Earl of Snowdon, who married Princess Margaret in 1960, and Oliver designed the Princess' home in the Caribbean.

Apart from its romantic ruins, Nymans is best known for its magnificent gardens, especially the Summer boarders. Indeed, they were looking glorious, but I was really drawn to the Rose Garden. This is being renovated and the roses have been removed. In order to start preparing the soil for replanting (a 2-year+ project) the whole area has been filled with annuals, mainly cosmos in pinks and whites, and providing a feast for the eyes. The insects were loving it too, and I was lucky enough to capture this bee heading in.