Prep for Lorenco. Myddelton House Gardens, Enfield.

Visited Myddelton House Gardens today in preparation for our trip there later in March. 

Designed and planted by the then owner E A Bowles, who became a celebrated botanist, plant collector, gardener and writer. 

I really liked it - lots of variety and odd collections of slightly random architectural features, statues etc. and some quite architectural plants. Not an enormous place so perfect for looking at details - emerging buds on plants that still have seed heads, textures and colours on bark of the 450 year old yew trees, shapes and patterns of succulents and tropical plants in the greenhouses. Lots of bulbs out of course and rhodedenrons on their way. Swathes of daffodils and snowdrops and white fritilleries; masses of hellebores of various subtle hues. There will be plenty more flowers and colour by the end of the month. 

Hoping that some of the group will draw some of the shapes, colours and textures, as well as photographing details. Encourage them to look at patterns on leaves, rhythms of plants...

quite a lot of fruit trees trained on south facing walls which could be our inspiration for the tree in the corridor - as if it is trained on the walls there.

The  'Bowles Museum'  - small room, time line with images going all round, not currently any original Bowles illustrations. Maybe they are all in RHS collections. some images from the internet of crocus studies. He was particularly interested in them and cultivated many new varieties.