Polesden Lacey’s Garden and Countryside Manager, Simon Akeroyd, tells us why it’s the perfect place to visit this winter
Photography © James Day/National Trust
The views of Polesden Lacey’s 30 acre garden are breathtaking when the valley is covered with frost and glistens in the low winter sun. The trees, denuded of their foliage stand upright on the slopes, casting shadows and silhouettes onto the rolling hills.
The Winter Garden was designed by the famous plantsman and prolific garden writer Graham Stuart Thomas and it is believed that it is the only existing example designed by him. The jewel in Polesden’s crown, it was popular with royalty, celebrities and high society during the Edwardian period.
In February, Winter Aconites form a carpet of yellow under the canopy of three impressive Persian Ironwood trees (Parrotia persica). The air is heavily scented with the fragrance of Christmas Box (Sarcoccoca humilis) and Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) which jostle for position among rarer shrubs. The garden also features over 20 varieties of snowdrops.
See http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/places/gardens-and-parks/view-page/item631371/ for the Trust’s top ten Winter Gardens.
What a stunning garden! Must get that on my list of gardens to visit in 2013.
We hope you enjoy your visit Margot, it’s stunning at any time of year!