Written by Kate who does the Marketing at Pashley Manor.

High summer is one of my favourite times in the gardens at Pashley.  The spring is spectacular with over 30,000 tulips, bluebells and the magnificent wisteria. Once the tulips are finished, the bulbs are dug up and the summer bedding planted out, usually in late May, the feel of the garden changes.

In midsummer the roses come out – over 100 varieties blooming at once is quite a sight, especially the beautifully scented palest pink Rosa Irene Watts in the Rose Walk, with foxgloves proud and tall behind them and lavenders peeking out in front.

As the roses reach their peak the perennials have usually started to come up and flower beds bloom at waist height, and then some at shoulder height! Alstroemeria stand crowded in their hazel supports and gorgeous, large clematis flowers climb iron obelisks skyward.

Amidst this abundance there is also excitement in the kitchen garden – productive all year, but with so many crops coming to fruition at this time it is a job to keep up with them!  Early raspberries are followed by squillions of gooseberries and then blueberries.

Sweet peas mark the corners of the kitchen garden and are picked daily yet never seem to diminish – courgettes have the same almost magical over-night regeneration qualities.  Rows of beetroot, spinach and lettuces are laid out at ground level, while on trellises above them peas and beans are just starting to come out and in the brassica cage there are broccoli and cabbages ready to eat.  All these delicious vegetables are used in the café daily.

There’s also still so much to look forward to in the garden – the magnificent perfumed lilies have only just started and a second flowering of roses and hundreds of brightly beautiful dahlias are still to come too. Lots more dahlias have been planted this year (2016) ready for our new event, Dahlia Days Debut, 6th to 11th September, of which the whole team awaits the appearance with great enthusiasm.

Kate Wilson, www.pashleymanorgardens.com  01580 200888

All photography by Kate Wilson