Rousham, Oxfordshire, June 2016

My favorite Garden of all time

During our trip to England in June 2016 we spent one day visiting Rousham.  This is a lesser known estate just outside of Oxford.  I first learned about it via the famous Monty Don and a show about it on Youtube. (again, quite extensive research on my part.) I was struck with the elegant simplicity of William Kent’s garden design and wanted to see for myself.  I was not disappointed.  For the true lover of English gardens, this one is absolute perfection.  It mixes expansive green lawns, wooded pathways and various garden “rooms.”

 

The day we visited was a bit muggy, so sadly my pictures are slightly hazy.  The lawns above overlook the river.  The design is simple and elegant and the differences in the shades of green is remarkable- I think Kent was interested in the contrasting greens as it is very noticeable.

The wooded pathways lead to small follies, this one being a imitation ruined Roman temple.  (These small shelters can be found in most English gardens- smart given that there is a great deal of rain and it is easy to get caught out in a storm far from the house. Also, it seems they were perfect for assignations as well as picnics.)

After an ill-fated attempt to reach the river below the folly in which I had my first encounter with Nettles (they are awful and sting like nothing else. Very glad I never had to contend with nasty little plants before) we decided to visit the walled garden adjacent to the house. It was spectacular.  Above is me standing in one of the immaculately maintained box hedges.

One of the interesting features of this garden were the trained fruit trees- these are trees which are carefully pruned each year so that they grow in a particular shape.

This garden is full of lovely little pathways with over hanging flowers and small fountains.  One of these even had a tiny walkway for newts to climb in and out. (Sadly I don’t have a picture of this.) The roses were unlike anything I have seen before. The air full of the fragrance.

Finally, we visited the Dovecote.  This round building was designed to house doves and the interior was filled with small little nooks where doves made their nests.  (As you can see, it is mostly pigeons living there right now.) It added to the overall perfection of the garden.

Roushham was spectacular.  We were free to wander around the garden uninterrupted for as long as we liked.  It was serene and natural.  The entire place felt calm and far away from everything. This is truly one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited.