The Sunken Garden
Sunken Garden
This garden is mainly below the level of the surrounding garden and, at some points, at eye level with plants. It has, probably, the warmest and most pleasant seating area.
There are lots of scented plants in this garden which like the heat of the sun and, on a warm day, their perfume pervades. It also has a beautiful cascading water fountain which the birds enjoy using for bathing and drinking.
The dry raised beds provide ideal conditions for many South African plants such as watsonias and scented gladiolus which need sharp drainage.
The dianella, from New Zealand, has taken over a large area and you can see this magnificent plant in full Oxford blue berries late in the season. The tree, a lotus, has tiny edible fruits in the Autumn and a lemon flowered clematis growing through it, with a ground cover of blue sweet peas at its feet.