Paeonies and Roses at Dursley Garden

What's not to love about November gardens in the Southern Hemisphere? The perennials are in full swing, the roses are fresh, and there are so many fragrant plants to be enjoyed in the warm evenings.

Graham Thomas in his golden glory 

The perennial garden against the house changes weekly

Paeonies thrive at Dursley

Great time of year for the bumble bees

Stunning trees - Melia azedarach - Indian Bead Tree 

Melia flowers though November

Dursley Garden in November

Fragrance, roses, colour, freshness, vibrancy - a few words to describe how Dursley Garden is to walk around at the moment. Played tennis there on the weekend, and the roses draping over the fence were stunning, as was the fragrance of the huge Philadelphus (Mock Orange Blossom)  next to the court. Bliss!

Here are a few snapshots of the garden in early November. If you haven't already been out to visit this year, now is the perfect time to come. Lots of places to sit and enjoy the view, or partake of the famous Devonshire Teas Judith whips up in about 10 minutes flat ($5 each).

Rose perfection - 'Julia's Rose' - stunning. 

Gorgeous apricots and purples together in the round garden

Cerinthe major?

Multiple places to sit, either in the shade or in the sun.

Bees in their temporary lodging in the vege garden. 

This Philadelphus fragrance is AMAZING at the moment. They are all around the garden.

Apricot fox gloves are a perfect neighbour for the roses

Wisteria walk down towards Dingly Dell

The perennial bed is still very subtle colours at the moment - lots
of greens, and paler colours. Roses about to hit full glory.

Dursley Garden - springing into life!

As promised, the daffodils are putting on a show at Dursley right now. Thousands of them. And the Magnolias, and the Daphne.... Come for a weekend wander. The garden has sprung into life after winter. Fragrance and colour everywhere. Judith would love to see you. Book in  for Devonshire Teas, too, on 06 3724 804. You don't have to book in to visit the garden - just rock on up!

Dursley Garden Over Winter

Wandering around the winter garden at Dursley yesterday, and the Hellebores are the main feature this month. The daffodils are starting to make their show, along with the hundreds of delicate snowdrops. Mostly the lower, more subtle plants at the moment. Judith says the MID AUGUST ONWARDS is the best time to visit to see the best of the daffodils and other bulbs. The show goes on for months. It really is worth planning your visit soon, especially while this weather is so gorgeous. Then come back again in spring for tulips etc etc!! Have a great day. RC

Hellebores under the trees - masses of them!

Snowdrops in a bed of cyclamen leaves.....

Some of the daffodil areas are just coming into flower - late July

Peak season for daffodils at Dursley is from mid-August

Cotinus @ Dursley Garden

This very old Cotinus (Smoke Bush) is absolutely brilliant at the moment. The photos are untouched - this is the real colour!! Just amazing to see. Lots of colour elsewhere around the garden, too, but this is the star for me. Days cooling off, bulbs starting to appear. Never ending action around here!

Last Flush of Autumn Roses

The trees are looking absolutely stunning at the moment, but it was these roses sitting on Judith's kitchen table that caught my eye on the weekend. This is the last flush of autumn roses before winter. The gazillions of bulbs are starting to poke their heads out of the ground. Always something different happening as the seasons change at Dursley. Dursley stays open for garden visitors right through the year. Perfect for a wander around on a warm day!!

Autumn's Perennial Border

Tall and feathery Golden Rod (Solidago)

The perennial garden in full March glory - pink, purple, yellow.....

Rose gardens along the north-eastern side of the house

A few months ago I posted photos of the perennial border being very green, with pops of pink livening it up. Well early autumn (March), and the colour spectrum has gone full circle over summer and now it is lots of yellows (Golden Rod), pinks (Asters) and almost every other colour imaginable. All tossed like a giant fruit salad. Sounds garish, right? But here Judith gets away with it. Even though there has been a summer drought at Bideford, there is still loads of colour in the perennial beds, and the roses. 

Carpets of Cyclamen

Under the century old oaks and cedars, the ground has become a carpet of cyclamen at Dursley. Judith calls them the 'little people' - they have naturalised into every nook and cranny. They look amazing when the sun glows onto them.

Now is a perfect time to come for a visit - with the long awaited rain, all sorts of treasures will start appearing. Who knows - the lawns might even go green again!! Judith would love to see you.

This is meant to be the duck pond below the house - first
time in years that it has had NO water in it. 

The lawns have completely dried up in the drought. Let's hope they green up soon.

Autumn Harvest @ Dursley

The vegetable garden at Dursley is one of the most important areas for Judith. It is primarily a working garden - fully productive. But I find at this time of year, the beauty of randomly placed pumpkins, onions etc is just gorgeous. I fell in love with the tendrils on the pumpkins! Aren't they just fascinating?? Or is that just me that thinks that??? Rachel