Wednesday, 9 July 2008

England Part VIII - Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire

We came to Mottisfont Abbey, not specifically to see this handsome mansion which was built on the 12th-century remains of an Augustinian priory and set in glorious landscaped grounds, although it's a beautiful place to spend a few hours....

...... but we came to walk in the magical walled gardens, home to the collection of historic roses designed by Graham Stuart Thomas.
This is the National Collection of Old Fashioned Roses.

There are two walled gardens enclosing over 300 old and rare varieties of roses. And it was a sunny blue-sky day in June... what better time of the year to enjoy such a wonderful display.
So much colour, I didn't know which way to look first.
Heaven must look a lot like this.
The fragrance is overpowering. And not only roses. Foxgloves, harebells, clematis, delphiniums, lupins, geraniums, allium.... aaahhh! The lavender wasn't quite ready... it needed another few days to reach full bloom.
If you love roses, this collection is a must, as it includes many roses that the Empress Josephine grew in her famous garden at Malmaison in France.
There were roses for sale too...... and if I lived in England I know I would have overloaded the MasterCard and gone home with a few for my garden, but sorry to say, (and happily for my bank account) I couldn't take any on the plane back to Canada.
Stunning.
Breathtaking.
Gorgeous.
For previous posts of my vacation in England, please scroll down.
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20 comments:

  1. EG CameraGirl9 July 2008 at 08:45

    The Brish sure know how to garden! NOW you're really making me jealous about your trip, LOL

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  2. Ginnie Hart9 July 2008 at 12:11

    It IS heaven, Ex-S. Of course it is.

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  3. madretz9 July 2008 at 12:26

    Lucky you! I was reading on your wiki link that June is the best month to see the gardens. So lovely. Fun collage you created too! In the center is the sweetest flower of them all!!

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  4. photowannabe9 July 2008 at 14:05

    What a heady experience. The roses are so beautiful. Wish I was there with you. This has been a glorious series of a wonderful country.

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  5. Hilary9 July 2008 at 15:38

    Wonderful images, ex-S. Such beautiful flowers and a wonderful trip.

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  6. Beverly9 July 2008 at 18:18

    The last three words of your post say it all...stunning, breathtaking, gorgeous. Thanks for sharing those.

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  7. Neva9 July 2008 at 19:21

    What a beautiful garden!!! If I had planned our trip differently I would have let you know we were coming....seemed we went the length of Ontario....either side of the lake!!!I had a hard time remembering the 80km did NOT mean 80- MPH....fortunately the police did not notice that little mistake!!!!! Montreal sure was nice....very unexpected as far as being a big city.....clean, friendly, easy to get around....and no turns on red....again...the police were nice enough to not notice...a bus driver pointed that out to me!
    Sounds like your trip was fabulous!I hope to get to England someday!

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  8. Ted M. Gossard9 July 2008 at 22:27

    Beautiful flowers, for sure. And I believe the new heaven and new earth will be full of them, and our senses will be much keener. I can just smell them.

    You take good pics!

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  9. lorenzothellama10 July 2008 at 04:11

    I never knew that place existed. Next time I am down that way I will certainly take a look. Your photos as always, are brilliant!

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  10. lorenzothellama10 July 2008 at 09:59

    Peter's teacher didn't reveal he had worked there either. They put two and two together after watching a television film years later!

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  11. Beverly10 July 2008 at 15:42

    You were asking if my granddaughter could swim yet. No, not yet. If they had been here longer than a week, I do believe she would have been close to it.

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  12. OldLady Of The Hills10 July 2008 at 21:44

    What a fantastic place...To see ALL those Roses, plus all the other flowers, too...This had to be one of THE Highlights of your trip...Though I must say, every post you have had some amazing Highlights!
    I got to Queen Mary's Garden, which was very Beautiful, but not like this! FABULOUS, my dear!

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  13. Jeanette11 July 2008 at 02:33

    Wow! What a wonderful trip you had and the gardens are stunning

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  14. PeterParis11 July 2008 at 05:22

    These old roses are often the nicest! This reminds me that I must go to the Bagatelle (Rose) Garden in the Bois de Boulogne! Haven't ben for ages!

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  15. Middle Ditch11 July 2008 at 08:32

    It's a good thing that you cannot see the wilderness that is my garden. I would love to have it like that. The pictures are amazing.

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  16. Shammickite11 July 2008 at 08:47

    Thanks for your comments, everyone. Yes, this was one of the highlights of my trip. The colours, fragrance and the variety of the blossoms was a sight to behold! Now, if only my own garden could look like that! My one lonely rose bush had six blooms this year....!

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  17. Barbara11 July 2008 at 15:03

    Remember going here many years ago nut can't remember any details.

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  18. Ming the Merciless11 July 2008 at 22:02

    The collage of the flowers is spectacular. The lawn looks amazing. It most cost a fortune to keep up the gardens and lawn.

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  19. dennis13 July 2008 at 12:22

    Dennis does love roses. He has a rose named Graham Stuart Thomas.

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  20. Kerri Farley13 July 2008 at 19:24

    WOW! What lovely gardens! I think I could spend a few weeks there!!

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