Deep in the Hampshire countryside, in the midst of quintessentially English villages with thatched roofs and timber frames lies an unassuming place, where the crystal clear waters of the River Test babble by and majestic planes and willows gently sway along its banks. This place is an old Country house with a Victorian walled garden, restored and open to the public as a tourist attraction. This is no ordinary historic property though, this is a place with international renown for rose aficionados, this is Mottisfont.
Mottisfont; the very name sends shivers down my spine. The water of the chalk stream that flows by the house is uniquely clear, the trees are ancient and massive, having stood there for hundreds of years; the immaculate lawns gently roll with the countryside and the walled garden houses the National Collection of old fashioned roses.
It’s June and almost the whole collection is in full flower, I went to go and see them at their best; as did a great many other people.
There were so many flowering roses the overall effect was almost overwhelming. It was a relief to come back home to a much more spartan garden (my own work-in-progress). Of course, I’m not short of roses either, with climbing roses, ramblers, shrub roses and patio roses spread throughout the garden. They are also now coming into flower and are adorning various borders, arches and obelisks with beautiful blooms that I will be sure to capture in a later post. The fact remains though that there’s very little that can hold a candle against the sheer flowering splendour that is Mottisfont in June.
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