Charleston and Marchants Hardy Plants

Nothing that I am about to write here really reflects on Charleston at all - it is an example of visiting somewhere at the wrong time and in a bad mood.
We arrived at Charleston farmhouse after lunch to find that there were no more admittances to the house that day - fair enough, I appreciate that there are restrictions on domestic buildings, I used to work in The Mackintosh House in Glasgow and there were similar problems.  The issue at Charleston was the patronising and frankly rude member of staff on the desk.  Well really the problem is that I don't like being patronised and told that it is only the "truly committed" who arrive at 11 o'clock as the doors open that are admitted.
So - although we could visit the garden I wasn't really in the right frame of mind. The garden was also rather crowded with people waiting for their turn to get into the house - they had obviously been waiting a while, as they tended to look rather bored and most were taking on their phones "You'll never guess where I am . . .  sitting in the garden at Charleston"
I liked this fish mosaic.
Actually, since then, 3 separate people have said to me that they could have "got me in" as they know people there - perhaps that is the way it is done.:)
Anyway I shall have to visit another year.
The upside was that we had time to visit here
  Marchant's Hardy Plants, near Lewes.
It was a revelation - I am actually not usually one for grasses, I don't grow many and tend towards flowers and a lot of acidy green.
Here in the show garden, sturdy grasses were mixed with sanguisorbas, agapanthus, heleniums in a beautiful textural swirl. Graham Gough (who owns the nursery along with his wife the textile artist Lucy Goffin) was there and a privilege to meet - he put up with a lot of agonised dithering about how many plants I could fit in the boot alongside the cases of wine and came up with a lot of great advice and suggestions. It was a great pleasure for me and I quite forgot about Charleston.
I bought sanguisorbas - a burgundy helenium, some sea hollies, penstemons and a dark plum knapweed.
The only downside is that he doesn't do mail order, but does produce a catalogue - I shall have to find someone who is driving up to Scotland with an empty boot.

Comments

[Gigibird]

Didn't realise you were back!
Charleston is somewhere I would like to visit but never have as my friends who have been haven't been particularly bothered about returning - partly because they found it very disappointing and also because of the staff.... but as you were spoilt at Perch Hill I'm sure you got over your disappointment rather quickly:)
So, SR uses Pathclear on her paths?.....I am pleased it's not just me!

[jane]

I'm not sure what the spray is . . could be something organic, there are more organic solutions to lots of things on the market now.
Here I just seem to be growing docks as a ground cover!
J
x

[Ernestine]

Wonder if I could reproduce that fish mosiac
Would give me a winter project
I recently found your blog.
Love it.
Ernestine from Nashville, Tn. USA

[Denise]

Jane, just letting you know how much I'm enjoying your accounts (and the photos!) of the garden visiting you've been doing. Sounds like Charleston is keeping up the spirit of Vanessa Bell, who used to put a chain across the drive and a sign to discourage visitors...or so I've read. Perhaps your work at The Macintosh House is a future blog topic...seeing the School of Art and the tea house simmer on the travel plans back burner.

[Pipany]

Hi jane. Love the accounts of gardens you have visited. I am living vicariously through them! Sounds as though you had good weather whereas it is so wet here even the lavender is rotting before harvesting! xx