Mottisfont Abbey – a look back at the rose gardens in June 2014 (It’s raining again in 2016)

The Pilgrim

Buff Beauty & Crimson Glory

Crimson Glory

Penstemon

Belinda

Felicia

Mme Caroline Testout

Mme Caroline Testout

Albertine

Alberic Barbier

Francois Dubreuil

The Garland

Vivid

Rambling Rector

William Lobb

Rosa californica plena

Cerise Bouquet

Lady Waterlow

Perle d’Or

Perle d’or

Rene d’Anjou

Mme d’Arblay

Sophie’s Perpetual

Madame Sancy de Parabere

Duchesse de Verneuil

Mrs Paul

Clg Mrs Herbert Stevens

Conrad F Meyer

Lady Hillingdon Clg

Adelaide d’Orleans

Adelaide d’Orleans

Queen of Denmark

Ferdinand Pichard

Climbing Devoniensis

La Reine

Souvenir du Docteur Jamain

Dupuy-Jamain

Madame Isaac Pereire – pegged down

Madame Isaac Pereire

Variegata di Bologna

Varigata di Bologna

Oeillet Parfait

Le Havre

Reine des Violettes

Baroness Rothschild

Clg Souvenr de la Malmaison

Mrs John Laing

Penstemon

Mrs John Laing

John Hopper

Capitaine John Ingram

Capitaine Basrogen

Capitain Basrogen

Hugh Dickson

Glore de Ducher

General Jacqueminot

Anemone Rose

Pompom Panache

Eugene Furst

Rosa Mundi

Blairii No. 1

Rosa Mundi

Rosa gallica Officinalis

Perle des Panachees

Rosa complicata

Baron Girod de l’Ain

Coupe d’Hebe

Constance Spry (on the wall)

Frau Karl Druschki

Constance Spry

Adelaide d’Orleans

Constance Spry

Frau Dagmar Hastrup

d’Aguesseau

Blush Noisette

Adam Messerich

Ghislaine de Feligonde

Francis E Lester

Charles de Mills

Alain Blanchard

Alan Blanchard

Complicata

Mrs Oakley Fisher

Golden Wings

Raubritter

Veilchenblau

President du Seze

Violette

Geranium

Cardinal de Richelieu

Hippolyte

Gloire de France

George Vibert

Prince Charles

Mme Hardy

Celestial

Henri Foucquier

Cramoisi Picotee

Veilchenblau

Adelaide d’Orleans

Zigeunerknabe

Cristata

Rosa x centifolia

Tuscany Superb

Sissinghurst Castle

La Ville de Bruxelles

Leda

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Jacques Cartier

Gloire de Mousseux

Little Gem

Nuits de Young

Spong’s’

Le Vesuve

Felicite Parmentier

May Queen

Irish Yew sentinels

Irish Yew

Charles de Mills

The second walled garden

Graham Thomas

Reve d’Or and clematis Polish Spirit

Crepuscule

Roseraie de ‘Hay

Rosa Glauca

Blanc double de Coubert

Lykkefund

Duchesse de Cambaceros

Captain Hayward

Comtesse Cecile de Chabrilliant

Gloire d’un enfant d’Hiram (Hybrid Perpetual 1899)

Gloire d’un enfant d’Hiram

Souvenir de Mme Auguste Charles

Lavender-bounded beds

Paul’s Single White

Gloire Lyonaise

Eremurus

Gruss an Aachen

Mme Plantier

Madame Plantier

Bleu Magenta

Blue Magenta

Debutante

Souvenir de Mme Leonie Viennot

Bronze Fennel

Laure Davoust

Pergolese

Graham Thomas and Violette

Violas

Paul’s Lemon Pillar

Celsiana

Lycoris

New Dawn

Chianti

Kathleen Harrop

Irish Elegance

Dusky Maiden

Paul Transon

Phyllis Bide

Felicia

Mrs F W Flight

Seven Sisters – Rosa multiflora Platyphylla

They called me about this rose – Seven Sisters (as at Petersham Nurseries)

trying to find the marker!

The Herbalist

Buff Beauty

Set by the banks of the crystal River Test, cutting through the chalk downland, sits Mottisfont Priory, dating to the 13th Century and with a colourful history right up to the 20th Century with Maud and Gilbert Russell bringing life again to the old house and the National Trust subsequently taking the House and Gardens into its care – and particularly honouring its rose heritage

The towering figure of Graham Stuart Thomas favoured the walled garden as a repository for his amassed collection of Old Roses and appointed David Stone as Head Gardener (under the auspices of the National Trust). David retired quite recently, after 40 years service, with the baton passing to the youngest Head Gardener in the NT, Jonny Bass. Having met him several times, I can say that I’ve shaken the hand of the man who shook the hand of the man who shook the hand of Graham Stuart Thomas. Fame at last!

The collection of roses is quite breathtaking and my visit a couple of years ago, on a warm bright day the second week of June was just about perfectly timed. The first (and often only) flush of flower – young, perfect – unblemished by age or poor weather – was in great abundance. With no opportunity to visit this season and the rain it raineth still, I thought I’d revisit this particular Rose Spectacular, and revel in the charm, grace and beauty of these grand old darlings.

The gardens are within a walled enclosure, divided into three spaces though at the moment, two are only fully formed gardens – where you enter, the space is a launch pad for visitors though there are plans for this to be transformed into another garden with its own identity. There is a new visitors centre out by the car park – I’ve yet to see this – and it is one part of a strategy to build on the rose collection and create and design a third garden of the collection of beds, posts and outbuildings that have for a long time greeted the visitor before total rose immersion!

Through the garden gate, there are a series of four symmetrical and expansive lawns with broad rose beds between and long straight paths edged by box with trees (the remnants of fruit trees from the original orchard kept in the walled vegetable gardens), pergolas, benches and a central pond to navigate by. Through the next gate, a smaller, almost triangular, less formal garden, with paths edged with rakish lavender, and a tumble of plants within these more relaxed spaces.

The roses pictured represent some of the collection and a much of the companion planting and design features – I must hunt out the Full Rose List – and urge you to make a diary note to visit there in rose season. Or indeed at other times – there’s a burgeoning Winter Garden for example and the river walk too. The House itself is open to walk around and regularly has interesting art exhibitions. A good cafe too – by the towering Plane trees which feature at the end of the gallery. The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are about half an hour away by car, so a good opportunity to double up on your day trip!

LINKS

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/5819075/Graham-Stuart-Thomas-and-the-Mottisfont-old-roses.html

http://thegallopinggardener.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/make-date-with-mottisfont-rose-garden.html

David Stone – a rose man through and through

An event I gratefully attended –

http://www.heritagerosefoundation.org/#!june-2014-conference/c1rp

http://www.wcmt.org.uk/fellows/stories/jonny-basss-story

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e4bf85de-ecb6-11e3-8963-00144feabdc0.html

NT opens welcome centre at Mottisfont Abbey

The Great Plane Tree of Mottisfont

My back catalogue on Mottisfont –

https://teddingtongardener.com/?s=Mottisfont

and finally a video – start at 24 minutes for Mottisfont

One thought on “Mottisfont Abbey – a look back at the rose gardens in June 2014 (It’s raining again in 2016)”

Lisa says:

July 13, 2016 at 8:45 am

Dear Teddington Gardener,
thank you so much for sharing such beautiful pictures on your blog! I love your posts on Mottisfont Abbey, the roses are amazing!
Best wishes,
Lisa

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Mottisfont Abbey – a look back at the rose gardens in June 2014 (It’s raining again in 2016)

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