The Gardens of Chatsworth

Chatsworth view across Devonshire
Monday dawned with beautiful blue skies and sunshine!  What a glorious day to visit Chatsworth!  From the car park, the vista was glorious!

Arches in the Cottage Garden at Chatsworth
I headed right for the gardens ~ hoping for better light to take photos in.  It was a good choice as the day warmed right up.  The cottage garden was lush and full of a mix of vegetables and flowers and a lovely size for one person to keep up.

The Kitchen & Cutting Gardens at Chatsworth
The kitchen and cutting gardens were extensive!  And beautiful no matter which direction you looked!

Greenhouses and vegetable Gardens at Chatsworth
I love the greenhouses next to the vegetable gardens.  Someday, I really want a greenhouse like this!

Greenhouse interior at Chatsworth
Each one was set up to grow different things ~ flowers in some, one was filled to the brim with tomatoes, others had vegetables or melons.  All meticulously cared for!

Gardener's shed at Chatsworth
Even the gardener's office was lovely!

The old orchard at Chatsworth
Like at Hidcote, I really loved the old grassy orchard!

Chatsworth from the Gardens
The main building of Chatsworth looks grand (and not quite so imposing) from the garden!

The Cascade at Chatsworth
For the cascade, each "step" has a different arrangement of steps and falls to create different sounds with each one.  I walked up the side of the cascade listening for the different sounds as the water tumbled over them and there really was a difference with each one!  The kids (and a few adults!) loved playing in the cascade!  By mid afternoon, there were hundreds of people here!

Pond at Chatsworth
Rather than heading for the more formal parts of the garden, I stayed on the outer path around the wild portions.  There were ponds tucked in amongst the trees.  What a storybook setting!

Waterlilies at Chatsworth
The waterlilies were fabulous!

Frilly Yellow Flowers at Chatsworth
These brilliant yellow flowers were common throughout the wild part of the gardens.  I have no idea what they are, but I loved the jolt of bright color among all the green!

Path and stone walls at Chatsworth
I wasn't brave enough to try the maze ~ though I did peek into it.  I was afraid I'd use up all my time trying to figure out how to get out and miss some of the other things I wanted to see!   Instead I walked around the outside of it and was thrilled to realize that those two tall trees at the end are young sequoia trees!

Stone gate and roses at Chatsworth
This lovely stone gateway sits at the opposite end of the maze garden.

Beautiful Roses at Chatsworth
The roses were lovely here ~ such a wonderful color and scent!

Stone Entry to the Rock Garden at Chatsworth
The rock garden at Chatsworth is unlike any rock garden I've ever seen before!  It's all about enormous rock formations that have been brought in to create a massive garden among the rocks.  It includes a high waterfall, doorways through rocks, and ponds that flow out of the rocks.  Fun fact; it was built to remind them of a trip through the alps!

Circular Pond at Chatsworth
The Ring Pond is also enormous.  Everything at Chatsworth seems to be on a grand scale!  I got a kick out of the pruned topiary trees.  They all look a bit wobbly to me!  It adds a bit of whimsy and humor to what was otherwise a very formal space.

Long walk at Chatsworth
Dividing the formal gardens from the Emperor Fountain is the long walk with it's alee of trees.

Imperial Fountain at Chatsworth
The Emperor Fountain shoots water high up into the air and the mist from it travels a long way in the breeze!

Lavender Border with Butterfly at Chatsworth
The Broad Walk from the house towards the formal gardens is lined with lavender.   How lovely to see this butterfly drinking in all that loveliness!

There was so much here that I have not posted about, and I'm sure that there were parts of the garden that I missed.  It's worth taking an entire day to visit Chatsworth, planning on most of that for the gardens!

Comments

Anonymous said…
All so wonderful, the house, a little like Downton Abbey:)
Valerie said…
What wonderful gardens to visit. I love all the neatness and perfection but also the long grass with the mown pathways in the orchards. Your photos are lovely, Lisa.

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