We’re staying in Surrey with a lovely homeschooling family of 11 cheerful kids, mostly boys. We needed to go about and let them do school. We had about hit our saturation point for castles so we scratched Windsor Castle, not to mention the 11 pound admission (per person, not to put too fine a point on it, which translates to $45) is not covered with our Great British Heritage Pass.
We looked at the Pass booklet and found RHS Wisley Gardens. Cool. We imagined a lovely little garden, a ten minute walk perhaps. The sun was shining and we wanted to be outside. It was the first day of sunshine since Iona. So we took off.
When we arrived at the car park and saw hundreds and hundreds of cars we were astounded. This was no wee little garden! We didn’t know that RHS meant the Royal Horticultural Society. The place was astounding. Gardening of every type. We kept moaning that our daughter-in-law, Jessie, wasn’t with us. Oh, she would have loved this place even more than we did.
Gardeners, official horticulturalists, were working away and available to ask questions, sort of garden docents.
A section on container gardening had this boot. I couldn’t resist it.
Too early for the rose garden.
The model vegetable garden made me drool.
Curt looked this guy up when we got home : he’s a robin! They look different here.
You can tell I am having a hard time limiting pictures.
It was splendiforous!
Jess, we’re going on a Great Britian garden tour someday!
A Living Pencil 
OH. MY. WORD!!! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! Jessie isn’t the only one drooling! Truly wonderful photography, Carol!
Inspirational!!!
I’m thinking of planting flowers in a variety of pots and placing them on the stairs of my back deck. I can see them from the kitchen window and it wouldnt be as hard of work as filling the entire backyard. The boot is a cute idea.
One of my poems this month was about a darkling thrush….not to be found in the US – or much of anywhere anymore.
Castles, gardens, libraries (bookstores), food and more.
I’m having lots of fun along with y’all.
Colors are gorgeous — and how wonderful to be surprised and also to enjoy sunshine! When I taught in inner-city Fresno, a colleague hung old boots on the chain link fence outside our trailer classrooms and filled them with flowers (she called it her ‘ghetto-garden’)
I think we stayed with the same family our last two nights! Are you sleeping in a log cabin in the back of their garden? Tell them “hi” from us : ) Sherry
Hello Carol, It’s been quite a while since I’ve checked up on your blog. I enjoy your thoughtful posts very much. Thanks for letting us travel with you vicariously. Lovely pictures!
” ‘Twas the robin who showed the way!” That was him! Such a beautiful spot, the pics are great. Take more!LOL
Too bad the roses weren’t blooming but that will give you something new to see when you go back!
Sigh! How lovely! I’m so happy for you, to have such a wonderful trip. Keep up that travel journal!
Carol … I miss you and I love seeing England though your eyes!!!!