Thank-you Neal,
I think we will do Yalding gardens on Friday as I hate driving in London and definitely Leeds Castle as you suggest on Saturday followed by the hHerb garden which sounds great. I will see if I can get some decent photographs, though I doubt they will be as good as yous.

Dear Carol, I so hope you have some nice weather for it! I could recommend Sissinghurst castle as that has a very famous garden, however it is a bit further on and personally I hate the white garden there.
Leeds castle is awesome, and it is just outside Maidstone, very well worth a visit. The massive old Carp in the huge moat are amusing as well.
I hope that you enjoy some of these I have sent you although there are a lot more to see.
Have a safe journey and a good time.
Regards.
Neil.
p.s. You can get carried away buying things in the Herb garden, I know.

An Englishman's second castle, his shed!
Regards.
Neil.

That is great!!! Also one of Phoenix's favorite spots too, I'd bet...

Great shed! I love it!

We have 2 sheds - His and Hers
Of course His is much bigger - he's 6'3" and I'm 5'1"

EGAD! It gets hard to keep up with ever-buddy in 3 places and multiple forums....Whew!...just ran in to say HI!

Hey Brenda. Lucy ... and anyone else in Northern (or cool weather) gardening regions... come visit and drop a wave here: The thread "Welcome to the Northern Gardening forum!" in Northern Gardening forum

A lovely sedate garden!
Regards.
Neil.

mmmmmmm makes me want to get an ice tea, and a good book, with my sun hat on.
Later, I'd putter around in the garden, not that there's anything left to do here, but I'd like to talk to the fishies!
Oh yes, and have a nice cream tea, too!

I have pics from last month yet still on the camera that I haven't uploaded and August pics to boot. Guess I best get on the stick and get 'er done huh.

What a lovely garden, Neil!

I really love ferns (make the garden feel cool and refreshing on a hot day) and am trying to grow them here in dry Calgary. I'm having some success..... I've seen other gardens (north facing) with great big ones, so I know it can be done (other people have told me it's too dry in Calgary to do it, but then they're the same ones who tell me I can't ripen tomatoes here either.....). I like to "push the envelope"!

Tree ferns are a fossil plant going back over 150 million years and ferns have evolved all over the planet. In the UK we had a lot of hardy ferns, but as the Victorians were avid collectors of them they took them from the wild to a point of extinction. Now they are all highly protected by law they have made a comeback and it is wonderful to see them in the wild again. They are graceful and elegant, and I have some legal ones.
Regards.
Neil.
p.s. Ferns at Hampton Court!

We have hardy ferns that come back every year - forget what they're usually called, but you get them via root stocks. I know one of them is a Maidenhead fern, and it's a little more delicate looking than I like. The other ones will be taller and stockier, and fill the space more readily. I need toget some more. Once they're naturalized in and watered thoroughly, like any plant, they will thrive here.

I use a combination of my tree ferns, then some large hardy ferns some medium finer hearts fern, and then maidenhair ferns.
You did not put your Hibiscus picture etc., on here it is on the other site!

Uisghe beath.
Neil.

I can't get ferns to thrive here to save my life!!!!...Don't know why???? I've tried multiple kinds and IF they come back the next year, it is a flimsy stalk and then they are gone. Soil is alkaline but ammendment works for everything else...just can't grow ferns.

ooops - maidenhair, not maidenhead fern....
I tried to put my hibiscus on, but the "loader" just kept spinning! I'll see if I can do it now...

ah - it worked!

Have you tried bone marrow, or zinc, Jamie?

Dear Jamie, it depends on what you are trying to grow. In the UK they thrive in the wet moist woodlands here and others grow in valleys by the waterfalls. Some grow on the side of houses from the drainpipes, which happens a lot with the old Victorian houses. I just collect all the leaves in the autumn from the trees and make leaf mould, which makes itself. Then I just spread some of that around them and let them get on with it. Mine are in the shade though, and some in dappled sunlight. Have a look around your area and see if any are growing and then you will know what to look for.

Neil.

You said it ever so much better than I, Neil - thank you!