UK Trip Blog #42: Hampton Court's Gardens

Brilliant colors

beautiful flowers!

Hampton Court Palace has an extensive garden behind it. Although it's a shadow of the actual garden's original extent, it covers 60 acres. As we readied for the Cliff Richard concert inside one of the palace courtyards, we walked through the garden and enjoyed it, despite temperatures in the low 50s, overcast skies and dampness that would soon give way to a short downpour.

HOW MANY GARDEN FEATURES ARE THERE TO SEE?

The back of the palace

- In short, there's a lot to see in the back of the palace. There are a lot of garden features, and I couldn't write 'em all down, so I decided to reference them when we returned and found this handy list on www.hrp.org.uk:

Another view of the back of the palace

William and Mary's insignia over a doorway

Great Vine - planted in 1768 by the celebrated gardener ‘Capability’ Brown, the magnificent Great Vine still produces a yearly crop of black, sweet grapes that are sold in the palace shops in early September

The Privy Garden - be inspired by the re-creation of William III’s Privy Garden, based on a design of 1702, the stunning symmetrical pattern incorporates the original varieties of plants and marble sculptures

The TILTYARD!!!

 

Tiltyard walls - A wide range of wall shrubs grow upon the  walls that surrounded a Tiltyard (a courtyard that was used for jousting tournaments).   This is a Tiltyard where Henry VIII used to hold his jousting tournaments.

 At the Tiltyard at Hampton, one of the towers, known as the Tiltyard Tower, was used for viewing the tournaments below

 20th Century Garden - contemporary style planting with trees and shrubs in an informal setting that creates a place of peace and tranquillity away from the busier areas of the Hampton Court gardens

We want one of these in our backyard

Tiltyard

Home Park - 700 acres of deer park with ponds and other waterways, attracting a wide range of birds and the long avenues give views across the park to and away from the palace

ANOTHER GREAT STATUE - We found another great statue in the garden that we'd like in our backyard. :) 

AND there's more!  The Rose Garden...

The Rose Garden

The Great Fountain Garden

The Lower Orangery Exotics Garden

The Pond Gardens

Hampton Court Palace gardens run down to the River Thames, featuring sparkling fountains, glorious displays of over 200,000 flowering bulbs and 750 acres of tranquil royal parkland.
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/stories/hamptoncourtgardens#sthash.Y36NYT9N.dpuf

HERE'S A VIDEO TOUR  OF ONE OF THE GARDENS:

NEXT: 2 GARDEN VIDEOS:  FUNNY TOM and the GARDEN GHOST 

ver 60 acres of the beautiful Hampton Court Palace gardens that run down to the River Thames, featuring sparkling fountains, glorious displays of over 200,000 flowering bulbs and 750 acres of tranquil royal parkland. - See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/stories/hamptoncourtgardens#sthash.Y36NYT9N.dpuf