Friday, July 24, 2015

Echo of Miss Havisham

You, no doubt, remember Miss Havisham in Dickens' Great Expectations. The day she was to be married Miss Havisham learned she had been jilted by the man she loved, so she decided to spend the rest of her life in her wedding gown, never changing a thing in the house, including the wedding breakfast table holding the decaying wedding cake. There is a garden in our area that makes me think of Miss Havisham. That garden was built on a grand scale and is very attractive in its faded  grandeur.






The house and garden were conceived and built by a single man. The house is just as intriguing as the garden. It has a split personality. On the road side, you see a very attractive Mission style cottage. On the garden side, is a Georgian style house that seems to belong to a Jane Austen novel.

Road side
Garden side
One section of the garden that is particularly evocative of Miss Havisham must have been conceived as a traditional English vegetable garden. The area is completely surrounded by a stone wall and includes an attractive greenhouse/orangerie structure. However  that building is filled with Virginia creeper and the enclosed area is a wilderness.

An orangerie in the walled garden
Adding to the eeriness of the place is the fact that despite having visited this garden a dozen times, we have never seen anyone there. Not the owner, nor, for that matter, any other visitor. There is a large sign on the road indicating that the garden is open to the public, but the donation box by the parking area suggests you will not find an attendant or the owner, and you don't.

The house (houses?) and garden are beautiful. I would however reduce the number of concrete figures, too numerous in some sections. I have the impression they were all cast on the premises.

There are hundreds of concrete objects

The garden is actually as well maintained as it can be by a single person. To have all areas kept manicured with a diversity of plants would require a staff of ten.

All the beds in this area are filled with bugleweed (Ajuga), a good choice in the circumstances
The plant that is most planted in the garden is goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) which looks rather good used on such a scale. It certainly reduces the need for maintenance.



Path bordered by goutweed

 It is obviously not a plantsman's garden. You will not appreciate it, if you are looking for rare plants. The beauty lies in the very good design.

Stairs with more goutweed

Border of hosta and hortensia
The garden includes a maze, but we have never ventured into it, seriously worried that we might never come out! It might not be complex, but, looked at from the outside, that maze seems quite large, certainly big enough to get lost in!


19 comments:

  1. Places like this really make you wonder what was in the guy's head. Awesome photos and post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is unconventional but actually quite attractive. We all have different notions of what a garden should be. It makes for greater diversity.

      Delete
  2. Faded grandeur indeed! The almost complete absence of flowers and the prevalence of Goutweed must have some visitors who come on the garden tours wondering exactly what they're seeing! But it's a fascinating place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you been to see it Stu? It is well worth the trip.

      Delete
  3. How bizarre. I should love to visit it.
    And meet the owner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would also like to meet the owner. A friend of mine did and bought a history of the place.

      Delete
  4. Do you think all thise concrete statues are really gardeners that come alive when no-one is about?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you are quite right. It has to be these statues who maintain the place!

      Delete
  5. I think Sue has hit the nail on the head!
    What a fascinating place Alain. Next time you are there take a ball of sting with you then you can explore the maze. It seems a shame not too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will follow your advice, take a string along and report on what I saw!

      Delete
  6. Hello Alain : )
    What a striking comparison and it truly makes you connect with it on those terms !
    It is stunning ... the diversity of the house structure really caught me off guard .. I just kept thinking "why?" ... it is an amazing place ... I have to ask where is it ?
    Joy : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was an oversight not to mention where it is. It is called Morland Place and is 5 km south of Owen Sound (102645 Grey Rd 18). It is open every day and admissions is $3! Busses are welcome.
      The garden is 10 acres. My photos only show part of it. See http://seaandski.on.ca/on/communities/your/chatsworth/Welcome/Morland_Place.htm

      Delete
  7. What a fascinating place, so full of interesting unexpected surprises and grand flourishes. I could easily spend some time exploring, and I think I would have to brave the maze! Who makes a decent maze anymore!?
    The garden beds could easily be 'fluffed up' with fancy plantings, but the design still carries the garden regardless. And all maintained by one person... I'm a little embarrassed for my own attempts.
    Frank

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is needed is a group of volunteers to do the maintenance. As you say the design carries it but if you added interesting plants, it would be famous!

      Delete
  8. Your gout weed is our ground elder or bishop weed . I really does make quite effective ground cover especially if the flowers are trimmed off albeit at first they are not unattractive.
    I recently published a post about killing it! I did include a picture of the variegated form used as a ground cover in a heavily shaded London cemetery and it really brightened the place up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The gout weed flowers are trimmed off in this garden and I only saw the non variegated variety. It looked very good. It the right place it is a useful plant. We had it between a parking area and a brick wall in our previous garden. It was perfect as it could not spread anywhere but added some vegetation to a sterile environment.

      Delete
  9. Hello Alain, I though there were two different houses in the picture - what a really strange design. I'm not sure what to make of the garden. It has an odd feel to if from the pictures and I can't tell whether it's sliding into decline or gradually being restored. I can't put my finger on it but the lack of an obvious person tending to it, lack of flowers and the abundance of concrete figures catches me off-guard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think it is declining or being restored. It is somehow floating in-between. There is someone tending it as there are acres of lawn that is regularly mowed, but it would take more people to maintain it to the degree it deserves.

      Delete
  10. Very intriguing! I'd love to know the story behind the house and garden. It does appear lost in time.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment