Friday 19 June 2020 - A Visit to Tatton Hall Gardens

 

Jenny arrived at our house on her bike at about 9 am, and joined Sue and me for a gentle 45 minute bike ride to Tatton Park.

 

As shown by the following picture, it wasn't very busy. Despite Jenny bringing last year's membership card, and Sue not managing to produce the pre-booked ticket for the gardens, we were politely waved through for an hour's stroll around the gardens in rain of varying intensity.

 

 

The kitchen garden had a fine display of thyme, and the unidentified flowers at the head of this posting.

 

 

The courgettes are flourishing, and all the produce is showing signs of tender loving care from the staff.

 

 

At the exit of the kitchen garden, this large umbellifer.

 

 

The gardens are home to an arboretum that features many trees that were planted in the early 1960s.

 

 

For the second day running, we saw a coot's nest. This one was some distance away, but one of the coots came very close, chasing a mallard off its territory.

 

 

There are some huge specimens of Gunnera Manicatra.
 

 

 

The gardens include several ponds, today frequented by a heron, with pied wagtails also in evidence.

 

 

Foxgloves. It's that time of year.

 

 

There's a good view from the gardens, across to the mere, even on this rainy day.

 

 

Here are Jenny and Sue, by a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates.

 

 

The Japanese Garden houses an enticing tea house - not open today.

 

 

 

Eventually the rain got the better of us and we returned past a good view of the ornamental gardens.

 

 

We paused briefly by Jenny's favourite tree - a Cedar of Lebanon.

 

 

The gazebo shown below didn't really protect us from the rain, so we headed for the exit. The café was providing take away coffees, to be consumed in the area shown in the second picture (above). Luckily it stopped raining and we enjoyed a leisurely chat with a couple of itinerant cyclists before heading home for lunch.