West Dean gardens

With a wonderful picture from England…

At West Dean there is a horticultural college, lots of sheep on the hills, and of course a wonderful tearoom. Now, these tearooms are a fountain of sage wisdom, old gardeners’ tricks, elder gossip (all England’s country houses and gardens are popular with retired folk) and pleasant smiles and the sort of strangers passing… well in a country garden tea-house pleasantness that defines a portion of the civilized ways of English people.

Organized rows, wild areas and vast grassy hilly expanses displaying parkland extending visually to the South Downs. Walled kitchen gardens and an arboretum add to the picture.

I checked the quality of tea, sandwiches and cakes while Lina took the cushy job of wandering the sometimes muddy and occasionally at that moment rainy, gardens.

Getting a prime parking space – well you want to walk the gardens not the approach – was one triumph on arrival (little things sometimes give a boyish thrill of success – come on admit it, unless you always arrive on a bicycle, getting pole position in the motorized stables is a great feeling!). But if you don’t find that a little amusing, worthy of a tiny fleeting smile…you really are taking things too seriously and need to see another few of these great English gardens and listen to the chatter, taste the egg and cress sandwiches and search the gift shop for that fascinating something-for-almost-nothing memento!

See also:

• West Dean Gardens & College website