Regaining the Trust

Today was very special. We returned to one of my special places: the National Trust’s The Vyne.

Back on 20 March, as lockdown descended, I blogged about my sadness at the closure of my very favourite National Trust site, Greys Court. Over the past few years it has been watching the seasons change, particularly in the vegetable garden there, which has kept me sane. Last week, the Trust announced that a few of their gardens would be reopening, and thanks to the husband waking up in the middle of the night to book a slot, we were able to go to The Vyne today, 75 days after our last National Trust. What was it like?

Wonderful, and strange, both at the same time. Pre-booked entry only, of course, but a warm welcome from the staff who check your name off on their list. Lots of space in the car park, because they are restricting entry to around 30% of normal levels. The site has been set up so that you enter by walking along the far side of the lake, where there is a one-way system. This takes about 15-20 minutes so isn’t a great idea if your mobility is limited, but it’s a beautiful walk, particularly the last bit where you are in the woods. You then enter the house-and-garden area from the opposite end to usual, and at that point you can wander freely around the lawns, the orchard, the herbaceous borders and the walled garden, maintaining physical distancing of course. There are no food or drink outlets open, but there’s nothing to stop you bringing a picnic – and we did that. And the toilets are open! Major plus!

We had our picnic before we went to the herbaceous borders, mostly because there was a seat free – there aren’t many seats at this site, and there aren’t the usual deckchairs out on the lawn, so we thought we’d take advantage of the opportunity. In fact, as there were so few visitors, there still turned out to be more seats than necessary. However, the delay was also because I was worried about whether the borders would be overgrown and sad. The annual flower beds are indeed depressing, and labelled as such.

Great message, though.

But the borders themselves are pretty near perfect. This is partly the work of the one and a bit gardeners – the 40 or so volunteers are not yet allowed to return, although the gardener we chatted with says they are desperate to do so – partly the result of good planting, and partly the use of Strulch, which the gardener told me more about. Here I am looking reassured.

I love a good herbaceous border.

The walled garden is also open and the sweet peas are looking wonderful, with the herb garden thriving too. There are lots of bonus wildflowers in the orchard and in the walled garden, and the sweet williams are at their peak.

In floral terms, then, much better than I’d feared. There’s a huge amount needing to be done once the volunteers return, but visiting at the moment calls up a mix of melancholy and joy which seems about right for where we are right now. My favourite photo from today tries to capture that sense, as a wild rose sheds its vividly-coloured petals over the dying grass.