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In the Kitchen Garden there is a beautiful old, large Wisteria. In the summer it is buzzing with bees and the smell when you walk past it is wonderful. It grows from the side of one of the buildings and spreads around it, a large branch that has obviously been there for many years obstructing access to one of the doors.

When I saw the Lamb’s Ear plants I knew that I had to include them because of their reference to sheep. I know that the leaves are a silvery green, but that’s almost impossible to dye on a naturally yellowish or grey tinted yarn like the ones I used. Conveniently, the Lamb’s Ear was in flower when I visited, and the flowers are a delicate pink-purple, which is something I could dye and fitted in well with the rest of… Read More »Kingston Lacy Advent Day 14: Lamb’s Ear

I was lucky that on many of my visits to Kingston Lacy there has been a beautiful blue sky. It turns out that intense sky blue is pretty difficult to accurately replicate using dyes, so the colourway, especially on the natural grey of the BFL, Shetland & Alpaca, doesn’t quite accurately depict the colour of the sky. This photo was taken from the woodland trail that runs through the estate in a wide circle around the house.

I found this stunning blue flower amongst the wildflowers planted up near yesterday’s gravel garden. It’s rare to find truly blue flowers – in fact my photo makes it look more purple than it was in real life. It stood out vividly among the more common pinks, whites and purples, and the fact I caught a bumble bee in the middle cemented this as inspiration for a colourway before I’d even returned home to review my photos.

This area of garden is in the middle of the gravel path leading away the house and towards the kitchen garden. I tried to pick out some of the purples and yellows in the flowers, while leaving some of the natural cream or grey of the yarn to represent the gravel.

The Parterre is the formal garden to the side of the house. The area is planted differently depending on the time of year. This particular photo was taken in late summer, and shows a mainly foliage based planting scheme, with a few small splashes of colour. You can see the fields and larger trees of the wider estate beyond.

Many of Kingston Lacy’s trees are old and large. This unfortunately means they sometimes get damaged by high winds. Tree stumps are home to a huge array of plants, insects and fungi, so as long as they are safe, are left to decay naturally. I didn’t want to use more brown in this colourway so I took inspiration from the shadowy greens of the ivy and plant life on and around the tree stump.

Just off the path away from the house there is a small area called the Fernery. It’s a shady spot which in the spring is carpeted with snowdrops. Amongst the stone walls and ferns there is this small pond with a cheerful bubbling fountain. The vibrant green of the duckweed was the perfect inspiration for a colourway.

Part of the Kingston Lacy gardens are Japanese themed. There is a large area with lots of bamboo. This area is also a designated silent area, letting people enjoy the sounds of nature without interruptions from modern technology or loud conversations. It’s a lovely peaceful area to wander through to relax.