WEEKEND THINGS – A WHITE GARDEN AND RED SHOES

Over the weekend, amidst a frantic DIY fest, we visited one of my favourite places – Sissinghurst in Kent. A garden I hope to see in all seasons this year with my National Trust membership, best gift ever. The grounds, gardens and buildings are all exquisite, but my favourite part is the White Garden. You might mistake me for a lonely wanderer in these pics as we managed to make it look like we had the place to ourselves. In reality, it was teeming with visitors from all over the globe all as excited as I, to get a glimpse of the beautiful home and garden of  Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson.A sea of astrantia greeted me as I made my way past people snapping photos left and right, whilst others were taking notes for their own gardens. This magical place is now looked after by head gardener Troy Scott Smith – have you seen him on Gardeners World these past few weeks? So – finally, some summer days arrived and we could don some lighter clothing (yay for skirts) and at last my red Clarks sandals made it out into the world. The more practical I get (more gardening, less clubbing) – the worse I am at wearing heels, so I am really pleased with the super soft suede insoles these have and not one blisters – I would say it’s a first but it seems to be a running thing with me and Clarks twice in a row, a miracle. They also make me a couple of inches taller – happy days!With as many white blooms as a person can imagine, the garden has layers of roses, philadelphus, cow parsley, candytuft poppies, cosmos, foxgloves and much much more. A haze of soft and crisp whites dancing around in the sun against a backdrop of every green invented by Mother Nature. Butterflies and damselflies landing on petals and leaves all around.I do love a pair of red shoes, ever since I first laid eyes on Dorothy’s glittery ones in the Wizard of Oz and Vicky’s point shoes in The Red Shoes – I wonder how many people have these memories of magical red shoes, do you?! These happen to match my latest Etsy find (this Indian block print skirt) perfectly and will no doubt find their way into my winter wardrobe with tights too.High yew hedges divide and frame the gardens opening out to herb gardens, the meadow, woodland and river beyond. A perfect spot to read July’s gardening notes from the team at Sissinghurst. Excuse the frown, that just comes free with my reading face! I walked around it at least four times while we were there, it really is a stunning outdoor space to be in. Inspiring and restful all at once. From teeny tiny flowers like this adorning the garden table to hydrangeas that had stems weighed down with huge pom poms. Tall frosty cardoons wave their spiky leaves and short perfectly clipped box hedging line the herringbone brick paths. So many exciting elements make up the design of the white garden and we can’t wait to include some at home.Out in the meadow, we found the home of possibly the luckiest doves in the UK?Our last hurrah was this epic ice cream to share before we went out via the plant nursery. We snapped up a few plants grown on site at Sissinghurst and a Mock Orange (Philadelphus) bush for our own garden from our local plant nursery too – the smell is divine. Happy summer!Disclosre – I foot tested these shoes for Clarks for fun and was delighted with them! All words, images and opinions my own and no money changed hands! x