Parcevall's gardens in late summer

Come with me through the arched doorway and explore the beautiful gardens at Parcevall Hall.

There are a series of terraces at the front of the house, with a focal point of a round pond and a statue of a seated lady. Here too there are many seats and stone shelters, ideal places to settle down out of the wind and enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding fells. 

Behind the house there are walled gardens, and a rock garden that extends up the hillside around a stream that cascades down into a pool. Below and to the side of the house is a large area of mixed woodland, containing a lake, and to the other side are orchards and a camellia walk. There's something of interest to see in most seasons, though when I went the herbaceous planting was a little past its best.

I wasn't sure what the tree above was. It had pretty cup-shaped white flowers. The guide book tells me it is an evergreen Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Nymansay' - but honestly I'm none the wiser! The garden has, I think, some unusual plants. I don't know the red one below, with maroon leaves, but it may be a Lobelia Cardinalis, which appears to be a N American plant.

Those below are easier: red nasturtiums, though I don't know the blue one.

The purple ones are a kind of autumn crocus.

The red-hot pokers looked good against the purple leaves (?) and on a south-facing wall I even spotted a grape vine, which is certainly not what I'd expect to find in this kind of upland area.

Lovely silver birch bark in the woodland, so metallic shiny that it might actually have been crafted from silver: