The stream cascade
Lining the stream banks are large pieces of granite and serpentine, found on the Estate, which have been used to channel the water, which now flows between the first and second lakes. On either side, massed planting of Camassias, Mysotidium Hortensias [Chatham Island Forget-me-nots] are exciting to see.
Irises and day lilies replace the colour later in the season ensuring an extended and colourful season in our Valley Garden.
The Fernery - with Tree ferns (Dicksonias)
Through the valley, after the ‘Hot Garden’, threads another stream, where a large number of natural growing ferns flourish. The hellebores and dicksonias grow in harmony and we are increasing the variety of ferns in this area. The canopy of established trees and dappled shade provide a perfect growing position.
The Quarry
At the bottom of the Valley Garden, where the established garden ends, lies the quarry pond. The stream that flows through the two lakes fills this prior to its final journey to the sea. The quarry pond had silted up with slurry which had found its way through the lakes when the estate ran a commercial dairy farm. This has been cleaned with enormous diggers and lined with clay, brought down from the top of the estate.
The Quarry is now a much larger, natural water feature but retains its mysterious feel, heightened by tales of a ghostly cavalier, with the jagged rock faces being quite dramatic.
