it took 3 1/2 hrs. I plan to go again, but next time I’ll go for the Hampton Court Flower Show. The Palace Gardens are extensive and Beautiful. The”Great Vine” planted in 1768 by Capability Brown is something to behold. It is enclosed in it’s own glass house & each year in the late fall, all the bark is completely removed from the trunk and vines-a preventative measure against disease & bug infestation. The dirt beds surrounding the glass house are left uncultivated so that the roots of the Great Vine which are growing underneath are undisturbed. WOW!talk about High Maintainance!
The rose garden was in full bloom & smelled heavenly. A charming piece of statuary graces this area featuring a Mother embracing her infant child. In the Home Park I saw about 25 fallow deer grazing beside the Longwater where the Jubilee Fountain was erected. There are 5 large jets of water that spray -one for each decade of Queen Victoria’s reign. The Privy Garden’s Hornbeam Bower was a shady respite from the sun on the day I visited. Passing by the Maze, I heard a group of school kids shouting hints & laughing to the others still lost inside.
The walled pond gardens were serenely quiet & filled with an abundance of spring blooms. I would like to have seen the Kitchen where all the preparations for the Tudor Banquets were carried out.