Roses and Canterbury Bells by Mary Stormont
7th. July 1946, "A heavenly day [at Wickhamford], hot and mid-summery. Hay smelling. Evening primroses, Canterbury bells, mock orange wafting.
Gardeners Prefer Shell by Cedric Morris
12th. July 1946, "At 6 I left in the car for Montacute [...] I drove with both windows down, and the smell of new-mown hay and hedgerows, of eglantine and elder was intoxicating. How I love these long, gentle, Shakespearean summer evenings."
Floral Picture by Lawrence Johnston
26th. June 1948, "Away at 9.30 to Hidcote [...] The garden is a dream of beauty. The old-fashioned rose garden smelled as fragrant as I have always imagined a garden in a French Gothic tapestry to smell."
Clipped Yews, Stanley Spencer
29th. June 1949, "Motored to Sissinghurst to stay the night with Vita. The garden here is almost blowsy with bloom [...] I asked Vita why she liked the old-fashioned roses so much. She said because they reminded her of Tudor heraldic roses and Caroline stump-work. The Sissinghurst garden enchants because it is both formal and informal. The straight paths lined with yew and the pleached lime alleys lead to orchards, their fruit trees swathed in ramblers and eglantines."
James Lees-Milne, Diaries, 1942-1954
Oh yummy, and a possible coffee table book in the making!
Posted by: Jessica Flinders | 29 March 2019 at 03:24 AM
Lovely post!
J L-M was a pretty ghastly man, though.
Posted by: callmemadam | 29 March 2019 at 08:35 AM
And nowadays all that one may smell is petrol/diesel/barbecue firelighters...
Posted by: Toffeeapple | 30 March 2019 at 09:23 PM
That would be fun!
Posted by: Cornflower | 03 April 2019 at 07:26 PM
The book is quite an eye-opener!
Posted by: Cornflower | 03 April 2019 at 07:26 PM
Indeed!
Posted by: Cornflower | 03 April 2019 at 07:26 PM