Howick Hall – Susan Rushton

October 17, 2019

Traditional Door at Howick Hall

Traditional door with light and ornate knocker at Howick Hall

I loved the muted colours and overall mood of this traditional entrance at Howick Hall. The door furniture has the lovely patina of age and use, but seems almost dwarfed by its setting, helping to give a sense of the scale of the doorway.

Door knocker held in the mouth of a lion

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January 29, 2019April 30, 2020

Howick Hall’s Sensory Garden

A bench in an abundant flower garden — A bench tempts the visitor to linger and enjoy a visual feast of flowers

What makes a sensory garden different to any other garden? We can expect the boundaries to be pushed, as they are in Howick Hall’s new sensory garden. Starting, as in any garden, with the soothing power of green, contrasting textures and colours are layered on to stimulate us.

Silvery heart-shaped leaves, grasses and hydrangeas — Silver brunnera leaves with dwarf hydrangea and golden Japanese hakone

We respond with an instinctive head-turn as we half-spot a flash of wings between rustling leaves. Our thumbs and forefingers are stained and scented from crushing a rosemary leaf, just one of many fragrant plants around us. We tune in to sounds – water splashing, birdsong and the blunt music of windchimes. Continue reading “Howick Hall’s Sensory Garden”