Spring is now upon us, and it's one of my favourite times of the year when the bluebells carpet the forest floor. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered millions of them at Emmett's Garden in Kent this weekend. My first ever visit to Emmett's Garden was at the height of summer a couple of years ago when the rose gardens were looking their best, and you can read more about that visit and see photographs of Emmett's Garden in the summer here: A Visit to Emmett's Garden (National Trust) in Kent, England.
Emmett's Garden is an estate that dates from the Edwardian period, and it is located near Sevenoaks in Kent. It is named after the ants ('emmett' is a name for 'ant') as the land here was covered with ant hills. An expert on the ant, John Lubbock, purchased the land. The gardens were constructed at the end of the 1800s. After Lubbock's death, the land was bought by an American geologist Charles Watson Boise who ultimately left it to the National Trust to maintain the garden. Unfortunately, a storm destroyed a lot of the original trees and shrubs in 1987.
After arriving at Emmett's Garden, visitors walk up a paved walk, and several daffodils were growing here, but they were nearly over for the season. Just beyond this is a small cabin which leads to the rock garden and rose garden. The rose garden was the formal garden of the house on the estate.
The rose garden has a walkway that was out in bloom.
Beyond this, there was a beautiful section of daffodils with additional daffodils planted at the bases of some of the trees in the small aboretum here.
At this stage, I was oblivious to the millions of bluebells that I would discover here at Emmett's Garden. The trees were in blossom, and the skies were blue.
Just to the right of the arboretum and under some of the trees, I discovered many bluebells. As I continued to walk, I discovered many more going down into the bottom of the forest below. The bluebells were congregated on a hillside under trees.
The further along I walked, the more bluebells I saw until they were carpeting the forest floor.
I walked down to check them out. The trail eventually led back up to the top of the hill with stunning views that could just be glimpsed through the trees coming out in leaf.
At the back of the trail, I happened to look back and see a herd of sheep grazing. I thought they made a pretty picture. It definitely looks so peaceful here.
After the bluebell wood walk, I headed to the little cafe to get a drink and a bite to eat. They were so slow in the little cafe, and I managed to get a table with the amazing views over the hills. Afterwards, I had a quick look around the pinetum near here.
I then headed back out, capturing some photographs in the gardens and arboretum.
I absolutely loved seeing the bluebells at Emmett's Garden, and it just goes to show that each property has so much to offer in different seasons, and they change so frequently at this time of the year, and the different weather makes a difference too.
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