It was an earlier start to the day today as I had a meeting in Harrogate mid-morning, which I didn’t mind because after which we were able to head over to RHS Harlow Carr for a browse round the garden and a spot of brunch in Bettys.

Looking back through my diary, I do not know where the time has gone this year, our last visit to the gardens here in Harrogate was mid-March and here we are today in mid-May.

It was a bright and sunny morning as we arrived at Harlow Carr, the temperature was 15C at lunch time and very pleasant, but when the sun disappeared behind the clouds the cold northerly breeze caught you off guard with a cold blast.

After walking through the admissions hall and down the steps into the garden the view opposite always looks quite special. Huge ceramic pots at the bottom of the steps were full of beautiful flowering tulips, vibrant white and deep ruby-coloured tulips which took your breath away.

The gardens were looking quite lush, green and colourful, what with all the rain we have had recently and warmer temperatures. The newly established rock garden feature adjacent to the restaurant was looking full of life, the ferns and grasses were growing apace.

Tulips were still looking quite vibrant and colourful in the borders. We continued our walk passing the ‘learning centre’ on the left and headed for the sunken ‘Edwardian Garden’ which was beginning to come alive after the winter dormant period. We continued our walk down and across the new ‘Thaliana Bridge’ which links the paths on both sides of the bridge. The bridge was installed late last year and today the landscaping around it looks just about complete. It certainly gives you a completely different perspective of ‘The Queen Mothers Lake’. We continued our walk along side the lake, joining ‘The Streamside walk’ to ‘The Old Bath House’. This part of the walk never disappoints, no matter what time of year you visit. Hosta’s, miniature Irises, Gunnera and Astilbe provide lots of colour as do some of the early flowering Azaleas and Honeysuckles, the scents from the later filled the air and made a very pleasant heady aroma. Lots of Primulas (Primula bulleyana and Primula beesiana) lined the banks of the stream and unfurling ferns added lots of form and shape to the waters edge. Maintenance work is continuing along the streamside path with a slight diversion whilst restoration work is being undertaken on one of the small footbridges over the stream.  The Streamside rock garden was looking a picture, although now set back a little due to the re-routing of the pathway away from the water’s edge. 

Considering the car park was quite full when we arrived, we didn’t feel as though there was that many visitors looking around the gardens, I can only presume they were in Betty’s or in the queue to get into Betty’s restaurant.

After a few minutes we arrived at the ‘Old Bath House’, there was an arts and crafts exhibition being held inside which was quite interesting, some of the artwork was amazing.  The rock garden terrace was looking extremely colourful bathed in the afternoon sunshine. Drumstick primulas were standing up like lavender lollipops, as drifts of bluebells and anemones harmonise with the wonderful range of rhododendrons. Many on the terraces were filled with dwarf varieties, the scent being quite overpowering. Dwarf Rhododendron calostrotum ‘Gigha’ looks spectacular boasting showy pink blooms much larger than its dainty blue-green leaves. 

Having seen the queues at the main restaurant when we passed earlier, we decided to stop at ‘Bettys Tea house’ for a picnic which was extremely pleasant, it was quite a suntrap, and we had a very pleasant thirty minutes or so sat enjoying our brunch. From there we headed up the slope to the ‘Alpine House’ and then into the garden centre for a browse before the journey home.