Kitchen Garden at Ham House in November

The Kitchen Garden at Ham House is always a delight and it looked so good on this November visit that I could not pick just one photo to make my point.

The first photo shows the view across the whole garden, from the corner nearest the house, which shows the layout of the garden with each section thick with vegetation.

 

A closer look at one of the sections shows the mix of planting and the resultant jumble of shapes and colours.

Behind The Orangery

The front of The Orangery at Ham Houses faces on to the Kitchen Garden and is naturally a popular spot to rest and enjoy the view. The back of the building has its attractions too and there are benches old and new to appreciate them from.

Squashes on display

This seasonal display of squashes in the Kitchen Garden at Ham House packs a lot of interesting shapes and colours into a small space.

Ham House gate topper

The gate at the back of Ham House is appropriately grand and the gate topper is the grandest part.

Ham House terrace

Not my first picture of the terrace at the back of Ham House and almost certainly not the last either. It is an inviting place that encourages you to walk to one of the benches at the far end and look back along the full length of the terrace.

To Richmond Park

This is the view from the terrace behind Ham House looking through the gardens towards Melancholy Walk, visible beyond the gates, with Richmond Park the ultimate destination.

Ham House

The final picture from my most recent visit to Ham House is my favourite, which is the view of the back of the house. Always wonderful, the view this time is enhanced by the planting before and on the terrace.

Cherry Garden at Ham House

I have posted quite a few pictures of the Cherry Garden at Ham House over the years but never from this angle before, not that I really need an excuse to post another one.

Kitchen Garden border

While the main beds in the Kitchen Garden at Ham House deservedly attract the most attention the border along the dividing wall is also well worth paying some attention to.

New benches at Ham House

The wide path that runs along the edge of Plats and Wilderness has gained some new benches where you can sit and enjoy the best view of Ham House.

Kitchen Garden at Ham House

On this visit to Ham House I was informed that the house was closed for filming and I accepted the new graciously because I knew that already and I had not gone to visit the house, as usual I had gone to visit the gardens.

Despite there having been no rain for what seems like a very long time, the Kitchen Garden looked magnificent. No wonder that there were many people sitting in the outside area of the cafe, I was only upset that I did not have the time to join them. 

Ham House

I have posted many views of Ham House over the years, but never the obvious one, until now. Framing the house with trees and statues is both obvious and effective.

Bacchus

Over the winter the status of Bacchus in the Ham House Cherry Garden is wrapped for its protection and it was nice to find it revealed again on a bright sunny day.

Damaged wall

This corner of wall at Ham House shows a lot of history from the newer pillar on the left to the filled in gate on the left and with several repairs in the middle. Further repairs are needed and these will add to the wall's history for decades, maybe centuries, to come.

New benches at Ham House

As excuses for posting another picture of Ham House go, the arrival of some new benches id pretty flimsy, but it will do.

They are a reminder that Ham House is well maintained and subject to change, good reasons for going back regularly.

Snowdrops

This distinctive tree in a corner of the The Plats at Ham House is made even better by a thick cluster of snowdrops beneath it.

Two statues

Two very white and active statues of Venus and Mercury stand either side of the central entrance to The Wilderness behind Ham House.

Four chairs

These four delightful chairs are next to the entrance to Ham House, where you can sit and admire the four identical chairs on the other side.

Cupola repairs

The former stables for Ham House are always attractive because of their design and detail and on this day I also appreciated the colour of the tree, the structure of the scaffolding and the drama of the bright sunlight.

Cherry Garden at Ham House

The brief winter sunlight was as kind to the Cherry Garden at Ham House as it was to the house itself.