Standen House & Gardens is another National trust property that is not far from home (it is just outside East Grinstead), so I opted for a solo visit today. I aim to get out for walks and photos as often as I can, without travelling too far, so today was an ideal chance.
The weather was not at its' best, but it remained dry enough to not require a jacket. The sun peeped through the clouds occasionally, but mostly it was a fairly overcast day.
I chose not to look around the interior of the House, restricting my time to being out in the fresh air and taking photos that appealed to me.
I photographed the House from a few angles, though mainly the back as their were more options there.
The terrace to the rear of the House is bordered with a lot of colourful plants, while further out there were still several Rhododendrons still showing plenty of colour.
The Rosery is a lovely area, with the banked border leading into in being currently planted with a variety of brightly coloured Irises. Some Roses were in bloom, while there are obviously others due to bloom fairly soon.
In the Kitchen Garden there was also plenty of colour on display. In one border, Lupins battled for light and space alongside Aliums, while Foxgloves and Nigella flowers added colour. Another border had a variety of very colorful Dianthus, plus other flowers I didn't identify yet.
The Blue Nigella flowers are very striking in colour and detail.
I was also fortunate to capture a nice photo of a Bee busily collecting nectar on one of these - insects not often featuring in my successful pics, so the later success in photographing a ladybird was all the more pleasing.
There were other areas that I didn't explore on this occasion, so reasons exist for a return visit in the near future.
The car park was very busy, hinting at there being quite a few visitors but I wandered around easily and without it ever feeling busy or crowded. There are plenty of opportunities to take a seat and enjoy the surroundings and it really is a tranquil place to relax.