It was a lovely morning so we decided to take a drive to Calke Abbey to see the Auricula Theatre. I wasn’t disappointed, in fact a very nice guide, Tony Wood, took us behind the scenes of the the estate. We were taken into the new greenhouse that has been built to house the auricula during the winter months. In here there are the auricula and lots of canna and dahlia waiting in the wings.
All the auricula were in alphabetical order. The plants in the theatre don’t have labels for aesthetic reasons.
The blue of the shelves is ‘Calke Abbey Blue’. Fragments of it can be found on the walls in one or two of the gardeners bothys.
Another passion the Pelargonium.
Old brick walls covered in wisteria.
Barrels of comfrey tea. Ideal as a feed or sprayed on the foliage.
A really good pale Akebia Quinata.
Cowslips in the grounds around Calke.
I hope you are inspired to go and have a look at the auricula, but be quick as the warm weather is bringing them on faster than normal. But for me Calke grounds and garden are never a disappointment. Rain or shine.
from sewing room to potting shed 
It’s lovely to see the Auriculas displayed like that. And the cowslip meadow is wonderful.
I use comfrey and nettles to make a plant tonic and it really does smell vile.
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I want to visit! Maybe next year as I don’t think I can fit one in before they fade. The cowslip field is stunning too!
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thank you for your comment ,,,welcome aboard.
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I forgot to say in my post that it was cowslips and dandelions….but I still think they look stunning…
It’s a great use for such invasive plants .
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Wow! Very impressive, certainly something to aspire to. I haven’t got round to making my ladder display inspired by one of your previous posts. Oh and I only have ten auriculas which makes for a rather minature theatre! Upwards and onwards, looks like you had a great day 🙂
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why not look for a small ladder popped at the side of your office, you could always put some of your specials on it in the summer…..
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It’s great to have a ‘local’ property like this – we usually go a few times each year. As you say, it never disappoints. Perhaps we will go while the auricula are still in flower this time
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Don’t leave it too long …..the weather has been a little too warm for them…….
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Auriculas are strange but beautiful, aren’t they, Sue? I was so impressed with the displays at Chelsea 🙂
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