I visited Harlow Carr Gardens with the family and have written a general review “here.”:http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/204553-review-rhs-garden-harlow-carr
I came back with loads of pictures – too many to include in one review, so have decided to write more detailed reviews of the different parts of the garden with more pictures. This covers the rock gardens and alpine house.
Rock gardens have always been a popular feature of many gardens and Harlow Carr has two. The Limestone Rock Garden is an attractive area around the old bath house.
The Sandstone Rock Garden with its lily ponds, complements the main borders. Like them, it is one the original features of the gardens, although has been replanted in recent years. The stone was collected locally and soil was improved by addition of leaf mould and grit. Being slightly acidic, heathers can grow here, unlike in the limestone gardens. A network of interconnecting paths links different parts of the garden. A small stream joins the two lily ponds with their displays of white water lilies. There are several secluded seats.
The Alpine House was one of the first projects to be carried out by the RHS when they took over the gardens in 2001. A specially designed glass house was built behind the Kitchen Gardens to house a collection of over 2000 plants native to the mountainous regions all over the world. Many are too small and delicate to survive outside, and are grown among rocks recycled from the sandstone rock garden.
