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Mediterranean Heat at Athelhampton House & Gardens

A mediterranean style garden in Athelhampton's grounds, with greenery growing out of dry, rocky soil. A gravel path runs down the centre of the image, away from the viewer, towards an archway through which can be seen a fountain and another archway. On the right hand side is a curved, wooden bench. A eucalyptus tree grows on the far right. The sky is bright blue and cloudless. A cedar tree can be seen in the background.
The Lion's Mouth Garden at Athelhampton

Like much of England, it has been incredibly hot at Athelhampton House & Gardens this May, and one of the warmest spots in our grounds has to be the Lion’s Mouth Garden. Sheltered by old walls and basking in sunshine for most of the day, it becomes a little Mediterranean corner of Dorset.


A view of the lions mouth garden with shrubs and greenery in the foreground, and the trunk of the eucalyptus tree in the background. the curved bench sits on the righthand side of the picture, along with a gravel path and an archway in a stone wall
Looking towards the Eucalyptus tree in the Lion's Mouth Garden at Athelhampton

Here, heat loving plants thrive, from the silver blue leaves of the Blue Gum Eucalyptus, to sculptural yuccas, clouds of red valerian (Centranthus ruber), the delicate pink flowers of the cistus, and a wonderfully tall echium reaching skywards.


A bright pink cistus, or Mediterranean rock rose. It's bright pink, with four large, almost circular, flat petals. In the centre is a yellow spot, and a dark red-maroon patch is on the inside of each petal closest to the yellow centre. It has green leaves, mostly blurred in the background
Cistus, or Mediterranean Rock Rose

The cistus creates a dark, sticky sap known as labdanum, a key component in perfume these days, and incredibly similar in scent and properties to ambergris. The Martyn family, who lived at Athelhampton in the 16th Century, would have been very familiar with ambergris, which was used heavily in perfumes of the time, in far greater proportion than it is used today.


A view of the lions mouth garden with shrubs and greenery. Most are green, but a few red valerian flowers are growing near the bottom left of the photo. A large stone urn sits in the centre.
A view of the beds in the Lion's Mouth Garden

Athelhampton House & Gardens is open seven days a week throughout the year, welcoming visitors to explore the historic Tudor house, award winning gardens, restaurant and shop at every season. Historic Houses members enjoy free entry every day, while RHS members are warmly welcomed with free garden entry on Saturdays as part of the RHS Partner Garden scheme.

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