Nymans in June: Smelling the roses

I watched the first episode of The Autistic Gardener this evening. I wasn't sure about the sound of it - I was worried it would be just another entertainment programme misrepresenting vulnerable people. But I watched it, and as all of the team had high-functioning autism, it did seem to be their story and edited sensitively. There was a lovely, warm sense of humour running throughout it, and some very tender moments.

It reminded me that I took some photos with my sister (who has low-functioning autism) just over a week ago that I wanted to share here.

We made another trip to Nymans, and there was a sensory treat in store for my sister. She has paid a couple of brief visits to the beautiful National Trust gardens, just sitting in the meadow or walking up the path and looking at the narcissi and crocuses - the staff are great at suggesting what is quick to see and not too far to walk to.

At the end of last month, when it was very warm but not horrendously hot, we paid another visit on the way to Brighton. We walked through the centre of the meadow and I ran my hand along the grasses, and she copied me. She took my photograph, but decided I look better with most of myself cropped out!

Nymans has left boxes around the place with activities for children and families. I demonstrated a skipping rope, very badly, but she didn't fancy skipping. I tried to get her to play giant noughts and crosses, and she sort of joined in.

We saw all sorts of colour emerging in the gardens.

Does anyone know what this is?

We sat down in the rose garden, and for the first time she really sniffed when I asked her to smell the roses. The heat meant the scent was even stronger. So although we didn't manage to see the bluebells or the wisteria this year, sitting in the rose garden surrounded by the most wonderful fragrance was a pretty cool achievement. She seemed happy.

Brews and bells of Ireland

By some marvellous synchronicity, on the day Ireland said yes to equality (see The Pansy Project, which I've mentioned before), I was given a bundle of presents from Ireland: lots of Irish breakfast tea and Irish flower seeds.

I've only been to Ireland once - a fleeting weekend in Dublin five years ago to meet some friends who were staying there. I spotted these coffee pots when we went for tea one afternoon. I'd love to fill them with flowers!

Wildflower meadow in Preston Park

Last year I noticed colourful wildflowers on a drive past Preston Park (Brighton), but didn't have time to go back and see them properly. This year, I made a special trip. I visited my sister and we got the bus to Preston Park. The park has a lovely rose garden at one end, near to the cafe.

The wildflower meadow is nearby. Two unused bowling greens were transformed by council workers and volunteers last year, and it looks fantastic. We went at the end of July, so it should be looking good for another month or two.

Nymans in May

I am sure there are others like me who wanted to visit Nymans after seeing Chris Beardshaw's BBC Four programme about it recently, as part of the British Gardens in Time series. The shameful thing is, I go past it on the way to Brighton if I visit my sister by car, but for some reason 'Nymans' just didn't sound like a garden to me, and I was never curious enough to find out what that brown sign on the M23 was all about.

Well, I visited it a few weeks ago, and I was glad I did! It's a wonderful place - there is a wildflower meadow with oxeye daisies, woods with fantastic carvings, a beautifully colour-coordinated allium, scabious and astrantia bed, a rose garden. Dotted around the gardens were some dainty aquilegias and perfectly spherical alliums - and the bees loved them.

There were a few peachy beauties which caught my eye: the 'Crown Princess Margareta' rose, and the 'Souvenir de Maxime Cornu' tree peony.

My favourite part was the most incredible wisteria-covered walkway. I had no idea wisteria was so scented. The walkway has now made it into my fantasy garden! There was also wisteria going up the house, and an unusual white wisteria near the secondhand bookshop.

My sister doesn't tend to look at things if you point to them or smell flowers if you put them under her nose, but I'd love to take her here one day and see how she responds to the scents. There are many unhelpful generalisations about autism (I would recommend reading 'The Reason I Jump' if you want an insider view of autism), not least that people with autism don't like sensory experiences. It's true my sister doesn't like being in a crowded, noisy shopping centre, but then again, who does?! But she does seem to enjoy the sensation of walking on a beach or in a park, hearing the sea or the birds, seeing the colours and the gentle movements, so I think she would enjoy a trip to Nymans. I'll post again if I manage to take her!