GARDEN www.theenglishgarden.co.uk THE english JUNE 2017 For everyone who loves beautiful gardens £4.40 Romantic cottage gardens and how to get the look IDEAS from CHELSEA Inspiration from the fl ower show’s gardens Celebrate early summer O Unusual fl ower and foliage HERBS O The perfect SUMMERHOUSE O Sow and harvest EDIBLE fl owers O Intricate slate SCULPTURES WIN A GARDEN DESIGN BURSARY WORTH £7,015 FLORAL FLOURISH Elegant iris for colour now
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JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 3 Water brings beauty to gardens, whether it is a mirror-like reflection in the still surface of a lake, the relaxing sound of a trickling stream or fountain, or the increased range of plants and wildlife diversity it often brings with it. A calm moat surrounds Birtsmorton Court in Worcestershire, while at Millwater in Surrey it is used in all its forms: formal pools, informal lakes and splashy fountains, as well as the old mill race. It is certain to play a part in the gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, too, which begins just as this issue goes on sale. Each year new trends emerge – and we’ve picked some of our favourites from last year’s show on page 97 – but water is unlikely to ever go out of fashion. Bearded iris never seem to diminish in their popularity, either. Perhaps it is the fleeting nature of their exquisite blooms – their season is tragically short, but maybe that’s why we enjoy them all the more? The Manor in Cambridgeshire nestles among swathes of Cedric Morris varieties, while Claire Austin shares the expertise she has garnered from years breeding and growing, on page 123. Whether you’re a follower of fashion or steadfast in your desires, I hope you find plenty in this issue to inspire your gardening. Clare Foggett, Editor Welcome... ON THE COVER Gardeners’ Cottage, home of West Dean head gardeners Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain, photographed in early summer by Nicola Stocken. Katherine Sorrell Katherine specialises in interiors and lifestyle writing, and has authored 22 books, as well as contributing to a range of leading magazines. She explores the merits of a new summerhouse on page 89. Annie Gatti Annie is a garden writer and editor with a particular interest in design and sustainable gardening. Her exploration of Jo Thompson’s design of a family garden is on page 82. Dan Pearson Dan is a worldrenowned landscape designer and widely published writer who has been making a garden at his farm in Somerset since 2010. He explains his new book on page 157. DIGITAL PLATFORMS Purchase digital editions of The English Garden for phone and tablet from the App Store for iPhones, and Google Play for Android. COVER IMAGE NICOLA STOCKEN CONTRIBUTORS The-English-Garden-Magazine @TEGmagazine englishgardenuk theenglishgardenmagazine
For Gardens of Distinction www.chilstone.com 01892 740866 For Gardens of Distinction www.chilstone.com 01892 740866 Victoria Park, Fordcombe Road, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0RD www.chilstone.com 01892 740866 VitiPkFdbRdLtGTbidWllKtTNRD
From planters, fountains and statues to balustrades, porticos and follies – our stonework designs look fabulous when new and grow ever-more distinguished as they age. Browse our unrivalled collection online or call to request a catalogue. haddonstone.com 01604 770711 See us at Chelsea Flower Show SR35 For everyone who loves beautiful gardens Tel: 020 7349 3700 Fax: 020 7349 3701 The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Email: [email protected] EDITORIAL Editor Clare Foggett Deputy Editor Greg Loades Art Editor Jeremy Bird Production Editor Vivienne Hambly Online Editor Rachael Funnell ADVERTISING Advertisement Director Lyndal Beeton Advertisement Manager Mark Wass Tel: 020 7349 3793 [email protected] Senior Sales Executive Sachin Patel Tel: 020 7394 3733 [email protected] Group Digital and Creative Solutions Manager Ben Leek Advertising Production allpointsmedia PUBLISHING Managing Director Paul Dobson Deputy Managing Director Steve Ross Finance Director Vicki Gavin Publisher Caroline Scott Circulation Manager Daniel Webb Brand Manager Chatty Dobson ONLINE Digital Media Manager James Dobson Digital Product Manager Ben Iskander Digital Campaign Executive Emma Shriwardhankar Digital Executive Jenny Choo PRODUCTION Reprographics Manager Neil Puttnam Printing William Gibbons Ltd, Willenhall, UK The English Garden (UK issue) ISSN no 1361-2840. Printed in England. © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. The information in The English Garden has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are advised to check prices, opening times and dates etc before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by the contributors of The English Garden are not necessarliy those of the publisher. www.chelseamagazines. com: Publishers of The English Home, Artists & Illustrators, Baby London, Baby Hampshire, Baby Surrey, Little London, Wedding Ideas, BRITAIN, Discover Britain, Cruise International, Independent School Parent and associated Guides, Racecar Engineering, Classic Boat, Sailing Today and Yachts & Yachting. SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE The English Garden, CDS Global, Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9EF, UK. Tel: 01858 438854. Europe and Rest of World: +44 (0)1858 438854. SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES 01858 438854 EMAIL [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION RATES UK £66 (13 issues) Overseas £75 (13 issues) NEWS DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7429 3667. theenglishgarden.co.uk
6 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 22 CONTENTS Gardens 22 HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE At Birtsmorton Court, Worcestershire, timeless gardens surround a perfect example of a moated grange. 32 A TALE TO TELL The Manor at Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire, continues to impress long after it inspired the Green Knowe stories. 42 RING OF BRIGHT WATER In Surrey, formal style and watery informality combine at Millwater, the garden of Gail Hughes-Morgan. 52 COUNTRY CHORALE Oxleaze Farm, the property of Chris and Chipps Mann in Gloucestershire, is the epitome of a classic English garden. 63 ENDURING LOVE The gardens at Ardmaddy Castle oer a tranquil setting in the west of Scotland. 73 A GARDENER’S GARDEN In West Sussex, Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain return to a private, intimate space at the end of each day. Design 82 SETTING BOUNDARIES Jo Thompson’s design for a small suburban garden appeals to all ages. 89 A GARDEN ESCAPE Summerhouses oer glorious retreat, whether large or small, formal or informal. 97 CLASSIC DESIGN IDEAS Excellent ideas to take home from the Chelsea Flower Show. 147 A HEART FOR STONE Joe Smith has been working with stone since childhood – today his slate sculptures are very much in demand. Plants 115 HERBS TO SAVOUR Try growing these 10 unusual culinary herbs. 121 ROSY EXUBERANCE Carefully chosen, roses can make superb container plants. 123 RISE & FALL The blooms of bearded irises are short-lived but compelling; the varieties bred by Claire Austin are no exception. 133 HALCYON IMAGININGS Cottage gardens never go out of style. This how to get the look. 141 INCREDIBLE EDIBLES At The Pig near Bath, this is the time to harvest tasty edible flowers for the kitchen. Regulars 8 THIS MONTH A guide to gardens to visit, things to do and nature to note. 16 SHOPPING Presents for Father’s Day and bee-inspired accessories. 123 June 2017
elements to elegance +44 (0) 1235 859300 www.davidharber.com EXTERIORS | INTERIORS | BIG SPACES 42 32 20 GARDEN PATHS Garden designer Jo Thompson is renowned for beautifully planted gardens. 131 WHITE LIGHT Adrian Bloom considers Hydrangea ‘Anabelle’ and its ideal growing companions. 153 THE REVIEWER New book releases and an interview with Dan Pearson. 162 LAST WORD Katherine Swift mulls over the many reasons to garden. Offers 80 SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Receive The English Garden by post and save. 109 FUTURE FUND Design a garden and win a year-long Inchbald online IMAGES gardening course. CLIVE NICHOLS; NICOLA STOCKEN; MARIANNE MAJERUS
8 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 THE BISHOP’S PALACE The tranquil gardens of the Bishop’s Palace in Wells (above), home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years, are a surprising contrast to the imposing drawbridge into the medieval grounds. Look out for The English Country Garden Festival from 9-11 June. Tel: 01749 988111; bishopspalace.org.uk LEEDS CASTLE Leeds Castle in Kent is the perfect location for a family day out, with a falconry, maze and breathtaking castle which dips directly into its surrounding moat. Tel: 01622 765400; leeds-castle.com HEVER CASTLE The magnificent gardens at Hever Castle, Kent, sit next to the impressive moat which beautifully reflects the Boston ivy-clad castle walls. The castle’s traditional rose garden will reach its peak in June and July, a feast of flowers and heavenly scent in a grand Italianate setting. Tel: 01732 865224; hevercastle.co.uk BADDESLEY CLINTON The gardens at Baddesley Clinton, near Solihull, surround the moated 18th-century house which is rich in history. Highlights include the Dahlia and herb borders, walled garden and wildflower and meadow garden. Tel: 01564 783294; nationaltrust.org.uk HELMINGHAM HALL Recently crowned the Historic Houses Association and Christie’s Garden of the Year 2017, the Grade I listed house at Helmingham, Suolk, can be accessed via a bridge which stretches across the grand moat (left). Tel: 01473 890799; helmingham.com June NGS GARDEN OF THE MONTH LARCH COTTAGE NURSERIES Home to more than 15,000 varieties of plants, beautiful borders and a variety of styles, all encased within Romanesque walls draped in greenery, the gardens at Larch Cottage Nurseries are a place of inspiration and delight. On 7 June, the new lower gardens and chapel will open for National Garden Scheme visitors. The lower gardens include lawned areas, wide flowing perennial borders, a wealth of rare and unusual shrubs, trees and a small orchard. A natural stream meanders through the borders into a small man-made lake – a haven for wildlife and birds. Open from 1-4pm. Admission £4, children free. Larch Cottage Nurseries, Melkinthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2DR. Find more gardens at ngs.org.uk Moated splendour The addition of a moat turns a regular garden visit into a fairytale experience. Here are five gardens that lower the drawbridge for visitors GARDENS TO VISIT
Britain’s Finest Outdoor Furniture & Kitchens 01420 588444 [email protected] www.gazeburvill.com GAZE BURVILL Visit us at RHS Chelsea Flower Show Stand 333 WORDS RACHAEL FUNNELL IMAGES NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ANDREW BUTLER Arts and Crafts garden restored A five-year garden restoration project at the National Trust’s Standen in West Sussex has been completed. The Arts and Crafts house was designed in the 19th century; its accompanying 12-acre garden enjoyed a heyday in the 1920s, but had become so overgrown a swimming pond, rock garden and rare plants had all but vanished. The project to revive the grounds, one of the largest the Trust has undertaken, began in 2012, and their rediscovered and restored original features can now be enjoyed. Tel: 01342 323029; nationaltrust.org.uk Garden Museum reopens After being closed for 18 months while it underwent a £7.5 million redevelopment project, the Garden Museum in London reopens its doors from 22 May. Visitors to the Museum, which is housed inside the ancient structure of St Mary-at-Lambeth, will now also be able to see a new garden designed by Dan Pearson for the site (above), as well as doubled gallery space, a larger, brighter café and a new education centre. Open daily, 10.30am-5pm (Saturday 10.30am4pm). Tel: 020 74018865; gardenmuseum.org.uk
LOOKING AHEAD: GARDEN FESTIVALS & FAIRS Meet The English Garden RHS CHATSWORTH FLOWER SHOW 7-11 June, Derbyshire We’re excited to be taking part in the Royal Horticultural Society’s inaugural flower show at Chatsworth House. Visit us at stand CHW261 to take advantage of special subcription oers as well as purchase our bespoke, 20th-anniversary planter by Whichford Pottery. The show also features gardens by designers Jo Thompson and Sam Ovens, a recreation of Joseph Paxton’s original Great Conservatory (the glasshouse he built at Chatsworth that inspired the Crystal Palace) and a floral bridge over the river Derwent. Tickets from £17.50. Tel: 0844 9959664; rhs.org.uk WORDS RACHAEL FUNNELL IMAGES CHATSWORTH ESTATE; IAN THWAITES CHELSEA FRINGE 20 May to 4 June, UK-wide This alternative garden festival oers a variety of quirky horticultural events, from making textiles with plants at Morley College to concocting your own botanical lotions at the Gerye Museum. Prices vary. chelseafringe.com ASPARAFEST 2-4 June, Worcestershire Mark the short-lived asparagus harvest and find out how to grow and cook this delicacy during a weekend of camping, live music and cookery demonstrations in Evesham. Tickets £12.50. aspara13.squarespace.com HELLENS GARDEN FESTIVAL 10-11 June, Herefordshire Now in its 11th year, the festival at Hellens, near Much Marcle, aims to celebrate sustainable gardening and living, with talks, music and children’s events. Tickets £6.50. Tel: 01531 660504; hellensgardenfestival.co.uk HAMPSHIRE GARDEN FESTIVAL 11 June, Hampshire From plants to talks, food and entertainment, there will be plenty to occupy visitors to this festival, held at Bere Mill on the banks of the river Test at Whitchurch. Tickets £9, to be purchased on the day. hampshiregardenfestival.co.uk ARLEY HALL GARDEN FESTIVAL 24 June, Cheshire Find floral displays and nurseries at Arley Hall near Northwich, with guided tours of the gardens lead by Lord Ashbrook and head gardener Gordon Baillie. Tickets £11.50. Tel: 01565 777353; arleyhallandgardens.com Spectacular cacti CACTUS SHOW 3-4 June, Yorkshire Expect to marvel at magnificent specimens from this striking group of plants at this annual show, organised by the Sheeld branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society. The show, which is one of the largest for cacti in the UK, is held at Sheeld Botanical Gardens, one mile southwest of the city centre. There will also be a plant sale. Entry is free. Tel: 0114 2551756; sbg.org.uk; she eld.bcss.org.uk 10 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 PLACES TO GO June
Taplow, Berkshire, SL6 0JF Tel: 01628 607107 [email protected] www.clivedenhouse.co.uk INTRODUCING THE NEW CLIVEDEN SPA Join us for a luxurious spa day or sumptuous treatment in our indulgent new spa. The perfect place to relax and unwind... Opening 17th July 2017
12 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 Supermarkets often sell bags of salad leaves at a high price and with a very short shelf-life, but by growing your own you can ensure you have a regular supply of crisp, fresh salad leaves all summer. Salad crops need freedraining, well-dug soil, so find a sunny or partly shaded area of the garden and mix in compost, removing rocks and weeds as you go. They also grow well in containers. Popular salad leaves, including rocket, mustards, chard (right) and cut-and-come again lettuces, are available in seed packets – or choose a mix that includes your favourites. Garden centres and mail-order suppliers such as rocketgardens.co.uk also sell plug plants from which you can pick and mix. Sow seeds in shallow drills parallel to one another and around 15cm apart. Sprinkle small pinches of seed at a time so they’re thinly spread along the drills, then cover with soil. If you have chosen specific seeds, label each trench so you know which leaves are where. Finally, water the soil and cover with netting to prevent birds from feasting on the crop. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out the plants to give each one room to grow. Keep soil moist to ensure maximum leaf growth, and harvest a few individual leaves from each plant once they have reached around 9cm tall. Harvested this way, many salad crops will keep producing new leaves for weeks. Once lettuces reach their full size, you can also harvest the entire head, leaving a stump from which new leaves will emerge. MONTHLY CHECKLIST ■As the temperature rises and the days grow long, remember to keep newly planted trees and shrubs well watered to prevent their roots drying out. ■Make sure the greenhouse is suitably shaded to stop scorch aecting those plants still inside. Using blinds or shade paints can be very eective, as well as opening vents and doors on particularly warm days. ■To prevent plants from suering heat stress, damp down your greenhouse by pouring water onto the floor. This will ensure the greenhouse stays cooler and maintains its humidity. ■During dry spells, keep the blades on your lawn mower higher up to avoid damaging the grass. ■Take softwood cuttings of plants such as fuchsias, salvias and penstemons (below). WORDS RACHAEL FUNNELL IMAGES JASON INGRAM; GAP PHOTOS/GARY SMITH; SHUTTERSTOCK Grow your own salad In the heat of the summer months, a cool, light salad is only made more satisfying by having sown and grown the leaves yourself THINGS TO DO June
FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE
From conserving wildlife habitat and biodiversity, to researching plants for food and medicine, You can help safeguard our planet – support Kew’s vital work with a gift in your Will. Get in touch to nd out how you can help 020 8332 3249 [email protected] kew.org/legacy The Foundation and Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a registered charity No. 803428. Registered in England and Wales Kew is much more than just a garden.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 15 The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme has revealed that in 2016 butterflies on the British Isles suered their fourth worse year on record. Despite a warm, dry summer last year, a condition that usually benefits butterflies, 40 of the 57 species monitored recorded a decline on numbers in 2015. This ongoing fall raises fears for the long-term future of many butterfly species, such as the heath fritillary, numbers of which have dropped by 82% over the past decade. Populations of gatekeeper butterflies (pictured) were found to have fallen 48% year-on-year. Much of the loss is linked to climate change – a mild winter and cold spring specifically – but there are small things you can do in your garden to support butterflies and other insects. Introducing pollinatorfriendly plants in sunny patches of your garden will oer ‘stepping stones’ which will see butterflies from one nature reserve to the next. Buddleja, lavender, Verbena bonariensis and marjoram are all favourite sources of nectar during summer. Woodland resident Late-spring care ‘Little and often’ is the mantra for this time of year ■Check potted plants for small C-shaped maggots which could indicate an infestation of vine weevil. Treat with nematodes. ■Control midge numbers in your garden by putting up a bat box that will encourage these airborne predators to visit. ■If you have a pond, install a toad house or log shelter for froglets emerging from the water this month. This will protect them from predators such as cats and some birds. ■Remove blanketweed in ponds regularly to prevent it depleting the water of oxygen. WORDS RACHAEL FUNNELL IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK Butterflies under threat A recent report into butterfly populations points to continuing decline of many local species NATURE TO NOTE Find a great spotted woodpecker in June Appearance The great spotted woodpecker is relatively easy to spot, with distinctive black-and-white wings and large white shoulder patches. Juveniles have a red skull cap and pale red feathers under their wings, whereas adults have a black skull cap and bright red under-wings. Males can be distinguished from females by the presence of a small patch of red feathers on the back of the neck. Habitat Great spotted woodpeckers are found throughout the UK, apart from the far north of Scotland. The birds are generally reclusive, and often cling to broad-leaved trees in areas of dense woodland. However, despite their shyness, attracting them to garden feeders is surprisingly easy. In spring a loud and distinctive drumming marks territory. What you can do Numbers of great spotted woodpeckers are increasing, but you can still encourage these handsome birds into the garden by putting out their preferred foods. Try sunflower hearts, peanuts and suet balls. June
Father’s Day Perfect presents for fathers who enjoy gardening and the outdoors, from high-tech tools to traditional kit SHOPPING WORDS RACHAEL FUNNELL pizza oven, £1,650. jamieoliverovens.co.uk Dome60 Leggero Father’s Day 16 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 £495. Tel: 01830 530433; ibbidirect.co.uk Reclaimed vegetable cart, Tel: 01328 820699; carriercompany.co.uk V-neck smock, £72. £340. Tel: 0330 3310707; lechameau.com Chasseur leather-lined boot, £49. Tel: 020 7758 4122; cordings.co.uk Argentinian polo belt, mower, £1,435. For stockists, gardena.com Gardena robotic £65. Tel: 01859 502040; harristweedisleofharris.co.uk Harris Tweed Scaladale bag, £69.95. Tel: 0333 2224555; highgrovegardens.com Prince of Wales hip fl ask, Tel: 0114 2338262; burgonandball.com Gardening gloves, £14.99. Tel: 01698 545454; Stanley fl ask, £32.99. johnlewis.com
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For more information and to find your nearest stockist visit www.wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk Ultralight range - Strength, with incredible lightness Strong and expertly crafted garden tools, in a comfortable, ultralight package. Ultralight Bypass Loppers O Ultralight 450gm weight O Non-stick precision ground bypass blade O Sap groove directs sap away for a clean, defined cut Ultralight Branch & Shrub Cutter O Ultralight 990gm weight O High quality Japanese SK5 non-stick coated blade O Efficient and effective 2 way cutting operation Ultralight Hedge Shears O Ultralight 670gm weight O Non-stick precision ground blade O Non slip soft touch comfort grip RRP £29.99 RRP £29.99 RRP £49.99 UPTO 50% LIGHTER THAN STANDARD For more information and to find your nearest stockist visit www.wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk Ultralight range - Strength, with incredible lightness Strong and expertly crafted garden tools, in a comfortable, ultralight package. Ultralight Bypass Loppers O Ultralight 450gm weight O Non-stick precision ground bypass blade O Sap groove directs sap away for a clean, defined cut Ultralight Branch & Shrub Cutter O Ultralight 990gm weight O High quality Japanese SK5 non-stick coated blade O Efficient and effective 2 way cutting operation Ultralight Hedge Shears O Ultralight 670gm weight O Non-stick precision ground blade O Non slip soft touch comfort grip RRP £29.99 RRP £29.99 RRP £49.99 UPTO 50% LIGHTER THAN STANDARD
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 19 SHOPPING from £14. Tel: 020 3302 5690; localhoneyman.co.uk Monthly honey subscription, Tel: 0333 014 8000; marksandspencer.com Beehive house, £15. £20.40. Tel: 0800 2797234; amazon.co.uk Collins Beekeeper’s Bible, Tel: 01778 560256; sophieallport.com Sophie Allport Bees jug, £16. Get the Buzz Do your bit in the garden to help bees, and celebrate their crucial role in our lives with these lovely gifts Tel: 01673 858555; thorne.co.uk WBC Beehive, £490. £39.95. Tel: 0330 1233301; cloudberryliving.co.uk HappySweeds Honey umbrella, Tel: 01227 833807; bee-equipment.co.uk Vented bee helmet, £21.22. Tel: 020 7833 5010; timorousbeasties.com Napoleon bee cushion, £108. £40. bbka.org.uk Bumblebee brooch, Tel: 07774 444064; beepalace.com Bee Palace, £49.99.
20 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 GARDEN PATHS IMAGES ALAMY Good Sense Noel Kingsbury meets Jo Thompson, a prolific garden designer and frequent exhibitor at Chelsea, known for her beautifully planted spaces I don’t have an ego,” says garden designer Jo Thompson. “If they don’t like it, they can change it – it’s their garden.” This is reassuring news for prospective clients. Garden design is a personal business, and one that Jo sees as “a collaboration” with the owner that involves a lot of negotiation, but her goal is “to try and make something that will work for them.” Jo is not one to take a back seat, however; in addition to her own design consultancy, she has built gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for eight years. She is, in fact, one of those designers whose dedicated work helps make the Show the success it is, yet she is rarely described as a ‘top designer’, a league almost entirely monopolised by the minority of men in the field. This year, however, she is taking a break: “I’m doing a garden at the new RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, in a category which isn’t judged, and I’m looking forward to the creative freedom that will bring,” she says. “I had no interest in gardening as a child,” she recalls, but then remembers that as an eight-yearold visiting Italy with her family she was fascinated by the fountains of the Villa d’Este. “How did they do it?” she wondered. Then followed a degree in French and Italian, a career in primary school teaching in London and, eventually, a move to the Kent countryside. There she had something of a revelation: “We had a small garden and I contacted a garden designer. As I was talking with them, I began to think that I could do this myself.” In 2003 she enrolled on a course at the English Gardening School twice weekly, and launched herself into a new career. Jo’s gardens were soon noticed, and in 2009 she made her first, small, Chelsea show garden. “Most of my Chelsea gardens are realistic,” she says. “I don’t do conceptual gardens. I mean, most real gardens you build do not have a story to tell an audience, they are a space for people. What I like about designing a show garden is that I am my own client.” Building a Chelsea garden takes around four months out of her normal working life, and involves a tremendous amount of planning and preparation even before the team moves onto the site several weeks before the show opens. Fundamental to success is this team. “A number of people come to join us every year,” Jo says. “They are mostly people who have their own businesses but give up their time to lend a hand.” Yuko Tanabe comes from Japan every year. “I met Yuko in 2011,” recalls Jo. “She was my interpreter when I did a garden at the Gardening World Cup in Nagasaki and since then she has completely become a part of the team, a fantastic worker, she really knows her plants.” Jo’s gardens are mainly in London and the southeast. “They are varying sizes and I can work with a wide range of styles, but a garden has to sit well in its place.” She is often asked to work on historic gardens, something she suspects is because she likes “to make it appear as if I’ve never been there.” Planting features heavily. “A lot of my clients know their plants, in fact I think they come to me because they can have that conversation.” She talks about restraint and a lightness of touch, so the observant might say that is why she doesn’t get top billing at Chelsea – but if I were a prospective client that is an approach I think I’d prefer. ■ Jo’s design for a suburban garden is on page 82. For the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, see rhs.org.uk I can work with a range of styles but a garden has to sit well in its place “ 1 Rosa ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ One of the most beautiful roses with semi-double flowers. 2Rosa ‘Félicité Perpétue’ Scented blooms on a vigorous rambler. 3 Dierama pulcherrima Pink flowers arch from a clump of evergreen leaves. 4 Pulsatilla vulgaris Rich purple flowers bloom above foliage in spring. 5 Geranium ‘Catherine Deneuve’ Star-shaped cerise flowers grow on this good clump former. MY TOP 5 PLANTS Right Jo Thompson. Below A rose for nostalgia, ‘Adélaïde “ d’Orléans’.
Gartenart Swimming Ponds Unit 105 Screenworks, 22 Highbury Grove, London N5 2EF 020 7183 3333 www.gartenart.co.uk To request a brochure please go to www.gartenart.co.uk or call 020 7183 3333. “The water is amazing, it’s like swimming in silk. We had a couple of dragonfl ies buzzing past us... you defi nitely feel you’re one with nature. There were lots of things we wanted to do to the house but this was the one thing that we felt everybody benefi ted from. Having the pond has made a big diff erence to the way we use the garden. We all love it.” Nigel & Mandy Keene Basingstoke
Timeless gardens skilfully created by owners Rosalie and Nigel Dawes surround Birtsmorton Court, Worcestershire, in a superb example of a moated grange dating from the 13th century WORDS VICTORIA SUMMERLEY PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS HISTORY Brought to Life A wealth of flowering plants in the White Garden is Rosalie’s pride and joy.
B I R T S M O R T O N COURT JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 23
24 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 I T IS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE, AS YOU WANDER ROUND the exquisite gardens of Birtsmorton Court, that this medieval manor house lies under the threat of a curse. From the waterlilies floating serenely on the moat, to the arches and pergola swathed with roses and Wisteria in the White Garden, everything seems tranquil and harmonious. Yet according to legend, Birtsmorton and its owners lie in the path of the accursed Shadow of Ragged Stone Hill, which brings disaster to those upon whom it falls. The curse is supposed to have been uttered by a monk, who had fallen in love and broken his vow of chastity. As a punishment, the monk was ordered to climb Ragged Stone Hill, one of the Malvern Hills, on his hands and knees every day. Exhausted by this daily torment, he eventually collapsed, and cursed with his dying breath all those who lay in the shadow of the hill. One victim is said to be Cardinal Wolsey, who was chaplain to Sir Richard Nanfan at Birtsmorton, and entered the service of Henry VII after Sir Richard’s death in 1507. The story goes that Wolsey was sitting under a yew tree in the garden when the shadow fell upon him and he foresaw his own downfall and death. The ancient yew – known as the Wolsey Tree – is now almost as big as a small hill itself. Perhaps it is big enough to block out the curse, because Birtsmorton’s current owners, Rosalie and Nigel Dawes, have been here for more than 40 years, and the only shadows that cast any gloom over this Worcestershire paradise are the result of clouds bringing rain from the west. Rain can be a problem at Birtsmorton, because the Dawes allow wedding parties to use the garden after the ceremony in the church next door. There have been a few tears, said Rosalie, when brides realise they cannot have their wedding portraits taken in the White Garden because it is pouring down outside. On such occasions, the bridal parties use the Great Hall, the oldest room in the house, with an immense Above Delphiniums, a classic plant for height and colour in a traditional herbaceous border. Below Magnolia x wieseneri blooms have a simple beauty. Below right Phormiums in urns mark a gateway through the old wall.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 25 open fireplace, timbered walls and coat of arms. In such an historic place – Birtsmorton Court is mentioned in the Domesday Book – there is always a romantic alternative. Birtsmorton may be used for wedding receptions, and head gardener Paul Stockdale might joke that all those high heels are great for spiking the lawns, but you wouldn’t know that this was anything other than a private garden. As Paul points out, they don’t use power tools, or leave a rake or a fork lying on the ground when there are children sprinting around, but then they wouldn’t do that anyway because Paul believes that keeping everything neat and tidy is part of good gardening practice. There is no sense of corporate entertaining, or commercialism. This is probably because the garden is very much Rosalie’s own creation. She made the White Garden, Above Geraniums, peonies and roses deliver a first flush of colour in this brimming border. Left Calm expanses of lawn by the pool.
26 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 for example, in 1997, and began with four antique stone statues, in what had been “just a bit of grass”. She then bought a lead tank, which was placed at the centre of the garden, and got a local craftsman, Mike Roberts, to make arches for the paths and a coronet for the stone pergola. The entrance to the White Garden is through an avenue, or double row, of topiarised yews, cut into blocks with rounded tops. Inside, the garden is divided into quarters, each with its own statue, against a backdrop of white Wisteria and standard Exochorda x macrantha. “It doesn’t weep like ‘The Bride’,” said Rosalie, “because the standards allow the branches of flowers to spray out from the top of the main stem.” The planting is a dramatic contrast to the formality of the yews. ‘Wedding Day’ and ‘Iceberg’ roses twine around the arches, and there are 16 Wisteria brachybotrys ‘Shiro-kapitan’ and four Wisteria floribunda ‘Alba’. Perennial planting includes delphiniums, white-edged hostas, variegated phormiums, and cardoons. Rosalie also uses annuals to heighten the white, frothy, lacy effect. “The White Garden can have its vulgar moments,” she says, “when it is almost too floriferous. But I like it best then.” In late spring, there is Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga, white stocks (Matthiola incana), and Orlaya grandiflora. These remain in place until after the garden’s National Garden Scheme opening, in mid-June, then it is all taken out to make way for the summer bedding, which includes Cosmos, Nicotiana, antirrhinums, cleomes and one of Rosalie’s favourite pelargoniums, ‘White Boar’. In fact, there is a glasshouse dedicated to pelargoniums at Birtsmorton. This would be impressive enough in its own right, but then you discover that another glasshouse is dedicated to nerines and Streptocarpus, and yet another to succulents. Most of the plants are raised on site, either from seed or cuttings, and Paul and his team still manage to find time to do the kitchen garden. Paul likes to put his young plants on wooden platforms, similar to the wooden plant stands you see in garden centres, because slugs find it more of an effort to get to them. To the west of the White Garden is a long herbaceous border containing an extraordinary selection of peonies in every colour the hybridists have so far managed to create, including ‘Coral Charm’. At the end of the border, a gate in the old rosy brick wall leads out into the meadows beyond the garden. Above Hostas, ferns and Solomon’s seal in myriad shades of green. Below Paeonia ‘White Wings’ is dazzling in its purity. The White Garden can have its vulgar moments, but I like it best then
JUNE 2016 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 27 A tranquil and picturesque moat, dug in the 13th century, surrounds the grange, which mostly dates to the 15th century.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 29 The gate is another of Mike Roberts’ creations, and was a birthday present to Rosalie in 1987. It is designed in the shape of an angel, and it is also popular with brides as a place to be photographed. Rosalie doesn’t really get involved with the organisation of the weddings, other than providing the garden, but she does remember one particularly dramatic occasion. “When it came to the moment when the best man hands over the rings, he didn’t seem to have them on him. Then he stretched out his arm – and a barn owl flew in through the open window and landed on his hand, with a pouch containing the rings in its beak.” A few yards from the angel gate, another archway leads north, into the potager, designed by plantswoman Veronica Cross (who also has a wonderful collection of peonies), and planted with pear and apple varieties chosen for their abundant blossom. Topiary shapes bring a Beatrix Potter-like charm to the parterres, with rabbits, ducks, a squirrel and chickens created from clipped box. A path leads from the potager back towards the house, past the church and a Wendy house built in a Tudor half-timbered style. On the other side of the path from the church is a little spring meadow, which in March and April is spangled with primroses, scillas and snakeshead fritillaries. The meadow is typical of Rosalie’s approach to gardening, which combines pragmatism with aesthetic appeal. She points out that you can’t have a spring meadow and a summer meadow in the same place, because they need different mowing regimes. Of the two, a spring meadow is more practical for her, because this particular site is quite damp, and spring bulbs, especially the fritillaries, like moisture. “You don’t really appreciate a summer meadow as much,” says Rosalie, “because there is so much going on in the garden. But with a spring meadow, there is something new every day, at a time of the year when there is not much else to look at.” I think she’s being overly modest. I cannot believe there is ever a day when there is not much else to see at Birtsmorton Court. Open for the NGS on 11 June, 1.30pm-7.30pm. Birtsmorton Court, Birtsmorton, near Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6JS. Tel: 01684 833 888; birtsmortoncourt.co.uk Above Next to the house, plants such as salvias, Erysimum and catmint spill onto terrace paths. Below Soft-pink roses add a romantic touch. Rosalie’s gardening combines pragmatism with aesthetic appeal
BIRTSMORTON NOTEBOOK A classic English country garden befitting of its historic setting IMPACTFUL FOLIAGE One of the most striking plants in the garden is the giant butterbur (Petasites japonicus) which grows around the moat and along the stream, against a backdrop of topiary shaped like fondant fancies. The flower spikes appear first, in February or March, followed by the leaves on stalks up to 90cm high. PORCINE APPEAL Rosalie’s husband, Nigel Dawes, loves pigs, and there are many representations of these in the garden, including a copy of Il Porcellino, the statue of the boar on the fountain in the Via Calimala in Florence. WENDY HOUSE The half-timbered Wendy house here is Victorian, but Flights of Fantasy (flightso antasy.co.uk) and Enchanted Creations (enchantedcreations.co.uk) can build bespoke playhouses in period styles. ANCIENT MOATS The moat is fed by water from the Malvern Hills, via the Westminster Pool, so-called because it is reputed to be the same size as the nave of Westminster Abbey, and was dug in 1269, the year in which the Abbey was consecrated. A second moat lies to the east of the house, originally dug to create a night-time sanctuary for livestock. Both are full of fish. ■ WEEDING THE HOUSE Head gardener Paul Stockdale’s most intriguing task is “weeding the house”, which involves removing plant material from the brickwork above the moat. This has to be done from a boat, but there are very few moated houses left in the UK, so no one minds. 30 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017
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The setting for Lucy M Boston’s Green Knowe stories, The Manor at Hemingford Grey, in Cambridgeshire, is surrounded by a magical garden filled with old yew topiary and an enviable collection of bearded irises WORDS JACKIE BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS A Tale TO TELL
THE MANOR JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 33 Irises define a view across the lawn towards shapely topiary near the centuries-old manor.
34 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 I MAGINE YOU ARE A CHILD, LIVING IN ONE OF the oldest continuously inhabited houses in England, with creaking stairs and thick stone walls, surrounded by a garden full of giant topiary and enclosed by a moat. If that sounds in any way familiar, then you might have been one of the children of the 1950s and 1960s who fell in love with the Green Knowe stories by Lucy M Boston. At the age of 47, Lucy moved to the village of Hemingford Grey near St Ives, Cambridgeshire, and it was The Manor – dating back to 1130 – and the garden she made there that inspired her to write the novels. For Lucy, fact became fiction. Living in the house and garden made famous by her mother-in-law is now the lot of Diana Boston who married Lucy’s son, Peter, an architect and illustrator of his mother’s books. “We offered to move in with Lucy as we were worried about her living in such a cold house at the age of 95,” remembers Diana. “She thought about it for a bit and then said ‘Thank you very much for the kind thought but I think it would get in the way of my social life’.” Diana and Peter eventually moved in when Lucy had a stroke in March 1990. She died in May that year, just as the irises were about to bloom. Lucy Boston had carried on gardening until the day of her stroke, but the four-acre gardens had become overgrown; the old roses and bearded irises, for which the garden was famous, had become invaded with couch grass, and the Grade I listed house required major works. When Lucy died, aged 97, Peter and Diana inherited a crumbling moated house and a debt of £87,000. “Our friends advised selling it to someone wealthy who could pour money into it, but that wasn’t an option,” remembers Diana. Below Iris ‘Great Lakes’, ‘Star Shine’ and ‘Great Gable’ fill a border. Below right For Diana Boston, selling The Manor upon inheritance was unthinkable.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 35 “Inheriting the property was like inheriting a dificult baby – you don’t give up, you just keep going.” Then, nine years into their new life, Peter died unexpectedly. Diana had to make the big decision of whether to sell or keep The Manor. “I decided to stay on, because I didn’t want to waste all the work and effort Peter and I had put into it, to pay back the debts and make it viable again.” The garden was already open to the public, but Diana set her mind to anything that would make money, including hosting weddings and arts events. When Lucy Boston had bought the house in 1939 after the break up of her marriage, the garden was no more than two fields. Already a painter, she turned her artistic skill to gardening and over the next 30 years began to nurture her dual passions for old roses and bearded irises. She sought advice from the great rose expert, Graham Stuart Thomas, and he chose many of the plants from his Sunningdale nursery. In summer Lucy gardened, and in winter she wrote her books and created beautiful patchworks. The patchworks now form an important collection in the house and are visited by textile enthusiasts from all over the world. “In the year Lucy died, the irises didn’t flower well,” says Diana. “Peter and I were just deciding Above Bearded irises fill a border edging a lawn accented with yew topiary. Diana calls the topiary her “old ladies”.
36 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 The contrast of profusion and formality is part of what makes the garden compelling.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 37 to take them all out when the following year they fl owered their socks off . I was smitten.” Many of these irises were Dykes medal winners, and Lucy had acquired several from the artist Cedric Morris who was breeding irises at Benton End in Essex. Diana asked Sarah Cook, who has extensively researched the Cedric Morris irises to come and help name them and to exchange plants. In fact, as readers of The Children of Green Knowe will recall, the garden is prone to fl ooding, sitting as it does on the fl ood plain of the river Great Ouse – which couldn’t be worse for bearded irises. “Often, the irises have wet feet for three weeks of the year and when the water retreats, they are left unstable, half in and half out of the ground,” Diana explains. “We have been counteracting this with gravel mulching, but we still lose some every year.” The garden is mainly sand and river gravel improved over time. Diana is keen to use the prevailing conditions and has developed a damp meadow, full of southern marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), buttercups and snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). As a latecomer to gardening, author Lucy threw herself into the garden with enthusiasm. When she was young, she had visited Levens Hall in Cumbria and remembered its amazing ancient topiary. Above ‘Benton Olive’, ‘Beotie’, ‘Benton Opal’, ‘Benton Nutkin’, ‘Benton Deidre’ and ‘Benton Lorna’ fi ll garden beds. Below Paeonia lactifl ora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is always compelling. THE STORY OF GREEN KNOWE The Manor at Hemingford Grey, and particularly the garden were the inspiration for Lucy M Boston’s series of six children’s book, beginning with The Children of Green Knowe and fi nishing with The Stones of Green Knowe. Almost all her other books, including The Castle of Yew, feature the house and garden in some shape or form, often thinly disguised. In the Children of Green Knowe story, a little boy arrives at the old house and is entranced by the wooded garden, the giant topiary shapes and its wilder parts. Through his meetings with the former inhabitants of Green Knowe he fi nds a home. The novel was made into a BBC television series in the 1980s. Lucy Boston was born in 1892 and bought the house at Hemingford Grey in 1939, taking two years to restore it – “by far the happiest of my life” she writes in her autobiography. She had one son, Peter, who illustrated her children’s books and latterly took on the running of The Manor with his wife, Diana, who now gives talks about the garden and Lucy’s work. In addition to her writing, Lucy produced patchwork of international renown. For more, see greenknowe.co.uk
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JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 39 She planted eight little footballs of yew, which over the years became cones and finally, to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952, were clipped alternately into crowns and orbs. “Over time, the ‘old ladies’, as I call them, have become more and more individual,” laughs Diana. “They have bunions, dowagers’ humps and very broad bottoms!” Lucy also planted a topiary chess set. This was originally set in black and white gravel but it is now surrounded with spreading plants to create the same contrasting effect – black Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ has been combined white Stachys lanata ‘Silver Carpet’. Diana runs the garden with the help of three parttime gardeners organised by Kevin Swales, of whom she says, “I could not manage without. He puts into practice my ideas before I’ve even thought of them”. At the heart of the garden is the Iris Store where the propagation is done and the Iris Yard – part of the old walled kitchen garden developed by the Bostons as display beds for the irises. Here the irises are grown in dramatic stripes – almost black ‘Great Gable’, true blue ‘Great Lakes’ and creamy yellow ‘Starshine’. On the old brick wall, Lucy planted a beautiful scented Rosa ‘Sombreuil’ and one of Diana’s favourite scented Gallicas, ‘Duc de Guiche’, which, she says, never gets blackspot. “Lucy grew every type of bearded Iris available at the time. Over the years we have introduced some of the modern ‘frillies’ such as ‘Olympiad’, which the visitors really like. However, my preference is for the simpler types, with subtle colouring such as ‘Quaker Lady’. I do agree with Lucy that the older irises, including the Cedric Morris ones, are particularly good because they hold their flower head cleanly away from the stem.” Diana Boston has spent the past 27 years dedicated to The Manor and its story – constantly Above In the colourful bearded Iris border bloom ‘Amethyst Flame’, ‘Great Gable’, ‘Quaker Lady’ and ‘Jane Phillips’. Left The garden’s yew topiary was clipped into crowns and orbs in 1952, to mark the coronation of the Queen. IRIS SPECIALISTS Clare Austin Tel: 01686 670342 claireaustin-hardyplants. co.uk The English Iris Company Tel: 07789 670299 englishiriscompany.com Kelways Tel: 01458 250521 kelways.co.uk Woottens of Wenhaston Tel: 01502 478258 woottensplants.com
40 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 battling flooding, lack of resources and ‘invaders’ such as muntjac deer and pigeons. Part of the appeal here is that the garden makes no concession to modernity or fashion. It is filled with the plants that they would have grown up with in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Diana says: “Lucy was great at seeing the bigger picture, the swathes of colour and the efflects. By nature, I am more a specialised gardener, I like to fiddle with individual plants – but this is not a garden that allows that.” ■ The garden is open daily from 11am-5pm. The house is open by arrangement. The Manor, Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire PE28 9BN. Tel: 01480 463134; greenknowe.co.uk Right Teamed prettily with evening primrose, Iris ‘Benton Nutkin’ is at home in this border. CARING FOR BEARDED IRISES The irises at The Manor benefit from Diana Boston’s considerable gardening experience IRIS ‘BENTON OLIVE’ This variety was bred by Sir Cedric Morris and has silvery standards and falls of silverpurple. Reaches 90cm. IRIS ‘BENTON ARGENT’ Another Morris variety with silvery grey and cream standards. Falls are ivory speckled with brown. IRIS ‘LOUVOIS’ An old variety that has been growing for 100 years or more. Beige standards, dark falls and yellow beard. IRIS ‘LORILEE’ A rather glamorous rued, modern Iris that blooms in shades of lilac. At 94cm it is one of the tallest. T here have been bearded irises at Hemingford Grey since the 1950s when author Lucy M Boston fell in love with their impressive stature and brilliant, if fleeting, flowers in early summer. It is a tradition that her daughter-inlaw Diana continues, with many cultivars being heritage or rare types, such as the ‘Benton’ irises bred by artist Cedric Morris. Bearded irises have various heights – the most common are the tall bearded (70-85cm) but there are also slightly shorter ones including intermediates (40-60cm) and miniatures. They are generally easy to care for but have a few basic requirements. Before planting, Diana sieves the soil to make sure there are no competing weeds – weeds are dicult to dislodge once the Iris rhizomes have become established and should always be removed by hand. These irises like an open, sunny position and a well-drained, neutral soil. Diana spreads a granular balanced feed such as Growmore or VItax Q4 on the iris beds in late February or March. After flowering, the flower stems are cut back but the leaves are left in situ so they can continue to feed the rhizome. In the wider borders, it is best to keep the rhizomes towards the front, with as few plants as possible around them since they dislike competition. Having said that, there seem to be a couple of plants that break the rules – at Hemingford Grey irises are growing quite happily with grape hyacinths and blue Chionodoxa which flower in spring, before the irises. Irises need to be lifted and split every four years as soon as possible after flowering. Break the rhizomes into small pieces, each with a healthy shoot and replant 23-30cm (9-12in) apart. At this stage, cut back the leaves to stop the wind rocking the plant, and to allow the roots to get a hold in the ground. Many divided irises will produce flowers the following year, but some may take a bit longer.
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42 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 Gail Hughes-Morgan enlisted the help of garden designer Ian Smith to transform the eight acres of field around her Surrey property, Millwater, into a garden that marries formal style with watery informality WORDS HELEN BILLIALD PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS RING OF Bright Water
M ILLWATER Stands of yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) bring the informality of the countryside to the lake at Millwater. JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 43
44 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 WATER BRINGS A GARDEN TO LIFE. It is a familiar enough saying, but sometimes it is pleasing to be reminded just why such a maxim exists. Millwater, near Ripley in Surrey, is brimful with reminders, from a dashing mill chase to formal stone fountains, calm reflecting pools and generous naturalistic lake; water is at its very core. It was also the reason Gail Hughes-Morgan first explored the property. “My husband was obsessed with water,” she explains. “When we spied Millwater and there was a ruddy great lake in it… well, it was heaven.” Interiors rather than gardens have always been Gail’s passion. Her current interior decoration work stems in part from years of “moving into houses that needed gutting and a lot of work”. On moving into the Grade II listed house at Millwater in 2007, Gail oversaw its extensive redevelopment, but for the exterior she sought a garden designer. At that time, much of Millwater’s 13 acres was a rough-and-ready field with some mature trees and a greenhouse. Gail recalls that the site sloped down to the mill stream and gave the impression that “everything was trying to drop into the water”. For its reimagining she enlisted the help of Ian Smith of Acres Wild, with whom she had worked on a previous property. The eight-acre garden was created in 2009 and the leap from field to mature garden has been astonishingly swift. Recognition of Ian’s handling of the site came in 2014 when it won both the Large Residential Garden Award and the much-cherished Grand Award from the Society of Garden Designers. Top Pleached limes underplanted with Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ form the spine of the garden. Above Blush tones of rose ‘Climbing Cècile Brünner’ complement a red-brick wall.
JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 45 Gail places this jump from field to award-winning mature garden squarely at the feet of Ian. “What Acres Wild is amazing at is interpreting the brief and creating something that looks so organic, you think it can’t be any other way. It is a very clever thing that they do, and then they make you think that you designed it and aren’t you clever...” Today’s established planting hides the inevitably brutal start that involved months of flattening and rearranging levels in the back field. “As with houses, you’ve got to get the structure and space right first,” said Gail. “The plants are the finishes, but what is really important at the beginning is the flow of the garden – and how you’ll use it.” One item on Gail’s wish list was a hedge on stilts. “I’d been to Alnwick Gardens and loved the idea that you can make a room with a raised hedge, so we came up with the idea of a long walkway ending in a circular fountain. I’d imagined it to be very Baroque but in reality it is a very modest fountain that sits far better within the countryside.” Today this avenue of pleached limes forms the spine of the new garden and the trees have gone from a “bunch of sticks to a proper grand avenue” allowing the early scafflolding that was involved in their shaping to be removed. Beneath is a purple undercurrent of alliums in tune with Gail’s planting brief. “I asked for a traditional English perennial garden,” she says, “a palette of pinks, whites, purples and blues with a little bit of burnt orange here and there, plenty of roses, Wisteria, delphiniums, lupins and something for every season.” The garden brims with shrubs and trees that sustain interest throughout the year. Against this backdrop are seasonal highlights, from the avenue’s sweep of alliums, to masses of irises, an orchard of crab apples, ornamental grasses and strong autumn colour. “Ian taught me a lot about planting in large numbers, keeping it simple and thinking about the 12 months of the year,” says Gail. “This is the distance between involving a designer and something that is homespun; if you have a garden designer involved they understand how one plant works with another.” At the end of the lime avenue lies a simple circular pond and fountain which is partly enclosed by curved slices of yew hedge. The spaces between the slices provide all the enticement needed to coax visitors onwards. One opening leads to a large, circular, yew-enclosed lawn from where you may catch sight of the green sanctuary of the reflecting Left Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ bears slender, silvery leaves and tiny, scented canary-yellow flowers. Below Nepeta and clipped box flank a path. Bottom Pavers planted with fragrant thyme surround a formal, rectangular fish pond close to the house.
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JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 47 pond; the other opening leads into an area of longer grass that slopes down to the mill race. Looking back up the avenue, a broad path leads straight through the open arch of a barn, linking in turn to a small fountain garden, and on to the formal rectangular fish pond laced with lily pads in front of the main house. The mill race runs under one end of the house and away down the garden, carrying with it a ceaseless watery chatter. “Every day I start with a circular walk, down the avenue to the lake and around, and it all just flows from one room to another. There is always a view, or a tree or a seat to take,” says Gail. At the lake, Ian made sure there was a reason to stop and rest, with a stone bench looking back up the mill stream, as well as a platform and boat house on the lake itself. Setbacks in the garden’s establishment were few, but when they did occur, as in yews failing to take within a hedge, Gail learnt to be pragmatic. “When you’re looking at three truckloads of plants costing thousands, you think it is an outrage that anything dares die,” she jokes, “but the reality of gardening is that some things will be amazing and some things will take work. If nature is being a bit bossy, take it out and try something else.” Gail is presently concentrating on the pool garden, where she is removing struggling lavender and toying with adding ornamental grasses and purple geraniums. There were few changes to the initial master plan that Ian drew up, an achievement Gail attributes to Above Reclining chairs and a boat house give reason to pause and admire views of the lake. Left Showy, creamygreen bracts of Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’. Below Nepeta and Iris are brought to life with a maroon counterpoint in the acers beyond.
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JUNE 2017 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 49 the fact that “he listens so well, he’s not going to plonk something in that you don’t like”. One of their wishes for the grounds was for the luxury of a walled garden and, halfway along the avenue of pleached limes, a brick path leads between its sheltering brick walls. Softening the formal beds of fruit and vegetables in the walled garden are sweeps of flowers and stretches of roses, in particular. Gail was determined to bring them back throughout the garden after discovering mention of a famous rose garden at Millwater dating from over a century ago. When the pair arrived, there wasn’t a single rose, illustrating how precarious any garden’s longevity can be. “It is like a second coming for the garden,” says Gail, “and it shows that what goes around comes around, depending who has money, and whether there is something more pressing, like growing your own food. During this lovely peace time we can make something that bit more frivolous.” A new glasshouse lies inside the walled garden. “When we bought the house and garden we inherited Chris as head gardener,” says Gail, “and it felt like the existing greenhouse was his house. Even his kettle was there, so we put a second greenhouse Above Low box hedging encloses a pond and fountain in the square courtyard. Left Two-toned Iris ‘Jane Phillips’ with brighter Geranium psilostemon and Euphorbia.
50 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2017 MILLWATER NOTEBOOK Grand designs can be scaled down to taste CHANGE OF PACE Beyond the boldly planted avenue, the mood and pace of the garden are transformed by the quiet greenery of the enclosed circular pond and stone fountain. Slices of yew hedge partly encircle the area; this is a handy technique that oers a tempting glimpse of the garden beyond. PLEACHED LIMES Hedges on stilts have the eect of defining an area without fully enclosing it. Bare trunks also create space for imaginative planting at ground level which is ideal for establishing interest in spaces where space might be limited. This avenue was planted with Caucasian limes (Tilia x euchlora). INVEST IN BRICKS Bricks can be laid in patterns or bonds to achieve particular eects. Running, herringbone and basket-weave bonds are most popular in garden spaces. Brick paths can be expensive but the upkeep needed to weed a compacted pea-gravel walkway makes brick a sound investment. REASON TO PAUSE A boat house, wooden platform and stone bench encourage visitors to sit and enjoy the lake, while the reflective properties of the lake enhance its surrounds. Reflection can be useful in more modest gardens and staining water a dark shade will help improve reflective properties in small spaces. in the walled garden and now it is a case of his and ours.” The current arrangement of greenhouses also provides Chris with a refuge from one of Gail’s requests: “He is not allowed to put anything red anywhere so there tends to be a sea of red geraniums in his greenhouse, or he’ll be naughty and make up a hanging basket that’s red.” Chris works for two full days and three half, while from Easter to September Gail is joined on one day a week by “my ladies, we all go out and do the equivalent of another three days and I call us the Plants People. We’re busy training things, planting and weeding like crazy.” Gail is under no illusion about the amount of labour it takes to maintain a garden of this scale, admitting “nature tries to claim it back all the time”. But, equally, it is Ian’s skilful mingling of the wilderness with the ornamental down by the lake that makes the lake her favourite place to be. “The lake is lovely at all times,” says Gail, “I’ve walked across it when it is frozen in the dead of winter and it is beautiful when the trees are reflected in the water. You feel aware of the countryside there, we usually disturb a heron and regularly see kingfishers. With the main garden there are times when you ask ‘what am I thinking of?’ whereas nature manages to look gorgeous all the time.” ■ Above Wilder planting beside the lake, including Primula bulleyana, brings the gardens to a soothing conclusion.