The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

HAMPSHIRE

‘When it came to restoring the walled garden, we setting for some scenes in the film Wilde, in which OPPOSITE PAGE An old
probably should have followed Prince Charles’ example Stephen Fry played Oscar Wilde. The swans and ducks well makes a focal point of
at Highgrove and ripped the whole thing out. But we were on the water care little for the human attention of the
very sentimental about the old espalier apples, which film camera, but the alpacas in a nearby field are always flower-lined intersecting
had completely taken over. Our head gardener John Bone eager for friendly advances, especially those from little paths in the walled garden.
very patiently pruned them back, perfectly. We sent people. ‘Recently a woman asked if she could bring her
the fruit off to RHS Wisley and they were able to identify blind granddaughter to pet the alpacas, and we gave her TOP LEFT Tom, Dick and
all of the old varieties for us, so they could be reunited some of their wool to touch and take away. People find Harry, Houghton’s alpacas.
with the original labels that we found in the potting shed.’ them wonderfully soothing,’ Anthea says. ‘Now we also
have ornamental pheasants in the walled garden, and they TOP RIGHT The soothing
Lining the outside wall of the kitchen garden is the long are charming and very well behaved.’ view down to the River
herbaceous border, and from here is a vista across the Test. ABOVE LEFT The
water meadows, knee-high with grass and wildflowers, She describes Houghton Lodge as ‘a haven of peace’, water meadows are
but with paths mown through for walking. A pleasure, and after half an hour strolling through the grounds,
perhaps, to put off until after seeing the peacock-themed I can vouch for its instantly calming influence. The seeded with wildflowers
parterre with emerald box and yew. whole place has an air of quiet and romance, a sort of with paths mown through
easy-in-its-skin English country garden-ness, which so for walking. ABOVE RIGHT
‘This is my favourite part of the garden,’ Anthea says. many gardens strive for but so few capture. The walled
‘We tried to restore the original rose garden but failed, garden is stuffed with colour and interest, but this sense Crisp cloches decorate
twice, so then I decided I wanted a box-edged garden. of bountiful enclosure then satisfyingly gives way to the the gravel in front of
It’s rather silly really, but when I was a child, my siblings space and stretch of the water meadows and river a glacous-leaved
and I each got a small plot for a garden, and even then beyond. It’s the kind of spot to spend a morning, and Cynara cardunculus.
I wanted a box garden. But my sister said it would invite lose your heart.
in the slugs, and forbid it! So now I have finally made L
the garden I always wanted,’ she laughs. Houghton Lodge, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 6LQ. Open
from 1 March to 31 Oct, daily, 10am-5pm, but Wed by appt
The parterre offers a fine view of the cottage ornee only. Tel: +44 (0)1264 810502. www.houghtonlodge.co.uk
house, which itself has stunning views down to the river.
Along these banks is where BBC series The Buccaneers Turn over for garden notebook
was filmed and a TV production of David Copperfield
with Dame Maggie Smith was made. It was also the

The English Garden 51

GLORIOUS GARDENS

HAMPSHIRE

The notebook

Houghton Lodge’s gardens and grounds cover 18 acres, with a walled kitchen garden and meadows along
the banks of the River Test. The soil is chalky and the garden faces mostly southeast

WATER WONDERS

Hydroponics means growing plants
without soil, with the roots in a solution
of water with nutrients, or in gravel,
perlite or a similar medium. It allows
people in places with environments
hostile to edible crops to grow food,
and is being used in Antarctica, deserts
and even by NASA for space missions.

PUFF, A MAGIC DRAGON UNUSUAL ARCHITECTURE

When Anthea’s eldest grandson was An intriguing building, the ‘cottage ornee’ house
small, they spent an afternoon clipping (above) was built sometime before 1800, probably
a bush by the river into the shape of a as a fishing lodge, and of a style of rural retreat that
dragon (above). A tail was added later, was popular in the 18th century.
and then at a flower show in France,
Anthea’s husband saw mist jets, and TOP TIPS FROM THE BUSKS
thought they would be perfect for
making the dragon snort steamy puffs. G Always keep your secateurs sharp. It’s no
use using blunt ones as it is torture for the
EDIBLE SIGHTS owner and bad for the plant.
G Paths and edges, lawns and hedges. It’s an
The kitchen garden (left) old adage, but once you have those things right
showcases many fruit it shouldn’t matter if the rabbits nibble at
and vegetables with a kiwi, your flower beds.
old fan-trained peach and G It’s very important to have lots of places
pear trees on the chalk to sit down in a garden. Too many gardens open
cob walls, a herb garden, to the public have lots of steps and not enough
an avenue of apple trees, seats. It should be just as much a pleasure to
fruit cages of berries, sit in as stroll through.
asparagus beds and
hundreds of sweet peas.

CONTACTS

RECOMMENDED GARDENS TO VISIT
G Abbey Cottage A charming garden with a comfortable feel, designed and
created by Colonel Patrick Daniell. Itchen Abbas, Hampshire SO21 1BN. Open
for the NGS on Sun 29 and Mon 30 Aug. www.ngs.org.uk
G Achiltibuie Garden Visit the Keder growing house and gardens to learn
about hydroponics, and energy- and water-efficient greenhouses. 213 Altandhu,
Achiltibuie, Ullapool IV26 2YR. Tel: +44 (0)1854 622202. Mail order hydroponics
kits and information available at its website: www.thehydroponicum.com
G Drummond Castle A magnificent formal garden much admired by Anthea.
Open daily 1 May to 31 October. Muthill, Crieff PH5 2AA. Tel: +44 (0)1764 681433.
www.drummondcastlegardens.co.uk

52 The English Garden

The English Garden 53

54 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

The entrance to the
orchard at Moor Wood.
The Cotswold stone
walls blend in with the
hedges and hills beyond.

Wildflower posies, L

rambling roses

One couple have put their own personal stamp on this inherited valley garden,
loved by many generations, and home to a romantic National Collection

PHOTOGRAPHS LYNN KEDDIE WORDS SUE BRADLEY

The English Garden 55

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

It’s impossible not to feel elated when surrounding fields is Henry Robinson, whose The two-acre garden was in a fairly run-
approaching the garden at Moor Wood. family has farmed the valley since 1911. Back down state when Henry and Susie set
Hidden in an isolated and unnamed then, Henry’s grandfather tended a herd of about restructuring it in 1983. Features
Cotswold valley, this feast for the senses dairy shorthorns and grew crops on 140 acres bestowed by previous generations provided a
is reached by a long track that playfully with the help of 10 labourers. framework for the new incumbents, including
twists and turns, before dropping down a spreading cedar dating back to the 1700s,
to reveal a sea of colour resembling an Today, Henry single-handedly looks after yew topiary from before the 1920s, a rolling
Impressionist painting. The glory of this sight more than seven times this amount of land, front lawn, terraced slopes, stone walls and
is matched by the unmistakable perfume of some 1,046 acres, which leaves him little a productive orchard.
roses and the chirpy sounds of birdsong. time to devote to a garden. ‘There were
probably four gardeners here when my Those who know Henry might have
Moor Wood, a Regency-style house, was grandfather lived at Moor Wood,’ he says. ‘My expected him to be influenced by the work of
created from three cottages built sometime in parents reduced that down to two, and his aunt Alvilde Lees-Milne, a celebrated
the 1700s, and takes its name from a stretch then to one. Nowadays, it’s just me and my gardener and designer, and close friend of both
of woodland mentioned in the Domesday wife Susie, with the help of our gardener, Ian Vita Sackville-West and Rosemary Verey.
Book. Today’s custodian of these trees and Thackery, two days a week.’ Alvilde, who created gardens for the likes of

ABOVE LEFT Rambler roses and red valerian (Centranthus ruber) tumble down the stone walls that surround the garden at Moor Wood. Shrubs
such as potentilla and lavender edge the gravel path. CENTRE A cedar tree dating back to the 1700s dominates the formal lawned area at the
back of the house. BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT Rosa ‘Evangeline’; Rosa ‘Rambling Rector’; Rosa ‘Colcestria’; Rosa ‘Alchymist’.

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

rock star Mick Jagger and the Queen of Jordan, the garden, while effortlessly blending with Susie had to determine the exact differences

was famous for her stunning herbaceous the fields and woodland beyond. between a rambler rose and its close relative,

borders, and took the concept of ‘outdoor ‘A friend suggested we try to have one the climbing rose. ‘It’s a misconception that

rooms’ to a new level. of the Plant Heritage (previously NCCPG) ramblers are smaller, cluster-flowered and

Right from the start, however, the Robinsons National Collections of plants, which were just single, having just one layer of petals,’ says

knew that any thoughts of Henry. ‘There is a

an immaculate patch were ‘It seemed like a good idea to have a theme, and massive selection,

strictly out of the question, rambling roses jumped off the page at us’ and they don’t just

because they simply did not look like one rose.’

have the time. They were also keen to focus being set up,’ Henry explains. ‘It seemed like The couple soon began searching for

on the fact that their garden was part of a a good idea to have a theme, and rambling different cultivars, starting in the UK before

much wider landscape. roses jumped off the page at us. We see moving on to France and Germany. ‘We have

The solution was to plant scores of rambler ourselves as a being part of a larger landscape, been planting slowly but surely,’ says Henry.

roses, vivacious if short-flowering plants that with roses as the main focal points.’ Before ‘We have made dozens of mistakes along the

would caress the drystone walls surrounding any planting could begin, however, Henry and way: sometimes we were given good advice L

ABOVE RIGHT The Edwardian rockery, once home to a collection of alpines, has been replaced by various perennials and creepers in keeping with
the garden’s overall feeling of ‘romantic disorder’.The white rose is one of the numbered varieties brought back to Kew from an expedition to China.
BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT Rosa ‘Claire Jacquier’; Rosa ‘Cerise Bouquet’; Rosa ‘Aglaia’; Rosa ‘Paul Transon’.

but didn’t take it, only to realise exactly what of rarer rambler roses to share with others. And it is through nostalgia and looking at the
we should have done later on. Maintenance- Over the past few years, the Robinsons have past that Henry is so very much aware of his
wise, we prune but we don’t spray. We get black place in a long line of farmers and gardeners,
spot from time to time, but we live with it. accentuated the romantic feel of their rose all of whom have looked after Moor Wood and
garden by sowing a wildflower meadow the land beyond for hundreds of years. ‘We are
‘We have found gardeners are enormously beneath the apple trees in the orchard. Native the lucky recipients of what previous generations
kind in sharing rose cuttings,’ he continues. plants such as poppies, corn cockle, corn- have done around here,’ he says. ‘We have the
‘Kew sent us a selection. We have no idea what flowers and ox-eye daisies bloom through mature trees they never got to see, and we plant
they’re called, but ‘Kew 256’ is one of the most much of the summer, and provide a vital for the future. Each generation gets to play in
beautiful! Also Jim Russell at Castle Howard habitat for insects and other wildlife. the garden with its own resources and ideas.’
gave us some cuttings 20 years ago, and we have
had a lot from David Stone at Mottisfont Abbey.’ ‘Wildflowers aren’t easy,’ says Susie. ‘We Moor Wood, Woodmancote, nr Cirencester, Glos
struggle with them, but everybody likes that GL7 7EB. Open for the NGS on Sunday 27
To date, Henry and Susie have more than bit of the garden - people love walking June from 2-6pm. Visitors also welcome by appt.
150 different rambler roses, but their quest to through with the grass and flowers up to their Tel: +44 (0)1285 831397. www.ngs.org.uk
add to their collection continues. They also waists. I think it is a kind of nostalgia for a
devote many hours to bringing on cuttings landscape that is disappearing.’

ABOVE An old iron gate opens into the orchard, which is sown with native wildflowers, including poppies, cow parsley and wild mustard. BELOW
LEFT Rambling roses and native wildflowers in the orchard, with the Cotswold hills beyond, offer a nostalgic retreat for visitors. BELOW RIGHT
The wildflower meadow is a haven for a diverse selection of insects, including honeybees, which are encouraged to use the hives nearby.

58 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

The notebook

Moor Wood garden covers two acres and has Cotswold brash soil. It faces south and west, and is well
protected from the wind thanks to the sheltering valley and large numbers of mature trees

RAMBLING BEAUTIES

Rambler roses typically have small to medium-sized flowers, often held in large
bunches (below), though this is not always the case. Ramblers flower with great
freedom, and most types are extremely tough and able to fight their corner against
tree and shrub roots. Many are beautifully scented.

SHAPE UP HENRY AND SUSIE’S TOP TIPS
FOR RAMBLER ROSES
The large topiary yews (above) were definitely in
place in the 1920s, but could actually be much older. G Take note of your surroundings. Some of the
The hedge is trimmed every year in July or August more tender rambler roses, such as Rosa laevigata
to ensure it retains its shape. It provides a dramatic and Rosa banksiae, cannot survive the extreme
all-green middleground for the rambler roses at temperatures experienced at Moor Wood, which
the front and back. lies 800ft above sea level.
G Ramblers flower on old wood and should be
GO WILD pruned in July to divert the growth into new shoots.
Failure to prune results in long leggy roses with
Moor Wood’s wildflower flowers at the top and nothing at the bottom.
meadow (left) features G Take hardwood cuttings rather than grafting.
poppies, corncockles, Cuttings are slower to grow but once they get
ox-eye daisies and going they are glorious.
cornflowers. In the past, Taking cuttings is an
the flowers were allowed uncertain business, but
to self-seed, but weeds not complicated. In
eventually won, so they October, take a shoot that
now sow fresh seeds hasn’t flowered and cut it
annually. The meadow is a section off of 9in to 1ft,
cut down every August and along with an eye (bud)
re-growth is sprayed twice. at the top and one at
the bottom. Bury it up to
CONTACTS its neck in a trench, label
it, leave for a year and
OTHER GARDENS TO VISIT IN THE AREA then pot up.
G Barnsley House, The Close, Barnsley, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5EE. G Rambler rose hips
Tel: +44 (0)1285 740000. www.barnsleyhouse.com can be pretty special in
G Cerney House Gardens, North Cerney, Gloucestershire GL7 7BX. autumn. Remove the old
Tel: +44 (0)1285 831300. www.cerneygardens.com hips in March.
G Painswick Rococo Garden, Gloucester Road, Painswick, Gloucestershire
GL6 6TH. Tel: +44 (0)1452 813204. www.rococogarden.org.uk
G Rodmarton Manor Garden, Rodmarton, Gloucestershire GL7 6PF.
Tel: +44 (0)1285 841253. www.rodmarton-manor.co.uk
RAMBLER ROSE NURSERIES
G David Austin Roses, Bowling Green Lane, Albrighton, Wolverhampton
WV7 3HB. Tel: +44 (0)1902 376300. www.davidaustinroses.com
G Peter Beales Roses, London Road, Attleborough, Norfolk NR16 1AY.
www.classicroses.co.uk

The English Garden 59

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Lovely views unfold at every turn in the garden L
surrounding Waterlands Farm, a sequence of
pastoral, landscape, woodland and scenic
vistas that have come about partly by design,
and partly by virtue of the lie of the land. In
one corner, a daisied meadow skirts a grassy path that
leads to a large field. In another, a hazel walk shelters
hedges of pink Rosa ‘Complicata’ that cocoon a vegetable
patch. Behind an elongated wedge of yew, woodland
snoozes in the midsummer sun. Vantage points offer
glimpses of flowers enveloping the Tudor cottage at the
heart of it all. ‘The house, built in 1590, is set off by the
garden and, being at the centre of the plot, features in
most of the views,’ points out owner Peter Camp, a retired
printer who moved here 17 years ago from a house with
virtually no garden. ‘I’d always had a large garden before,
and I really missed it,’ he says.

Not surprisingly, he was immediately drawn to the two-
and-a-half-acre country garden at Waterlands Farm,
probably named as a result of the heavy clay and the many
ponds in the locality that were dug during the mid-1800s
to provide drinking water for cattle. ‘It was pretty boggy
until then,’ says Peter. The ponds remain, but the cattle
have long since gone. ‘It had been a working farm until
between the wars, and there was a good garden, but by
the time I arrived it was overgrown with nettles and
brambles, and there was broken glass everywhere from
collapsed greenhouses.’ Following extensive refurbishment,
Peter moved into the Grade II-listed cottage and turned
his attention to the garden. It took him almost four
months just to clear the garden and the woodland, a shelter
belt of mature oaks, ash, yews, hollies, sycamores, apple
trees and a solitary mulberry.

Only then could work on the garden begin in earnest.
Designer Anthony Paul created a handsome quadrangle
area, a partly walled courtyard with a raised pool and
covered walkways on two sides. ‘Originally it was the
farmyard, but by the time I came, there were beds of roses
well past their sell-by date, and lawn, which we replaced
with a gravel garden,’ recalls Peter. Not long after, the entire
garden was surveyed, drawn to scale, and the main
pathways decided upon. ‘I was still working, and didn’t
have a lot of time to devote to the garden, but at the very
least, I needed paths to be able to get around easily.’ He
did, however, find time to plant a number of specimen
trees, among them a lovely purple-leaved field maple, tulip

FROM TOP LEFT Papaver orientale ‘Türkenlouis’; Rosa
‘Complicata’; Rosa Iceberg; Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’,
a deciduous tree with pink bracts from spring, and
lovely autumn colours. RIGHT Waterlands Tudor
cottage down a path edged with beds of catmint,
foxgloves, hardy geranium, lupin, clematis, roses,
buddleja, sweet rocket and Crambe cordifolia, and
a very fine eucalyptus tree on the right.

GLORIOUS GARDENS

SURREY

A farm to charm

From an unpromising site, a retired printer has created this intriguing
garden with year-round interest, swathes of bulbs, dreamy
meadows and a fine collection of specimen trees

PHOTOGRAPHS AND WORDS NICOLA STOCKEN TOMKINS
The English Garden 63

GLORIOUS GARDENS

SURREY

64 The English Garden

tree, flowering cherry, Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’, throws out lots of fresh shoots followed by dramatic black

Japanese acers, Cornus kousa, Indian bean tree, snake-bark leaves and pink flowers,’ he says. ‘We’re often seduced by

maple, clerodendrum, silver birches, fruit trees, macluras the unusual and exotic, but in the end you can regret it.’

and a snowdrop tree. ‘I planted these quickly, because I A case in point was a lovely mimosa that grew to nearly

recognised it would be a few years before they’d mature 8m before snapping in two. ‘It was pruned, and survived

sufficiently to make much difference.’ another year, only to be killed by the frost.’

Today, Peter’s foresight is reaping dividends - and having Bulbs are something of a passion, and over the

retired 10 years ago, he now has time to appreciate it. ‘I years Peter has planted about 150,000. In shady corners,

wanted to retain the feel of a traditional English country there are now clumps of cyclamen, crocuses and

garden, largely informal but with a certain amount of snowdrops. ‘I’ve established long vistas of daffodils through

structure,’ he explains. With help from designer and the woodland - it gives a feeling of spring before it has

plantsman Paul Morrow, Peter has planted different areas actually arrived,’ he says. In the meadow and orchard, he

and introduced colour. has planted fritillaries

‘I do have something ‘I have something of Christopher Lloyd’s and camassias among

of Christopher Lloyd’s approach to colour - bold and positive’ the grasses and cheery

approach to colour - ox-eye daisies.

bold and positive,’ he says. ‘You need a wide variety of At the moment, Peter is concentrating on creating more

plants to create distinctive areas, so as you go around the than one season of colour in certain areas, by planting a

garden there are markedly different views.’ succession of bulbs beneath trees and then training a

Among his favourite plants are clematis - there are rambling rose or Clematis montana through the upper

around 100 in the garden - and hardy fuchsias. ‘I know branches. ‘They’re not always appreciated because you

fuchsias are not popular with many gardeners, but I find forget to look up and see the beauty overhead,’ he says.

they’re honest plants and trouble free. You simply cut them With so much loveliness around, that’s hardly surprising.

down in winter and they re-appear as vigorously as ever

with masses of flowers.’ At first, describing a plant as Waterlands garden is open by appointment only for groups

‘honest’ seems curious, but it is a notion in which Peter of up to 15. Please email nicola@gardenpix.co.uk

places considerable value. ‘Sambucus nigra is another honest

plant - easy-going and, when cut back hard in spring, it Turn over for garden notebook L

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The cottage seen over the ox-eye daisy meadow; a glimpse through hostas,
ligularia and lavender to a table and chairs; the raised York stone terrace with campanula, valerian and Geranium
psilostemon self-seeded in cracks; foxgloves and lupins by the meadow. BELOW A bed with Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, and
Allium cristophii. FROM TOP RIGHT Doronicum pardalianches; Campanula persicifolia; Leucanthemum vulgare; aquilegia.

GLORIOUS GARDENS

SURREY

The notebook

Waterlands garden has clay soil and covers two and a half acres. Highlights include hundreds of thousands
of bulbs in spring, a growing specimen tree collection and many clematis and fuchsias

CARING FOR CLEMATIS

Peter feeds his clematis (below) with
fertiliser in spring, adding compost as a
mulch. When planting, he digs a hole deep
enough so the rootball rests 5cm below soil
level. The happiest clematis have their roots
shaded, with foliage and flowers in sun.

DIRTY BIRDIES? ANIMAL MAGNETISM

Birdbaths provide essential bathing for birds Peter’s doe and fawn sculpture was a
and are a vital source of drinking water. This present many years ago. If you find garden
salt-glazed pottery one (above) is crafted art irresistible, check out work by the
by Sarah Walton, and available in different members of the Surrey Sculpture Society
glazed finishes and shapes. £997. Tel: +44 at Loseley Park from 13 July to 8 August.
(0)1323 811517. www.sarahwalton.co.uk www.loseley-park.com

HEDGE OF ROSES CONTACTS

Before Peter could grow GARDENS NEARBY
vegetables, he first had
to enclose the vegetable G Albury Park Laid out in the 1600s by John
patch with netting to keep Evelyn. Pleasure grounds with lake, river and
out rabbits. He then planted tree collection. Albury, Surrey GU5 9BH.
Rosa ‘Complicata’, which www.ngs.org.uk
has fragrant pink flowers. G Clandon Park Palladian mansion with
It has grown to conceal the gardens and pleasure grounds within a
netting, forming a dense landscaped park, created by Capability Brown.
hedge (left). ‘All we do is West Clandon, Guildford, Surrey GU4 7RQ.
take the hedge cutters to Tel: +44 (0)1483 222482.
it each year,’ he says. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

OWNER PETER CAMP’S TOP GARDENING TIPS

G I have evolved various time-saving techniques for naturalising bulbs over the
years. I’ve adapted a drill to create the planting holes - when you’ve 8,000 tiny bulbs
to go in, it can be quite a chore. For a natural effect, peel back the turf, digging over
an area to take at least 15 bulbs before replacing the turf and gently firming down.
G My soil is heavy clay but centuries of cultivation have rendered it workable. This is
now sustained by 15 compost heaps. It’s a time-consuming business - for example,
leaf mould takes three years to fully rot down, and must be moved each year as it
gradually reduces - but I still think composting is great, because it disposes of garden
debris while at the same time producing something useful.
G Get inspiration for your garden by going out and visiting plenty of others.
I regularly visit the RHS garden at Wisley - it’s been a great influence. So too have
regular visits to a range of historic houses and their gardens, a particular hobby of mine.

66 The English Garden



SPOTLIGHT

Focus on... Surrey

Take a trip to the southeast this month, with Michelin-starred restaurants, nurseries, summer festivals and much more

A MARK OF CELEBRATION WILDLIFE FUN

Celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, Ham Learn the role that small
House and garden (right) is a golden treasure and animals, bugs, birds and
continues to impress visitors every day. The gardens butterflies have in
feature a host of 17th-century magnificence, including pollinating plants at Kew’s
a cherry garden, flowering shrubs with exotics such summer festival between
as hibiscus and pomegranates, herbaceous planting, 29 May and 5 September.
eight grass plats surrounded by gravel walks, and a Take the opportunity to visit
formal maze-like wilderness concealing four circular The Princess of Wales
summerhouses, as well as an orangery kitchen Conservatory, boasting 10
garden - one of the oldest free-standing examples in different climatic zones,
England. Free garden tours and explorer packs are including three butterfly
available on request. The house is open 13 Mar-31 zones (above), live bug
Oct, Sat-Wed, noon to 4pm. The garden, shop and displays, large scale
café are open 13 Feb-31 Oct, Sat-Wed, 11am-5pm; sculptures, plus visual and
and 6 Nov-19 Dec, Sat-Sun, 11am-5pm. Ham Street, audio insights explaining
Ham, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey TW10 7RS. the relationships between
Tel: +44 (0)20 8940 1950. www.nationaltrust.org.uk flowering plants and their
pollinators. Children can
‘Surrey has many beautiful gardens, including The Old Rectory, setting for discover the importance of
the BBC dramatisation of Emma and open for the first time this year’ every part of the plant in
the conservation zone,
Gayle Leader, NGS county organiser for Surrey while photography lovers
can enjoy an exhibition
WINE AND DINE SPREADING MILLAIS LOVE of images from leading HAM HOUSE AND GARDENS/©NTPL - JOHN HAMMOND
wildlife photographer BUTTERFLY/RGB KEW COMPILED BY/VICTORIA KINGSBURY
Drake’s is one Michelin star Established in 1947, Millais Nurseries (below) Heather Angel’s book,
restaurant, located in a beautiful propagates around 35,000 rhododendrons and Wild Kew, in The Nash
Georgian building (left) with a azaleas each year for keen gardeners, large estates, Conservatory. Open
boutique-style dining room and botanic gardens, arboretums and specialist garden 9.30am-6.30pm (weekdays)
a gallery of local art on the walls, centres throughout Great Britain, Ireland and and 9.30am-7.30pm
providing a relaxed and friendly Europe. You will find all of the latest compost, plant (weekends). Tickets cost
atmosphere. Using only high-quality food, tools and pest and disease control online or £13.50 for adults and
local and seasonal produce, each you can browse in person if you are in the area. If children under 17 (with
dish is delicately prepared and there’s something in particular you are looking for an adult) can enter free.
bursting with delicious flavours. or need some expert advice, staff members at Royal Botanic Gardens,
The chef and owner, Steve Drake, Millais are happy to help. Open Mon-Fri, 10am- Richmond, Surrey TW9
started his cooking career at the 5pm. Crosswater Farm, Crosswater Lane, Churt, 3AB. Tel: +44 (0)20 8332
Ritz Hotel and went on to work for some of the Farnham, Surrey GU10 2JN. Tel: +44 (0)1252 5655. www.kew.org
country’s leading chefs, including Nico Ladenis and 792698. www.rhododendrons.co.uk
Marco Pierre White. As RHS Wisley garden and other
specialist nurseries such as Spring Reach and Ripley
Nursery are in the area, this is the perfect pitstop for
lunch or a great post-visit dinner. Open for lunch
Tuesday to Friday, from noon, and open for dinner
Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm.The Clock House,
High Street, Ripley, Surrey GU23 6AQ.Tel: +44 (0)1483
224777. www.drakesrestaurant.co.uk

68 The English Garden



Stand No. PW32
70 The English Garden

L DESIGN GUIDE

COASTAL

ISLAND EASE

A contemporary house on a south-coast isle presented a great
opportunity and a series of challenges for one garden designer

PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS WORDS JACKIE BENNETT
The English Garden 71

DESIGN GUIDE

COASTAL

Garden profile

PLACE Private garden running down to the beach
on Hayling Island off the Hampshire coast
DESIGNER Declan Buckley
SIZE One acre
STYLE Contemporary, easy-care planting and
landscaping around a newly built modernist
house by architect Richard Paxton

A ccording to London-based designer horizon. Next, the building needed to be for colour, but it needed to stand up all year, ILLUSTRATION/NEIL GOWER
Declan Buckley, good design is as much anchored to its surroundings, and much of the so instead he has gone for architectural plants
about what you take away as what you time was spent on the groundworks around the with a bit of a twist - using a phormium called
add in. Called in by the clients in 2005 when house (compaction is always a problem after P. cookianum that has a more relaxed look than
they were having a spectacular coastal property building works). Declan also extended the P. tenax, and Cortaderia richardii, which is a softer
built on an island off Hampshire, he was, he says, limestone paved surfaces used inside the house version of pampas grass.
lucky to have been able to work with the out into the garden to aid continuity, added a
architect right from the start. ‘This house is all wheelchair ramp and built ‘green pillars’ of Declan loves the fact that this project has
about revealing the views - of the sea and the climbing plants that soften the front façade. been able to develop over several years, and was
beach and changing light - and because we not a ‘quick fix’. ‘We have had time to get the
worked with Richard Paxton from an early point, The planting design needed to reflect the fact soil right and to react to the client’s changing
we were able to reflect what he was doing with that the garden would get most use in summer, needs. I was also really lucky to be able to work
the house in our plans.’ and everything had to be able cope with the gale- with the gardener, Steve Cook, right from the
force winds that lash this coast. It is designed to beginning. He was onboard with my ideas
Paxton, who has since sadly died, designed be architectural and protective around the house, and that helped a lot. We’ve completed the
the house so that all the living quarters were on and to become less formal as it goes towards the planting around the house, and now we
the upper level, with the bedrooms downstairs. sea. ‘I wanted to leave the seaward side as long are developing wildlife-friendly, late-summer
This left Declan with the challenge of keeping grass to gently merge into the beach, but at the borders to run down either side of the open
the views, while protecting the owners’ privacy. moment the clients prefer to cut it short to create grass, using perennials.’
The owners were retiring and wanted a garden play areas; maybe I will get my way one day!’
that would mature with them, and would be Good design can also be about compromise.
relatively easy to maintain. The planting of coastal and salt-tolerant plants ‘I didn’t get my own way on the meadow grass,
was chosen to be at just the right height so when but I’m happy that the wildlife will be catered
There had originally been two gardens, in strips people are eating on the terrace they can’t be seen, for in these new borders,’ says Declan. He and
running down to the sea, and these needed to be but if they stand up they can look over the his clients have come together to create a
joined by removing a dividing hedge, revealing planting to the sea. It was tempting, says Declan, contemporary garden that pays respect to this
an oak tree that became a visual marker on the to use herbaceous planting around the terraces special house and its very special location.

72 The English Garden

Garden features

This is a garden designed to protect privacy around the house but also to give open views to
the sea. Materials were chosen to complement the restrained design of the modern building.

TERRACE FURNITURE The table and chairs
(above) were selected to complement the grey
recycled plastic decking and limestone paving.
It’s sturdy enough to be left outdoors and not
be affected by salt and sea spray.

FRAMING THE VIEW Existing planting was
removed to reveal and highlight the solitary
oak tree (left), deliberately left in place to draw
the eye down the path towards the sea. The
limestone paving coming off the terrace onto the
grass acts as a visual guide through the banks of
phormium, which stand up to the elements.

A solitary oak tree on the horizon was preserved to
draw the eye down the path towards the sea

THE GREEN PILLARS The façade of the
modern house, designed by Richard Paxton,
has been softened by planting a series of wire
‘pillars’ with Muehlenbeckia complexa (below),
a fast-growing New Zealand climber that
copes with maritime conditions but needs
regular clipping.

THE COURTYARD Approaching the house from PARALLEL HEDGES Described by the L
the landward side, visitors enter the garden via designer as ‘green bollards’, this series of
an entrance that gives an enticing view into a waist-high Euonymus japonicus ‘Compactus’
gravelled inner courtyard, with a centrally placed hedges (above) run at right angles to the
sculpture (above). All of the gravel around the house, extending the lines of planting towards
house was sourced from a local quarry, to the beach. This is a particularly good evergreen
make sure it fitted in with the naturally for coastal sites and is easy to keep in shape.
occurring colours of the landscape and to It grows no more than 1.5m high - unlike the
give a hint of the beach beyond. usual Euonymus japonicus.

DESIGN GUIDE

COASTAL

The wide-open expanse The euonymus ‘bollards’ The line of oak trees These long borders are
of lawn is kept short are a visual device to (which cope well with being developed on
nearest the house and draw the planting out sandy, thin soils) marks either side of the lawn.
could be allowed to from the house.These the boundary between Wildlife-friendly plants
develop into longer grass horizontal lines are the two strips of garden for each season, such as
nearer the sea.The clients extended in spring that have been joined Cirsium rivulare, Liatris
have mown it completely by lines of daffodils into one. spicata and sedum, give
for the summer to allow planted in the grass. a ‘big wildflower look’
plenty of play space but offer an easy-
for children. care regime.

74 The English Garden

Phormium cookianum The low-growing grass The decking is made The dense growth of L
is a good choice for Stipa arundinacea (now from a durable, 100% Euonymus japonicus
a permanent and renamed Anemanthele recycled plastic known ‘Microphyllus’ has been
substantial edging to lessoniana) is used as as ‘polybois’, which interplanted with more
the terrace, and has a an inner edging to needs no maintenance. ephemeral alliums and
more relaxed feel than create contrast. The weathered grey Verbena bonariensis.
the popular but colour is perfect for
upright P. tenax. this seaside setting.

The English Garden 75

DESIGN GUIDE

COASTAL

Planting

Chosen for their ability to stand up to the elements, as well as their all-year-
round screening qualities, the plants in this garden are tough cookies.

PATHWAY Low-growing Euonymus japonicus
‘Microphyllus’ can be kept tightly clipped and
used as a substitute for box in these
challenging growing conditions (above).

BIG PERFORMERS Pampas grasses (left) have
been out of fashion for some time, but can look
stunning in a coastal location. Declan chose
Cortaderia richardii, which has an arching habit.
C. richardii grows to 2.5m tall. Its soft, silvery
flower heads appear in summer and last well
into winter. The leaves are evergreen, making
it ideal for screening.

Pampas grasses have been out of fashion for some time,
but can look stunning in a coastal location

SEASIDE FAVOURITES The palette of plants includes blue Eryngium x tripartitum and burgundy DESIGNER PROFILE
Atriplex hortensis (above left), which will both survive salt and drought; the tiny-flowered Aster
divaricatus with bold yellow Rudbeckia fuldiga var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ (above centre); and Sedum G Since 1999, Declan Buckley has been
‘Red Cauli’ (above right). All are hardy perennials with masses of impact. These plants are loved by dedicated to designing landscapes and
butterflies and bees and will take a fair amount of neglect - perfect for low-maintenance gardens. gardens in the UK and overseas. His
practice, Buckley Design Associates
76 The English Garden (www.buckleydesignassociates.com),
has worked on projects in urban, rural and
coastal sites, from pocket-sized gardens
to large-scale landscapes and public parks;
from central London to the outskirts of
Mumbai and back
to his native Ireland
via Belgium and
Sri Lanka.
He is a graduate
of the Capel
Manor College for
Horticultural and
Environmental
Studies. Studio 2,
78 Liverpool Rd,
London N1 0QD.

The English Garden 77

78 The English Garden

DESIGN BOOK

COASTAL

Gardens on the coast have to deal with constant wind and salt spray, but with the
right plants, such as this pampas grass, fantastic designs are possible, linking the
view and surrounding natural materials to your plot.

ALL IMAGES/JOHN BICKERTON, FROM ALL AT Gardening close to the sea is one
COASTAL GARDENING (GMC PUBLICATIONS, £16.99) of the biggest challenges that a
SEA? gardener or designer can face. The
air, and often the soil itself, is
Gardening by the coast can seem daunting, but once you laden with salt particles, which
know what to look out for, you’ll achieve great results, says damage the majority of plants, and strong winds
Andrew Duff, garden design director at the Inchbald School can wreak havoc with delicate perennials.

In terms of design, a garden at the seaside throws L
all sorts of exciting ideas into the pot. If you are
lucky, you will have a good view of the sea. As with
any garden that has a powerful view, the eye tends
to go right from where you are standing in the
garden, straight out to the view.

A good trick is to place something in your
garden that stops the eye. This could be a feature
plant, but a sculpture would also work. It needs
to be something strong that is going to be there all
year round. Your eye will be immediately drawn
to it before going off into the distance. This helps
to anchor the garden to the landscape.

It’s also important to link to the surrounding
area with materials. I’m not suggesting you go and

The English Garden 79

DESIGN BOOK

COASTAL

TOP LEFT Tender plants like tree ferns, yuccas and echiums do well in the
frost-free environment by the sea. TOP CENTRE Perennials like blue star-
bloomed eryngium, known as sea holly, can take the harsh climate of wind
and salt. TOP RIGHT A seat for the view, matching the wood of the deck in
a design that mimics a boardwalk. BOTTOM LEFT Link your garden to the
seaside by using similar materials, such as shingle and driftwood, for
statement features. BOTTOM CENTRE Agaves and other succulents do
particularly well on the coast as the rubbery, leathery texture of their leaves
stops the salt-heavy seawater from settling on them. BOTTOM RIGHT
Fennel, dill and other plants with feathery leaves are designed to retain
water in their foliage, usually lost to the wind in other plants.

steal pebbles from the beach (which is in fact shrubs, as the wind will rock the rootball out of not only look in keeping with their setting, but ALL IMAGES/JOHN BICKERTON, FROM
illegal), but using gravels and shingles immediately the ground. This may go unnoticed until the plant will also grow incredibly well. Surprisingly, many COASTAL GARDENING (GMC PUBLICATIONS, £16.99)
represents the textures and colours of the beach. eventually dies. Wind causes soil to dry out, so species of roses are also salt tolerant.
make sure to add lots of manure to retain moisture.
Bring the theme of the surrounding area and ‘Second defence’ planting is situated further back
style into your garden. Have a look at the area’s Coastal planting splits into two main categories. from the beach, and therefore protected - perhaps
heritage and industry, then look for little things Anything that is situated directly on the sea front, by another row of houses or slightly further into
and make use of something if appropriate. For and is therefore affected by the spray from the sea, the countryside or into the town. There is a wider
example, if you were doing a garden in Southwold is called ‘first defence’ planting. This kind of variety of plants that can be grown there, such as
in Suffolk, you may want to think about painting planting needs to be incredibly tough to survive rosemary, pittosporums, griselinia and choisya.
the garden shed black to mirror the black in these extreme conditions and, as always, it is Subtropicals thrive with warm seaside protection.
tar-painted fishing huts. worth looking around and seeing what thrives well Bananas, echiums, yuccas and phormiums can
in the area. Plants with very small feathery leaves provide a lush, exotic feel.
PLANNING THE PLANTING often covered with small hairs work well. This
There are a few advantages to gardening on the helps stop the salt-laden water from settling on the Find a good garden close by and visit it. Derek
coast, one of which is that the sea tends to keep leaves and also conserves water in the plant, so it Jarman’s seaside garden in Dungeness is brilliant
the frost away from coastal areas, therefore allowing is not evaporated by the wind. for first defence planting, and Heligan in Cornwall.
a greater range of tender plants to be grown. Go to your nearest seaside town and see what the
Choose your plant species carefully. For first council has used - it’s where you’ll see some good
Before any planting, prepare the ground. Think defence planting, trees like salix, acer and crataegus experimental planting.
about screening young plants from the wind, as it can thrive, but it’s worth checking which varieties
will quickly whip the moisture out of leaves. Any will work. Conifers such as compressus and pinus Special thanks to John Bickerton of Coastal Gardens
trees you plant will need to be well staked into the also thrive in a coastal situation. Elaeagnus, - advice • design • plant - for gardens near the sea.
ground; you may also want to do this for larger euonymus and sea buckthorn hippophae shrubs www.coastalgardens.com

80 The English Garden

P.J. Bridgman & Co. Ltd. Barnbridge Works, Lockfield Avenue,
Brimsdown, Enfield, EN3 7PX, England

Tel: (0)20 8804 7474 Email: sales@bridgman.co.uk

Website: www.bridgman.co.uk

The English Garden 81

Established in 1982
A friendly and professional family firm

TOPIARY SHAPES AND ARCHES
FLAT-PLANE, BOX-HEAD AND PARASOL TREES

INSTANT HEDGING

Please see our website for further details

www.crowntopiary.co.uk

Visitors are welcome by appointment.
234 North Road Hertford Hertfordshire SG14 2PW
Telephone 01992 501055 • Email: info@crowntopiary.co.uk

82 The English Garden

GREEN ISSUES

Watering

Eco-watch
Work on soil structure and irrigate wisely, and you won’t
waste precious water this summer, says Anne Gatti

Thinking back to my sodden peony heads with treating the plants with a beneficial fungus litres per hour. Some gardeners swear by automatic
of last summer, when the Met Office called Trichoderma harzianum that both helps to irrigation systems, and I can see the appeal in large
recorded 40% more rainfall than during protect the plants from attacks by pathogenic fungi gardens. If they run on a timer, though, it’s
the average UK summer, it’s hard to take seriously and also increases their root area, which gives them important to keep an eye on the weather as you
its long-term prediction that the biggest challenge access to more moisture and nutrients. The vibrant may end up overwatering, which can be just as
for gardeners is the likelihood of a fifth less annual display, made up of 6,500 plants such as salvia, fatal for plants as drought.
rainfall by the middle of the century, and a greater cleome, nicotiana and petunia, required just four
risk of summer droughts. Average summer waterings in 2006, none in 2007 and 2008, and As an eco gardener, mains water should be a last
temperatures will rise by around 2ºC too, they say. two last year. The National Trust, which is planning resort. Rainwater is free, good for the plants
Another astonishing statistic is that in the South to make as many of its gardens as possible self (especially ericaceous) and the best water for filling
East of England, each person has less available sufficient in water, is now rolling out this regimen wildlife-friendly ponds. For small spaces, there are
water than if we lived in Sudan or Syria. So one across its properties. now ultra slimline butts that can be attached to a
way or another, we should be thinking about water wall or sunk out of sight under decking. If you
and how we can garden without wasting it. DRENCH TO QUENCH have plenty of space, there are underground tanks
When plants do need watering, the most with attached pumps that can hold nearly 3,000
AQUA ACTS economical way is to direct the water to the roots litres of rainwater. And for the committed recycler,
The first thing is giving your plants soil that’s full and give them a good drenching, not just a there’s the option of reusing grey water from sinks,
of nutrients and has a lovely crumbly texture, so sprinkling that encourages surface roots and gives baths and the kitchen, which can be used on most
it retains moisture. This may mean forking in weeds a chance to move in and steal the moisture. plants except edible ones.
barrow loads of organic matter - do this once and To minimise evaporation in warm weather, water
top up with surface compost and mulches in the cooler parts of the day and don’t use a G www.waterwise.org.uk
thereafter, so that you don’t keep disturbing sprinkler, which can disperse as much as 1,000 G Slim water butts - tel: 0800 5200310 or
beneficial fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes. go to www.rainwaterhog.co.uk
With lawns, improve the soil structure by top
dressing with compost, and spike it as well if it As an eco gardener, mains water should be a last
seems compacted. resort. Rainwater is free and good for plants

ILLUSTRATION/MAEVE CLANCY The next thing is the watering: how much
should you give and where should you take the
water from? The usual advice is that leafy
vegetables, bedding plants and most container
plants will need regular splashes but experiments
done with petunias at the School of Biological
Sciences at Reading University threw up some
fascinating results. Plants that were not given
regular waterings developed a lean framework and
grew shorter, healthier and sturdier than those that
were pampered with frequent drinks. Ed Ikin, head
gardener at the National Trust property Nymans
in Sussex, where the main summer colour comes
from blocks of brightly coloured bedding plants,
decided to trial this approach in 2006 when
drought was predicted (and lasted for weeks).

Having first got the soil in tip-top condition, he
combined this ‘treat ‘em mean’ watering regime

The English Garden 83

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84 The English Garden

L OTTER FARM

MICROLEAVES

Small but mighty

River Cottage head gardener Mark Diacono is all for harvesting the infant leaves of vegetable
seedlings just a few weeks after sowing, to experience quick returns and intense flavours

The English Garden 85

MICROLEAVES TIP #1
The right time to harvest

Germination and growth
of seedlings is quickest in
spring and summer. All you
have to do is interrupt the
plants’ journeys to adulthood
once they have formed their first
true leaves - this is usually when
they are around 5-8cm tall.

Give them just a week, and I With microleaves, the characteristic flavour is all
am confident microleaves will without the tough edge you get when fully
change the way you grow
what you eat. Seven days to MICROLEAVES TIP #3
sow, water and then nibble on Test for preferred taste
a few miniature harvests, and you’ll start
wonder why you ever used to wait so long to Taste some leaves when they’re
enjoy their flavours at full size. very small, and let a few grow a
little larger to see where you prefer
Microleaves (also known as microgreens) their flavour and texture. You
are infant seedlings of certain flavourful can just pull micros from the soil
vegetables and herbs, which you can harvest to eat, but if you use scissors to
almost before they’ve had a chance to start harvest them, you’ll avoid the need
growing, which gets you the brightest flavours
in the shortest possible time. to wash soil from the roots.

Fennel, rocket, chervil, any of the oriental
leaves, coriander and radish in particular are
revelations when harvested in miniature. When
I first came across the idea, I thought it was
chef-like nonsense, but I was mistaken. The
characteristic flavour is all there, though
typically more intense, cleaner and without a
tough edge to the leaves you can get when fully
grown... and you don’t have the wait.

Growing microleaves couldn’t be easier and
now is the ideal time of year to give them a
go. A sunny windowsill or greenhouse speeds
things along, and will allow you to grow them
even through winter.

Ten is the magic number and salad leaves work best. Coriander, rocket, It’s hardly surprising: what you’re about to do PREVIOUS PAGE/JASON INGRAM THIS SPREAD/RADISH &
radishes and fennel are my favourites for goes against everything usual in the veg patch. CORIANDER - MARK DIACONO ALL OTHERS - JASON INGRAM
I use 2m-long pieces of guttering, sown in flavour, but you can also try purple and red- Each of these miniatures will grow into a full-
quarters of radish, coriander, rocket and giant leaved veg such as ‘Red Drumhead’ cabbage, sized plant if left alone, but if you do allow them
red mustard. Sowing each gutter 10 days after giant red mustard and amaranth, if only for to grow on, you may not get more for your wait.
the one before means that all summer I’ll be their looks, to lift any salad.
harvesting from one piece of guttering while Take coriander. If you grow it to a full-sized
another grows me replacement microleaves. In When you come to harvest your first plant, you’ll have months until you harvest,
the cooler times of the year, germination and microleaves, you may hesitate with the scissors. and then face the likelihood of it bolting. It’s
growth is slower, so I double the number and
sow two gutters every fortnight.

You can try anything you like as microleaves
(apart from parsnips - their seedlings are
poisonous), but the stronger, distinctive herbs

PREVIOUS PAGE Mark Diacono grows a selection of microleaves in succession to always have delicious treats on hand. THIS PAGE,
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Radishes; the deeply coloured leaves of red amaranth; cutting mizuna leaves with a scissors.

86 The English Garden

MICROLEAVES TIP #2 QUICK TO HARVEST
Where to sow seed
G Microleaves breed confidence,
Sow your chosen seeds using encouraging beginner growers
a seed compost in clean seed with a quick turnaround.
trays or guttering and in one Many new to growing are
to three weeks (depending on disappointed to find that most
of the usual suspects, such as
variety and time of year) main-cropping carrots, potatoes
you’ll be snipping sensational and onions, taste very close to
those in the shops. They also
seedlings, ready to add take their time to get to harvest
to your salads. so there’s no feeling of success for
months, and, when it does arrive,
there, though typically more intense, cleaner and the taste isn’t always so sweet.
grown... and you don’t have the wait Microleaves grow quickly to
harvest, are a revelation of flavour
MICROLEAVES TIP #4 and they will tell you within a
Careful watering week that you can grow. This is
a crucial message - successful
To make sure you don’t make growing is about confidence and
a mess, leave 8cm or so at each momentum and this is exactly the
encouragement a beginner needs.
end of the guttering without
compost, and water regularly G Microleaves make a keynote
but lightly across (rather than speech in favour of flavour, calling
along) the guttering (left) to on us to remember the point of
ensure that the compost doesn’t growing your own - bringing
end up spilling out the sides. fabulous food to your kitchen.
We harvest almost everything
infuriating, and it happens to the best of us. seedling in your mouth and chew it slowly at we grow at its largest - we seek
As the plant grows, the leaves become tougher the front of your palate. There will be a delay volume as it tells us we’ve been
and the lively flavour wanes. Sowing a few of a few seconds before the experience takes successful. Resist that impulse.
coriander seeds in a pot or guttering on a sunny over. The flavour is wonderful - as if you have Be one of those gardeners fanatical
windowsill allows you to sidestep the wait and a handful of ‘regular’ coriander in there, only a about flavour rather than obsessed
the decline. When the seedlings are no more fresher, livelier coriander than you’re used to. with yield.
than 6cm tall, pick out just one. Wipe any
compost from the roots and put the single Next month: Amazing berries G Think of the flavour of most
veg like a bottle of squash: adding
THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The sprouting delights of coriander; rows of rocket water may increase the volume,
and radishes; Mark waters across his guttering to avoid losing precious compost. but it only dilutes the flavour.
Small and sweet wins every time.
It’s true of almost everything from
courgettes to carrots, and nothing
shows this more than microleaves.

G A small handful of mixed
micros will liven up a leafy salad
but they work perfectly well
without larger leaves. You can
even throw them into just-cooked
pasta at the last minute, and
dress with olive oil, a squeeze
of lemon, a little black pepper
and Parmesan.
However you use them, you’ll be
surprised at how little you need.
Remember, it’s not about volume,
it’s about flavour.

The English Garden 87

SEASONAL

FOOD

From the
kitchen garden

It is possible to enjoy a healthy Sunday brunch, says Francine Raymond,
who also rejoices in apricot tarts, roses, hens and rose petal jelly

PHOTOGRAPHS CHARLIE COLMER

T o some, the best pick-me-up the morning after the weather’s inclement, tucked away in the sunroom. Put your L
night before is a classic fry up. But there are home- feet up and, for once, ignore those jobs that need to be
grown and slightly healthier alternatives. Maybe you done in the garden. Give yourself a well-deserved day of
crave poached eggs on spinach, or a hearty kedgeree with rest and admire your handiwork from a distance.
peas, eggs and garden herbs?
Once the usual occupants - the tender plants and all of
Try a few slivers of cured ham with sliced apricots and those germinating seed trays - have been packed off to their
a peppery rocket or watercress salad, dressed with tangy summer quarters outside, sunrooms and conservatories
balsamic vinegar and oil dressing. Or, for the really delicate, are at their most useful. In late spring and early summer,
a cup of black coffee and a slice of brioche spread with a when it’s too early in the season to rely on morning and
spoonful of reviving rose petal jelly. late evening temperatures, you can open your windows
and your garden will come into the house.
Treat yourself to a lazy morning brunch on a tray and read
all the Sunday newspapers out in the sunshine at your Create a haven for your family and plants, and remember
leisure, surrounded by the scents of summer; or, if the to leave space for a really comfy chair.

Crafty ways
with wood

ROSE ARCHES

Favourite climbing and rambling
roses need your support. We have
rampant ‘Albertine’ straddling a
four post arbour, with thornless
‘Zéphirine Drouhin’ growing up the
wooden supports. Set in a square,
the post tops each have a hole
drilled in their core at their apex,
and we’ve inserted willow wands
that criss-cross over at the top and
are secured with a finial where
they meet. Single arches carry
pretty pink ‘Dorothy Perkins’ and
‘Pink Perpétué’ roses, and other
climbers romp along wood and
willow fences throughout the
garden, creating screens and
backdrops to all the borders.

88 The English Garden

ALL THE JOYS OF HOME-
GROWN APRICOTS

Did you know that apricots are being
grown commercially in the UK? Peach
leaf curl is a thing of the past with new
disease- and frost-resistant varieties, so
there’s nothing to stop us producing
these exotic luxuries in our own
gardens, with flavours and textures
light years away from those tiny felty
supermarket fruits. Blackmoor Nurseries
(www.blackmoor.co.uk or tel: +44
(0)1420 477978) recommend the self-
fertile varieties ‘Tomcot’ and ‘Flavourcot’,
while I’ve been growing abundant
apricots with a long-forgotten name for
the past five years. Last summer, we
pickled, bottled, jammed and gorged
ourselves, coming up with flavour
combinations to set the taste buds
dancing, and mixing sweet with
savoury, like a ham and apricot dish
(left). Best of all were these little tarts
we made for my son’s wedding:
G Line half a dozen or so small tart
tins with shortcrust pastry
G Top each one with half a stoned
apricot, face down
G Mix together ½ pt/280ml single cream,
three egg yolks and 3oz/85g sugar
G Pour the mixture over the apricots
G Bake at 375ºF/190ºC for 15 minutes, and
serve hot or cold with a raspberry sauce.

SEASONAL

FOOD

HENS AND GARDENING

If you’re planning to keep garden hens, chose your breed
with care. Any bird that lays for Britain will also eat for Britain
and the plants in your garden will all be grist to the mill. So
avoid the heavy-laying breeds and egg-a-day hybrids, and
stick to the more decorative varieties such as Orpingtons,
Brahmas, Silkies and Pekins. Remember that gardening
disturbs the soil, and whatever breed you choose your hens
will join in looking for tasty morsels, so always cover any
newly planted treasures with a cloche. I find upturned
hanging basket frames are best for protection and it’s easy
to find secondhand ones for a few pence at car boot sales.
Provide the hens with a custom-built dustbath, filled with
sandpit sand and wood ash from a woodburning stove or
bonfire, and hopefully you’ll avoid craters in your borders.
A little give and take helps, and if the worst happens, plan
a delicious supper based entirely on eggs.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN Preserve for the larder

If you’d like to learn how to garden around and in ROSE PETAL JELLY
spite of your hens, The Kitchen Garden is holding a
course on Wednesday 9 June (www.kitchen-garden- This is summer in a spoonful. A decadently luxurious jelly with a really rosy
hens.co.uk). Judge the results by visiting the garden aroma that’s especially good stirred into thick yoghurt, mixed with crushed
when it opens for the NGS on Sun 30 and bank meringues and topped with slivers of toasted almonds and crystallised rose
holiday Mon 31 May. www.ngs.org. petals. Darker red roses give the most appealing hue, but experiment with
your favourite blooms to find your favourite flavour. We used a mixture of
90 The English Garden ‘Ena Harkness’ and ‘Roseraie de l’Hay’.

G Cook 1lb/450g chopped whole cooking
apples (including skin and pips) in a saucepan
of water until soft
G Mash the fruit and strain overnight in a jelly bag
G Add an equal amount of sugar
G Heat in a pan until the sugar is dissolved
G Remove any white tips the petals may
have - they taste bitter
G Blitz ½pt/280ml rose petals in a liquidiser
with a little sugar. Add to the pan
G Boil fast to setting point
G Pot in clean jam jars and, for the best flavour,
eat as soon as possible

The English Garden 91

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EATS & TREATS L

PICK YOUR OWN

HOLME is where
the heart is

Fields of berries to pick, a thriving plant centre and delicious food in the farm shop and tea room,
all in a scenic setting - have a jam-packed day at this family business in Dorset

PHOTOGRAPHS PETER CHATTERTON WORDS SUE BRADLEY

There’s no place like Holme for hundreds
of people who have found this rare gem,
close to the Dorset coast. Whether it’s
harvesting juicy berries in the pick-your-
own fields, perusing perennials in the well-
stocked plant centre or enjoying coffee and cakes in the
tea room, it is a place where everyone is made to feel
welcome. It’s not surprising therefore to learn that a
family is at the heart of the business, which is located
at West Holme, on the road to Lulworth Cove.

Holme for Gardens’ roots go back to the 1970s, when
dairy farmer Jim Goldsack started up a small pick-your-
own-fruit enterprise. ‘Jim was quite ahead of his time
really,’ says his daughter-in-law, Liz. ‘He started off
growing a few strawberries for people to pick - he could
see the milk business was in decline.’

The plant centre arm of the business emerged a few
years later, after Jim’s son Simon grew disillusioned with
working for large garden centres and decided he could do
a better job selling plants and offering landscaping services
on his own. ‘I felt customers weren’t getting a good enough

LEFT The Orchard Tea Room was designed to complement
the surrounding environment. BELOW A mouthwatering
selection of ‘Holme-made’ cakes.

The tea room overlooks a large pond visited by wildlife, and during the winter months
when the trees have shed their leaves, customers can enjoy panoramic views

The English Garden 93

TOP Simon Goldsack in the garden centre with his dogs Meggie and Jupiter. ABOVE Tea service in terms of choice and expertise,’ says Simon, who
room manager Sonia McNeill (far right) and team. BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT The tea room’s studied horticulture at Writtle College in Essex.
menu offers a range of dishes made from fresh ingredients; a sponge topped with Holme-
grown fruit; the Ask Simon corner, where he helps answer customers’ queries; a selection From the start, he made it his mission to find
of plants at the plant centre. OPPOSITE PAGE Preserves for sale made from farm produce. the healthiest and most striking specimens for his
customers, and built a friendly team that shared his
passion for plants. Holme for Gardens steadily earned
a loyal following, but really began to grab people’s
attention when Simon started importing mature
specimen trees, including 100-year-old olives, and
stunning potted topiary.

‘Over the years we have built close friendships with
several family firms in Pistoia, a beautiful area in Tuscany
that is one of the biggest growing areas in Europe,’ says
Simon, a member of the International Tree Foundation.
‘We were among the first people around here to fly to
Europe to hand pick plants. My favourites here have to
be our unusual trees. I adore magnolias and ornamental
cherries but my top choice is quince.’

Alongside the trees and topiary, customers can choose
from annuals, perennials and shrubs, including collections
of some 130 clematis, 300 roses, 30 kniphofias and
30 crocosmias. There is also a huge selection of tools,
seeds, composts and ornaments available. Underpinning
everything is ready access to advice and information, with
knowledgeable people always on hand.

FOODIE HEAVEN
Next to the plant centre is a farm shop offering a
mouthwatering array of local food and drink, along with
fruit and ‘Holme-made’ jams and tarts. On the fourth
Saturday of every month, there is a farmers’ market here
from 10am to 4pm, organised by Purbeck Products. But

Alongside trees and topiary are annuals, perennials and shrubs; collections of clematis, roses,
kniphofias and crocosmias; and a huge selection of tools, seeds, composts and ornaments

94 The English Garden

EATS & TREATS

PICK YOUR OWN

no visit to Holme for Gardens would be complete PICK YOUR OWN
without trying out the food and drink on site at The
Orchard Tea Room. This light and airy pine and glass G The Pick-Your-Own season usually starts around the beginning of June and goes on
building was specially designed to complement its until October, dependant on weather. Pickers are welcome between 9am and 5.30pm.
immediate environment within an Area of Outstanding G Strawberries are the first fruits to be available, usually starting in late May with
Natural Beauty. The tea room overlooks a large pond subsequent crops ready at the end of June and late July.
visited by wildlife, and during the winter months when G Gooseberries are ready from early June to late July; blackcurrants, late June through
the trees have shed their leaves, customers can enjoy to early August; blueberries, July and August; and blackberries, August and September.
panoramic views of the Purbeck Hills. It’s just the G Raspberries start in late June but continue into October with autumn varieties,
spot to enjoy a cream tea, including a home-made scone along with red- and whitecurrants.
with Dorset clotted cream, freshly brewed coffee or G Holme also offers pick-your-own vegetables, with new potatoes ready in June
a tub of Purbeck Ice Cream, made at Lower Scoles and July; broad beans from the second week of June to mid-July; runner beans
Farm just down the road. in July and August; and various squash, pumpkin and gourd from August to October.

The lunch menu includes jacket potatoes, sandwiches ABOVE Liz Goldsack with daughter Scarlett. Liz makes jams and cakes for the tea
filled with tasty regional foods such as Somerset Cheddar room from gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants and blueberries grown on site.
and Dorset Blue Vinney cheeses, soups of the day, and
omelettes made with eggs from hens owned by Simon’s
brother Stephen. Pride of place, however, belongs to the
moreish cakes, all of which are home-made daily.

The tea room has proved an overnight success with
Holme’s customers, and is regularly used by local clubs
and for events such as the Purbeck Film Festival.
Simon and Liz were thrilled when it was highly
commended in the Garden Retail Awards less than
a year after it first opened.

Holme for Gardens has been constantly evolving
over many years, but Simon and his team say they have
no plans to rest on their laurels. Among the latest additions
are: an avenue representing an A to Z of British apple
varieties; richly planted colourful herbaceous borders;
and a new wildlife trail.

Jim Goldsack had little idea that his pick-your-
own diversification plan would be at the root of such
a flourishing business when he planted his first strawberry
plants all those years ago. ‘Dad passed away in 2008,’
Simon says, ‘but he loved the way the farm has developed.
We have always just wanted it to be the sort of place that
we would want to go and visit ourselves.’

Holme For Gardens and The Orchard Tea Room, West
Holme Farm, Wareham, Dorset BH20 6AQ. Tel: +44
(0)1929 554716. www.holmeforgardens.co.uk



PLANT FOCUS L

CORNUS

Forgotten flowers

Cornus offer berries and colourful foliage in autumn, followed by dazzling
winter stems, but that’s not all they have to give, says David Hurrion

PHOTOGRAPHS DIANNA JAZWINSKI
The English Garden 97

PLANT FOCUS

CORNUS

There is a cornus for every garden - it’s the
must-have plant for year-round interest

PREVIOUS PAGE Cornus With so many plants vying for attention in late
florida f. rubra. THIS spring and early summer, it can be easy to
PAGE, CLOCKWISE overlook dogwoods, but to do so is to miss
FROM TOP LEFT C. sericea out on some of the most spectacular shrubs and small
‘Flaviramea’ is also prized trees for the garden. The coloured-stemmed species have
for its golden winter become one of the mainstays of the winter garden and,
stems; Cornus amomum; when coppiced in spring, produce vibrant upright shoots
Cornus controversa in shades of brilliant red, black, orange, yellow and lime
‘Variegata’; Cornus alba green. The flowering species are rarely seen outside botanic
‘Aurea’; Cornus kousa var. collections and large country house gardens, however, and
chinensis ‘China Girl’; June is the month when they’re at their sumptuous best.
and Cornus angustata.
When it comes to flowers, dogwoods fall into two
groups - those that bear flattened sprays of creamy-white
and often scented blooms, and the more eye-catching
types, which produce large, petal-like bracts that surround
knobbly spheres of scentless flowers. Depending on the
species and variety, there are usually either four or six
bracts and, in some of the more recent hybrid forms of
cornus, these can be 10-12cm across. Being tougher than
true petals, these bracts have the advantage of lasting for
at least 10 days before dropping, in some cases more.

SWEET FRAGRANCE

The first group includes the widely planted coloured-
stemmed dogwoods, Cornus alba, C. sericea and
C. sanguinea. Left unpruned to grow into medium-sized
shrubs, these will all produce small sprays of flowers with
a slight, sweet fragrance, often followed by white berries,
or black in the case of C. sanguinea. Larger heads of blooms
are produced by the less well-known C. racemosa,
C. amomum and C.macrophylla. In their native United
States, they are known respectively as the ‘gray’, ‘silky’ and
‘large-leaved’ dogwoods, and they vary little in their basic
attributes, but bear subtle differences in stem colour, leaf

size and berry colour. They are all attractive to bees and ABOVE C. ‘Norman PLANTING TIPS
will flower profusely in full sun or part shade when left Hadden’ is a semi-
unpruned, as well as providing yellow, orange or russet- evergreen. ABOVE RIGHT G All cornus thrive in the textbook conditions of
red autumn leaf colour. The flowers of Cornus well-drained yet moisture-retentive soil. Of those
‘Porlock’ turn from white with colourful bracts, the North American species
Also falling within this group is Cornus controversa, but to pink as they age. such as C. florida and C. nuttallii do best in neutral
this isn’t one to hide away at the back of the border. This to acid soil and, on lime, are likely to become
species and its beautiful cultivars, the most commonly chlorotic and gradually decline in health. Most of
available of which is C. controversa ‘Variegata’, deserve the species from the Far East, such as C. kousa,
prominent positions as feature shrubs or small trees in the will grow on alkaline soil.
garden as their stunning layer-cake of branches provides G Where they are to be grown as large shrubs
a strong architectural form, even when they are bare in or small trees, dig out a large planting hole about
the winter - not for nothing are they known by the 60cm square and a little deeper than the container
common name of wedding cake trees. The large heads of the shrub is supplied in. Fork plenty of well-rotted
small, cream flowers are followed by dark mauve berries organic matter into the base of the hole, and the
and pink and red autumn leaf colour. Look out for the excavated soil. Knock the plant from its pot,
less widely available forms ‘Candlelight’, ‘Pagoda’ and position it so that the surface of the rootball is
‘Troya Dwarf’, all of which share the same stunning shape. level with the surrounding soil and fill around the
roots, firming in layers as you go. This will ensure
LARGEST BRACTS L that the plant has a secure root run and help
prevent it drying out in the summer.
For those who are looking for even more spectacle in the
garden during late spring and early summer, the cornus AFTERCARE
that produce petal-like bracts around their tiny flowers
are an absolute must. The best of these include forms of G Decorative stemmed cornus and those with
C. florida, C. nuttallii, C. capitata and C. kousa, originating flattened heads of small flowers are robust and
in the Himalaya and the Far East. require little in the way of care once established.
Those grown for colourful stems should be
The largest bracts are borne on the hybrids between cut back hard in late March.
different species, particularly C. kousa and C. capitata. G The ornamental, bract-forming cornus
These include the spectacular ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ and will benefit from two or three feeds with a
sequestered iron fertiliser during the first half
of the growing season. Maintain good soil
conditions by applying a 5cm mulch around the
base of the plants in October, keeping mulch clear
of the bark. The branches of the bracting cornus
tend to be brittle and can be damaged by strong
winds, so thin out some of the stems so that the
plant catches less of the wind in exposed
locations. Cut out any damage as soon as it
occurs to prevent dieback.

The English Garden 99

PLANT FOCUS ‘Norman Hadden’, both of which are covered with masses
of creamy-white bracts in June. They are semi-evergreen
CORNUS and make lovely, slow-growing shrubs that are fully hardy,
but benefit from shelter from strong and cold winds. There
PERFECT FOR SMALLER GARDENS are plenty of other hybrids with similar parentage, some
of which have bracts that change colour from white to
There are cornus suitable for any size of plot but, if pink as they age, such as C. ‘Porlock’.
you’ve only got room for one or you want a spectacular
specimen for a courtyard or front garden, then Cornus Equally beautiful are some of the forms of the straight
florida ‘Cloud Nine’ (right) takes some beating. It bears species such as C. kousa var. chinensis and other kousas
clusters of 7-8cm diameter blooms from mid-April to such as ‘China Girl’, ‘Southern Cross’, ‘Dwarf Pink’ and
mid-May along its elegant layered branches. The bracts ‘Rel Whirlwind’. Excellent forms of C. florida include pink-
are followed, in good summers, by glossy red fruits in bracted ‘Cherokee Chief’ and ‘Autumn Gold’ (which has
autumn and spectacular orange-red autumn foliage. orangey stems in winter), ‘Alba Plena’ with its double white
It’s the must-have plant for year-round interest. bracts and C. florida f. rubra. There are also variegated and
gold-leaved forms of C. florida and this species has some
The bracts last for at least 10 days before of the best cultivars for autumn foliage colour.
dropping, in some cases more
There really is a cornus for every garden. In addition to
ABOVE Cornus florida those species and varieties mentioned, there are plenty
‘Cloud Nine’. RIGHT more to seek out, but possibly the most unexpected is the
Cornus kousa ‘Dwarf diminutive C. canadensis, which is herbaceous and grows
20-30cm tall, topped with four distinctive bracts.
Pink’. BELOW Cornus
kousa var. chinensis STOCKISTS
is one of the most
WHERE TO SEE CORNUS
readily available types. G Newby Hall Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire
HG4 5AE. Tel: 0845 4504068. www.newbyhall.com
G RHS Rosemoor Gardens, Great Torrington,
Devon EX38 8PH. Tel: +44 (0)1805 624067.
www.rhs.org.uk/Gardens/Rosemoor
G Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Ampfield,
Hampshire SO51 0QA. Tel: + 44 (0)1794 368787.
www.hilliergardens.org.uk
WHERE TO BUY CORNUS
G Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery, Smisby,
Ashby de la Zouch, Leics LE65 2TA. Tel: +44
(0)1530 413700. www.bluebellnursery.com
G Junker’s Nursery Ltd, West Hatch, Taunton,
Somerset TA3 5RN. Tel: +44 (0)1823 480774.
www.junker.co.uk
G Secretts Garden Centre, Milford, Godalming,
Surrey GU8 5HL. Tel: +44 (0)1483 520500.
www.secretts.co.uk