49 minute read
Shopping Products and gifts to help you celebrate autumn and spruce up your shed.
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Harvest Festival
Pieces for home and garden to celebrate the season’s autumnal colours and abundant produce
1. Harvesting basket – grey, £22.95. Tel: 0345 5480210; annabeljames.co.uk 2. Rustic rattan pumpkin, £41.99. Tel: 0161 7100596; rathwood. co.uk 3. Acanthus gilt chandelier, £1,150. 1stdibs. com 4. Pomona I framed print, £163.41. mindtheg. com/uk 5. Rowan cereal bowl, £19.95. Tel: 01782 210565; emmabridgewater.co.uk 6. Bembridge forage basket, £50. Tel: 01993 845559; gardentrading.co.uk 7. Pick-UP wheelbarrow with puncture free wheel, £95. Tel: 01922 621286; haemmerlin.co.uk 8. Aulica leaf napkin rings – set of four, £39.99. Tel: 0800 7564349; wayfair.co.uk 9. Golden acorn bunches – set of six, £24. Tel: 03332 401228; sophieconran. com 10. Kent & Stowe telescopic fruit picker, £24.99. Tel: 01497 847055; oldrailwaylinegc.co.uk
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Shed Chic
As the chillier days and nights draw in, create a cosy and practical garden retreat
1. Natural stripe double doormat, £30. folkinteriors. co.uk 2. Emma Bridgewater potting shed deep rectangular tin, £10. Tel: 01769 579077; daisypark. co.uk 3. Juniper Ash 115 exterior eggshell paint, £73.50 for 2.5l; Atomic Red 190 Tom’s oil eggshell paint, £75 for 2.5l. Tel: 0845 8805855; littlegreene. com 4. Matt black wooden ‘Bits & Bobs’ caddy, £10. dunelm.com 5. Aldsworth shelf ladder – large, £210. Tel: 01993 845559; gardentrading. co.uk 6. Barn style black metal coat hooks, £29.99. ninoandgreen.com 7. Teapot in pigeon grey, £30. Tel: 020 7837 9749; falconenamelware.com 8. Aldsworthy 8-drawer storage unit, £350. Tel: 01993 845559; gardentrading.co.uk 9. Ferm Living desert stool, £109. Tel: 0800 5877645; amara.com 10. The Book of Shed by Joel Bird, £25. Tel: 0808 1188787; waterstones.com 4
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Made to endure and designed to enjoy; bring a little art into your everyday with our handmade collections for house and garden.
The Virtuoso GARDENER
Griselda Kerr’s book may be called The Apprehensive Gardener, to reflect her steep learning curve, but her garden at The Dower House in Derbyshire is the work of a bold and confident plantswoman
Kniphofia rooperi, Aconitum ‘Kelmscott’ and dahlias bring bold, gutsy colour to borders at The Dower House.
Many of you will be familiar with the magnificent, extensive formal gardens of Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire, which proclaims itself ‘the best surviving early 18th-century garden in the manner of Le Notre’. Less well known are the more informal neighbouring gardens of The Dower House, its early 19th-century, Grade II-listed cousin. Here, enjoying broad vistas over the hugely atmospheric 20-acre Melbourne Pool, an intimate and enchanting garden has been created by Griselda and William Kerr, William being the first cousin of Lord Ralph Kerr, who owns Melbourne Hall. The unusually diverse site affords a wide variety of planting opportunities, with a range of habitats suitable for plants that thrive in full sun, every degree of shade, wet or well-drained soil, making it a real plantswoman’s playground. Over the past two decades, Griselda, who initially had limited gardening knowledge, has discovered, researched, planted and nurtured several hundred different specimens. “Not all have been entirely successful,” she reveals, but the garden’s autumnal spectacle suggests otherwise. The Dower House garden is a living textbook, an accumulation of acquired knowledge and experience that Griselda has noted down over the years. “I had no idea how to look In 2000, with all their children at boarding school, Griselda returned from after any existing plants, let Hong Kong to The Dower House while her alone those I wished to add” husband continued working abroad. With the children away, the ‘garden’ beckoned: “One-and-a-half overgrown acres with eight-foot-tall brambles, impenetrable pathways and trees blocking every view!” Top Griselda Kerr, who wrote The Apprehensive A gradual clearance operation began, and Gardener while caring bits of garden started to emerge. for the garden here. Only then did it dawn on Griselda Middle A golden bloom that “I had no idea how to look after any of Abutilon ‘Canary Bird’. This image Box and existing plants let alone those I wished to berberis edge beds of add.” She duly signed up to three years of dahlias and helianthus. gardening school, bolting on additional study courses. She read avidly, soaking up information while finding expert advice at the nurseries she frequented: David Austin, Peter Beales, Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery, Mill Cottage Plants, Ashwood Nurseries, Knoll Gardens, Millais and her local nursery at Swarkestone. Always seeking and recording answers to her questions – When might I prune this cotinus? How should I prune my roses? When should I cut down these grasses? How can I encourage this monarda to stay in flower? – she diarised solutions to multiple plant quandaries, which resulted in a practical guide to managing garden
The clear yellow Dahlia ‘Glorie van Heemstede’ shines out against the tranquil waters of Melbourne Pool.
Above A mound of grey Teucrium fruticans contrasts with scarlet Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’. Right This stone sculpture of a Chinese lion is from Hong Kong. Below Various asters, echinops, sedum and salvias contribute pinks and mauve to the Long Border next to the lawn. plants throughout the year. This compilation eventually became her book, The Apprehensive Gardener. As the book took shape, many plants beyond her own soil’s remit were also included, so now it provides information on most of the plants likely to be found in a typical English garden.
Griselda capitalises on the breadth of different habitats afforded by the aspect and topography of her garden. “The soil generally is neutral, but it is slightly more acidic and heavier in the west,” she explains. It’s consistently moist by the water’s edge but drier on the east where the lesser clay content means “lots of mulching and staking, otherwise plants fall over in the free-draining, Millstone Grit soil”. However, she adds, this soil is ‘lovely to work’.
The garden faces due south, with sun-soaked upper terraces, while canopies of mature trees on the western side create shady areas that provide a range of climatic situations coupled with plateaus, steep inclines and water fronts. Griselda has designed, created and tailored planting schemes to suit every aspect of her garden at all times of the year. The warm, sheltered walls of The Dower House itself are elegantly smothered with wisteria and the earlyflowering rose ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’. “I have to snip regularly to maintain views from the bedroom
windows!” Griselda exclaims. Soft pink, blue and white flowers linger on into autumn, decorating the front-of-house borders: white Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’, pink Rosa ‘Bonica’, musky-scented nicotiana, and blue Salvia uliginosa, are interspersed with silvery clouds of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’.
The colours darken towards the western front corner of the house. The Wisteria Bed includes relatively tender Abutilon ‘Ashford Red’, deep rosered Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rubenza’ and dramatic dark torches of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Blackfield’. These long-lasting blooms perform well into autumn, thriving in their sheltered, sunny, welldrained situation. “In the ground they seem to get through the winter if protected from strong winds,” Griselda notes sagely in her book.
Conditions are similar in the garden’s eastern Long Border, which flanks the Main Lawn. Planting here is successional, deliberately autumnal now, with mixed perennials in warm seasonal tones of pink, terracotta and mauve. Towering pink-tinged plumes of Persicaria polymorpha mix with fountains of ornamental grass sesleria, sedum Hylotelephium
SEASONAL spectacle
At The Dower House, autumn is welcomed by a range of plants chosen for high-impact flowers
DAHLIA ‘BISHOP OF AUCKLAND’
Single flowers with petals of crimson velvet above dark foliage and stems.
CANNA ‘BETHANY’
Tender cannas need winter protection, but this variety’s bold flowers and gold striped leaves are worth the effort.
COSMOS ‘PURITY’
This popular cosmos brings a welcome freshness to autumn’s rich tones, with its delicate flowers and feathery foliage.
DAPHNE ‘ETERNAL FRAGRANCE’
This superb daphne produces its scented blooms from April to October.
DAHLIA ‘GLORIE VAN HEEMSTEDE’
Waterlily flowers in clear, luminous yellow from midsummer onwards.
DAHLIA ‘NUIT D’ETÉ’
A striking cactus-type dahlia with burgundy flowers that are darker at the centre, creating a dramatic display.
ACONITUM CARMICHAELII ‘KELMSCOTT’
Tall spires of deep purple-blue hooded flowers reach between 1.2 and 1.8m.
ASARINA ‘SNOW WHITE’
Grow this half-hardy annual climber from seed sown under cover in spring; you may see it sold as lophospermum.
HELENIUM ‘WALTRAUT’
A robust, upright variety of helenium with yellow and orange flowers borne between July and September.
SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE FIREPLACES & FINE ANTIQUES SINCE 1969
Above Helenium ‘Waltraut’ perfectly complements golden Sorbus scalaris. Left In the woods, a swing seat made by Duncan Thurlby. Below Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, with Helianthus ‘Miss Mellish creating a golden glow behind. spectabile ‘Brilliant’ with Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch,’ aster ‘Little Carlow’ and heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides. There’s Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’, with the silver-leaved weeping pear, Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’, which spills, willowlike over the water’s edge. “The colours here are restrained and elegant in contrast to the explosive, effulgent colours on the west side of the garden at this time,” Griselda observes.
The western lawn’s Hot Border, still sun-soaked, is damper and almost tropical. It’s a riot of carnivalcoloured planting that is deliberately designed to keep the colour coming until the first frosts. It includes free-flowering sunflowers Helianthus ‘Miss Mellish’ and H. ‘Lemon Queen’, Kniphofia rooperi, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora ‘Emily McKenzie’ and dahlias such as ‘Glorie van Heemstede’, ‘Nuit d’Eté’ and ‘Bishop of Auckland’.
Hedged in with colourful pink Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rose Glow’ and traditional clipped box, spears of the sharp blue monk’s hood, Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Kelmscott’, pierce the hotter hues. “Cut down dead flower stalks of aconitum before the leaves turn brown. Always wear gloves; they are so poisonous,” Griselda advises in her book.
Lawns are a key feature in the garden. “I like to maintain sweeping areas of green, which retain the views, complement the openness of the pool and
relax the eye,” says Griselda. The Chelsea Morning Lawn, with its cartwheeling bronze statue by Helen Sinclair, runs down a steep slope, pinned by standard privet lollipops. This break in the sloping woodland affords clear views over on-the-turn treetops, across pillars of Irish yew and a huge bobbin of privet. “Evergreen structure brings year-round shape and texture to the garden and is a foil to the looser bursts of autumn colour provided by acers, cercis, cotinus, metasequoia and others,” says Griselda.
Woodland shade and damper areas of the garden are spangled with flashes of colour from large-leaved Kirengeshoma palmata, toad lily (tricyrtis), and still-in-flower Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
Top Helen Sinclair’s bronze statue cartwheels through quirky privet lollipops on the Chelsea Morning Lawn. Above A sculpture of a pig snuffles around the base of Euonymus alatus, just beginning to show its fiery autumn colour. alongside other autumn-peaking Hydrangea paniculata, which flush with colour as they mature. “Hydrangea paniculata has excellent dried flowerheads,” notes Griselda in the book – she leaves them on the plant and prunes in February.
The Glade and Bog Garden areas on the western waterside margins of the garden are the dampest parts, but their south-facing aspect and well-drained raised beds retained by stone walls mean plants that dislike the wet can also cope here. Tropical giant cordylines, phormiums and Stipa gigantea survive cheek-by-jowl with thickets of orange-marmalade Helenium ‘Waltraut’, gunnera, rodgersia, astilbe and other moisture lovers.
The Dower House garden is an opulent, colourful tapestry of trees, shrubs, foliage and flowering plants, which thrive in the wealth of naturally occurring garden habitats, especially radiant in autumn. Through curiosity, trial and error, dogged determination and an insatiable love of plants, Griselda’s garden glows with the same vitality, enthusiasm and charm as its owner. n
The Dower House, Church Square, Melbourne, Derbyshire DE73 8JH. Tel: 01332 864756. Bookings by appointment for groups of 8 or more can be made any time of the year. For signed and dedicated copies of The Apprehensive Gardener for £12.50 plus £3.50 p&p, email garden@dowerhouse.email with your name, address, and who you would like the book dedicated to, and you will be contacted.
Dressed to IMPRESS
Turning her eye for fashion to The Old Rectory in Northamptonshire, owner Kate Toller has used signature colours to dress beds and borders, rescuing the space from encroaching wilderness to create a stylish, balanced garden of tranquil delights
Cleome, solanum and bananas in terracotta pots add an exotic late-season flourish to this area of the garden.
Above Lawns slope from the Georgian rectory, which is clad in rambling roses and wisteria. Right Kate Toller owns The Old Rectory with her husband Guy. Far right The potager entrance, flanked by tree peonies and box balls.
The geological map of Britain is a beautiful and complex thing. Look closely and you’ll see many interesting shapes and forms that explain a lot about this island’s history and culture. One such shape is an elegant curl – a great band of Oolitic limestone – that makes a curving sweep up the middle of England. From the Dorset coast up past Bath, Oxford and on to the Lincolnshire Wolds, this delightful stone built many quintessentially English towns and villages and is particularly loved for its warm, honey-coloured tones that make the Cotswolds and their cottages so special.
While rural Gloucestershire might be something of a tourist hotspot, happily the thatched villages further up the band remain tranquil and unspoilt. One such village is Sudborough, in the verdant, rolling countryside of Northamptonshire. Nestled into a south-facing slope and overlooked by the 13th-century All Saints church, The Old Rectory is the epitome of rural England.
Home to Kate and Guy Toller for the past seven years, this three-acre garden surrounds a lateGeorgian rectory. Built from mellow golden local limestone, its graceful proportions and stylish simplicity set the tone for the garden, which has been lovingly developed during their tenure. From overgrown, overblown beds, borders and encroaching wilderness, the Tollers have created something that is truly magical.
The garden is a masterclass in balancing exuberant planting with a sense of control and order. At the back of the house, classically tall Georgian windows open onto a sunny stone terrace, backed by generous swirls of Rosa ‘Raubritter’. Two ancient standard white wisterias guard the top of stone steps, which are covered in an abundance of the delightful daisylike Erigeron karvinskianus and lead down to an expansive central lawn.
Off to the left is Kate’s treasured Rose Circle. Sheltered by a sloping bed of drought-loving Mediterranean-type plants such as alliums, santolina and sedums, it mixes classic English garden combinations of roses and low box hedging with some unexpected elements to give a Moorish feel. Rich blue-purple flowers of standard Lycianthes rantonnetii (formerly Solanum rantonnetii) speak of sunnier climes, while the green oak gazebo with its pointed copper finial and pyramidal trellis tops echoes the nearby church tower. Spider flowers (Cleome hassleriana ‘Violet Queen’) and Verbena bonariensis provide a dynamic, exotic-looking foil to the roses, and ensure this part of the garden retains interest well into the autumn.
The central lawn and its generously sized mixed borders slope gently down to a large pond, filled in summer with pink waterlilies. There’s a seamless transition here to a wilder, more naturalistic style. Grass paths dissect borders not of cultivated soil, but meadow grasses studded with choice shrubs and trees such as the paper birch, Betula papyrifera, and Persian ironwood, Parrotia persica.
Happy memories of childhood summers on the Channel Islands at the renowned gardens of La Seigneurie, owned by her great-grandmother, the Dame of Sark, instilled in Kate a life-long love of plants. However, after a 25-year career spent in the fashion industry, it is only in the past few years at The Old Rectory that her gardening passion and knowledge has shifted up a gear. “Our wonderful, Kew-trained gardener Ben Houston taught me a lot,” says Kate. “After he left, I was terrified. But now I’ve ended up taking control and even giving talks!”
Certainly her fashionista eye is evident in the use of colour. Purple leaves and flowers are repeated throughout the garden – “it’s such a grounding
Left A range of dahlias are still adding vivid colour as autumn progresses. Try ‘Bishop of Leicester’ for similar.
The potager was designed by Rosemary Verey, with stepover apples marking the formal layout of beds.
Fan-trained peaches line the south wall while standard gooseberries give structure to vegetable beds
colour,” says Kate. The colour scheme of the herbaceous borders is based around Rosa ‘Burgundy Ice’, with purplish cercis, ricinus and physocarpus all contributing, the latter repeated in the wilder areas at the bottom of the garden. Purple-stemmed Tibetan cherry Prunus serrula ‘Branklyn’ is also used throughout: its shiny reddish-purple bark glows in all seasons, complementing the tree’s white spring flowers and yellow autumn colour.
However, this isn’t the first time discerning eyes have alighted upon The Old Rectory. Back in the 1980s, renowned garden designer Rosemary Verey was employed to create a potager. With its colourful brick paths, and abundant flowers, trained fruit and Above Looking down low hedges, it is very over the Rose Circle, and much of its time. Fanits surrounding bed of trained peaches silvery santolina and line the south wall, richly autumnal sedum. Left A sheltered spot while standard to sit next to the house, gooseberries give with Dahlia ‘Blue Bayou’. structure to vegetable
Above Further away from the house, the garden becomes wilder, with a pond crossed by a green painted bridge. Left Dahlias flowering their socks off. Below In a sheltered courtyard, Tibouchina urvilleana is the highlight of a group of containers. beds. Rhubarb enjoys the fertile clay soil and annual lashings of compost and is used to make rhubinis: the Tollers’ signature cocktail. Home-made, secretrecipe rhubarb cordial is mixed with champagne to make the ultimate summer drink.
“Gardening here is a challenge,” says Kate. “The enclosed, south-facing nature of the site means that heat can become trapped in the summer – one August we recorded temperatures of over 40°C in the potager!” In the winter, meanwhile, temperatures can plunge and persistent frost pockets form in sheltered hollows. The secret to getting good results is home-made compost, and lots of it. When Kate presented her ideas for a four-bay compost area to husband Guy, he said: “It’s either compost or a holiday.” Suffice to say the passports went un-thumbed that year, and the Tollers now use a mini digger to turn their compost.
Alongside the Rose Circle’s lycianthes and cleome, many other tender plants enliven the garden, adding
Rhubarb enjoys the fertile clay soil here and is used to make rhubinis: the Tollers’ signature cocktail
Above Trained fruit particular value to clothes the arches that late-season displays. make the potager as decorative as it is productive. As autumn leaves on deciduous trees begin Right Inky, spiky Dahlia to colour up, the ‘Verrone’s Obsidian’. dahlias hit their stride, Far right Gorgeous Lycianthes rantonnetii, formerly solanum. a particular favourite being ‘Verrone’s Obsidian’. Its quilled, inky, burgundy-red petals have darker tints, picking up on the garden’s signature purple palette.
Further late-season tender stars include darkleaved ricinus and salvias such as the vivid pink Salvia involucrata on the terrace next to the house. Zesty lemon-coloured argyranthemums add many months of floral interest to the Yellow Garden alongside the churchyard. Meanwhile, in a sheltered west-facing courtyard to the side of the house, the super-saturated purple flowers of Tibouchina urvilleana shine out among pretty displays of plectranthus and pelargoniums.
Lively though these plant displays are, the garden is a peaceful place. Red kites soar overhead and church bells count out the hours in a daily ritual that is somehow timeless despite being defined by time. When the garden used to open to the public, visitors were often moved to tears by the serene spectacle unfolding before them. Certainly the garden has helped keep Kate and Guy sane in tough times over the past couple of years. As Audrey Hepburn once said, “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”. n
Kate’s ADVICE
Tips on creating a stylish and well-designed garden
Pick a signature colour and repeat it judiciously throughout the garden for cohesion – it can be bark, stems or leaves, as well as flowers. Wind the stems of climbing roses in circles when growing them against a wall: by breaking the plant’s natural vertical habit, you will encourage prolific flowering. Fight box blight by taking the best care possible of the soil around your plants. Use a good quality organic fertiliser and plenty of home-made compost. Crown-lift large shrubs such as osmanthus and Prunus lusitanica. You’ll open up lots of space for a range of choice shade-loving plants beneath them.
Don’t be afraid to split up large beds and borders by using paths. A curving bark path will sit easily amid planting and makes maintenance much easier.
Use large pots as statement pieces. They can be very useful for creating additional garden structure in a similar way to topiary.
The Good LIFE
Seized by a 1970s enthusiasm for self-sufficiency, Christine and Ian Davies have expanded their Surrey garden over the decades to fulfil a passion for crops. Alongside this, a relaxed style of perennial planting has developed, reaching its mellow peak in autumn
WORDS JILL ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHS JULIE SKELTON
Header HEADLINE
In Grantchester, immortalised in a poem by Rupert Brooke, the Burkitts have worked the footprint of Merton House’s former garden into a series of cleverly designed rooms
A spacious terrace made from bricks of local clay offers wonderful views out over the circular lawn to the mature woodland beyond.
Top Autumn planting at its finest, with golden Rudbeckia fulgida and crimson persicaria accenting the soft buff and russet grasses. Above The productive garden and greenhouse are the garden’s engine room and are screened off by beech hedging. Right Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’. W alking along the edge of the small market town of Godalming in Surrey, there’s no indication that a rather remarkable garden is to be found behind one of the half-dozen modest cottages on this quiet lane. The unassuming view at the front, is in contrast to the expansive garden beyond. Richly diverse in plants, fruit and vegetables, this garden peaks in autumn, when a feast of floral abundance and trees laden with apples and pears can be enjoyed.
Christine and Ian Davies have lived here for over 40 years. It’s unusual to find a house occupied by the same owners for so long, but time has let them gradually transform their small garden. Along the way, they’ve picked up a variety of skills necessary to develop what would eventually become a large garden. Their first opportunity to increase its size came shortly after moving in. They had enjoyed growing their own vegetables at their previous rented property and wanted to continue. After all, this was the 1970s when the idea of living The Good Life and becoming self-sufficient was popular. But with little space for growing vegetables at their new home, the couple came to an agreement with the owners of neighbouring land, to take on a small stretch of it, and began a vegetable plot of their own.
A tract of woodland leads down to the River Wey and looks beautiful illuminated by the early-morning sun.
This was to become a pattern. Some 20 years later, another parcel of land became available next to their garden – and then another. Eventually they found themselves the owners of seven acres, including a small field and an area of woodland leading to the River Wey. Initially they had the help of a garden designer who made a plan for a new layout and suggested plants suitable for the soil type and aspect. Armed with this, they set about dealing with the steeply sloping garden immediately behind the house.
Retaining walls and terraces were constructed, using bricks made of local clay from the nearby, but now defunct, Cranleigh Brick and Tile Company. Bricks have been used as a unifying theme throughout the garden, weaving its different areas together. Two generous terraces, with plenty of room for tables and chairs, enjoy wonderful views – on the horizon, peeping out above the mature trees, the spire of the chapel at Charterhouse School can just be glimpsed in the distance.
Terracotta pots of herbs, houseleeks and sprawling purple sedum are artfully arranged along the tops of the walls, and steps lead down from the terraces to a circular lawn that adds a sense of space to the layout of this part of the garden. It’s surrounded by borders filled with dahlias, some richly coloured, and others in gentle pastel hues. There are delicate pink and creamy-white roses alongside mounds of lavender and small, evergreen shrubs. Potted box domes
Top left Echinacea purpurea with sedum. Top right Ian taught himself how to train fruit trees, which are now an integral part of the garden’s structure. Above Mounds of purple asters are typical of the rich autumn planting. stand sentinel beside the paths, while a fastigiate yew adds structure, contrasting nicely with the surrounding, soft planting.
Fruit trees are an integral feature. Not only do they provide masses of fruit, some of which is made into cider, but they also help screen and sub-divide the garden. “We were inspired by trained fruit trees in the garden of a manor house hotel we stayed at in France years ago, and decided to grow them in our own garden,” Ian explains. He began planting the trees in 2008, buying one-year-old, untrained maidens and teaching himself how to train some of them into espaliers. In all there are about 50 fruit trees: a few pears, but mostly apples, including favourites such as ‘Blenheim Orange’ and ‘Ashmead Kernel’. There’s also a prolific, old ‘Merryweather’ damson, which drips with fruit at this time of year.
Ian has help to prune the fruit trees and trim the hedges, which keeps the structure of the garden neat and productive. A tall beech hedge, punctuated by arches, divides the vegetable plot from the ornamental garden immediately behind the house. Asparagus and frames of beans can be seen through the gaps, inviting further investigation. Christine has become adept over the years at propagation, growing both vegetables and flowers from seed. Most of the dahlias have been grown from cuttings, and are left in the ground over winter, with a mulch of compost for protection. “Learning how to propagate was the only way to fill the big, empty areas as the garden expanded,” Christine explains.
The gardening year starts in February, with sowings of tomatoes in the greenhouse. Favourites include ‘Black Russian’ and ‘Gardener’s Delight’, for their flavour and reliability. As the year progresses, more vegetables are sown and grown until the raised beds and greenhouse are copiously stocked. The
vegetable garden is the heart of the garden. Tools and equipment are stored here, seeds sown and plants propagated, while the contents of a series of compost bins enrich the soil’s vitality and structure.
A timber pergola, planted with clematis, leads through a gate and down to a more informal part of the garden. On misty autumn mornings, soft light filters through a tall bank of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Nishidake’, the silky tassels perfectly backlit by the rising sun. A large, circular pond covered with fat waterlilies is partially screened by tall plants. It’s a calming place to sit and adds to the diversity of the garden, attracting birds and insects. Planting here is an exuberant combination of grasses and perennials. Flowering begins in summer and it looks lovely in autumn, as colours become more muted and grasses full of seedheads take on tints of soft pink and buff.
Christine credits her many visits to nearby RHS Wisley over the years as the inspiration for her sublime planting combinations. Plump mounds of the sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ sit alongside pink echinacea, slender stems of Verbena bonariensis and fiery red persicaria flowers, contrasting beautifully with fluffy plumes of Calamagrostis brachytricha. Swathes of Rudbeckia fulgida spill onto the gravel path that snakes sinuously through the plants, flanked by broad leaves of Phlomis russeliana, their tall seedheads bobbing in the breeze.
This relaxed planting style of perennials and grasses makes a perfect transition to the field beyond, which is the domain of half a dozen sheep. Borrowed from a local shepherd, they stay for a year or so, keeping the grass trimmed in return for board and lodging. They are especially fond of the fresh trimmings from the apple trees, heading at speed to the fence at the sound of fruit trees being pruned. The remaining garden rolls gently away through the open field, backed by a tract of woodland. It’s a peaceful walk along mown paths, through the trees and down to the River Wey, which is particularly beautiful in early morning. Christine and Ian will say that the garden has evolved through trial and error, and while this may be true, skill and determination is needed to train fruit to be productive and a good eye for colour and form to make such satisfying plant combinations. n
Above Fat waterlilies adorn the tranquil pond, which is screened off by tall plumes of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Nishidake’. Right Sheep borrowed from a local shepherd keep grass neat – and are rather partial to the prunings from fruit trees.
A PLACE IN THE COUNTRY
When Mark and Sarah Firth decided to build a holiday rental in the grounds of their rural Leicestershire home, they turned to Oakwrights for a sensitive and characterful oak-framed build
When Mark and Sarah Firth moved to a picturesque village in the heart of rural Leicestershire 17 years ago, they knew they had found somewhere pretty special. Their farmhouse – surrounded by rolling countryside as far as the eye could see – was a bucolic idyll and a place they hoped they would be able to share with others. After discovering that it was possible to use some of their land to build a commercial property, they settled upon the idea of a holiday rental.
“We looked at the emerging staycation market and decided that we wanted to create a high-end, self-catered holiday
Above At Hare’s Furrow, the Oakwrightsdesigned garden barn is clad in larch weatherboarding, with an oak-framed pergola above the outdoor dining area.
business,” Mark explains. With this in mind, plans for ‘Stop in the Sticks’ started to take shape. The couple knew they wanted the proposed building to merge perfectly with the surrounding countryside, so an oak-framed structure seemed like an obvious choice. “Oakframed buildings seem to have a visual warmth that you just don’t get with other materials,” says Mark.
They approached several oak-frame suppliers to gain inspiration before coming across Oakwrights. The couple were blown away by the quality of the operation and the manufacture of their oak frames, as well as the warm and friendly approach of the staff. “In effect, we were self-builders to a degree, so their hand-holding was greatly appreciated,” Mark explains.
The couple met up with one of Oakwrights’ regional design consultants, Zoe Grey, and together they discussed ideas for the oak-framed garden barn that would provide luxury accommodation for their future guests. Mark and Sarah had a very clear vision in mind for their new build, which is always helpful during
the planning stages. “It was fantastic to work with clients who were so designfocused,” Zoe recalls.
“Once we had agreed the basic form, we then added in features such as a large double-height window in the hallway and A-frames upstairs in the bedroom spaces,” explains Mark. When Zoe met with Mark and Sarah for a second site visit at their home, the couple also wondered whether it might be possible to incorporate their knot garden (which all guests can make the most of during their stay) into the design concept, and so what can now be enjoyed by visitors is the result of careful consideration and evolving ideas. “It was an organic design process,” Mark recalls.
Now the build is complete, you can truly see how beautifully it all came together. A natural stone pathway leads to the door of ‘Hare’s Furrow’, Mark and Sarah’s oak-framed, cottagestyle garden barn. The outside is clad in larch weatherboarding, and a slate roof overhangs the walkway to the front door. In addition, an adjacent oak frame pergola sits above an al fresco dining area, effortlessly completing the homely look and feel of the place.
Inside, the building is light and airy with large oak-framed windows mirrored by the handcrafted oak beams. The spacious kitchen, dining and living area is perfect for entertaining and, despite it being new build, it’s full of character and
Top left Bedrooms feature large oak-framed windows and handcrafted oak A-frames. Top right To give a traditional feel, lots of details, such as extra oak braces, were used. Above The kitchen, dining and living area is comfortable and spacious, and the exposed oak beams add character and charm.
charm. Four en-suite bedrooms make for excellent sleeping arrangements too.
“Because Mark and Sarah’s home is a traditional farmhouse, it was important that we designed a traditional oak frame with a lot of detailing such as extra braces and curved feature trusses, but with a few modern touches like the face glazing up the stairs, which pulls in so much light,” says Zoe. “This also allows you to really feel close to the outdoors and sets the tone for a tranquil weekend hideaway.”
Mark and Sarah’s oak-frame garden barn is now a fully-fledged holiday cottage – one that has proved unceasingly popular for year-round rentals. “I’m delighted with the barn, and to see the final finish weathered into the Leicestershire landscape is all we ever hoped for,” says Zoe.
oakwrights.co.uk
At the rear of the house, green oak planters make up a smart crop-filled potager, sheltered by a low stone wall.
Earthly DELIGHTS
The garden designed by Matthew Wilson at Acomb High House in Northumberland ticked a verdant lawn and potager off the owners’ wish list, while its dreamy Monet Garden has made it a source of joy
WORDS LOUISE CURLEY PHOTOGRAPHS RICHARD BLOOM
Creating a garden that blends into its rural setting and complements the old house it surrounds while incorporating elements of contemporary design is no easy task. But it’s one that designer Matthew Wilson has carried out with aplomb at Acomb High House near Hexham in Northumberland. Owners Naomi Liller and her husband Dave bought the Grade II-listed property in 2014, embarking on a large restoration project. Then, in 2017, with the house complete, they turned their attention to the garden. “When we moved here the garden had an old-fashioned charm, but it had been neglected and was overrun with weeds and rabbits,” Naomi explains. The garden needed new life breathing into it, but they initially struggled to find the right person for the job. “It was the architect who had worked on the house who recommended Matthew, and when we met we clicked.”
Aside from a kitchen garden and a good-sized lawn, Naomi and Dave didn’t have a long list of requirements, so Matthew was given free rein. “What struck me when I first visited was that a sloping section was partly hidden from the rest of the garden by a large cherry tree, affectionately known by Naomi as ‘the old lady’,” Matthew recalls. “I liked that element of surprise, being able to stumble on this other part of the garden, and I felt this was an important characteristic to retain along with some of the other quirky aspects, such as the house not being square to the garden,
which meant nothing would line up, and the walls being a real mix of brick and stone, with some sections rendered or painted and others not. All these elements gave the garden its own character and encouraged me to embrace it rather than to try to impose something on it.” Naomi and Dave were keen for the garden to be sympathetic and responsive to its setting. They wanted to use materials that were appropriate to the area and to ensure that the garden’s environmental impact was limited – all of which fitted Matthew’s own design ethos. As a result, established plants were incorporated into the design where possible, no herbicides were used, and stone already on site was reused with additional stone sourced from a quarry just five miles away. “The garden effectively formed three different areas,” explains Matthew. “The front of the house, which consisted of some mature trees and a relentless expanse of gravel right up to the house; the upper level of the back garden, which was a mix of uneven lawn and an allotment-style vegetable patch; and a sloping lower section covered in rosebay willowherb, which led down to the old tennis court that Naomi and Dave had turned into a manège for their horses.” Matthew transformed the front of the house into a welcoming space, creating a garden where previously there hadn’t been one by adding a Below Part of the 2.5-metre wide border in front of the potager, the raised beds are filled with crops including kale, brassicas house. He included a generous strip of stone paving that matches the mellow and strawberries. stone of the building, running the
length of the house Above Early-morning sun and separated from the filters through the trees parking area by a low yew and highlights the large reflective pool in the hedge. A quintessential Monet Garden. cottage garden feel is Right Planting is angled conjured with Rosa to give a sense that it ‘Mortimer Sackler’ is cascading down the slope with the rill. scrambling up the wall of the house alongside Japanese anemones, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, the delicate golden seedheads of Deschampsia cespitosa and the statuesque stems of hollyhocks, which envelop a space for a table and chairs where Naomi and David can enjoy the evening sun.
At the back of the house in the upper section, the existing lawn area was levelled and re-laid, the verdant expanse providing a breathing space for the surrounding borders that are filled with abundant perennial planting, including Naomi’s favourite roses, peonies and daisy flowers. The old allotment patch adjacent to it is now a smart potager garden where raised beds made from
Screening off the billowing planting is the venerable form of a large cherry tree known as ‘the old lady’.
green oak brim with perennial herbs and vegetables. “I try to include somewhere to sit and eat in the edible gardens I design, and here the seating area is surrounded by espaliered apples, which will make the space feel more secluded as they mature. I’ve also planted pears and morello cherries, which are happy with some shade against a low, north-facing wall,” Matthew observes.
The contemporary punch in the overall design comes from the sloping section of the lower part of the garden, now known as the Monet Garden. “I wanted this part of the garden to be bold, and about a month after my first site visit I went to Monet’s garden at Giverny, where I was struck by the narrow paths that were almost completely sublimated by the planting so that you felt enveloped by the plants,” explains Matthew. To tackle the slope, Matthew designed a series of terraced planting areas with retaining walls built from stone already on site. “I knew I’d need some other elements to break up the planting and that’s when I started to think about using water.” A large reflective pool and a stepped rill with elegant copper spouts, form a central spine, from which everything in this section emanates. Clipped beech ‘beehives’ provide a touch of formality and highlight the route of the rill, forming a green and watery allée leading down to the manège. They also
Above left The stepped rill with its copper spouts forms the spine of the Monet Garden. Top right Towering hollyhocks engulf a seating area. Above right Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ is much loved by pollinators.
provide a contrast to the exuberant, billowy informality of the grasses and pollinator-friendly perennials, such as Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’; the towering, fragrant spires of Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’; and Eupatorium maculatum ‘Riesenschirm’, all reaching their peak in late summer and early autumn.
To provide additional structure, Matthew also incorporated an existing mature osmanthus and planted a multi-stemmed Prunus x yedoensis for its early almond-scented blossom and attractive autumn colour. The grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ stands sentinel, its upright stems gleaming in the golden autumnal light. “It’s a particularly good-value grass because it comes into flower early, in June, and continues to look good until it’s cut back in late winter,” says Matthew. He also angled the drifts of plants so that they effectively form a V-shape towards the bottom of the rill, giving a sense that the plants are cascading down the slope. “I wanted a long season of interest throughout
the garden, and I wanted to use plants that were reliable, largely self-supporting and easy to maintain while creating impact. The perennials in the Monet Garden, for example, just need cutting back to above the ground in early spring.”
While Matthew wanted each of the different areas of the garden to have its own dynamic to stimulate a desire to explore, yew has been used to unite the different spaces. Those that were already there have been shaped to mirror the beech ‘beehives’, while new ones have been planted, including the fastigiate yews in the front and rear garden.
Matthew remains involved with the garden as it evolves. “There’s a herbaceous border we’re still working on, and this spring we sowed an area beneath some trees with shade-tolerant wildflowers – a mix of hedgerow wildflowers and an all-purpose seed mix. It’ll take a few years for these perennial wildflowers to become established so they have been oversown with a cornflower annual mix to provide some initial colour and to stop weeds taking hold,” Matthew explains.
To say Naomi and Dave are happy is an understatement. “The garden is an absolute joy and I try to be out there as much as possible,” Naomi enthuses. “I have my breakfast and my lunch outside and then I wander around in the garden in the evening. It was important to us that the garden should be a haven for wildlife and it’s become just that. People have even commented about the birdsong when I’ve been on Zoom. It’s such a delight!” n
Above Beech clipped into beehives either side of the rill form a smart allée down to the manège. Left Marmalade helenium injects warm tones. Below A late bloom on Lychnis chalcedonica. Bottom Pink echinacea and eupatorium with Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’.
A Beating HEART
East Lothian’s Broadwoodside is a bucolic dream of a garden and a beloved family home, developed from dilapidation over 20 years by Robert and Anna Dalrymple, the warm colours of both buildings and planting reflecting the love that has been poured into it
This page Purple cotinus flanks one of the walls, which is clothed in neatly trained and clipped ivy. Opposite The pond was half-planned as a swimming pool.
The aviary sits in the chequerboard-effect upper courtyard and is wittily referenced by the copper bird sculptures.
Ahalf-hour’s drive from Edinburgh, just outside the pretty village of Gifford, lies a remarkable garden, built around a historic farm steading. It occupies a particularly bucolic spot, located at the end of a long track and bordered to the east by beech woods, which in autumn turn glorious shades of yellow, orange and russet.
These rich colours are echoed in the buildings themselves – a courtyard of old converted outbuildings built from weathered stone and mellow pantiles, with windows and gates painted in traditional hues of red iron oxide and deep forest green, and render enlivened by cheerful ochre limewash. Even on the chilliest of autumn days, the place seems to exude warmth, which comes both from the abundant planting and the many signs that it’s a well-loved family home. An uninformed visitor would be forgiven for thinking that Broadwoodside has been cultivated for generations: a long-established garden that’s evolved with the passing of time. Yet it was started from scratch just over 20 years ago by the current owners, Robert and Anna Dalrymple.
“When we first saw it, it was derelict with the roofs all tumbling in and weeds growing up through the floors,” recalls Anna, who was familiar with the property long before it came up for sale as she used to take her children to play in the grounds of the tumbledown farmyard. “It was love at first sight, really.”
Part of the attraction was the opportunity to create a garden from scratch, which Robert and Anna embarked on immediately, with the help of their gardener, Guy Donaldson, who lives on site and has been with them right from the start. Drawing inspiration largely from books – aptly so, since Robert is a book designer – they laid out the structure of the garden. At the heart of it lie two courtyards: the upper courtyard features an aviary and is laid out as a chequerboard of beds, while the lower one is mostly lawn, divided into quadrants with reclaimed flagstones.
Behind the courtyards, to the north-west of the property, is the orchard, which positively brims with apples each autumn, and a long avenue of old lime trees. At the other end, as you approach the property, there’s a hornbeam avenue, a vegetable and cutting garden and a dark rectangular pond that looks as if it might be a swimming pool, but isn’t. “The idea was that if global warming ever came to Scotland it could be turned into a swimming pool – but it’s currently only about three foot deep!” notes Anna, with a laugh. While much has been written about the design and creation of the garden, the evolution of the space over the past two decades to suit the changing needs of the Dalrymples is every bit as fascinating. When they first arrived, their four children were aged between six and 16, and a major reason for the move was to have somewhere with enough land for their ponies. For the first 15 years, Broadwoodside was a busy family home with ponies jumping over garden walls, industrial quantities of potatoes growing in the vegetable patch and plenty of noise and bustle. During that time the garden gradually took shape and matured, while the couple added plenty of original touches. These range from a monumental early Victorian portico that was reinstalled in a field a short distance from the house, to a number of home-made sculptures that reveal the Dalrymples’ sense of fun – a mound of stone and glass spheres entitled A Load of Balls being a prime example. Below Bowed by the “In a sense it’s rather horrifying to weight of its cargo of fruit, a golden crab apple think that it’s been over 20 years since epitomises the bountiful we bought it, but in another sense autumn atmosphere. it’s also rather quick,” says Robert. “Twenty years takes a lot of your life, but it shows that it doesn’t take forever to achieve a mature garden. Recently, we’ve done a bit of tweaking and replanting of things that haven’t worked. There are some plants that just won’t grow here – I’m always very envious of gardens down south that have masses of bearded irises, for instance.” Interestingly, the courtyard garden has a slightly milder climate than the surrounding area, about two degrees warmer, and this has enabled the Dalrymples to grow a wider range of plants than would otherwise be possible, although their ethos is
Book designer Robert has an eye for symmetry and perspective, which is much in evidence in this neat hornbeam avenue.
very much to focus on varieties that will flourish without too much effort. In autumn, some of their favourites are Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’, blue globe thistles and Michaelmas daisies, as well as rudbeckia and autumn-flowering cyclamen.
“In the past few years, as the garden has become more mature, I’ve noticed that it’s the trees that have come to the fore during the autumn months,” says Anna. “I love looking out of the window at the maples in the courtyard: they turn the most beautiful shades of gold and red.” Robert has his own favourite. “My desert island plant would be the royal ferns,” he enthuses. “They look wonderful in the autumn, they’re fabulous when they unfurl in the spring and they look great all summer. And they never keel over in the wind!”
The gardens have also turned out to be the perfect wedding venue – two of their daughters have had autumn weddings at Broadwoodside. “Our elder daughter got married about seven years ago and we had two marquees in the courtyard,” says Anna. “It was at the end of October – just on the equinox night when the clocks changed. It was very atmospheric.”
Then, last year, another daughter got married in late September – this time the occasion was very different, since due to government restrictions they were limited to just 20 guests. However, the gardens
Top The cooler climate means the Dalrymples can’t grow everything, so a greenhouse and coldframe are essentials. Above A pastel cosmos; ‘Sonata Pink’ is similar. Right Fun touches abound throughout, including this gate made from garden forks.
proved to be as magical a setting for a small wedding as for a large one. “We had tremendous flower displays on a huge scale – great limbs of prunus and crab apple,” Robert recalls. “They got married at the monument and walked down the lime avenue afterwards to the house, where we had the reception in and around the courtyard.”
In fact, Broadwoodside has recently been more lively than ever, since the Dalrymples’ grown-up children returned at the start of the pandemic with their own families in tow. “There was a point, about six or seven years ago, when we wondered if perhaps we were mad to be living in such a huge place because no one was going to be around, but actually now we’re back where we started, with small children running about again,” says Anna. “Everyone’s been back for the past year with all the lockdowns, and the gardens have really come into their own during this time.” A previously unused room was converted into a home office and the many different areas of the garden were pressed into use, since the entire family was suddenly living and working under one roof.
It’s had the happy side-effect of even more people around to help in the garden, and the recent programme of replanting means that Broadwoodside continues to evolve. Above all, it remains a place that is a home to this visionary couple, who have loved it since it was a romantic wilderness and, over the past two decades, have enhanced and developed its beauty, turning it into a place that will be cherished by many generations to come. n
Broadwoodside, Gifford, East Lothian EH41 4JQ. Opens for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and by appointment, Monday to Friday, all year. See scotlandsgardens.org and broadwoodside.co.uk
Top left A cheerfully painted gate, at the head of one of many vistas. Top right The warm ochre and red tones used on the buildings are echoed by the planting. Above Ducks and chickens forage freely, offering a natural source of pest control. Right Smart glass cloches sit snugly in a bed of brassicas in the vegetable garden.
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