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The Old Rectory At their Isle of Wight
A narrow path to the greenhouse is edged with borders of peonies and perennial white stocks, Matthiola perennis ‘Alba’.
As the sun sinks behind The Old removed many dead and dying elms. “It was a Rectory, it su uses the myriad shock to see big gaps open up, but replanting with a flowers and grasses with a golden native hedge mix provided both food and shelter for glow so that, glimpsed from a nearby wildlife, as well as being a visual feast for us,” says hillside, the garden appears as a Louise. Every winter, Louise and Derek have planted jewel set within wildflower meadows, copses, hills trees, including beautiful specimens such as Prunus and hollows. “It’s hard to believe that when we first serrula, Malus x floribunda, Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ came, there was no garden,” recalls Louise Ness. and Amelanchier lamarckii. In the outlying fields “Derek and I had wanted to make a garden from they have added half a mile of hedgerows, planting scratch, and then we found this blank canvas.” hundreds of mostly native trees such as beech, oaks,
Today there is nothing blank about the hollies, whitebeams, Scotch pines and rowans. outstanding garden created by this husband-and- Meanwhile, in the acre of garden cocooning the wife duo, the bare canvas transformed into a vibrant rectory, they planted yew hedges that have matured tapestry of plants contained within a framework to divide the space into separate enclaves. “The of yew or beech hedges. A strip of bearded irises original yews were barely knee-high and, because flanks a rose cutting garden, while beyond it an they were so slow-growing, we had to forget about allée of peonies leads past twin them for a few years,” says Louise. sunset-hued borders towards a walled kitchen garden, rose garden, and double herbaceous “I’ve loved roses for years. In the meantime, her father paved a patio area by the kitchen, while she filled the beds with deeply fragrant, borders that run the length of the house. There is an abundance of They are a real old-fashioned roses in shades of pink or white, among them roses, scrambling over arches, up passion, but ‘Jacques Cartier’, ‘Fantin-Latour’ obelisks and in countless joyful unions with nearby plants. “I’ve I have far too and, trained up the house, ‘Blush Noisette’. On an arch, there is the loved roses for years. They are a real passion, but I have far too many favourites to name any many favourites to name any pink rambling rose ‘Laure Davoust’. In the neighbouring walled kitchen garden, two weeping single one,” Louise admits. It is impossible to imagine this single one” standards of the rambling rose ‘François Juranville’ cascade garden bereft of roses, as it was 17 with clusters of coral-pink roses. years ago when Louise, her husband Below Derek and Louise The brick walls were built in 2006 Derek, and their three small children Ness with their lurcher Jack and dachshunds by Louise’s father, once Derek had moved in, excited by the dual prospect Otto and Tiggy. landscaped the site, which is similar of renovating the late Georgian Clockwise from top right in size to a doubles tennis court. A rectory and making their mark on the Airy Stipa gigantea grid of paths in brick or gravel contain 12-acre garden resting in countryside glows in the light; the late Georgian rectory, raised beds of flowers, raspberries, just outside Kingston on the Isle of set within meadows and herbs and vegetables. “It attracts a lot Wight. It has not been without its copse; lupin ‘Blossom’. of ants, but they are quickly eaten by challenges. Marauding green woodpeckers,” rabbits meant new notes Louise. planting had to be A central path links enclosed in chicken wire the di erent enclaves, and, although the site leading from the patio is some five kilometres past a greenhouse to from the sea, strong the rose cutting garden. gales still carry salt Initially, the path passed inland. “The new garden between shrubs and needed shelter, so we had vigorous roses that to replace a huge, dying outgrew their allotted escallonia hedge with space and were culled. beech,” Louise explains. “In the end, we could “Salty winds most likely no longer squeeze a strike in winter when the wheelbarrow past beech leaves are brown without fighting our and desiccated anyway.” way through like the
On the periphery of prince hacking through the garden, the couple the sweet briars in
Sleeping Beauty,” Louise recalls. Planted in their place are pink and cream peonies followed by Lilium speciosum, which flowers in August.
Another area that has seen change is the rectangular 12m x 26m back garden, a tranquil space originally laid out as a crab apple lawn with a circle of box enclosing each tree, underplanted with white tulips followed by cosmos. Unfortunately, box blight took hold, and Louise reluctantly removed much of it. “You can save box by spraying with fungicide, but this wasn’t an option for us because we garden organically,” she explains.
By this point, Louise wanted more space to grow plants, so the loss of the crab apples was more than compensated for by two long, deep borders. Between them runs a grassy path underlaid with leaky pipes that, along with a seaweed feed, ensure a lush green foil to the planting. “Our soil is very dry and sandy, so the lawn quickly becomes parched in hot weather.
Clockwise from top In the kitchen garden, chestnut poles wait to support sweet peas, pink rose ‘François Juranville’ rambles behind and red rose ‘Highgrove’ clothes an obelisk; peony ‘Bowl of Beauty’; delphinium ‘Guinevere’; Rosa ‘Blythe Spirit’ behind phlomis.
Irrigating with our well water has made a huge di erence,” she points out. Planted just six years ago, the borders have matured beautifully, with two magnificent clumps of Stipa gigantea dripping their golden panicles at key junctures. “I placed them especially to catch the last of the evening light, and they still look good in autumn,” Louise explains.
In early summer, the borders open with a froth of white crambe, valerian and sweet rocket interspersed with spires of foxgloves, blue delphiniums or pink lupins, and clumps of Geranium ‘Summer Skies’, not to mention the mauve tree lupin ‘Aurora Blue’, which originated from Great Dixter. “It smells wonderful and makes a great cut flower,” says Louise. So too does lovely pink rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, which, along with Allium cristophii, is tucked behind an edging of ‘Hidcote’ lavender, a replacement of the original white variety that had grown too leggy. “We visited Versailles and came back inspired to add some permanent structure to the borders,” she explains.
Water is an important element, and a long, narrow, formal pond is tucked away in a courtyard along with a wooden loggia that houses a dining table. “It’s a tranquil place to sit and contemplate – and too far away from the house to hear the phone ring,” says Louise. The borders are filled with white and pink roses – ‘Claire Austin’ and ‘Great Maiden’s Blush’ – o set by silver foliage from Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’, lamb’s ears and two weeping pears.
Thirteen years ago, a wildlife pond was dug out in the corner of the orchard before Derek manoeuvred
Top Peonies line a yew hedge-enclosed path to the chicken house. Above right The delicate blooms of hardy annual Orlaya grandiflora make good cut flowers. Above left Hardy Geranium ‘Summer Skies’ is a pretty, ru ed double form in lilac that flowers from June.
The Old Rectory’s RIOT OF ROSES
Sumptuous roses are a favourite plant here and are used in almost every part of the garden
A sweetly fragrant shrub rose that has semi-double flowers of deep purple-magenta fading to slate-mauve.
‘BONICA’
This modern shrub rose has clusters of small, rose-pink flowers on a sturdy plant that’s pretty yet tough.
‘GRACE’
Neat rosette blooms of purest apricot, darker in the centre, are produced in profusion throughout the summer.
This David Austin-bred English rose bears masses of highly fragrant, orange, chalice-shaped flowers from June.
Another from David Austin, with graceful, semi-double loose-petalled flowers in a soft shade of apricot.
The small, purple-mauve flowers produced from June on this Floribunda rose have a scent akin to violets.
‘GENTLE HERMIONE’
Myrrh-scented, light-pink, cupped flowers are borne from June on this David Austin English shrub rose.
Apricot-pink, cupped flowers fade to salmon-pink as they age, with a spicy fragrance on this old-fashioned rose.
This English rose produces dainty sprays of cupped, yellow flowers among small green leaves and is known for its health.
Above In the formal a heavyweight liner garden, waterlilies fl oat into place, made from on the long, narrow pond, while white roses and erigeron engulf the two layers of geotextile with a layer of bench and soften the unexpanded Bentonite paving that surrounds it. clay in between. “If there’s a puncture, the wet clay expands to self heal,” explains Louise. Once laid, the liner was topped with a foot of soil, to plant into. “So there is no visible plastic liner and it looks natural,” she adds. Within a year, the fi rst newts appeared and, last year, toad tadpoles were spotted. Overlooked by a summerhouse, the pond is enveloped in irises, reeds, willow and dogwoods. “As plants mature, the garden becomes softer and looser, and it is hard to remember how it was when we arrived,” Louise muses.
Now, the garden is home to red squirrels, nine species of bats, countless moths and butterfl ies, and barn owls – two chicks were successfully raised in a loft box. “It has been such a joy to watch it develop into the haven that it has become for our family as well as wildlife,” says Louise, who is unfazed by the time and e ort it has taken. “I don’t consider it to be work. I love doing it and there is nothing else I would rather do than be in my garden.”
The Old Rectory, Kingston Road, Kingston, Isle of Wight PO38 2JZ. The garden should open for the National Garden Scheme by arrangement in June for groups of up to 30 people, with an open day planned for Sunday 13 June, 2pm to 5pm. For updates on opening and to book tickets visit ngs.org.uk.
NOTEBOOK Natural beauty
An organic ethos and a wildlife-friendly approach have resulted in healthy plants and a beautiful garden that everyone can enjoy
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1 It has taken a decade to reinstate natives, such as bird’s foot trefoil, lady’s bedstraw, musk mallow, ragged robin, selfheal and orchids in the meadows. 2 After box blight hit, Louise replaced border edges with bee-friendly catmint, lavender and teucrium. 3 The cutting garden is a mix of English roses, old shrub roses and hybrid teas. 4 Planted with oldfashioned roses, the courtyard by the kitchen is a lovely place to catch the evening sun. The wirework table and chairs are from Rayment Wire.
Pastel-toned perennials and roses lead the eye from the immaculate garden out to pictureperfect countryside.
