Tours
Fifty Years Of Growing At Rowley House With Tim Foden: Unique Trees And Perennial Borders
IN THIS GUIDE Fifty Years Of Growing Unique & Impressive Trees The Herbaceous Borders Visiting Rowley House Rowley House, located in Cheshire, is a 25-acre garden which has been planted up with hundreds of unique trees since the 1970s. Tim Foden, the owner of the garden, has watched as these trees have transformed over the years into impressive specimens. We take a guided tour from Tim around Rowley House to explore some of the most unique and impressive trees growing over this vast garden space. Fifty Years Of Growing “We came to this house in 1969 and I’ve been here ever since,” Tim starts. “I was mad about trees and planted them in the 1970s and, of course, they’re now big specimens. “The garden properly began in around 1981, as I owned a plant nursery that specialised in dwarf conifers and heathers, so I began to garden myself. “I retired in 2006 and it was around that time that the garden took shape as a garden that was more than just the trees. “My way of design is that you want a plant, you buy it and then you look for somewhere you’re going to put it!” Unique & Impressive Trees “I like Japanese maples, so we’ve got a lot of those,” shares Tim. “We’ve got several in tubs that are smaller and then some in the ground, which have grown quite large, such as the Acer griseum, which has brown, peeling bark. “There’s also a large Acer palmatum in the woodland walk. That stayed small for a long time and is now huge. “Pride of place on the woodland walk is the Weeping Beech. “It just keeps growing and growing, and many visitors admire that – it’s quite a feature. “We also have a California Redwood, which has very corky bark. It’s surprisingly soft!” The Herbaceous Borders “I think the main thing in the garden right now is the herbaceous borders,” Tim explains. “I’ve also got lots of plants in tubs and pots, such as salvias. They’re very colourful and they just go on flowering for the whole season. “Herbaceous borders can be difficult to maintain, as they can just become overgrown by the more thuggish plants. “You’ve got to do quite a lot of work on them to keep them colourful and not let it get too crowded. “Delphiniums look great at this time of year, but because of their height, they do need a little propping up.” Visiting Rowley House “The garden provides a lot of pleasure throughout different times of the year,” says Tim. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also very rewarding at the end. “I hope visitors enjoy this informal garden and can see the wildlife meadows, which are very rare in this country these days. “I hope they get ideas that they can take into their own spaces.” To discover when Rowley House is next open to the public, head over to the National Garden Scheme’s website.
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Dorothy Clive Garden Tour: This 30 Acre Space Borders Three Different Counties
IN THIS GUIDE The Origins Of The Garden The Original Quarry Garden The Herbaceous Borders Visiting The Dorothy Clive Garden The Dorothy Clive Garden resides on the border between Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire, boasting amazing views from its 30-acre estate. However, it’s not just the views from the garden that make it so special – the vast array of flowering herbaceous plants and the huge numbers of county champion trees provide a stunning place to start. I spoke with the Curator of the gardens, Kathryn Robey, to discuss the garden’s incredible history and impressive features including the Quarry Garden, Glasshouse and Wedding Border. The Origins Of The Garden “The garden was created in the 1930s by Colonel Clive who used to live next door in the big house,” shares Kathryn. “He made the garden for his wife, Dorothy, who was suffering from Parkinson’s at the time. “Sadly, Dorothy passed away not long after, but Colonel Clive carried on with the building work and all the planting he loved. “In 1958, he made the garden into a charity and we’ve carried on the good work in the 65 years that we’ve existed. “We’ve been very fortunate to have some passionate head gardeners during that time, and when going forward, we hope that we will carry on his legacy.” The Original Quarry Garden “The garden was originally formed in the 2.25-acre quarry, which provided planting pockets for all the ericaceous plants, such as the Japanese acers and rhododendrons,” continues Kathryn. “The garden was planted up by Colonel Clive when he set about making the garden for Dorothy. “When Colonel Clive designed the garden, he put in lots of interconnecting paths so that Dorothy had a different path to walk each day, and we’ve tried to continue that. “George Lovatt, who was the head gardener here for 34 years, put the waterfall in, which is just stunning. “We’ve also got a National Champion Acer in this garden, which is one of six in the whole garden. “It’s incredible to see an Acer of that size in the garden.” The Herbaceous Borders “At this time of year, we’ve just come from all the azaleas and the rhododendrons being the forte, so now our herbaceous areas are the star,” Kathryn explains. “We’re very proud of our combinations here, so we have things like the onopordums, which are very beautiful, contrasting with the nepeta. “It’s all about the journey and not having a big shock somewhere – it’s got to flow and be relaxing. “To provide this, we start with the darker colours at the top end of the borders and then we fade into the much paler colours as we go down. “These are all pretty high-maintenance borders, but we have a fabulous team of volunteers who come in and help and we really couldn’t do without them.” Visiting The Dorothy Clive Garden “For me, it’s about sharing the garden with others,” concludes Kathryn. “I don’t think Colonel Clive ever imagined that it would get to be as big and as popular as it is. “We have his diary from many years ago where he was amazed he’d had a thousand people through in one year. “We want to carry on gardening in tribute to him and his late wife.” To find out more about the Dorothy Clive Garden, head over to their website.
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Exploring Birkhead’s Secret Garden In The North East With Owner Christine Liddell
IN THIS GUIDE About Birkhead’s Secret Garden The Main Features Christine’s Favourite Garden Rooms Visiting The Secret Garden Birkhead’s Secret Garden and Nursery features 14 individual garden rooms that are designed to inspire growers in the North East, as they demonstrate the diversity of the plants that can be grown there. The grounds were left damaged after years of being a site for coal mining, so the owners, Christine and Mike Liddell, have spent years transforming this once derelict site into a thriving horticultural masterpiece. I visited Birkhead’s Secret Gardens and spoke with Christine about the garden’s rich history. About Birkhead’s Secret Garden “We came here in 1978 and we started with the idea of self-sufficiency and keeping two toddlers amused,” jokes Christine. “We started with the garden closest to the house. One of the interesting features in the garden is the fact that there’s a pear tree espaliered on the side of the house. “That was put in when the house was built instead of a damp course, as they didn’t exist in those days. “After a while, we started to think that we needed a bigger garden and we didn’t want to move, so we approached our local farmer and we managed to take on some extra land. “The garden started off as an experimental garden to show what I could do and to try out my designing ideas. “My main idea was to have a garden that had something of interest every day of the year.” The Main Features The avenue was put in about 1995 and it started off mainly silver, blue and purple,” explains Christine. “I started this garden as a way of directing the water off the hillside and taking it down through to the woodland. “I raised the beds at the side and put in lots of gravel, mixed it in with the soil and now we’re growing things that like dry soil and well-drained conditions. “There’s delphiniums, lavender, rosemary and lots of eryngiums, which the bees absolutely love. “We then go into the woodland garden. We had to start this garden by putting trees and hedges right around it, because we’re 650 feet above sea level, so the site is exposed. “We’ve planted a wildflower meadow under the trees so there’s currently Michaelmas daisies growing in there too, which look lovely.” Christine’s Favourite Garden Rooms “We’ve got a slate garden, which we made into a bee and butterfly garden so all of the plants in there are scented,” she shares. “There’s Lilacs, Philadelphus and Deutzias – lots of things that will attract pollinating insects. I love this garden the most I think. “The meditation garden is also wonderful. It started off with a pond because we needed to do something with all the water coming into the garden. “The main feature of the meditation garden is the Acers. There are also a group of wild orchids growing at the moment which look great. “Also in here is a Trachycarpus, which should not be growing in a North East garden, but it’s surviving and it’s even got flowers on it.” Visiting The Secret Garden “The atmosphere of peace, quiet and tranquillity is what most people remark on,” says Christine. “It’s never a busy garden and we have time to talk to people who visit. “They know that they’re not being rushed around and there aren’t crowds of people here at any one time, so it’s a real treat.” To visit Birkhead’s Secret Garden or to find out more information, head over to their website.
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Breezy Knees Gardens: Transforming An Old Potato Farm Into Three Distinct Areas
IN THIS GUIDE Transforming A Potato Field Three Distinct Areas Exploring The Garden Rooms Visiting Breezy Knees References Breezy Knees Gardens is one of the largest gardens in the North of England. There are over 7,000 different plants growing within its 25 acres of land, which was curated by Colin and Mary Lynn Parker. They transformed an old potato farm into a plethora of garden rooms over the past 25 years, making it one of the highest-rated gardens on TripAdvisor in the UK. I spoke with Colin to find out more about the gardens here. Transforming A Potato Field “The gardens were started by myself and my wife Marylen when we bought this land 25 years ago,” says Colin. “When we bought it, it was just a field of potatoes, so every single plant that you see here, we have put in. “We spent the first few years putting in trees, hedges and shrubs to give a structure and also to give us some much-needed shelter. “Each year we’ve been adding new features, to the point now where we’re up to 25 acres of gardened land. “Now, we’re one of the three largest gardens in Yorkshire.” Three Distinct Areas “The layout of the garden is split into three distinct areas,” shares Colin. “We’ve got the main borders where we’ve got plants that are designed to be in season all the way through from early May until as late as October. “Then we’ve got certain seasonal gardens, which are designed to be in flower for specific months, and finally we have some seasonless areas that look great year-round. “This is the period really when the main borders are really coming out and are at their thickest. “The lawn border is what I would call the the heart of the garden and is home to some of the main borders. “To me, there are no two colours of flowers that do not go together, so what we do is try to spread the plants out and not put everything that flowers at the same time together.” Exploring The Garden Rooms “The rock garden is not a rockery, but we’ve got relatively low growing things and is strewn with rocks,” Colin explains. “Normally when you think of alpine plants, you’d think of a slope, but this garden is flat, which makes it different. “I’m really chuffed with this garden and the flowers in it, particularly on a sunny day like this one! “The June garden was left completely underwater for eight weeks from February 2024 due to the weather. “The plants in this garden are not generally supposed to like flooding, so it does give a great deal of satisfaction, having had a situation like that for so long, that there is still so much out in flower. “We’ve got a butterfly in the middle made out of box and berberis shrubs. “They were underwater and they’ve still survived. If you look in the textbooks now, I don’t think they’ll say they’d stand that amount of water. “They are meant to like free-draining soil, but they’re still here.” Visiting Breezy Knees The thing that I’m most chuffed about is the fact that we’ve started from absolutely nothing and we’ve turned it into one of the few gardens in the entire country that is five-star rated on Trip Advisor,” Colin shares.1 “I hope we keep up with that and I hope people like it. That gives me a great deal of satisfaction – to know that others love it as much as we do.” To find out more about Breezy Knees Gardens, visit their website here. References 1. Breezy Knees Gardens. (n.d.). Trip Advisor. Retrieved July 9, 2024, from https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186346-d3486245-Reviews-Breezy_Knees_Gardens-York_North_Yorkshire_England.html
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Swindon House Farm: Touring Penny Brook's Incredible 30 Year Garden Transformation
IN THIS GUIDE Where It All Began Exploring The Garden Penny’s Favourite Garden Corner Visiting Swindon House Farm Penny Brook is the owner of Swindon House Farm and has spent 30 years completely transforming the barren landscape into a flowering paradise. There are now over 3,500 different native trees and mixed hedgerows planted in the garden, attracting a range of wildlife and pollinators. Join Penny as she takes us on a tour of these beautiful private gardens. Where It All Began “There wasn’t anything here when I moved here, so every tree, hedge and plant has been put in by me,” Penny starts. “It’s a difficult site as we’re on heavy clay. It’s also a really exposed site with a lot of wind and frost, so it’s been a steep learning curve in regards to what will grow. “I just started digging! I knew I needed to plant trees and hedges to create a windbreak, so that was the first thing. “Then the rest of it just followed on, really.” Exploring The Garden “It’s a big garden, it’s 3.5 acres, and I’d say I’m only just growing into it,” Penny says. “In the field, I’ve started to cultivate that into wildflower areas, as it’s nice to make something pretty out of the wilder space out there. “The main large borders are usually covered in bees, which is a highlight for me. I just let plants come in. “In there were have the campions, foxgloves and vabascums, which have all sort of self-seeded. “The philadelphus is looking nice and it smells spectacular. We call it the bubblegum bush because of its unique scent. “Next to that, there’s a lilac that my brother gave to me. It was so small and has grown up and matured over the years, which has been great to witness.” Penny’s Favourite Garden Corner “I created one bed as an entrance for the barn that we run as an Airbnb, but I think it’s become one of my favourite parts of the garden,” Penny shares. “It’s a mixture of cultivated and wild plantings, so we’ve got the corncockle and the nepeta, which is a nice combination. “Then there’s the campanula and delphiniums. It’s got a cottage garden feel to it. “This section is also home to my favourite rose in the garden, which is ‘Desdemona’. “That was given to me by a guest and it’s doing well. It was only put in a couple of years ago, but it obviously likes it here because it’s a sunny and sheltered spot.” Visiting Swindon House Farm “A garden doesn’t have to be perfect,” says Penny. “This garden is not perfect – it is far from it – but it’s still a lovely garden. I think it’s really special.” To find out more about visiting Swindon House Farm, head over to the National Garden Scheme’s website.
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Ancient Oaks With David Skidmore At Lovell Quinta Arboretum (3 National Collections)
IN THIS GUIDE Arboretum History The National Plant Collections Rare & Unusual Trees Visiting The Arboretum Lovell Quinta Arboretum was founded in the 1950s by Radio Astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell, who had a surprising love of trees that led to the 25-acre creation. Nowadays, the arboretum is managed by the Tatton Garden Society and is maintained by an army of volunteers. I spoke with the Head of the Tatton Garden Society and Honorary Director of the arboretum, David Skidmore, about the park’s history, its national plant collections and the rare trees it is home to. Arboretum History “The arboretum itself was started by Sir Bernard Lovell, the famous Radio Astronomer,” shares David. “Not only was he passionate about radio astronomy, but he was also passionate about trees. He ended up with about 2,500 different trees and shrubs here and he formed some National Collections. “As he got older, he wanted to ensure that the arboretum was protected. “He was President of Tatton Garden Society and felt it would be appropriate for us to take over. “Since then, we’ve extended the collections and planted a lot more trees and shrubs.” The National Plant Collections “We have three National Plant Collections,” starts David. “The National Collection of Ash, which has about 40 different types, the National Collection of Pines, which is made up of about 60 pines, and now the National Collection of Oaks, which consists of about 80 different Oaks. “The bulk of the National Collection of Ash is suffering from ash dieback, which is sweeping across the country and affecting a lot of these trees. “We do have some Ash from Asia, which is mainly resistant, so that continues to grow, unaffected by the dieback. “Pines aren’t necessarily something that people think of for the garden, but they are actually wonderful structural trees, and some have fantastic needles. “We’re also a partner garden with the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, where they have the International Conifer Conservation Program. “Because of that, we have a large collection of rather special conifers, firs and pines, as well as our National Collection.” Rare & Unusual Trees One of the unique trees in our Oak Collection is the Quercus phellos, also known as the Willow Oak,” David continues. “It’s a really interesting example because you wouldn’t guess it was an Oak at all. “It’s a fascinating and unusual specimen when you look at the long leaves that it produces. “We have some fantastic ancient Oaks which are likely to be more than 400 years old. “What happens in an ancient tree is that they actually go through something called retrenchment where they get smaller. Apart from the feature of retrenchment in an ancient tree, they also get hollow cavities. “This is a natural part of the tree’s development as it gets older and it can live like this for several hundred more years. “In fact, as the centre decays, it goes into little particles of wood and that fertilises the tree further, so it gets a second boost from this.” Visiting The Arboretum “It’s wonderful to just come and walk around, as it’s such a peaceful place,” shares David. “Every season is different, so you almost feel as if you’re in a different place each time you come along. “There are visitors who like to come for recreation, and I just want them to go away having that feeling of having had a peaceful time here. “On top of that, I’d like people to take an interest in the plants and realise it’s not just a place for walking – it is a special place full of wonderful trees.” To discover more or to visit the arboretum for yourself, head over to Lovell Quinta Arboretum’s website.
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Jill Ward Shares The Incredible National Collection Of Waterlilies At Burnby Hall
IN THIS GUIDE The Garden History The Rock Garden The Waterlily Collection Visiting The Gardens Burnby Hall is nestled in the heart of Yorkshire and is home to a stunning National Collection of waterlilies, with some plants from almost 100 years ago. Jill Ward, the Head Gardener at Burnby Hall, took me on a tour of the gardens and shared more on their history, the recently renovated rock garden and that famous National Plant Collection. Watch our full tour with Jill on our YouTube channel: The Garden History “The gardens originally belonged to Major Percy and Catherine Stewart,” says Jill. “They owned the house in around about 1901 and they spent four years renovating it. “Once they’d renovated the house they turned their attention to the gardens. The gardens are based around two lakes, the upper lake, which is about one and a quarter acres, and the lower lake, which is a third of an acre. “That makes the gardens an elongated site, and running off the two lakes are several gardens, all based on different themes. “We have a secret garden, a rock garden, a walled garden, a stumpery and a birch walk, which is our winter-themed garden.” The Rock Garden “Our Backhouse rock garden was built in 1910 for Percy and Catherine,” shares Jill. “Back in 2014, the gardens were actually celebrating their 50th anniversary and at the time this rock garden was completely overgrown. “So, it was completely cleared back to soil and rock and then it was left fallow for two years because there was some perennial weeds we wanted to get rid of. “This meant that it actually wasn’t planted up until the autumn of 2018. “Running through the rock garden we have our stream and it’s been replanted with things such as Primula florindae, which I really love.” The Waterlily Collection “During their travels, Catherine and Percy would have seen some hardy water lilies, and it was Catherine’s idea to plant up the lakes with these plants, which was done for them in 1935,” Jill explains. “Sadly, Catherine died in 1939, so she only saw them for four years, but that essentially was the start of the National Collection. “Our upper lake was built in 1904. Originally it wasn’t as big as you see today. It’s actually been extended twice since the first building. “We have about 50 different varieties of waterlily in the upper lake. “One of my favourites is ‘James Brydon’. There’s one called ‘Lemon Mist’ which is very nice as well, as well as one called ‘Almost Black’.” Visiting The Gardens “I hope our visitors have a really enjoyable, relaxing day,” Jill smiles. “It would be great if they maybe could go away with an idea of what they can do with their garden. “I’d love for them to take a small part of what we’ve got at Burnby and apply it at home.” To visit the gardens at Burnby Hall for yourself, visit their website for more information.
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Brodsworth Hall Tour: This Historic Parkland Is Based On The Original Victorian Designs
IN THIS GUIDE The Victorian Design The Topiary & Formal Flower Garden The Victorian Fern Dell Visiting Brodsworth Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire is a historic estate that dates back hundreds of years. However, the parkland is all based on the original Victorian planting designs, with work being done since English Heritage took on the property to restore the gardens to their former glory. In June, I visited the gardens at Brodsworth and chatted with the Head Gardener Dan Hale, who has worked there for nine years. The Victorian Design “Brodsworth is a Victorian formal garden with all the key Victorian features,” says Dan. “There’s a Victorian formal flower garden with about 24,000 bedding plants, a Victorian fern dell and an amazing Victorian rose collection. “Everything we do at Brodsworth Hall is focused around the Victorian Era. So all the plants, all the designs and styles that we do, it’s all Victorian. “Every plant that you see would have been available or introduced pre or in that era – that’s the style that we adhere to. “There’s so much to see at Brodsworth and there’s so many different elements to the garden.” The Topiary & Formal Flower Garden “I suppose one of the key things that everybody talks about with Brodsworth is the topiary and the amount of evergreens we’ve got,” Dan shares. “We’ve got over a thousand pieces of clipped evergreens. One of my favourite plants has to be Taxus baccata, commonly known as Yew. “It makes up the bulk of our topiary pieces, is the dividing line between the formal and informal gardens here and is also an amazing tree when it’s allowed to become natural. “Inside the topiary pieces is the amazing flower garden. There are about 24,000 plants in here now on slightly mounded beds. “With this design, it’s very much a lot of begonias in different colours, including red, yellow, orange, and this amazing pink, which I think has actually become my favourite one now. “We’ve also got dot plants in there, so we’ve got cannas and bananas. The Trachycarpus fortunei stay in all year round and give a nice height and structure to the beds.” The Victorian Fern Dell “We’ve got an amazing Victorian fern dell, which tells the story of the fern craze from that period,” Dan states. “The idea in there was to showcase your collection of ferns, so instead of it being a lot of ferns planted in one area, we try to do one specialist fern in each section of the garden to really showcase each fern off. “The one thing I’d say about the fern deli is that it’s quite open to the elements, so we’ve planted some of the ferns in the shade of other larger specimens. “By doing this, we’re highlighting the fact that some of the ferns are more shade-loving.” Visiting Brodsworth “The most rewarding aspect of tending to the garden is probably positive visitor reactions,” explains Dan. “That’s what we do it for. We do it for people to come and immerse themselves into that period of garden history and keep Victorian gardens relevant for future generations. ”I always said that to the team and volunteers that we’re writing our own names into the history book, as the Victorian gardeners before us did. “I do hope visitors take away inspiration for their own gardens and can experience a little bit of joy when they come to Brodsworth.” To find out more about visiting Brodsworth Hall, head over to the English Heritage’s website here.
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Amazing Transformation: This Jungle Paradise Won Channel 4’s Garden Of The Year In 2022
IN THIS GUIDE The Garden Transformation Plant Collections Gardening In A Smaller Space Visiting 50 Shades Of Green Nestled in the heart of a residential area in the West Midlands, Annemarie and Andrew Swift have transformed their small backyard into a jungle paradise. This tranquil garden was a finalist on Channel 4’s Garden of the Year in 2022, and it’s easy to see why. With collections of ferns, hostas, and ivy growing amongst rare and unusual plants, join the Swifts as they take us on a must-see tour around their garden. The Garden Transformation “Andrew arrived here in 2008, but I’ve been here since 1997,” Annemarie shares. “The garden was quite normal and had just conifers up either side of a lawn. When Andrew arrived, we decided to do more in the garden by introducing some water.” “We did the pond the first year and put a few trees in down the bottom,” Andrew continues. “As the years have gone by, we’ve expanded up the garden and done around a project a year.” “Everything that you see, we’ve done it all ourselves on a budget,” says Annemarie. “We’ve used upcycled materials or bought them and made things, we’ve not bought a thing off the shelf.” Plant Collections “I love tropical plants, anything with big, green leaves is a favourite of mine,” says Andrew. “I love ferns and hostas, which suit this garden,” adds Annemarie. “We’ve had to design the garden around your plant likes and mine, but we’ve had to work around the tropicals as they are the most demanding and tend to be the biggest! “We’ve been collecting plants for a long time, in particular, hostas and ferns. “We’ve probably got about 70 different sorts of hostas and approaching 250 different ferns. “There’s so many plants in a small space that you just can’t see them the first time you walk around!” Gardening In A Smaller Space “Planting big makes the garden look bigger, even though it might sound counterintuitive!” Annemarie jokes. “The canopy of the trees is always rising in our garden, so we’ll keep planting underneath them, even if the plantings change.” “Yeah, in a smaller garden, you’ve got to have the height with the big plants, and then you have a middle planting area and then under that you can have lower planting,” adds Andrew. “Planting taller plants actually gives you more space to work with. The garden might only be small, but if you use the space correctly, it can still look amazing.” Visiting 50 Shades Of Green “When some people visit, they come in and then they go back out again and then go around a different way,” says Annemarie. “There’s so much to see and a lot you can miss the first time around!” If you want to visit this exotic garden for yourself, head over to the NGS website to discover all you need to know about the garden’s upcoming open days.
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