Dorothy Clive Garden Tour: This 30 Acre Space Borders Three Different Counties
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.
