Rediscovering The Walled Garden At Helmsley With Executive Director June Tainsh

In 1996, Alison Ticehurst, a local nurse, opened up the doors to Helmsley Walled Garden which was – at that time – lying completely dormant.

The garden, which was originally created in the 18th century, had been abandoned after the First World War, and it wasn’t until this accidental rediscovery that it was restored.

The five-acre garden that can be found behind those same doors today is full of beautiful garden rooms and two national plant collections.

Join June Tainsh, the Executive Director at Helmsley, as she takes us on a tour of the garden to explore its rich history, thoughtful plantings and its national collections.

Helmsley’s Mixed History

“Helmsley Wall Garden was originally the kitchen garden for Duncombe Park House, so it provided all the fruit, vegetables and cut flowers for the house,” shares June.

“Like many walled gardens in the UK, it was left abandoned after the First World War, when lots of the gardeners went away to war and didn’t come home.

“As there were no longer people to do the work, the garden was left to go to ruin.

“It was rediscovered by a lady called Alison Ticehurst, who pushed open a gate and came across this abandoned garden that was just full of weeds, nettles and thistles, with no trace of any of the plants that would have been here.

“The layout is the one thing that is original, so the paths of the garden are the original paths and the dipping pond in the centre is the original dipping pond.”

The Famous Laburnum Arch

“We are asked constantly, when is the Laburnum arch in flower?” June jokes.

“Well, it’s in flower right now, along with the Alliums, which creates a really amazing colour combination.

“We also have a wisteria arch. One of the loveliest views in the garden is where you’ve got the combination of the alliums, the wisteria and the laburnum all together.

“We have an iris border that stretches right from one end of the garden to the other, and that’s just coming into flower as well now.

“In that border, they are all bearded irises and come in an array of beautiful colours.”

Volunteering At Helmsley

“I have a real passion for the impact of gardening on individuals and the well-being of individuals,” shares June.

“We have four volunteering sessions every week and we can have up to 14 volunteers in each session. We have a total of 105 volunteers involved with the garden.

“Volunteering is the backbone of the gardens.

“It’s not so much about what we need them to do, it’s what they want to do and what they enjoy, and that’s what we encourage them to get involved with.”

Visiting The Garden

“We want to encourage people to try some of the things that we’ve created here in their garden, as all of the garden is manageable by volunteers and that means that people can recreate what we’re doing,” she says.

“We’re not doing anything that’s desperately challenging or precious, but the standard of horticulture is really high.

“People can see what we do and how we do it and maybe take that home with them as well.”

You can visit the Helmsley Walled Garden website for more information if you’d like to visit the gardens this summer.