Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 7 ~ The perfect garden.....almost

South Wood Farm near Honiton in Devon is a pocket powerhouse of a garden. It appears to have a little bit of everything ~ a stunning 17th century farmhouse as a focal point, a setting in a lush and peaceful valley, fabulously colourful planting in a walled courtyard, a collection of neatly clipped, many-sized topiary, a productive vegetable garden complete with sparklingly modern but traditionally styled glasshouse and coldframes, nuttery, rippling pond complete with resident frogs.....practically perfect in every way.....almost!

My visit to South Wood Farm was six weeks ago and I have been trying to write about it ever since. The problem is not what was there - the garden was stunning - there were just a couple of elements missing. My overriding feeling as I left the garden was that I had just experienced a tour of a cleverly and sensitivity designed stage set. 

Every section of the garden flowed seamlessly to the next and elicited "oohs" and "aahs" from us all at every turn. Immaculate vistas, attention to detail and use of local and rural crafts, accomplished planting and sensitively managed horticulture......but where were the surprises? The quirks? The cheekiness that makes the greatest gardens even greater? 

I really enjoyed the garden for what it was. I could appreciate the hard work and accomplished skill of designer Arne Maynard and Head Gardener Will Smithson and I would adore to spend my days working in such a gorgeous garden but I think that the anarchist in me would be itching to create at least a couple of surprises ~ a contemporary sculpture juxtaposed with traditionally clipped yew or a piece of graffiti art in the beautifully Instagrammable potting shed or against an ancient stone wall. Perhaps some unpredictable planting or an unanticipated statement plant would throw the visitor out of the fairytale trance and conjour an amused smile. Perhaps it needs the stamp of the owner to be more prominently stamped. 

When you adore a garden so much that you really want to drop everything and work there for no wage today but, at the same time, want to twist and manipulate some of it's perfectness..... what is that? A garden that is a whisker away from being truly great. I look forward to visiting again to see how South Wood Farm has developed. It can only get more impressive 

Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 6 ~ On the importance of garden visits 12/9/2017

Making the time to visit gardens a few times a year is of vital importance to a professional gardener. It is not always easy to fit it in, especially during the busiest gardening months but, even if you leave your garden kicking and screaming and in the foulest of moods, I can guarantee that most garden visits will replace time lost with inspiration and bring a fresh eye to the gardens in your charge. 

Last month I was very fortunate to be invited along on a jolly down to Devon to visit two mindblowingly different gardens. We spent the morning at Little Ash Bungalow ~ a paradise of rare, unusual and excitingly new plants, this garden is the site of a well loved collection belonging to Helen Brown. Helen is truly passionate about collecting all the plants that excite her. This could result in a garden that lacks flow but simple landscaping and a particular liking for purple foliage conspire to lead the eye around the garden. Of course, anyone visiting with any plant knowledge will be drawn towards the exciting plants. I was particularly enamoured of the woodland area towards the bottom of the garden. It is wonderfully damp down there. Perfect for many ferns, gorgeous Roscoeas......

.....and fabulous, hardy, shade loving Begonias! I have finally met a Begonia that I could get along with.......

Helen was welcoming and generous with her extensive knowledge. The horticultural world is populated with such people. The willingness to share is heartening and motivating. It is why I know that I will always be a part of the horticultural world and I will strive to retain as much knowledge as I possibly can so that I, in turn, can pass it on. 

The iridescent species Dahlia merckii glowing in the garden at Little Ash Bungalow. 

The second garden that we visited deserves its very own blogpost but here is a sneaky taster of the spectacle that we were treated to after lunch.....

Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 3 ~ The Big Smoke 25/6/2017

Competition Winner! That was me this week. I won a ticket to The House and Garden Festival out of the blue (well, I did enter a competition but one does not expect to win) and had two days to organise a day trip to London. I was undecided whether or not I would go right up until the last minute. I had a free day but, as we all do at this time of year, I had hundreds of tasks in and around the garden that I really ought to prioritise. But shouldn't one make inspiration a priority?

 

Prospective inspiration won. I hopped on a train and headed solo towards The Big Smoke. London is inspiring in itself for a country dweller and I have resolved to go much more often. It is easy, when one has a business and young children, to dedicate all of ones time to only these pursuits but a break from the norm is important. The show was sumptuous - divided by two separate floors - the ground floor dedicated to interiors, fashion and gifts and upstairs, a space for growers, garden designers, craftspeople and outdoor innovations. 

 

Talking with people who have a strong belief in their product or service is brilliant because their enthusiasm is contagious. Showing a professional interest in the stand holders is a good thing to do because one gets professional interest in return. A mutual confidence boosting exercise.

 

The truth is that I have made the journey to London twice in this past week. The first trip was for non-horticultural reasons (Guns n Roses you rocked!) but a chance meeting with a delightful and very trendy journalist / Instagrammer made the mini-break even more special. Alice Vincent, otherwise known as @noughticulture, was extremely sweet and full of spot-on tips to help this country mouse discover some of London's lesser known horticultural gems. I was particularly taken with the planting at the Olympic Park in Stratford. The plants were flowering well in advance of anything in the Cotswolds. It was rather like being abroad......but only an hour or so away by train. This bumpkin is suitably inspired. 

 

 

Introducing Aubrey the Leveret ~ The Cirencester Town Council and Tourist Information Centre small hare ~ 20/6/2017

This is Aubrey the Leveret. He is Lavender the Fosseway Garden Centre Hare's little brother and he is living in Cirencester Tourist Information Centre this summer on The Cotswold Hare Trail 2017. 

 

Aubrey the Leveret is sponsored by Cirencester Town Council. They wanted me to endeavour to show the connection between the town and its lovely, green open spaces. I hope that I have managed to capture some of the bustle of Cirencester Town and the wilderness of its surroundings. 

 

Aubrey has a scene of Cirencester Farmers Market on his rear. The impressive architecture of Cirencester's historic centre is depicted including the stunning Church of St. John the Baptist. The market is packed full of delicious wares and happy shoppers (there is even a tiny leveret hidden amongst the stalls). 

 

The market scene merges into wildflowers. There are native ferns, wild geraniums, forget-me-nots, cowslips, bluebells and the star of the show, depicted on Aubrey's front legs, the Southern Marsh Orchid. All of these beautiful plants can be found amongst the open green spaces of Cirencester and it's surrounds. 

 

As a horticulturalist and an artist it is very important for me to promote the special areas where these wildflowers can be found. The very observant might even spot one of our stunning native orchids. Green spaces and all the flowers that dwell in them support lots of wildlife including hares. 

 

I have been thrilled to support The Cotswold Hare Trail 2017. It is a great way to see parts of the Cotswolds that may be previously unknown to you and a wonderful way to get young people excited about destinations both historical and modern. 

 

Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 2 ~ Topiary Trials and Triumphs ~ 19/6/2017

Topiary is my number one and longest standing skill. It is my party trick and if it were an Olympic sport I would hope to represent Great Britain (probably to be edged out of the Gold medal winning position by Jake Hobson but trouncing the boys at Warner Trees to ultimately take silver 🥈). 

This is a daydream caused by extreme heat but I am very experienced and pride myself on being a confident topiary artist. 

 

So, last week, when faced with the twice-yearly trim of the yew pyramids pictured above I had two choices: spend eight hours trimming them by hand with my excellent Niwake hand shears or fire up the brand new Stihl lighter-than-air (for five minutes or so and then it gets a bit weightier) hedge trimmer and save four hours of precious June gardening time. I chose the hedge trimmer for the very first time. I was nervous. What if I sneezed and took the end of my nose off or, worse still, the top of a pyramid? I need not have worried. By pyramid number 6 I had my technique almost perfected and after I had completed the final one, number 7, I wanted to go straight back to number 1 so that I could iron out any slightly less than perfect bits. 

I thought better of this almost immediately. The beauty of topiary is that (barring aforementioned sneezing incidents) the foliage will start to grow back very shortly after the trim. These yew pyramids will be needing their second trim at the far end of the summer so that they stay looking sharp throughout Autumn and Winter. This is when I can get them looking spot-on perfect. In theory there will be more time at the end of the summer. In practice I seem to be fairly flat out for much of the year. I wouldn't have it any other way.....it keeps me out of mischief! 

Wildflower Walks with my Girls ~ 11/6/2017

Leaving the house after an evening meal is not easy nowadays. I would much rather collapse in a heap on a sofa and wait for a cat to come and sit on me but when my sister suggested that we go for a family wildflower walk to see what we could see in the fields that surround Malmesbury, I called upon my emergency energy reserves and off we went. 

 

What a good idea it turned out to be and what beauties we found! My eight and five year old daughters kept records of the flowers that we saw and by the end of our walk we had filled pages and pages. We found over 40 different species of flowering plants. Favourites included flag irises, campion, rose bay willow herb, geraniums, clovers, hemlock but the star flower that lit up a overcast evening was the sighting of several stunning bee orchids (Orphys apifera) in the nature reserve. 

The girls enjoyed the competition of writing down plants before the other one. The grown 

-up girls enjoyed the evening leg stretch and the chance to swot-up on our wild flower knowledge. My mother found a pretty burgundy flowered plant that she recognised but couldn't name. After much googling we hit the target and identified Hedge Woundwort. Quite possibly my new favourite wild flower and one that I hope I will never forget.....until next years wildflower walk with my favourite females. 

 

Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 1 ~ Know your Space ~ 5/6/2017

Know your space

You are embarking upon an exciting project. There is no end to this project and that is something that you must realise. A garden is a living, breathing, ever-evolving outside space. Even the lowest maintenance garden will require some sprucing up a few times a year. The sooner that this is viewed as an exciting opportunity to change the garden onto which you look or walk through the better. The role of Head Gardener is pretty awesome. 

 

Being the Head Gardener of your own garden gives you the creative freedom to have the garden of your dreams. Whether you crave a productive and beautifully symmetrical vegetable garden like the one above at the stunning Yeo Valley Organic Garden in Somerset or a more informal but wonderfully scented and colourful garden to encourage bees and other pollinating insects, rather like my own here......

 

......as Head Gardener you must first go out and visit other gardens for inspiration. Join The Royal Horticultural Society and you can visit hundreds of gorgeous gardens for free. Whilst you are taking time to visit gardens and collecting ideas, keep a scrapbook or online pin board with photographs of scrumptious plants and clever landscaping. Make notes detailing exactly why you liked these gardens, how and where they would fit into your own garden and all the while keep dreaming. 

 

I was utterly bowled over by the plant combinations in the Bronze Garden at The Yeo Valley Organic Garden (can you tell that it was my favourite garden visit of the Spring?!) and I am already forming an image of how I can have a bronze area in my own garden or suggest it to one of my clients. 

 

During your allocated garden visiting time - and I would suggest that this period lasts for one year because you will see plants that flower or hold some form of interest (colour/texture/form/scent) in every season - you must observe your own space. Take a cane  with a brightly coloured string bow tied to it and thrust it into the ground next to all of the plants that you want to keep - you may think that you will remember that clump of pheasant-eye narcissi but it is easy to forget once they have died back completely. Likewise, the shrub that lights up midwinter when everything else looks miserable.....give it a cane. This is another reason why I suggest that a year of dreaming, planning and visiting should be the first stage of your Head Gardenership. 

 

A wonderful pot of tulips at Dyrham Park near Bath, Spring 2017. 

Lavender's Location ~ Cotswold Hare Trail 2017

I am delighted to announce that Lavender the Hare, the 5ft leporine that I have decorated for The Cotswold Hare Trail 2017, will be spending the summer at Fosseway Garden Centre in Moreton-in-Marsh. 

Fosseway Garden Centre

Cotswold Hare Trail 2017

 

I believe that she is there already although I won't be able to visit for another few days. Please, if anyone is in the area, pay her a visit and email me a photograph. I am so excited that she is at her summer residence! 

 

There are many wonderful, colourful, clever hares dotted around the Cotswolds until September ~ so what are you waiting for? Get on out there and start finding them! My personal favourite is right here in Malmesbury at the Town Hall. Sue Steel has made the most extraordinary mosaic hare with a very local theme. It is a complete stunner! 

Lavender takes a great deal of inspiration from the classic Cotswold garden at Hidcote Manor near Chipping Campden. You may recognise some of the topiary and the famous Lavender variety about her person (.....hare!). 

 

There are also swathes of wisteria and a trained apple complete with blossom and the all-important pollinating insects, without which we would have no food. The subtle message that I would like Lavender the Hare to convey is that without a variety of flowering plants in our gardens and public spaces we, as people, would fail to produce enough food to feed ourselves. 

Please visit your local nursery or garden centre and ask the staff to point you towards the bee/insect friendly plants and get planting ~ now is the ideal time 🐝🦋🐞

Sneaky Peeks ~ 27th February 2017

The 5ft hare is almost ready to play her part in The 2017 Cotswold Hare Trail. One more coat of varnish is all she requires. 

I hope that she takes to life in the public eye just as well as she has coped with being a part of our busy kitchen. I am going to miss her.....chef, on the other hand, most definitely will not! 

Here are a few glimpses ~ 

 

 

 

That's all folks! It will not be long before the full reveal. 

 

 

Cotswold Hare Trail 2017

There is a giant hare in my greenhouse! 

 

 

I've been chosen as one of the artists selected to decorate a giant hare for the Cotswold Hare Trail 2017! 

I am thrilled and honoured and.....I've got my work cut out. 

 

Follow my progress @nicolahopegardener on Instagram. I will be posting photographs regularly as I attempt to make this fine looking fellow colourfully fit to grace the smartest of Cotswold locations. (Location to be confirmed but, if all goes to plan, it's going to be a goodie!)