Late summer SPLENDOUR

Brian and Josse Emerson have packed their borders with late flowerers which keep going through to autumn

- Brian and Josse Emerson

As summer advances and cows roam lazily across the grassy fields of Blackmore Vale, the garden that embraces Hilltop Cottage could be expected to wane following a high summer fest of flower and foliage. However, this garden is no one-hit-wonder, because its beds and borders are composed of a long succession of flowering plants, plucked from a broad palette. ‘A traditional cottage garden would limit us to a few glorious weeks in summer, whereas we like colour from April until first frosts. Last year, we were still picking dahlias in late November,’ say Josse and Brian Emerson, who have created this harmonious picture.

It is a far cry from the day when the couple, already very keen gardeners, decided to integrate the additional strip of land into an existing garden that was already bursting at the seams. The greatest challenge was to relocate the boundary — a long-established hedge and clay bank — to a new position. ‘But as we dug out the original bank, we discovered that previous owners had used it as their rubbish tip, so we unearthed loads of old bottles and spoons, among other things,’ recalls Josse.

On the newly formed boundary, they planted a native hedge of hawthorn and blackthorn, which has been maintained at eye level so as to harmonise smoothly with the surrounding countryside without creating any jarring notes. The overall layout of the garden was determined by the position of a huge old oak tree and the cottage itself. ‘One side of the cottage directly abuts the road, so we needed to create an attractive entrance and side path leading to the front door,’ she explains.

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