BEAUTY at every TURN

Deep in the heart of the Hampshire countryside lies an elegant English flower garden inspired by the innovative gardeners of the 20th century and where different 'rooms' combine to make one complete masterpiece

- ZIA ALLAWAY

HIDDEN behind an imposing brick wall in the picture-perfect hamlet of East End in Hampshire, the gardens at Malverleys date back to the 19th century when the Italian-style Victorian mansion was built. Various redesigns followed, until the current owners arrived 15 years ago with an ambition to transform the lawns and borders into a flower-filled English garden that would offer a more inspirational setting for their home.

They began a search for a head gardener with the skill to bring their vision to life and appointed Mat Reese, who worked for many years at Great Dixter, a garden they had long admired. Trained at Ness Botanic Gardens, RHS Garden Wisley and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Mat came on board in 2010 and began reshaping the garden into a series of 'rooms', each with its own style and character. 'I wanted to create the bones of a formal garden, but with a freer, more naturalistic planting style, where flowers are left to self-seed,' he says.

The different garden rooms were completed over a few years and now offer the visitor a box of treats. Cool tranquil spaces lead to borders in sizzling shades that deliver a rush of adrenaline, before the pace slows again with gardens designed around formal water features and sculptural topiaries.

A tour starts at the house, where wide borders bustle with colourful bulbs and early spring flowers, followed by flowering perennials and grasses as the seasons turn. The garden then divides, with the Stumpery and Woodland Garden to the right and Cool Garden to the left. "The Stumpery was carved out of a piece of woodland with very old trees that we wanted to preserve, and we added some tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) among the gnarled trunks to create an atmospheric feature,' says Mat.