THE making of the garden at Harvard Farm is a story of two generations of gardeners who, after years of pursuing separate paths, began to work together with delightful results. First is Dilly Hobson, who moved to Dorset more than 25 years ago with her artist husband, Tim, to renovate a farmhouse on a windswept hill—her goal was to make a garden from scratch after the children had left home. Second is their son, Jake, who travelled to Japan after his Fine Art degree and fell in love with the Japanese approach to gardens, not least with the exacting and passionate approach to pruning and training trees and shrubs so that they sit happily in a garden context.
Their two or so acres now form a sheltered haven, a much-loved family garden with a backbone of strong organic shapes that adds definition to the planting, frames views to the next part of the garden and links the whole to the rolling hills and hedgerows of the countryside beyond.
‘The first time we saw the place,’ says Dilly, ‘I knew the kind of garden I wanted, but I hadn’t taken on board the challenge of its position. It was only when I started work that I realised it how difficult it would be. At times, the wind was so strong you could barely stand up.’
Planting a shelterbelt of broadleaf natives away from the house was the first priority and, over the next seven years, as the house was renovated, the garden slowly evolved around it.
Denne historien er fra July 22, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 22, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
