A gentleman gardener

Created by one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, E A Bowles’ garden at Myddelton House continues to grow

- Philippa Pearson

A plant lover from an early age, the highly respected botanist, artist and author, Edward Augustus Bowles enthusiastically created a plantsman’s garden at his home, Myddelton House, where he grew an extensive collection of his favourite plants. The gardens in Bulls Cross, Enfield, just south of Capel Manor College Gardens and within Lee Valley Regional Park (the house is now the park authority’s HQ), are famous for snowdrops, crocus, spring bulbs and alpine plants. By 1900, aged 35, Bowles had collected more than 150 different crocus species – a particular favourite. He specialised in European mountain plants and bulbs and spent many summers in the Pyrenees gathering material. He wrote botanical books illustrated with his own beautiful watercolours and was highly regarded by the Royal Horticultural Society, serving on plant committees and eventually becoming vice-president.

At Myddelton House he created planting schemes to show off his collections as they might have been seen in their natural habitat, including an alpine meadow, a rock garden, banks of snowdrops, a patch devoted to variegated plants and plants with coloured leaves, and beds devoted to irises.

An important and historic garden, it continues to evolve and develop by the extension of plant collections and addition of new planting. Bowles is never far away when work is planned, head gardner Richard Harmes says.

‘Our approach is to do everything in the spirit of Bowles and before we make new plans for the garden and borders, we take time to do some research into what was planted here before and how we can move this forward. Our first question is: would this be something that Bowles would have done if he was in the garden today?’