Monmouthshire is a gift to gardeners. For beginners, it’s also a glorious adventure playground: spindly yew and sparse hornbeam grow speedily into serious hedges; stuff happens almost as you watch. A new garden can appear established and older than its years in a pleasingly short time.
The garden at Cwm Farm in the beautiful Usk Valley sits so naturally in its surroundings that it might have been there forever. In fact, it is barely nine years old, and despite being a comparative gardening novice, owner Louisa Morgan opened her delightful garden for the first time earlier this summer for the National Garden Scheme (NGS).
The house was completely run down when Louisa and her husband Lee discovered it 15 years ago. For Louisa, marketing director of the family business Mandarin Stone (suppliers of natural stone, porcelain and decorative tiles), restoring the house to its Grade II-listed glory was familiar territory; the garden, however, was not. Just as she started to think about it, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Facing prolonged treatment (she has now happily recovered), the garden became an all-important goal, providing both sanctuary and support throughout a challenging time. She threw herself into the project.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
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
Field of Dreams - The naturalistic gem Hans Gieszen has created in former meadowlands near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the culmination of a lifelong passion
Ever since his mother gave him seeds as a small boy, gardening has been a passion for Hans Gieszen. He is completely self-taught, relying on garden visits and books for instruction, with one book in particular, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, influencing his style. “It was fascinating,” says Hans, remembering his first encounter with the book. “All those photos – pictures with mists and these tall and low plants and grasses. I realised I couldn’t do it in my small garden, but I kept dreaming and reading about it.”
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn