IMAGINE standing in a garden for the first time and trying to work out what it can become. Will it be minimal or traditional? Will the planting be cottagey, Mediterranean or jungly? How is the garden going to be used? By children and dog show many and how boisterous? Should there be a vegetable garden? Are the clients sociable or reclusive? Do they like gardening? This last one seems pretty obvious, but designers often have to make gardens for people who are neither knowledgeable nor keen. Some are scared witless by the idea of a garden and it is the designer's job to stroke the fevered brow, spread calm where there is panic and reassurance where there are misgivings. Lots of questions must be answered before the business of creating a garden can begin-and it is immediately apparent that the design of this garden near Godalming has been well thought through.
The designer Pollyanna Wilkinson stood in this garden for the first time about four years ago. She was surrounded by a few mature trees and a large expanse of very dull lawn. That is not to say that lawn does not have a place in a garden-in the same way that carrots have a place on a menu― but to have nothing except lawn (or, indeed, carrots) can become a trifle dull. There she stood, scratching her head and hunting for the essence, the spirit, the inspiration beneath the surface. What was it that would provide a strong enough theme upon which she could hang the design of the garden? The answer lay, as is so often the case, in the architecture of the house. In this case, the house is quite quirky with pegged tiles and Bargate stone walls. 'In the end,' she explains, 'we based it on the distinctive round chimney, which gave us a good starting point for the formal/not formal feel that I was after.'
Denne historien er fra April 17, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 17, 2024-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.
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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
