Suzanne presented the last of her series of three talks – speaking of modern trends in gardening and the adaptations made by gardeners to ensure sustainability. The growth of the middle class has resulted in smaller gardens, close to the house, with an increased range of plants available. The world wars resulted in a lack of gardeners, which reduced the use of box, and yew, which took a lot of labour to maintain. The most popular trees sold in England over the last ten years have been olive trees and Wollemi pines.
Suzanne showed wonderful photographs of Hidecote Manor, a National Trust property in Gloucestershire. Although only a total area of 10 acres, Hidecote has lots of garden ‘rooms’, drawing the eye to the landscape beyond.It was one of the first gardens to use the colours red and purple in the borders.
Next door to Hidecote is Kiftsgate Court small at only four acres being managed by the original gardener’s granddaughter. Kiftsgate is informal, with a semi-circular pool and wonderful views of the Cotswolds. The Kiftsgate rose, a singular white, is a very strong powerful rose, which has grown to 50 feet high, huge and just stunning. The tennis court has been transformed into a water garden.
Bodnant Garden in Wales is a stunning National Trust property in the north of Wales, set high in the hills. It has beautiful terraces, pools and water features, azaleas and rhododendrons. Bridges cross various streams and waterfalls - it is stunning.
Waddingston was owned by the Rothschilds and is modelled on a French chateau, built in 1874, with closely planted colourful garden beds, which are changed twice a year. Now owned by the National Trust, the number of plants once indicated the owners’ wealth. It is big at 160 acres with magnificent flowering horse chestnuts, fountains and statuary.
Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire was once a priory now owned by the National Trust since 1972. The house is now in ruins but the gardens still attract visitors and holds the National Collection of roses, including damask, rambling roses, climbers, rugosas etc.
Sissinghurst Castle in Kent is probably the most famous garden in England, and the most visited. The 12th century house is mostly destroyed but a tower remains, which was used by Vita Sackville West for her writing. The cottage garden contains many silver-leaved plants and geraniums. All plants in the white garden are white, including cosmos, daisies etc. Views of the garden from the tower are stunning.
Hestercombe House in Somerset is owned by the Fire Brigade and was designed by Gertrude Jekyll, with forty acres of garden, lovely stonework and a Grecian temple.
Barnsley House in Gloucestershire is now run as a small private hotel with four acres in the typical English style, with a lovely potager, beautifully set out.
Beth Chatto Garden in Essex is in the driest part of England with the first gravel garden with plants that don’t require watering, a water garden with five ponds over different levels and a wooded garden.
Knightshayes Court in Devon is Victorian and was built for an MP, designed by William Burgess, who designed Cardiff Castle. It’s a very pretty garden with huge rhododendrons.
Bowes museum is designed like a French chateau with a manicured parterre and is owned by the Bowes family. It was built to display the family treasures, including a wonderful collection of porcelain and a clockwork swan.
The Garden House in Devon is a medieval manor house, very closely planted without lawns or open spaces. It has wonderful maples providing stunning colour.
Great Dixter in East Sussex is the garden of Christopher Lloyd, which is a Tudor house built in the 1500’s. Lloyd did not believe in colour matching or roses – his borders are superb with stunning clematis and aquilegias. The moat has been left to become a wildflower meadow; there is an exotic garden growing bananas. He did not cut back until early spring, so that birds can enjoy the seedpods of autumn.
The Eden Project in Cornwall is considered sterile by Suzanne, and is a series of bio-domes with differing ambience, from tropical to dry.
Rosemoor in Devon is one of four properties owned by the Royal Horticultural society; it educates horticulture students and features many roses. Another is Wisley, just outside of London, which was gifted to the society in 1903, designed by George Jellicoe. Supports ensure the herbaceous borders stay upright.
Preen Manor Garden in Shropshire is privately owned, six acres with eighteen small garden rooms, which was originally a monastery.
