GET THE LOOK
Blending your garden into the environment
There’s no shortage of colour in artist Jennie hughes’ herefordshire garden, although her attitude is more ‘anything goes’ than strictly co-ordinated planting schemes. While others meticulously plan their borders and root out the odd toadflax or cow parsley that pop up, she and husband Jack embrace chance appearances of insect-friendly native species alongside their perennials and shrubs.
“I just like the look of everything intermingling,” explains Jennie, a retired primary school teacher. “some people are very precious about colour but our feeling is that it doesn’t matter what you put in, it all seems to match somehow. We also love to hear our garden buzzing with bees and try to ensure there’s plenty of nectar for them.” Jack adds: “Another factor for us is that we rely on well water, supplemented by harvested rainwater, so plants have to take their chances.”
Over the years Jennie and Jack have embraced the cottage garden style to ensure their plot, which looks towards the Iron Age hill fort Ivington Camp, sits easily in the surrounding countryside. The points at which agricultural fields meet their flower borders are blurred by hedges created from a mixture of native species, while Jack has used natural materials to provide trellis and archways for roses and other climbers, helping to add to the rustic feel of the plot. “I prefer a more natural look,” says the retired local government officer. “We like using materials that chime with the countryside around us rather than detract from it.”
Other key features include a variety of trees, which attract birds throughout the year, and a pond. “We garden with nature in mind, says Jennie. “One thing we don’t seem to have a problem with is slugs, and we think that’s because we have quite a lot of birds and hedgehogs here.”
“I prefer a more natural look”