GET THE LOOK
A cottage on the North Norfolk coast sounds idyllic, but for gardener Katrina Jackson it came with a big compromise
Making the most of an awkward plot in Norfolk
There’s no getting around it, Norfolk house sits on a small, awkwardly shaped plot. The cottage is on the edge of Wellsnext-the-sea in North Norfolk, and its tiny back courtyard, dark narrow passageway, and oddly-shaped garden at the front leave something to be desired for an enthusiastic gardener. “I was very disappointed with the size of the kitchen and the garden when we moved in,” recalls owner Katrina Jackson. “The kitchen was easy, we extended, but in the garden…,” she trails off with a resigned smile.
One of the ways Katrina and husband Alan have optimised the space is by “going upwards.” so in the courtyard a raised bed next to the cheerfully painted gazebo gives way to vertical planting, much of it self-seeded, along the flint wall bordering the narrow corridor through to the main garden. The wall itself magically morphs halfway along into a convenient shelf for potted petunias, and through a rose-covered archway the main garden is dotted with shelves and alcoves filled with pots and hanging baskets. “I love nooks and crannies,” says Katrina enthusiastically.
One of the main suppliers of nooks and crannies is an amazing structure in the corner, built as a barbecue and patio area by the couple’s son-in-law. It adds a dimension all of its own with higgledy-piggledy brick, flints and other pieces of building materials recycled from the rubble of two garden sheds, knocked down in 2007 when Alan and Katrina moved in. A 5ft deep leylandii hedge, dominating the plot, came down at the same time to make room for plants. In its place now are various flowering and evergreen shrubs, including several mature Solanum crispum that add height and colour in summer with their long lasting flowers.
Under this top storey are a variety of shrubs and herbaceous plants, including a couple of pre-existing peonies used by Katrina as starting points for her curving borders: “I thought they were so beautiful that we brought the line of the bed out to include them,” she explains.
Ultimately, she says: “There’s no real set plan, it’s about getting a plant and finding a place that it likes. “I suppose you could say I’m not a gardener of great knowledge and structure - I’m more a gardener of the heart.”
“I love nooks and crannies”