Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
‘Bryan has skilfully used the shape, form and colour of a broad range of perennials to create a living tapestry, with colour and interest at every turn.’
good background of green, so I’ve planted plenty of trees, especially conifers, and grasses. The contrast of foliage and flowers works well. I grow a few things from seed, like Lychnis coronaria, which has flowers in white, pink or purple – it’s always changing colour so you never know what to expect.
‘Another passion is roses. I’ve always been fascinated by them and I have about 80, all different varieties. Scent is very important. I can’t see the point of a rose without fragrance. I love ramblers and climbers, though you have to be careful as they can get too big. I grow white ‘Rambling Rector’ and it’s got so huge I have to keep cutting it down or else it would take over the garden.
‘Lockdown has been a great excuse to spend even more time in the garden. I think the work has paid off and I thought to
myself, “By gum, the garden’s never looked better.” Now lockdown is over I can have folk round and it makes me happy to see them wandering round. My sister Dorothy entered me for the Daily Mail National Garden Competition, I’d never have thought of entering myself.
‘I’m a keen walker, but if I’m not walking I’m in the garden. In summer, I just come in for meals and otherwise I’m out in the garden until it gets dark. There’s always something to do. I want the garden to be better every year and I’m already thinking about next year and what I can improve.
‘The thing about gardening is that it doesn’t just keep your body fit, it’s also good for your mind. You’re always thinking ahead and planning, designing things in your head. You’re never bored have a garden.’
Richard Smithson, 63, and his wife Sharon, 66, live in Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Richard manages a woodland conservation project for adults with learning disabilities and Sharon works in human resources.
‘Sharon has lived in our 1930s semi-detached house for 28 years, and I moved in five years later,’ says Richard. ‘The garden had a square lawn, with narrow borders and a concrete drive that went the length of the garden, leading to an old garage. We realised it had great potential and began transforming it.
‘Our garden is very much a joint project. I began gardening at an early age, encouraged by my grandad, and on leaving school I worked for the Leeds parks department. Sharon has a love of nature and an interest in textiles, which shows in the way she weaves plants and colours into the design.
‘The garden is 40ft wide and 50ft at its longest. We both wanted to move away from straight lines and have a natural, organic flow. We really wanted the garden to feel like a tranquil extension to the house, and to have year-round interest with plenty of evergreen shrubs. We love plants with big leaves, and visits to Cornwall and the Eden Project have helped inspire us. Sharon is brilliant at planting in layers and filling in the gaps so there is very little room for weeds.
‘The garden changes a lot over the seasons. In spring we have a woodland feel, with camellias, rhododendrons and pieris, and ground cover of wild garlic, bluebells and hellebores. In summer it becomes subtropical, with foliage plants such as tetrapanax, cannas, bananas, a grape vine and begonias, along with ferns, bamboos and gunnera. In autumn the leaves of the acers turn a fiery red. We’ve encouraged climbing plants to enhance the jungly feel; it makes the garden look a bit wild, but for us that’s part of its appeal.
‘We’re so happy that this space is a haven for wildlife, with a visiting hedgehog, frogs, damselflies and many varieties of birds. The garden is a sanctuary for us too and it’s been even more important for us during the last few months. It’s helped keep us going.’