“I like to let the plants lead the way”
Within its crisp framework of hedges, trees and topiary, self-sowers are slowly colonising this pretty cottage garden. Owner Alex Davies shows us around
Within its crisp framework of hedges, trees and topiary, self-sowers are slowly colonising this pretty cottage garden
Year-round structure is key to a well-designed garden. This is particularly true during winter, as this atmospheric garden in Wiltshire shows. “When we first moved here 20 years ago I found the conditions for gardening quite challenging,” says owner Alex Davies, a local NGS co-ordinator who designs gardens for others. “It’s quite an exposed, windy site that can get very hot in summer and the soil was flinty clay. But I’ve learned to work with the conditions by embracing plants that like it here.
“One of the first things we had to do was remove the Tarmac drive that filled up most of the front garden,” says Alex. “We repositioned the entrance to the west of the house in the process.
“A lane wraps around the plot, so we had the dilemma of whether to keep the hedges for privacy and shelter, or remove them to make the most of the views. In the end we kept them and I concentrated on creating a more inward-looking garden.
“I’m a bit of a plantaholic so I initially filled the whole space with plants, with a path leading through them. However, this became a bit hard to manage, so, after eight years I put in a circular lawn instead and created planting areas around it.”
On a misty, frosty winter’s day the crisply trimmed hedges, tree silhouettes, shapely oak gates and sculptural topiary make this a magical place. “There are yew
I’ve learned to work with the conditions by embracing plants that like it here
pyramids, box balls and cloud-pruned Chilean myrtle, which has attractive cinnamon-coloured bark, evergreen foliage and white flowers in summer,” says Alex. Now known as Luma apiculata, this South American native has become naturalised in milder parts Britain, but it’s also thriving in Alex’s more exposed garden. “Myrtles aren’t regarded as hardy, so it was a bit of a risk,” she says. “It’s proved to be very tough. My mother-inlaw used to experiment with plants all the time and I do the same, whether it’s planting out something tender, or moving them until I find the right spot for them.”
For height and structure Alex has planted hawthorn. “They’re so hardy,” she says. “Crataegus lavalleei ‘Carrierei’ holds onto its leaves for a long time, has spring blossom and pretty orange-red fruit on its bare stems right into winter. I clip these plants too, creating a more rounded shape to give them a lovely sculptural look.
“There are a few crab apples as well, again because they’re robust and have a long season of interest. I really love Malus transitoria, which has an airy canopy of delicate leaves that turn buttery yellow in autumn and clusters of tiny golden-yellow fruit; it’s a beautiful, elegant tree.
“Yew and hornbeam hedges also provide a strong backdrop and, for a bit of extra interest, some have been given scallop-edged tops.”
Perennials such as euphorbia and borderline-hardy Melianthus major, with its large architectural grey-green leaves, provide an understorey of interest. Dotted about are pops of colour provided by the striking crimson shoots of Paeonia obovata, eager to emerge from their winter slumber, the fragrant pink f lowers of daphne, clusters of cyclamen, primroses and dainty muscari. “One of my favourite plant combinations is the group of plum-coloured hellebores forming a carpet around a vibrant, orange-stemmed Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’,” she says. “I also like to leave seedheads in place over winter so the rusty umbels of hylotelephiums mingle with the slender, copper-coloured leaves of Anemanthele lessoniana grass.”
Alex mulches her herbaceous borders in spring and feeds her roses, but otherwise the plants are left to fend for themselves. “I was worried about the soil fertility at the beginning, but I decided to go with what was here, work with it and choose plants that don’t need rich conditions, such as stachys, Cerastium tomentosum,
asphodels and Bupleurum fruticosum.”
Gravel, which Alex has laid directly onto the soil, helps to visually unite the
garden. “Plants emerge from it and paths meander through,” she says. “The gravel also prevents the garden turning into an expanse of bare soil during winter. I get masses of self-sowers because of the gravel, but that’s no bad thing. It’s how I want to move forward with the garden.
“Right from the beginning I planted dieramas and they’ve been incredibly successful colonising the gravel areas, as have gaura, grasses, euphorbia and hellebores. I spend quite a bit of time editing these seedlings, but because the garden has such a strong structure with its hedges, topiary and neat circular lawn, the self-seeding has been able to lead the way. It’s taught me what plants like to do and I’ve allowed it to happen.” ✿
It’s got a strong structure so self-seeding has been able to lead the way