Shaped by the landscape
High altitude and cold winds haven’t deterred these Pembrokeshire gardeners from creating a busy oasis of texture, colour and foliage
The entrance to the more formal part of Jennifer and Kevin Matthews’ garden on the slopes of the Preseli mountains in Pembrokeshire is through a walkway of neat, mop-headed, lollipop lime trees, with pale trunks and vibrant green leaves. It looks stylish and carefully planned, but like most of the features in the couple’s plot, Jennifer says that it came about more by accident than design. “Something went wrong and I salvaged it! This isn’t the easiest place to make a garden, and I’ve learned to work by trial and error.”
The garden sits at an altitude of 213m (700ft) and faces north east in a windy spot, where winters can be harsh. Temperatures plummeted to -20C (-4F) in 2010, and there was snow from the end of November to February.
“The wind’s always an issue, and when I planted the lime trees they were supposed to form a living arbour. But the tops were blown away, and birds of prey kept breaking the branches, so I cut them down to the lowest level possible, and they ended up growing in a dense, twiggy network, which I shaped into rounded heads,” says Jennifer.
When the couple moved in 25 years ago, they took on a derelict cottage and acres of rough land. “Our previous garden had only been 4m by 18m long, and we weren’t experienced gardeners. As a child, I didn’t even have a garden, although my dad rented space to keep horses, so I suppose you could say I grew up in the outdoors.”
Kevin, who’s a bricklayer, restored the house while Jennifer turned her attention to the garden. “The first thing I did was to plant some hedges to provide shelter for my horse, and half an acre of orchard, but
with the altitude and orientation, the fruit trees succumbed to canker. I replaced them with ornamental ones, and then I decided I wanted to create a garden.”
Now, there are five sections to the couple’s domain, including a wildflower meadow, a woodland and bog area and a perennial meadow. But it’s an area known as Dylans’ Garden where Jennifer has let her natural gift for plant combinations run free.
Large, billowing borders, planted with a diverse range of foliage, texture and colour, provide a glorious show from June, kicking off with foxgloves, philadelphus and geums.
“The borders run down to the east, so one side faces south and the other’s north facing, with more shade tolerant plants, such as astrantias, Chelone obliqua, with lilac-pink flowers on tall stems, and rodgersia with bold foliage and flamboyant pinkish-red flowers. I do like big plants, and lots of them,” admits Jennifer. “I tend to go for those with the RHS ‘fully hardy’ rating, apart from my gunnera, which I wrap up carefully for the winter.”
Jennifer and Kevin planted hedging around Dylans’ Garden. A mixture of hawthorn, beech and red dogwood creates a natural windbreak. Each has been chosen for its foliage as well as for its practical use. “I do like foliage because it’s present from the first leaf formation to the autumn fall. Often, I plant contrasting shades together, for example purple or red foliage to brighten up a green.
“In winter, the dogwoods with their vibrant branches come into their own. I have a few differently coloured ones in a long shrubbery, such as ‘Kesselringii’, which has dark purple stems, and ‘Sibirica’, with bright red ones. The rest of the garden might be looking a bit flat at this time of year but these always shine out. But generally, there’s never a grand plan. I buy plants that I like and then I tend to walk around
the garden with them until I find the right spot. I always go outside with an open mind!”
After closing her plant nursery, Moorland Cottage Plants in 2017, Jennifer now has more time to devote to her garden, where she is often to be found with her pet collie Jack in all weathers. “I’m happiest when I’m doing a bit of weeding or tidying. This is a relaxed, comfortable garden, influenced by the landscape and I really do get an awful lot of satisfaction from it.”