Garden of the Week
This lush secluded garden in the centre of a Suffolk village now has the 'wow' factor after three decades of hard work by its owners
In the beginning the garden at Woodwards was not much to write home about. The small site was a building plot, and the main ambition of owners Marion and Richard Kenward was to project manage their new house into existence and move in.
“We bought the original patch of land 30 years ago, so first we had to build the house!”, says Richard, who used to run a company specialising in maintaining sports turf. “Luckily, at that time there was a slump in the building trade so every time I rang someone for a quote they asked how soon they could start – so it only took us five months in the end.”
They then turned their attention to the compact garden, which, although it had a view to recommend it, was noticeably short of planting.
Again, they fell on their feet. “Every now and again, the lady who owned the fields adjacent to us would send someone round to ask if we would like to buy a bit! It was ideal for both of us, as we had time to save up for the next parcel of land and she got a useful cash injection to help keep her farm going.”
As each patch of ground was adopted, Richard and Marion expanded their activities. They worked in stages, clearing the neglected, brambly meadow and coaxing the soil into a fine tilth. “It was certainly hard work, but it paid dividends,” says Richard.
“Gradually, it went from just a few square yards to about one-anda-half acres,” says Richard. “Over the years we’ve planted many thousands of bulbs and nearly 100 trees. There were a few really old trees already – including an interesting old Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Leopoldii’. When the chief lecturer at the local horticultural college saw it, he danced around it like it was a Christmas tree! But most of the ones we put in were whips. Young apples, hornbeams, acers and silver birches, which often grew away faster than bigger specimens.”
Although the garden’s in the centre of the village, by some alchemy it’s not at all overlooked. In fact, new visitors are always surprised by the reveal. “You walk up the drive, come round the corner and then it suddenly opens up in front of you.
"People just say ‘wow’,” says Richard. “It’s funny really, as we didn’t have anything as
sophisticated as a plan – not even on the back of an envelope.” The garden is now lush and intriguing; grass paths meander through light, cultivated woodland and among the herbaceous borders, gently rolling downhill to the stream. The planting is layered; ground cover and low shrubs are punctuated by tall pots of hostas, while obelisks, clad in climbing hydrangeas, form a series of robust accents. Above all of this stand the trees, now grown to maturity under the couple’s watchful eye.
Richard declares himself prone to procrastination, yet the garden gives the lie to this. And while they could be accused of making it up as they go along, there’s no doubt that rigour, passion and learning on the hoof, coupled with a hefty dollop of doing what they fancy, has stood them in good stead.
“I mow the lawns every day. They’re my pride and joy – people say that the grass looks like a carpet,” says Richard. “And I have 155 different varieties of hostas in pots. We just feed them with pelleted chicken manure and they thrive. But there's something like 2,000 varieties available, so I've a long way to go!”
Although now well established, the garden at Woodwards is anything but static and the couple are continually innovating. The hanging baskets in the trees are always a hit with visitors and the new obelisks are blending in well. Scuffed grass paths have given way to higgledy piggledy paving slabs and an owl box has been sited in a suitable tree, although the owl itself is yet to take up residence.
The main challenge is the extremely light soil. “It’s a dream to work, but it could rain all day and the water would disappear within 10 minutes,” explains Richard. “We plant to take account of this and we mulch with anything we can get.”
The garden is richly planted. Well-positioned seats invite visitors to admire the views and watch the abundant wildlife. The couple enjoy opening for charity and showing visitors – although the space normally occupied by a marquee serving teas has been converted into a veg patch for the 2020 season.
It’s a harmonious place and with planting robust to perform all year round, it’s been a labour of love over three decades. And that dedication and teamwork persists.
“When it comes to the garden, we’re very democratic,” says Richard. “We discuss it, and then
I do what I’m told!”