My Favourite Place: Wildside, Devon
My first visit to Wildside was 10 years ago when the garden was quite young. I was with the Devon Plant Heritage Group and owner Keith Wiley showed us around; he explained about his ideas for creating a large planting area under big skies. I was brought up in Lincolnshire and I got the ‘big skies’ immediately!
It really is my kind of garden. It’s naturalistic and I like to see plants weaving together, with no bare soil beneath. The mounds maximise the space and each one has a north, south, east and west-facing side; this has made me very aware of the importance of aspect and microclimates in my own garden. It makes me think about what I’m doing and how to put plants in the right place, first time.
It doesn’t look like anything much when you arrive, then you walk in and a wall of colour hits you. I go through the formal areas first, to where Keith has created big, deep canyons. The top point in that corner of the garden is my ultimate vista; a sculpted landscape filled with colour; then you zoom downwards and the canyons close around you – but in a friendly way.
Wandering along the narrow paths, with the plants brushing against your legs, creates a wonderful sense of adventure. You think, ‘what’s here, what am I going to see?’ You can escape into it, it surrounds and enfolds you – it’s more of an experience than a garden, complete with horticultural rollercoaster rides and switchbacks!
The sense of movement at Wildside is amazing. The tall, wafting plants take it to a whole higher level. There are scintillating grasses; amazing crocosmia, dierama and agapanthus, rocketing verbascums, and old, granite pillars add a sense of purpose. There are insects all around – it’s an utterly wonderful wildlife garden, too.
It’s so exuberant, I always come away feeling energised; buzzing with thoughts and my head full of wonderful panoramas. You leave with a smile on your face that stays there for several days afterwards!
■ Wildside Nursery and Garden, Green Lane, Buckland Monachorum, Devon, PL20 7NP. www.wileyatwildside.com.