8 KEY PLANTS

1 Epimedium x rubrum Excellent deciduous groundcover, whose bronze-tinted, spring foliage turns red in autumn. Contrasting colours of crimson and bright cream make the dainty flowers glow. 30cm. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b†. 2 Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ Perfect for naturalising in borders and woodland, the dainty, light-blue flowers are a refreshing change to shades of yellow that dominate in spring. 20cm. AGM. RHS H5.

3 Magnolia x soulangeana A large deciduous shrub or small tree, with massed, goblet-shaped, white flowers with burgundy and pink tints. 6m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b. 4 Pulmonaria ‘Lewis Palmer’ The leaves have greenishwhite spots and the flowers open purple-pink, fading to a soft-violet blue. 35cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. 5 Muscari macrocarpum ‘Golden Fragrance’ Violet flowers age to bright yellow and are strongly scented of banana. Ideal for a hot, dry, free-draining position. 12cm. RHS H4, USDA 5a-8b. 6 Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’ Star-shaped, white flowers with reflexed petals in late spring, held above neat clumps of mottled leaves. 30cm. AGM. RHS H5. 7 Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’ Refined species tulip with narrow, pale-green leaves and delicate flowers in tones of cream, yellow and rose. 25cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 3a-7b. 8 Pulsatilla rubra Long-lasting, plum-red flowers with bright-yellow stamens and decorative leaves. It is attractive both in flower and in seed. 20cm. RHS H5. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Hardiness ratings given where available.

double-flowered, golden-yellow ‘Rip van Winkle’; and an assortment of erythroniums, wood anemones and snowdrops (there are 250 different cultivars in the garden).

A 200m-long, limestone dry stone retaining wall, running along the drive, is planted with miniature bulbs and perennials that are best appreciated at eye level.

From April, these include several Iris, such as ‘Pixie’ with dark, violet-blue blooms, and the delicate, star-shaped, white flowers of Ornithogalum oligophyllum, with their faint green stripes and tiny, glowing-green centres.

“Pale-cream Narcissus ‘Candlepower’ is gorgeous,” Margaret enthuses. “As soon as spring arrives, I can’t wait for it to bloom.” These are interplanted with small, springflowering herbaceous plants, including several corydalis such as Corydalis solida subsp. solida ‘Beth Evans’ with bright, coral-pink flowers, purple-flowered Corydalis cava and Corydalis ochroleuca, valued for its large, white, yellow-tipped flowers, up to 1.5cm long.

Structure within the garden is created by clipped evergreens and shrubs, several with white flowers such as Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’, Ribes sanguineum ‘Tydemans White’

Structure is created by clipped evergreens and shrubs, and self-sown hellebore hybrids fill in any early gaps in the borders

and Magnolia x soulangeana, whose blooms are streaked with dashes of claret and pink. Below in the borders, self-sown hellebore hybrids fill the gaps in the emerging patchwork of fresh foliage. “I often visit Ashwood Nurseries and treat myself to their Garden Hybrids because they are so lovely,” says Margaret. Her favourites include “A double white spotted, which is always one of the earliest to flower and the flowers last a long time; a single dusky grape, which creates a beautiful contrast; and the unusual Ashwood Evolution Group Neon Shades, with their yellow flowers, golden nectaries and deep-red tints and veining, which are totally different from anything else in flower at this time of year.” Among Margaret’s other treasures are Helleborus Anna’s

Red (= ‘Abcrd02’) – named for garden writer Anna Pavord – which boasts red flowers and marbled foliage, and Helleborus multifidus subsp. hercegovinus, admired for its apple-green flowers and finely cut leaves, and commonly known as the ‘ferny hellebore’ (a leaf was once found with 185 divisions).

There are also several fine pulmonarias, including Pulmonaria ‘Lewis Palmer’, whose leaves have greenish-white spots and flowers that open purple-pink, gradually fading to a soft violet-blue; Pulmonaria ‘Looking Glass’, sporting bright, silvered leaves; and Pulmonaria rubra decked in deep-coral flowers and mid-green foliage, which combines well with snowdrops.

A mature oak tree in one corner of the garden is a mixed blessing. “Without regular raking there is a layer of leaves up to 30cm deep,” explains James, “and it can take up to three days to clear them from the lawn and borders, but it does supply us with an unlimited supply of leaf mould for the borders and vegetable garden.

The garden is renowned for its views, but anyone who studies the foreground will be equally well rewarded – especially those with a passion for choice and unusual plants.

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Above Fritillaries, narcissi, cowslips, bee orchids, primroses and white and blue anemones all self-seed in the rough grass below a beech tree, creating a millefleur, or tapestry of many tiny flowers, that changes subtly every year. The grass is cut and raked off in late summer, once all of the seeds have been shed.

Left Early plant growth is faster in sunnier parts of the garden, away from the skeletal shadow of the giant oaks and beeches. Self-seeded hellebores and narcissi are followed later by polemoniums and alliums. Dense planting creates an attractive patchwork and weed-suppressing groundcover.

Below Magnolia kobus is a flower-filled focal point in spring, as herbaceous plants and nearby climbing roses, trained over a wrought-iron arch, burst into early growth. The seat, in a shady spot, becomes the perfect place for contemplation in the sunnier days ahead.