In An English Country Garden…
We welcome back our expert gardener Susie White, who has spent her winter working on that most classic of gardens...
The first tulips are flowering and the aubrieta is in bloom – it’s the start of another season here in my cottage garden. From now until the autumn I’ll be sharing with you what is happening in my garden and giving you plenty of ideas and tips on how to make the most of yours.
One of the things I worked on during winter was a plan for a public garden in Sweden. I was asked to design a “classic English garden” for Jonsered Manor near Gothenburg. The Manor was built in 1868 by Scottish factory owner William Gibson, who created a model community where workers had good housing, healthcare, a school and a garden where everyone was welcome to enjoy the summer’s fresh vegetables. There is now a new layout and each year a designer is invited to create a plan for a 20 metre square garden and I’m the first from outside Sweden.
Their desire for a “classic English garden” set me thinking about what elements go into making one. It’s about having a colour ful mix of cottage garden plants, annuals, bulbs, shrubs and roses. It’s about having a strong underlying structure which then allows you to plant in a free and easy way. Then there’s topiary and lawns, a kitchen garden with herbs and, of course, places to sit and enjoy it all. I’ve tried to distill all these ideas into my Swedish plan and will share the result with you later in the summer.
To make a per fect English garden, first think about layout. Two paths that cross in the middle will give you four rectangular beds with strong lines that look good in winter. A path running to the front door can be edged in lavender for scent as you walk along. Use symmetry by planting domes of yew or box on either side of paths; the balance will give stability to overflowing cottage type plants.
“Use fewer species for bigger effect and plants that bloom for a long time”
In a small garden it’s natural to want to cram in lots of different flowers but simplicity makes a garden seem larger. Use fewer species for bigger effect and choose plants that bloom for a long time: repeat-flowering roses, Geranium “Rozanne”, salvias, agastache, sedum and echinacea. Grow annuals such as cosmos, dahlias, pansies and marigolds for colour. Poppies and candytuft will self-seed, bringing informality and lovely, unexpected plant combinations.
Fill in any gaps with alliums and lilies, or snowdrops and winter aconites in shady areas amongst ferns and hostas. See walls and fences as a great opportunity for gardening in a vertical space. They can be covered in roses, wisteria, clematis and jasmine for scent. It all adds to the romantic English garden feel.