Top 10 seaside gardens to blow away the cobwebs

Richard Baines Logan Botanic Garden

Top plant Beschorneria yuccoides

A clump-forming evergreen from Mexico, it produces nodding tubular flowers, complemented by red bracts. It has exotic written all over it! —

Tips

Establish a shelter belt as early as possible; plant densely and then thin out. Look for plants that do well locally, a good indicator that they will survive.

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Gwynedd Roberts Portmeirion

Top plant

Rosa rugosa

A vigorous rose, perfect for coastal hedging. —

Tips

Raised beds improve soil depth, nutrition and water retention – they also lift plants to eye level. Mulch beds in spring. —

Claire Batten and

Jeff Rowe

Minack

Top plant Polygala fruticosa ‘Africana’ A compact evergreen shrub with clusters of purple sweet pea-like flowers.

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Tips Leathery-leafed succulents, such as aeoniums and agaves, tolerate salt-laden winds. Deciduous bulbs, like agapanthus, crocosmia and gladiolus, do well as they are dormant in winter.

tree ferns, as well as less familiar shrubs such as Carpodetus and Metrosideros. There are even the ruins of a medieval castle to be discovered in the garden that was used as the backdrop for the cult 1973 film The Wicker Man. rbge.org.uk; 01776 860231

PORTMEIRION, GWYNEDD An extraordinary theatrical fantasy, Portmeirion was the creation of architect Clough Williams-Ellis. The pioneer conservationist first came across the derelict estate in 1925 and resolved to transform it into a model retreat, hotel and architectural plaything. Set around a panoply of buildings realised in a wild variety of styles (and colours), the garden features a range of distinctive moods and episodes, combined with open vistas far across the sands of the Dwyryd estuary. Williams-Ellis himself always acknowledged the generosity of his neighbour, Caton Haigh who, from the start, allowed visitors into his own notable garden, the Gwyllt, which was filled with exotic trees and shrubs. A new tree trail gives visitors the opportunity to discover the garden’s arboreal highlights. portmeirion.wales; 01766 770000

MOUNT EDGCUMBE, CORNWALL Perhaps the best remaining example of the 18th-century “maritime picturesque”, the 10 miles of coastline and 865 acres of landscape at Mount Edgcumbe make for a thrilling visit, just across the water from busy, historic Plymouth. The open, windblown paths wend their way past neolithic barrows, the remnants of 18th-century seats, small garden buildings including an icehouse, and the ruined St Michael’s Chapel, from where the Spanish Armada was first sighted in July 1588. Next to the house are formal areas including the Earl’s Garden, a national collection of camellias and a range of themed gardens including a fern dell, rose garden and Italian garden. mountedgcumbe.gov.uk; 01752 822236

LINDISFARNE CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND

It’s all about the setting. A rugged castle on Holy Island, windswept moorland, grazing sheep and then – astonishingly – a tiny walled garden, just 100 sq ft, sitting in the midst of it all. This redoubt against the wilderness was created in 1911 by one of the 20th century’s greatest design teams, Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. The walls of the plot, which was once a vegetable garden for Tudor soldiers, provide a microclimate where cottage-style plantings, particularly annuals, can flourish. Chrysanthemums, sweet peas, foxgloves, delphiniums and cosmos thrive. It is said that Jekyll used a shotgun to fire seed and mud pellets at the crag on which the castle sits, while a boy was lowered in a bucket on a rope to plant the larger specimens. Lindisfarne garden is currently closed, though Holy Island is open so the garden is visible “over the wall”. Check the website for latest updates. nationaltrust.org.uk; 01289 389244

OSBORNE HOUSE, ISLE OF WIGHT “It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot” – high praise indeed from Queen Victoria. Her consort, Prince Albert, remarked that the views across the Solent reminded him of the Bay of Naples. Albert started planting the Italianate terraces himself in 1850, before construction of the house was even finished. One of his first additions was a wall-trained Magnolia grandiflora, while other historic survivals from the 1850s include the vines on the pergola, camellias on the lower terrace and the myrtle (symbol of love). This has traditionally been used in royal bridal bouquets – including those of the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge. english-heritage.org.uk; 0370 333 1181

DUNBEATH CASTLE, CAITHNESS A stunning coastal setting, with the 15th-century castle and its gardens standing out against the glittering sea. The two-acre walled garden at Dunbeath has been “refreshed” by designer Xa Tollemache, with new garden rooms, “each providing a different service and personality yet not distracting from the wonderful feeling of space”, as she says. There are classic herbaceous borders (roses, delphiniums) together with banks of fuchsia hedging on three sides as an additional windbreak. The gardens are bisected by a half-milelong entrance drive cut into the hillside, creating a dramatic overture to the castle. dunbeathgardens.co.uk; 01593 731308

DEREK JARMAN’S GARDEN, KENT This fenceless, fearless little plot, gathered around a humble cabin on the beach at Dungeness, was created by the artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman. Recently the subject of a fundraising campaign, the garden has been saved by a consortium of donors led by the Art Fund, and is set to be restored and reopened with a new sense of purpose. This is not a formal garden visit, in that there is currently no ticketing arrangements or even an “entrance” – but the garden is still viewable from the strand. Jarman became an enthusiastic plantsman in his last years, making friends with the likes of Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd and singing the praises of tough plants including sea kale, viper’s bugloss, valerian and helichrysum.

THE MINACK THEATRE, CORNWALL

Visitors to this seaside theatre also have the benefit of a first-class garden to enjoy. It’s appropriately dramatic – a series of informal beds reached by winding paths on the granite cliffs which tumble down to the water’s edge. Some plants, notably aloes and agaves, are planted in any available hollows on the bare rock – “the theory is that the boulders will act as a giant storage heater”. Recently the emphasis has been on South African plants – proteas, agapanthus, gazanias and watsonias – which contribute colour across a long summer season. The free-draining, acidic soil on this southfacing site create good conditions for a soupçon of Kirstenbosch on the Cornish coast. minack.com; 01736 810181

just south of Dunnet Head, the most northerly position on the British mainland. Just think, that plump little caterpillar munching hop leaves in my Brighton garden, now has cousins 700 miles away. Could they breed there, and their progeny hop over the Pentland Firth into the Orkney Islands to continue

Not a butterfly but a dayflying moth, the Jersey tiger may be seen on the south coast

Gardens are now opening in Wales as well as England in support of the National Garden Scheme. To celebrate, this week we are featuring two Welsh gardens. Visitors must prebook tickets in advance at ngs.org.uk. Tickets for the gardens featured below and all others opening tomorrow are available now. Tickets for next weekend will be available on Monday. in an idyllic spot in a curve of the River Monnow, Rockfield Park has a history stretching to the 17th century.

Venerable trees frame views out to parkland and there are riverside walks where you can picnic.

But the gardens are also overflowing with gorgeous planting and other features, ranging from herbaceous borders and pergolas draped with clematis and other climbers, to an extensive kitchen garden with a greenhouse and, elsewhere, a natural meadow and orchard. A composition with a dramatic, narrow stone-edge rill framed in lawn edged with a long flower border shows how this garden has refreshed its established features. Open today.

There are community gardens on the sides of streets, in parks, on council estates, almost anywhere. SolomonKawall urges people to support existing community gardens rather than setting up a new one. “There’s definitely a need for more, but a lot of people, like ourselves, although our profile is quite big, we’re not financially secure and it takes a lot of work to maintain a community garden.”

“We always focus on what their needs are, but we use the garden as a template,” Solomon-Kawall expands. “It provides a safe space, it’s calming, healing and forgiving. The garden is a level playing field to make everyone equal – whatever you put into it, you’ll get back.”

Moses Bemba, 20, is one beneficiary of the Hip Hop Garden. After arriving in the UK from Africa in 2015, he eventually found his way to the project through one of its directors, Mona Bani. “Coming from a foreign country as a refugee is traumatic and overwhelming,” Bemba says. Yet the mix of music, gardening, and social gatherings helped him integrate. Today, he is doing an internship at Sutton Community Farm, learning to grow crops and improve the environment in the local community.

Amir Suleiman, from Ethiopia, and Robel Tekie, from Eritrea, both 18, are currently on the programme. Suleiman wants to be a doctor; Tekie a mechanic (Solomon-Kawall is introducing mechanic training). Hip Hop Garden has helped both settle into the country. “I like a lot of things about this place,” says Suleiman. “They teach us a lot of things: how to plant your food, how to cook food, how to sort the recycling, to save money. And it’s very relaxing.”

Suleiman has also learnt to DJ, and was given a laptop to practise. He may pursue music professionally, too, and has started planting flowers at the care home where he lives – “they [the residents] like it” he exclaims.

Tekie enjoys looking after the garden, particularly the unpredictable nature of it. “You have to see the problems, you see what the plants need, what they don’t need. When they need water, you give them some. It’s really nice here, I enjoy the community.”

Salim Saeed, 26, lives on the same road as the garden, and visits regularly. A keen boxer from a young age, he has represented Great Britain as an amateur and is looking to turn professional. Saeed says he finds the gardens peaceful and also credits SolomonKawall for improving his boxing.

“Boxing isn’t just about training hard and getting into the ring,” he explains. “You have to make weight, you have to know what you’re putting inside your body, to eat the right food. Ian helps me with fresh fruit and vegetables, I go home and cook it, and it tastes amazing. Before, I was more focused on my training, I had no idea on nutrition. Since coming here, I know how important it is.”

The aim of Hip Hop Garden is multifaceted. Engaging marginalised youngsters with environmental issues is paramount, but so is improving their chances of employment. Yet there is also a larger goal of diversifying the field of environmentalism. It is one of the least diverse industries in the UK, and SolomonKawall says there is a “whole untapped labour force here that could be utilised.”

Helping graduates into jobs, like Bemba at the Sutton farm, is an important step in the process. Many who join have almost no knowledge of where their food comes from, says Solomon-Kawall. He thinks every school should incorporate something similar to the Hip Hop Garden.

“We don’t need a huge amount of space. Permaculture, vertical gardening, the herb spiral, these are good examples of using space effectively.”

Making nature appealing, through hip hop or any other method, is crucial to engaging more people with gardening, food growing and green causes. “We use creativity, arts, and a holistic approach.”

Yet Solomon-Kawall believes that growing is something we “innately” have within us. “You just need to give people a safe, comfortable and nurturing environment – and that’s what we are.”

May Project Gardens is open to volunteers (see mayproject.org for details)