Get the look: how to make the most out of a sloping garden

The natural look reigns at Alan and Joan Morris’s sloping garden in the Cheshire countryside, which includes terraces and a natural stream, says Sue Bradley

“Self-seeded plants are allowed free rein”

THE land surrounding the old stone cottage at Drake Carr has been put to many uses since the site was first settled more than 400 years ago, but it’s unlikely that it has ever looked as beautiful as it does now in the hands of Alan and Joan Morris.

Within the space of three decades the couple have turned its slopes into an enchanting garden. Alan and Joan have made the most of the natural topography and stream to create an expansive pond that’s now home to palmate newts and other amphibians, with the naturally wet area nearby filled with moisture-loving plants.

Closer to their home is a pretty terraced cottage garden, in which selfseeded plants are allowed free rein to daub splashes of colour between trees, shrubs and perennials, while a productive vegetable plot flourishes within the shelter of a long hedge planted with native species and the protection of a wildlife-proof wooden fence.

These different parts of the garden are linked by rolling lawns and a flight of 30 steps cut into the slope, while gravel pathways, stepping stones and an attractive boarded walk ensure that all parts of the plot can be reached easily.

Seeing the potential

Alan and Joan’s cottage in Higher Disley, Cheshire, was built in the early 1600s and sits 260m (850ft) above sea level. Lyme Park, which was the setting for Mr Darcy’s Pemberley in the TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and a Millennium wood lie nearby.

Unsurprisingly, the couple’s home has undergone a number of changes as owners have come and gone over the years, and it was used as a smallholding when Alan and Joan first arrived in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, they saw the site’s potential as a garden and, once renovations had been carried out on the

cottage, they set to work on the land.

“The woodland area was overgrown and there was no hedge, which made it feel very open,” explains Alan, who had previously worked in the construction industry. “Elsewhere, the structure was vaguely there.

“There was a huge sycamore and two willows at the bottom of the garden, and when they died we decided to create a pond, which the stream runs through.”

A digger was used to slightly enlarge the natural dip in the land, after which

“We let things grow pretty much where they like”

Alan used a geotextile containing a layer of clay to form an impenetrable base.

“We didn’t need to do a lot of excavating – it was more a case of tidying around the edges,” he explains. “The lining material came on rolls that were easy to put down and very effective. The pond is edged with stone to prevent erosion.”

Continuing to evolve

Joan and Alan say their garden continues to evolve, with a new border carved into the slope above the pond among their latest projects.

“Since we’ve retired we’ve had more time to spend outside,” laughs Joan, a former careers adviser. “Over the years we’ve tried out a few new ideas and added more things, but we’ve also tried to keep as many of the existing trees and shrubs as possible.

“We’ve kept ponies all the time we’ve been here and the garden benefits from their manure, and much of the stone we’ve used has come out of the ground.

“The layout of our garden is really governed by the natural lie of the land and we let things grow pretty much where they like: it’s very much a natural garden and means everything to us.”

Create a wildlife-friendly pond to add an extra dimension to a garden, both in terms of its reflective qualities and visits from wildlife

Create pathways, steps and even stepping stones to ensure plenty of access to all parts of the garden

Bring a sense of unity to a garden by choosing plants that produce flowers of similar hues. This Rhododendron ‘Purple Passion’ is mirrored by similarly coloured lupins, pink campion and London pride

Steps built into a bank make it easier to access. This flight is created using stone chippings and wood risers held in place using reinforcing bars

Embrace self-seeding plants such as the Welsh poppy, Meconopsis cambrica, which produces zingy orange and yellow flowers

Ensure long-lasting colour by growing lupins. Sow early in the year for flowers in summer

Resist the urge to pull self-seeded plants from between stone steps for a display that softens this hard landscaping in early summer

Blend the house with the garden by training plants up walls. Here a pyracantha, wisteria and a yellow climbing rose cover much of the stonework

Add stones to streams to enhance the sound of trickling water. The marginal aquatic plant Mimulus guttatus has self-seeded prolifically here

Plant moisture-loving flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) on the edge of a pond for a sweep of yellow flowers. This native bloom multiplies quickly

Make the most of moisture-loving species, such a marsh marigold, to provide a natural edge to a pond

Invite ‘Miss Bateman’ into the garden for a feast of white flowers with eye-catching deep-red stamens. This clematis is happy in any aspect Embrace sinuous rather than straight lines for a more natural look. Giant pickerel weed (Pontederia lanceolata) catches the light and will go on to produce spikes of purple flowers in late summer

Build a boardwalk to enjoy access to bog gardens and other wet areas. This one is kept in place by 6ft (1.8m) posts sunk into the ground. Moisture-loving plants here include Darmera peltata, hostas, candelabra primulas and mimulus

Look for bold-coloured ceramics to place against stone walls. This jolly boot can be planted with seasonal blooms Make the most of planting opportunities: the space between the stones in a stone wall is the perfect spot for colourful petunias and lobelia

Bring extra beauty to a pond by planting water lilies and the marginal Iris laevigata

Use rustic-looking pole fencing fitted with discreet chicken-wire panels to keep wildlife away from vegetable beds. An archway marks the entrance