Country haven grasses
Graceful grasses partner roses and hydrangeas in this stunning garden. Designer Sarah Murch reveals its planting secrets
Few gardens fade so elegantly into autumn as this pretty example in Nottinghamshire. The countryside plot is still full of late summer flowers in November – roses and hydrangeas among them – planted alongside statuesque grasses and shrubs turning every shade of red and gold. “I wanted to create a garden that would have a wild and natural look,” explains garden designer, Sarah Murch. “I designed it for my good friend Julie Shuldham, who lives here with her husband Tim. At the time it was mostly laid to lawn and the kids used to play football on it. Julie liked my own garden at Ellicar in Doncaster, especially the way I’d used grasses and perennials for a succession of colour all year round.” Also on the ‘wants’ list was an alfresco dining area, a pond and Julie’s favourite rhododendrons and azaleas. “Luckily my husband has a rhododendron nursery,” says Sarah. “So we’ve been able to create a beautiful rhododendron walk along the bottom of the garden that’s full of flowers in spring.” The garden belongs to a traditional red-brick farmhouse and is enclosed by ancient bluebell woods on three sides. “As it’s south-facing, you get beautiful cross light from the east at sunrise and west at sunset. It means the grasses take on a dramatic golden glow that looks especially atmospheric in autumn.”
You get beautiful cross light ...the grasses take on a dramatic golden glow
When Julie moved here the garden was full of overgrown shrubs. “The grass was uneven and patchy thanks to chafer grubs,” says Sarah. “To clear the site, Julie gave her five pigs free range for the winter, leaving them to root through the soil and remove all the grubs and weeds. It’s a great way to clear scrubland. They’re like little four-legged rotavators. The passersby were gobsmacked.” The following spring, Sarah had a blank canvas on which to create the new garden. “We started by excavating the pond and laying the patio next to the house where it can be accessed easily from the kitchen,” says Sarah. “We built a pergola over part of it for shade and shelter, and added lighting so it can be used on warm evenings too.” The patio leads to a sweeping gravel garden framed by asters, which in turn leads to an area of lawn where paths are mown through long grass and wavy-edged borders are packed with perennials. “All the plants are self-supporting,” says Sarah. “They die back gracefully too, so they stand well over autumn and winter. We’ve got Verbena bonariensis, hylotelephium ‘Matrona’, Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firedance’, Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and asters such as Aster frikartii ‘Mönch’ and ‘Little Carlow’. Swathes of grasses include deschampsia, Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Panicum virgatum ‘Squaw’, Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’ and Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’. “As Julie loves traditional plants too, we planted blocks of rosa ‘Kent’ among the grasses, which repeat
Pigs are like four-legged rotavators. The passersby were gobsmacked
flowers from June to November. On the pergola is rose ‘Sanders White Rambler’, clematis ‘Étoile Violette’ and grape vine Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’, whose leaves turn a lovely rich shade of burgundy in autumn. “Rhododendron ‘Northern Hi-Lights’ is another good plant for autumn foliage; we’ve planted white-flowered Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ with it, for contrast.” Blowsy white hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ is repeated around the garden for continuity – chosen for its neat habit and pretty mophead flowers. “It fades so beautifully – we don’t cut back the flowers until spring.” (See p42.) Sarah’s design flows effortlessly from one area to the next, using elegant curves rather than awkward angles. “The wrought-iron gazebo was a surprise birthday present from Julie’s husband,” says Sarah. “She rang me in a panic wondering how on earth we could fit it into the design but, of course, it complements the overall look perfectly.”