“We’ve given our cottage garden an oriental flourish” Bold foliage and Zen styling bring a jungly look to this suburban cottage garden
Bold foliage and Zen styling bring a jungly look to this suburban cottage garden. Owners Maureen and John Davies tell us more
Houses rarely offer clues to the sort of back garden they conceal, and this lush jungle, hidden away in the affluent Liverpool suburbs, is more surprising than most. It’s full of canary palms, chamaerops, tree ferns, cordylines and a collection of Japanese maples for good measure.
“It’s a tropical-Japanese fusion, with a bit of cottage garden thrown in!” says owner Maureen Davies, who lives here with her husband John. “I like the idea of a Japanese garden; I love that stylish, tranquil feel. So, this is a nod to the Orient, although we’ve never been further than Spain!”
When the couple arrived here more than 30 years ago, the space was nothing special. “The house backed onto a rectangle of grass, with a veg
patch at the far end and a path down one side,” says Maureen. “There was a sycamore growing round the old shed and the only really notable features were two apple trees – which we’ve kept – and a large rosemary bush.
“We bought the house because we liked the garden, but it was much bigger than we were used to,” says Maureen. “We started by cutting some flower beds out of the lawn. It was a bit scary as we didn’t know what we were doing at the time.”
Since then the garden has evolved bit by bit and, as the couple dug and planted, a symmetrical layout emerged. “This was followed by a growing appreciation of large-leaved foliage plants and especially evergreen ferns,” says Maureen.
“Then, at the very back of the garden we built a large shed, initially for our budgies, but it has since become a home gym.”
One of the biggest projects the couple undertook was digging out a pond from the heavy clay soil. “We didn’t want it to freeze over because it was too shallow, so we kept digging,” says Maureen. “It ended up more than two feet deep! It needs some attention now, though – the water level keeps dropping so we think there might be a hole in the liner. Although wildlife ponds can take a bit of looking after, I’d always recommend creating one to attract frogs, newts and dragonflies into the garden. The birds come to drink, too.”
WELCOMING WILDLIFE (clockwise from top left) Bees and butterflies love this colourful border of roses, dahlia ‘Happy Single Wink’ and Verbena bonariensis opposite a large cordyline; the pond, complete with waterlilies and irises, is a haven for frogs, newts, dragonflies and birds; a wall of mirrors gives the illusion of space and reflects light around the garden
A wildlife pond attracts frogs, newts and dragonflies into the garden
Now in its comfortable maturity, the garden has a neat and orderly look thanks to the couple’s philosphy that, “When a job needs doing, you get on and do it.
“We usually change things around every year – especially the bedding because you can get really bored of geraniums,” says Maureen. “And, some of the plants have got quite big now, so every now and again we have to chop bits off.”
Jungly specimen plants include a dazzling triple-trunk cordyline and a massive Fatsia japonica on the patio, numerous tree ferns, potted chamaerops, trachycarpus and colourful cordylines. In this company, even the giant weeping willow at the far end of the garden has a rainforest look about it.
“We’ve contrasted dark-leaved Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ and dahlias with hot orange crocosmia flowers, and bold pink pelargoniums and cosmos,” says Maureen. “To help flesh out the Asian theme we’ve got Buddha ornaments as well as silver butterf lies, f litting among the tree ferns.”
Maureen’s favourite thing about the garden is its sense of peace and tranquillity. “You can go down the steps and it’s quite private; it’s nice and green, and you can hear the birds singing. It’s so wonderful to have a garden on a sunny day, but with so many architectural plants, even in winter, when it’s frosty, it’s still a fabulous place to be.” ✿
We’ve contrasted blackstemmed Sambucus nigra with hot orange crocosmia