Woodland haven... gems
This charming leafy garden lights up in spring with jewel-bright bulbs and woodland perennials. Owner Tim Ingram reveals its highlights
This tantalising woodland garden produces an exciting tapestry of flowers and foliage in early spring. “We’ve chosen all sorts of rare and unusual plants, as well as old favourites,” says owner Tim Ingram, a former plant scientist who gardens here with his wife Gillian. “Together the bulbs and perennials create a progression of interest that lasts from late winter into spring and beyond.”
Tim’s parents moved here in 1978 when the garden was just an open field with some old cherry trees. “My father was Director of Fruit Trials at nearby Brogdale – Home of the National Fruit Collection,” says Tim. “He planted rows of dwarf apple trees at the bottom of the garden, while my mother and I were more interested in ornamental plants.”
Tim and Gillian now run a small alpine and woodland plant nursery from the site. “The garden has evolved over time,” he says. “As trees such as ornamental cherries and Cornus controversa have grown they’ve created small pockets of woodland. Leaf fall and mulching with homemade compost have created the perfect growing conditions for early spring-flowering plants.”
Snowdrops have colonised the mini orchard. “The dwarf apple trees my father planted have relatively small root systems so the ground beneath stays fairly moist,” explains Tim. “We’ve underplanted them with 200 different snowdrops and hellebores that flower February into March.”
Tim has a good tip to get a snowdrop colony off to a flying start. “Collect the seed pods late spring to early summer while they’re still green but haven’t split open,” he says. “Plant the pods directly into the soil, as if you’re planting a bulb.
Ornamental cherries and Cornus controversa have created pockets of woodland
The seeds germinate in little clumps and flower in three years. We used this technique under the fruit trees; it’s a great way to bulk up your collection.”
After the snowdrops comes a haze of blue from Brunnera macrophylla, which flowers for about three months, and white and pink dicentra, which spreads around as well. “Then we have trilliums, epimediums and erythroniums that pop up through late spring just as the apple blossom emerges, so it all builds up to make this carpet of flowers and attractive foliage,” says Tim. “It gets a bit more wild and overgrown as June progresses into summer, with cow parsley making a fabulous froth of white flowers.”
Unusual plants such as mottled Podophyllum versipelle ‘Spotty Dotty’, Anemone nemorosa ‘Green Fingers’ and a collection of different fritillaries are dotted through the planting schemes. “We’ve had a long connection with both the Hardy Plant and Alpine Garden Societies,” says Tim. “They’re wonderful sources of hard-to-find bulbs and perennials. The AGS, in particular, has fantastic shows around the country where specialist nurseries bring plants you won’t find elsewhere. We also take part in seed exchanges with other interested growers.”
To prepare for their annual spring display, Tim and Gillian clear away dead vegetation in autumn, so the emerging spring bulbs won’t be hidden. “I cut back the hellebore leaves in late autumn because we’ve found that mice are less like to nibble the f lower buds if they don’t hide among the leaves.”
Weather extremes have proven harder to beat. “Every decade or so something happens that really damages the garden – a gale or drought,” says Tim. “In this part of north Kent the rainfall is quite low, an average of about 63cm (25in) a year. The very hot, dry summers limit what we can grow – we’d struggle with late-season perennials because there’s not enough moisture in the soil. We’ve also had a series of gales that have brought down trees. But it’s the nature of gardening that things like this happen, and they do present opportunities to make changes.”
This includes embracing the climate challenge by using Mediterranean plants – inspired in part by Beth Chatto’s dry garden over in Essex. “In the hot, sunny areas of the garden, we’ve added plants such as cistus, phlomis, rock roses and giant fennel to extend the interest.”
Nurturing the same plot for more than 40 years has given Tim and Gillian a unique insight into their garden. “Over the years we’ve allowed parts of it to become much more naturalistic,” says Tim. “We’re learning from the garden, and how it wants to evolve naturally, but you can only find that out after you’ve been in a garden for quite a while.
“It’s important, too, to rejuvenate areas, to remove the lower branches of trees to let more light in and to keep on top of plants such as ivy so other plants don’t become crowded out. It’s all part of a wonderful learning process.” ✿
It all builds up to make a carpet of flowers and attractive foliage