Editor’s letter
T his issue of Gardens Illustrated celebrates the individuality of things, from beautifully planted private spaces to bespoke design and handcrafted objects.
Tithe Barn in north Norfolk is the private garden of garden designer Emily Erlam who also runs a busy central London practice. Emily’s plan for her own garden was to make a space that was very plant-focused but not so intensely planted that she couldn’t look after it herself. An evolving palette of pinks, reds and yellows that work beautifully with the brickwork of the house, new plants are nurtured initially before being allowed to fend for themselves. Think Sanguisorba officinalis, Achillea ‘ Terracotta’, Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ and
Molinia caerulea. A wide porch that extends out from the house makes the garden an all-weather space. The tall planting, positioned close to the house, feels wonderfully immersive.
The garden of botanist Robyn Reeves in Tenterden, Kent, has been designed with unerring attention to detail. Foliage underpins the planting that includes generous drifts of Thuja occidentalis and Hakonechloa
macra that swirl beneath multi-stemmed trees. Considered use of materials, including local clay pavers and bespoke oak furniture are designed to weather and last. The garden includes a handcrafted oak bench by the artist Alison Crowther that adds a subtle, sculptural element.
Should all public buildings have a garden? Critic Tim Richardson considers the impact of a park surrounding a tax office in the northern Dutch city of Groningen on those who live and work nearby. Designed by Amsterdam-based landscape architect Lodewijk Baljon, it includes inspired planting as well as popular walking and cycling routes. Good design is about people.
For gardeners with smaller outside spaces, there are four beautiful small gardens in this issue, including a contemporary, minimalist garden, designed by Matt Keightley, using conifers, and in north London, a garden of a recently converted Salvation Army hall has been designed to look as beautiful when seen from inside the house as out.
I hope you enjoy the issue,