MIXING FORMALITY WITH MEADOW PLANTING

Prairie planting need not be a mess. More appealing still, it is reassuringly low maintenance. Within a framework of crisply edged beds, plants can look wilder, more themselves, than in a traditional herbaceous border. This garden is divided into triangles and rectangles, with short yew hedges planted diagonally across the latter. As they grow taller, they can be shaped or left straight. Around the garden’s perimeter, a beech hedge is cut into curves, mimicking the undulating farmland beyond the garden. It is in fact a double hedge, with copper beech planted directly in front, to be cut into complementary waves. Sue has planted cherry trees ( Prunus ‘Shirofugen’) as focal points around the grass grid. The most prominent formal element, however, is a still, black reflecting pool. As plants develop, change their shape and multiply, the square pool stays the same, bringing the sky closer to this high corner of the garden.