Carpets of fresh spring colour
At Wyken Hall in Suffolk, the fresh green lawns erupt with the first arrivals of spring as blooms awaken in a harmonious garden
LYING 10 MILES from the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds, Wyken Hall resembles the sort of house depicted on an antique sewing sampler: square, red-painted, tall chimney stacks, and surrounded by hedges, paths and pretty flowers. This place has history: the oldest part of the building is Elizabethan, dating to 1580, while the surrounding estate was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The present owners, former MP for Lincoln Sir Kenneth Carlisle and his American-born wife, Carla, have lived here for more than 40 years, creating a garden in harmony with the setting. “Part of its charm is that it’s not too fussy, it’s in character with the house and meets the wider landscape without any jarring,” says Kenneth of the 4-acre garden, which first opened to the public in 1992.
Spring enchantment
The stars of spring begin to unfurl in March as meadows and woodland areas sing with daffodils and primroses, followed by snake’s head fritillaries, wood anemones and cowslips. Flower beds and topiary gardens brim with tulips, euphorbia, crown imperials and forget-me-nots. The trees are not to be outdone, and a stand of 10 great white cherry trees, prunus ‘Tai-haku’, create a mini blossom festival. When their petals fall as the season progresses, the old apple orchard will burst into bloom, together with espaliered apple trees planted around the kitchen garden and growing up the front of the house, where they are planted for decoration as well as fruit.
“Spring is my favourite time of year because there’s a fresh purity to the season. The apple trees, for example, have this lovely, gentle, soft blossom,” says Kenneth. Records show that the old orchard at Wyken was first established in the 18th century, and Kenneth has added more than 20 varieties to