"Company Garden Chronicles: A Comprehensive Look at Design, Restoration, and Maintenance of The Rectory"

30TH JUNE 2024

July has felt like a whirlwind, slipping away almost as quickly as it arrived. Yet, it's during this fleeting month that I've found immense joy—not just in watching the garden visions come to life, but in witnessing the incredible team that stands beside me.

Their commitment, their natural inclination to uphold high standards, and their growing pride in the countless hours they've dedicated to each project have truly made this season special. It’s a transformation from mere sketches and CAD renders to fully realised, thriving ecosystems—each garden a testament to their hard work and creativity.

Reflecting on my past, I used to let the opinions of others diminish my passion, often feeling out of place in an industry where my fervour for landscape design and restoration felt a bit eccentric. Transitioning to running my own business has liberated me from those constraints, allowing me to establish a team that thrives on creativity and understands my perfectionist tendencies.

While I have learned that striving for flawlessness isn't always realistic, my team brings a unique blend of standards and efficiency that results in remarkable outcomes.

As for the Company Garden Chronicles regarding The Rectory, updates have been sparse—not due to a lack of activity, but because we are finally winning the battle in cultivating this garden.

This installment of Garden Chronicles is dedicated to our progress at the rectory, where the central features of the garden rooms are beginning to truly take shape this year. Managed collaboratively by the client, myself, and occasionally another team member, the efforts are starting to bear fruit.

Below - The Rambling Rector Rose

Amber's Garden

Known formally as Amber’s Garden, this area was one of our first focuses for pruning and training, driven by its sentimental value within the rectory.

Above - Ambers Garden

Enclosed by old stone walls, the square-shaped garden room is beautifully complemented by a successfully trained wisteria, pyracantha, climbing roses, clematis, and pleached crab apples, ensuring continuous blooms throughout the year.

Below these flowering walls, a rich tapestry of herbaceous plants—Bearded Iris, David Austin Roses, Acers, Geraniums, Geums, Choisya, Ligularias, Lupines, Echinops, Euphorbias, and Pulmonaria—adds vibrant color and texture, while the dark yew topiary pieces stand tall, framing the open beauty of a gifted cherry tree and an ancient chestnut.

This garden room presents its own challenges, particularly due to its dry conditions and full sun exposure for most of the day.

The individual plants here have required meticulous training, with ongoing battles against invasive weeds like Oxalis, buttercup, and dandelion that creep in from the lawn. While issues with dock, ground elder, and acanthus persist, we’ve seen considerable improvement through diligent weeding and selective spraying.

A historic pear tree, which has gradually had its canopy heightened over the years to enhance ease of mowing, stands as a centerpiece, embodying both beauty and practicality in this ever-evolving garden space.

The Main Terrace

The main terrace, wrapping gracefully around the front of the house, is a time-honoured feature that has withstood the test of many owners, each leaving their mark on its character.

Below - The symmetrically planted English Yews

Over the past decade, this outdoor space has undergone a thoughtful modernisation, evolving from a selective mix of traditional shrubs that created a cloud-like planting style into an elegant, bold, & colourful frame for the home.

The meticulously symmetrically planted English yews, skillfully pruned into rectangular prisms that taper slightly at the top, guide the eye toward the grandeur of the house beyond.

Their rich hunter green contrasts beautifully with the pale Somerset stone façade, drawing the viewer’s gaze to the elegant details of the traditional limestone-framed windows, the charming pull bell, & the Victorian-style freestanding outdoor lighting that evoke a sense of nostalgia.

However, the formality of these distinct architectural elements is beautifully softened by remnants of the vibrant herbaceous planting nestled between the yews.

This eclectic mix currently features a delightful combination of nepeta, geraniums, perovskia, David Austin roses, agapanthus, peonies, and a generous assortment of spring bulbs. Yet, the rocky, dry soil and relentless sun conditions, compounded by the overshadowing presence of shrubs like Physocarpus, Spiraea, Syringa josikaea, and imposing woody lavender, have created challenges for their survival.

As the garden approaches a new phase, plans are underway for a reorganization and redesign this autumn.

The larger shrubs will be strategically introduced as focal points along the property’s expansive perimeter, while the remaining herbaceous plants will be carefully dug up, divided, and rejuvenated after the soil receives a generous infusion of leaf mold, manure, and mulch. This cultivation will breathe new life into the terrace, ensuring its continued beauty for generations to come and enhancing the elegant dialogue between the natural and architectural elements of the home.

The Herbaceous Borders

Another area that has received a tremendous amount of detailing, training, and hard graft is the mass of herbaceous borders in the rear of the garden.

Previously dominated by conifers and burdened with a subsoil layer of never-ending flagstone, old headstones, and general building materials from the Victorian era, these herbaceous borders have presented a wealth of challenges.

One primary issue has been the recurring stones that emerge consistently over time. The cycle of freezing, expanding, and upward pressure causes rocks and stones to rise to the surface, which inevitably creates holes, dry patches, and nutrient-leaching soil exposed to the elements.

In addition to dealing with the stones, managing an ongoing list of invasive perennial weeds has proven daunting. Among the heavily planted herbaceous perennials thrive the likes of Ivy, thistle, bindweed, dandelions, lemon balm, hypericum, ground elder, crocosmia, borage, dock, and Enchanter's nightshade.

These aggressive weeds vie for light, water, and nutrients amidst a tapestry of flowering shrubs that includes Winged Spindle, Hebe, Cornus, Weigela, hydrangeas, David Austin shrub roses, buddleia, hibiscus, viburnum, yew, and ceanothus.

The herbaceous borders are further enriched by an array of stunning perennials such as Bearded and Dutch Iris, David Austin Roses, acers, geraniums, geums, delphiniums, peonies, salvias, sedums, hellebores, Heuchera, Centaurea, and Japanese anemones.

Towering above this vibrant display are the generations-old Larix, Liquidambar, birch, and until last year, a hazel tree, which add both beauty and complexity to the space.

Reducing the weeds in these borders has been an incredibly challenging endeavor due to several factors. The intricate network of crucial roots from both the trees and flowering shrubs intermingles with an ocean of spring bulbs just beneath the surface and the countless crowns of herbaceous perennials.

During the summer months, the primary battle revolves around preventing these invasive species from flowering and subsequently seeding, while late autumn through very early spring offers a narrow window of dormancy.

Identification of the weeds must be precise during these harsher months, as I have found that it is an ideal time to tackle deep roots, remove surface debris to discourage settling and seeding, and provide much-needed care to the flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials with a strong manure and a top dressing of Strulch.

This labor-intensive approach aims to restore balance and nurture the beautiful diversity of plants in this once overlooked corner of the garden.

The gardens within the rectory represent a vast tapestry of history, beauty, and meticulous craftsmanship, where each listed element is merely a fragment of the ongoing narrative that unfolds in these verdant spaces.

Among the most vibrant projects currently taking place is the restoration of Amber's Garden. This enchanting area, promising an explosion of colors and fragrances that will invite bees and butterflies and cultivate a sense of tranquility for all who enter.

Similarly, the terrace is undergoing a transformation aimed at enhancing its functionality while retaining the lush charm that defines the rectory's outdoor aesthetic.

Meanwhile, the herbaceous borders are blooming with potential, their rich diversity of plants culminating in a stunning display that captivates the senses and echoes the careful design philosophies of times gone by.

Yet, alongside these specific areas of ongoing transformation, other sections of the garden demand equal attention, each with its unique charm and character.

The shaded avenue offers a serene retreat lined with trees and flowering shurbs that filter sunlight, creating a tranquil microclimate. The croquet lawn, meticulously maintained, harkens back to a time of genteel leisure, providing a picturesque backdrop for both sport and recreation.

The orchard, with its mature fruit trees, is a reminder of the self-sufficiency that gardens once provided, while the parterre stands as a testament to the structured beauty of formal gardening design,

where geometric patterns offer a harmony that contrasts with the ocean of roses it contains.

Further enriching the garden's narrative is the kitchen garden, a thriving ecosystem of vegetables and herbs that emphasizes the importance of sustainability and culinary pleasure. Here, the juxtaposition of purpose and beauty is evident, as the raw vitality of fresh produce blends seamlessly with the ornamental elements of the garden.

Tree and shrub reductions are systematically undertaken to ensure the health and silhouette of each plant, while general maintenance tasks such as cutting shrubs, deadheading, clearing debris and leaves, mowing the lawns, and weeding are essential efforts that preserve the garden’s integrity and majesty.

As each area is nurtured and restored, the garden unfolds its stories, revealing layers of history intertwined with the natural world. It is a space that embodies challenges and rewards alike, where past and present converge in a stunning display of resilience and rebirth.

Each step taken within these garden rooms unveils a depth of character that stirs awe and inspires admiration, ensuring that the rectory’s gardens remain a living testament to the enduring relationship between humanity and the landscape that nurtures it.