The secret to creating a top quality garden lies in not only what you can see, but what you can't. By this we mean all those plants which have been moved, drastically reshaped, or taken out altogether because, for one reason or another, they just weren't quite right. Nowhere is this truer than here at Gasper Cottage where the planting is under constant review, and bold, decisive action is par for the course. There's no room for sentimentality here!
An example of one such cut-throat decision was the tightly-clipped, cloud-pruned, box 'blob' on the corner of the driveway, used to provide contrast to the loose abundance of surrounding wildflowers. Bella was distraught when this became afflicted by blight last year, blaming herself for introducing a cheaply bought box ball without observing a quarantine period. Following extensive consultation with Jack, it was agreed not to try and save the feature which had taken nearly twenty years to develop, but to rip the entire lot out with a digger, along with the surrounding (and potentially contaminated) soil.
In fine health – the box 'blob' in October 2022
Stricken with blight just a few months later, March 2023
Whilst upsetting, this 'take-no-prisoners' approach was worth it. "We appear to have prevented the spread of blight, and the rest of the box in the garden is okay so far", observes Bella.
There was another positive outcome to the catastrophe, in that it opened an opportunity to trial a much heralded box alternative – Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues', thus allowing a comparison with the remaining cloud-pruned box 'blob' a few metres away. "There's nothing we like more than an experiment!" laughs Bella. "The euonymus clump is establishing well, and positively racing along compared to the glacial, decades-long progress of the box".
Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues', being allowed to grow freely in readiness for shearing.
The surviving box 'blob', almost two decades in the making.
Another ruthless revamp – this one requiring nerves of steel from Jack – was the recent reshaping of the privet 'barrels' in the Hot Bed. These evergreen shrubs are known for their enthusiastic growth rate, and, despite regular trimming, had become too large and out of scale with their surroundings.
A slightly domineering privet barrel prior to the chop
Something needed to be done, and it was decided in early May this year to reshape the shrubs into elevated 'pyramids'. Not only would this offer greater visual cohesion with the pointed thatched roofs of the surrounding buildings, it also meant the 'skirt' of each shrub could be lifted to reduce the amount of shade cast onto the planting below.
"There's no denying it was nerve-wracking cutting into the bare wood of these stately old features, but I've been really pleased with the results", says Jack. "They've greened up quickly and relate much better to the outline of the buildings".
One down, one to go
Bamboo canes were used as a guide to achieve straight lines and sharp corners
Just ten weeks on – a remarkable recovery
Much more in tune with the surroundings
Sometimes it's not just individual plants under scrutiny, but entire planting schemes. Take, for example, the Railway Garden, which has been subject to radical change in the last couple of years. Whilst to the casual observer this Piet Oudolf-inspired sloping bank of tall, prairie-esque perennials may have appeared to be working just fine, both Bella and Jack felt there was room for improvement. In the height of summer, the planting created an impenetrable wall which, from above prevented views of the countryside beyond, and, from below felt looming and oppressive. There were performance issues with of some of the planting too:
"The soil is relatively fertile in this area, and, coupled with the fact it is a north-facing bank where plants tend to become elongated anyway, we were finding a lot of things were growing too large and flopping over midseason", explains Jack.
The original Railway Garden planting. A solid mass of tall perennials.
Drastic action was needed, and many of the taller plants were removed and replaced with lower-growing alternatives. Tall yet airy and transparent plants were also introduced (namely Verbena bonariensis and Stipa gigantea), still offering a sense of height without blocking the view. The results have been a resounding success, opening up meandering channels through the planting and creating pleasing lines of sight.
The current view. Less is more...
Out with many of the tall, dense plants, and in with 'rivers' of shorter alternatives including Echinacea purpurea, Liatris spicata, and Deschampsia cespitosa.
Of course, the discarded plants didn't go to waste – the majority were offered a new home in the orchard meadow where, in poorer soil conditions and with vigorous competition from the long grass and wildflowers, they've adopted a more compact and less unruly growth habit. Success all round!
Veronicastrum virginicum 'Fasciation' conducting itself with far greater decorum over in the meadow. This blend of cultivated and wild is a distinguishing feature of Gasper Cottage, as explored in last month's blog post.
The courage to make big, bold changes is a driving force behind Gasper Cottage, where the planting is rarely given a chance to become tired and old. Come and soak up its lively, dynamic spirit for yourself at our National Garden Scheme Open Day on Sunday 8th September. Visit our page on the NGS website to book tickets.
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