Probably the month in which most gardens have least to offer, November sees the riches of autumn ebb away though the crispness of winter yet to take hold. Here at Gasper Cottage, it is a time when the eye is naturally drawn from the dry, fading borders out to the view beyond, making it the perfect moment to consider the importance of sightlines in the garden.
As any visitor to Gasper Cottage will know, it is a garden in which the borrowed landscape plays as much of a part as anything cultivated within. The gently sloping site rolls away to grass meadows and pastures which are punctuated by mature oaks, field maples, and a few surviving ash, and criss-crossed with thick, mixed native hedgerows. At the bottom, a spring-fed stream gathers pace on its way to becoming the River Stour, and on the other side of the valley the horizon encompasses an expanse of continuous cover forestry, a beech knoll planted by Bella's grandfather, and the wooded heights of Stourhead.
Aside from the wooded areas, this ancient landscape is thought to have changed little since the 16th or 17th century. Shallow, stony, and slightly acidic soil with boggy areas saturated with spring water means it has always been unsuitable for arable farming and consequently never ploughed. As such, it has a rich and unusual variety of flora and has been classed a Site of Specific Scientific Interest; such untouched examples of damp meadow habitat now sadly something of a rarity.
It is a ‘money can’t buy’ view which Bella has been keen to incorporate into the garden right from the start. By keeping boundary planting low and allowing many of the wildflower and grass species to self-seed in the garden, the line between the garden and the neighbouring land has become blurred, and from many vantage points it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. Happily, wildlife struggles to make the distinction too, the area’s rare populations of meadow brown and common blue butterflies often seen feasting on plants in the garden.
'It's that way...' The sculpture in the Meadow Orchard is orientated to draw the eye beyond the garden boundary
Of course, it's not all about gazing out at the countryside; Bella has consciously created lines of sight within the garden as well. These may be designed to enhance the feeling of cohesion between one part of the garden and another, create a desire to move in a certain direction, or simply to draw the eye to a particular focal point.
The outdoor dining table lining up perfectly with a stepping stone path through the Curved Border (hidden by planting here, but seen in the photo below)
Curved lines create an informal, natural feeling and invite exploration, as seen with this enticing path through the Meadow Orchard
Almost there... This developing yew arch offers a tantalising glimpse of the garden within as visitors first turn onto the driveway
A meandering path lures the eye and makes passage through a dimly lit, narrow strip of the garden somehow irresistible
Not that the idea of sightlines is anything new – the concept has been used throughout the history of garden design. It was a key principle in the English landscape movement of the 18th century, during which leading figures such as Capability Brown and William Kent created some of Britain's best known gardens, including Chatsworth, Blenheim Palace, and Rousham. Another renowned example is, of course, much closer to home for Bella, at Stourhead where her ancestor Henry Hoare II's grand vistas and shifting perspectives continue to be enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors each year. It intriguing to think that, whilst on a much more intimate scale and in its own 21st century style, the garden at Gasper Cottage employs many of the same gaze-influencing techniques as its famous, stately relative down the road.
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