Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Brian Ellis on August 19, 2011, 06:13:40 PM
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Our last visit on our trip was to Wollerton Old Hall Gardens near Market Drayton in Staffordshire. The main page of their website has three quotes with which I couldn’t possibly disagree
“Possibly the most beautiful personal garden to have been created in the last 25 years.” -Chris Beardshaw
“What has to be one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen...” -Chris Packham
“The test of a good garden is whether it fires you up to change your own and that Wollerton Old Hall always does in spades” - Sir Roy Strong
Developed by Lesley and John Jenkins around a 16th Century Hall House it covers 4 acres, they are ably assisted by Andrew Humphris who gardened at The Savill Gardens in Windsor and The Courts in Wiltshire (a NT garden we also liked) before becoming Head Gardener at Biddulph Grange (no wonder there are some lovely Dahlias) and then moving here.
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To quote from their website again:
“The planting style is best described as controlled exuberance with a definite emphasis upon perennials. Colour, form and scale are all important. There is much in the garden for the plant enthusiast and the garden is bursting with design ideas. The range of plants is very wide resulting in significant collections of clematis, salvias, phlox and roses.”
We were fortunate enough to be admitted over an hour before their normal opening time so, after an introductory chat from John, we had the garden to ourselves - an unexpected bonus.
The entrance to the garden is round to the right of the house, past this ‘small aside courtyard’. Turning the corner the first vista is of these ten clipped yews with billowing perennials planted between them. The formal parts of the garden are designed with three north-south and three east-west vistas this being east-west.
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The next piece of connecting garden is ‘Alice’s Garden’ named after a favourite Cat. This is a ‘dog-leg’ a small north-south area which leads to the Sundial Garden - the Gazebo in the distance marking its end. To the right of the Sundial Garden is a Summer House and from here we can see the Rose Garden which lies parallel to this one. Sadly the roses are over, the Nepeta lining the path has been cut back and it looks quite sombre, last time we were here it was overflowing with colour.
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Looks like an excellent garden, Brian. Lucky you to have it to yourself with the early entry.
Paddy
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Going back across the garden we come into the Lime Allee which looks back towards the house a double row of pleached Tilia platyphyllos 'Rubra' forms this central axis. Walking down the Allee we come into a complete contrast. The Lanhydrock garden, at this time of year, is a real show-stopper with large blocks of hot colours. Comprising a wonderful mix including Heleniums, Achillea, Dahlia, Lilies, Ligularia, Kniphofia and this Abutilon.
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Great selection of late summer/early autumn colour in this selection. How did the name come to be applied - Lanhydrock?
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The Long Walk, north-south across the garden, marks the end of the more formal area, there are a lot of clematis here mixed in with more Dahlias in box lined beds, the wall covered with climbers. Beyond a doorway is an equally large area of garden with fluid winding paths leading down to a small pond through trees and shrubs
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Heading back west up the garden towards the house again we come to the well garden, no well here but there is a carved well head in the centre surrounded by four quadrant beds. Here was a beautifully dark Lobelia Tupa and Clematis viticella ‘Mary Rose’
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The main perennial border is 16 feet deep by 75 feet long and is how I think a perennial border should look - if only we had the room! At the back is Dahlia Admiral Crawley in a raised pot. Amongst the flowers in the main border was this wonderful Dahlia coccinea seedling which arose at Powis Castle, I’m pleased to say that one came back to Norfolk with me, John Jenkins was kind enough to fish one out of the nursery as there were none in the sales area. I was amazed to find that he was surprised I had noted it amongst all the exhuberance. Across the path on the south side is the main collection of Phlox.
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They certainly do clip those yew hedges - the uprights. Paddy
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The font garden is a little oasis to recover from the overwhelming abundance of the main border, this very simple garden surrounding the ancient font is very effective.
The Rill garden borders the main border, font garden, Lime Allee and the Old Garden Here in the Upper rill garden are clipped box balls, the lower rill beyond the hedge has a seating area where the wonderful Potentilla hopwoodiana was found. Walking through to the Old Garden with two rows of clipped Portugese Yew leading back to the house with this arrangement of pots.
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The phloxes are considered an old-fashioned plant now but they do give a great display at this time of year. A good reliable plant. Paddy
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Believe it or not I did not take any photos of the shade garden as I was walking along with John at the time or the Orchard Garden beyond...we were heading for lunch in the tearoom which is to be highly recommended. An added bonus was the vegetable garden next door open during August this year and mentioned in the papers last week.
The whole garden is very well maintained, I thought, Paddy. They also have a huge number of Salvias planted in the approach from the gates. It is an amazing place.
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Oh, there's something very uncomfortable about No. 17 above, the rill with the semi-spherical clipped box. It just rubs me the wrong way. Paddy
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Nothing wrong with being old fashioned! They don't like to be disturbed and can suffer from eel-worm which I think is where they lost a bit of popularity.
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Ah, food for the senses and for the tummy - a great garden!
I enjoyed that, Brian. Many thanks. Paddy
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I can see what you mean, but the juxtoposition with the perennial border (the normal? approach to this area) is very effective, you need something quite simple here.
Glad you liked it Paddy, it is, without doubt, one of my favourite English gardens.
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The Lanhydrock Garden was originally named in homage to the upper garden at the National Trust’s Lanhydrock Garden in Cornwall. An interactive map of the garden can be found here:
http://www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com/garden.html
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Brian
Thanks for posting such wonderful photos - inspiring.
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Thanks, Brian, for sharing.
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I was at this garden a few years ago and remember it well. It certainly was top of the pops for me on that garden trip. I remember buying Clematis Princess Diana, a texensis type, always reminds me of that trip. Nice reminder Brian, thanks for sharing.
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Beautiful indeed Brian, a lovely place and thanks so much for your series of telling pictures. The house itself demands something very special as a surround, don't you think. Since I won't ever get to this wonderful garden, I appreciate this opportunity.
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You are most welcome Lesley, I do wish I could take you round it in person.
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Beautiful indeed Brian, a lovely place and thanks so much for your series of telling pictures. The house itself demands something very special as a surround, don't you think. Since I won't ever get to this wonderful garden, I appreciate this opportunity.
I quite agree.... a lovely garden and I too was very taken with the half-timbered house. (That phrase always makes me think of Dame Edna exclaiming "Oh look, a half-timbered car" on seeing an old wooden trimmed Morris minor ;D )
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Another one to add to my list of gardens to see, thank you Brian
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You are most welcome Lesley, I do wish I could take you round it in person.
I'd enjoy that too Brian. In another life perhaps? :)