A Private Cutting and Kitchen Garden

I've been privileged to receive an invite to this private Kitchen and Cutting Garden in Sussex, on two occasions now. My first visit was in April whilst the tulipa were in full swing. I was very excited to visit once more during early Summer when the garden had really come to life as you can see.

I love to re-visit gardens at different times of year as they can take on a completely different feel and appearance as the plants ebb and flow through the seasons. A garden is an ever changing and complex piece of art - never the same and always something new to see.

The walled garden is entered by a gravel path which winds it's way through beautiful Mediterranean style planting after which a gate leads into the garden itself.

There is a lot going on in this garden from herbaceous planting interspersed with Rosa, to ancient fruit trees, vegetables, cut flowers, glass houses and a hidden sunken grass garden too.

The garden flows together seamlessly but, behind the scenes, it's obvious there is a great deal of detailed planning and hard work going on.

As you first enter the garden the impression is very much that of traditional Cottage Garden style.  Long expanses of Buxus hedge and ancient gnarled fruit trees greet you.

There are fairly wide borders of Rosa and herbaceous plants which look beautiful set off against the stone wall backdrop and gravel pathways. Tucked away behind the garden walls you can glimpse the most beautiful dovecote which adds to the character and sense of place.

Interspersed among the planting of the borders are specimen pieces of topiary which give the garden form in Winter but during Summer really set off some of the more eye-catching flowers.

One of these flowers is the beautiful lilac pink Dahlia mercii which has stunning bright yellow stamen.

As you wander further into the garden it becomes more utilitarian in nature.  There are many perfectly sized oak edged beds filled with all manner of fruits, vegetables and cutting flowers.

This is a working garden producing an abundance of produce and blooms for the occupants of the nearby house. It was very special to be allowed to wander at will in their own private space.

No expense has been spared and everything about this garden is understated perfection.  Natural staking is topped with terracotta pots so that netting can be thrown over the crops for protection.  However, everything has a very ordered and quality appearance whilst remaining very natural and blending into the surroundings.  

There is a very subtle mix of old with new and everything is made and measured to fit perfectly into place being beautiful but also fit for the purpose it was made.

The colour palette in this garden is stunning and although the colours seem to blend quite naturally, it's obvious that thought has been given to both colour and form.

One combination that works really well is the pale purple flower of Salvia nemorosa combined with the seed heads of a Papaver orientale.  One plant is tall, narrow and slim, the other bulbous with seeds and the most beautiful star shaped top in two shades of green.  Nature is just stunning when you pause to look carefully and really understand what is going on.

This beautiful garden uses a contrast of gravel and grass between the beds and borders.  Here you can see the Linaria purpurea or purple toadflax loosely planted in the gravel and breaking up the formality of the buxus hedge.

Another beautiful plant combination is the delicate pale pink flower of Sidalcea campestris, also known as meadow checkerbloom and Salvia nemorosa, or balkan clary, which is upright with a lovely purple lilac hue.

The Head Gardener is so talented and not afraid to experiment and try different colour palettes and plants.  Sometimes though the most beauiful of plant combinations can be down to nature itself.

Everything works together in harmony within the garden walls.  New oak beds, yet to weather properly, contain annuals and vegetables and these are flanked by perfectly trained fruit trees and bushes.

The fruit is grown to maximise production whilst also allowing easy access for picking.  Long runs of metal poles supported by weathered oak posts run the length of the vegetable beds and draw the eye.

Every bit of space is used to a maximum in this garden and fruit is also grown alongside roses, and other climbers, on the old stone walls.

Natural is of upmost importance to the gardeners and whereas skilled craftsmen have constructed beautiful oak planters, posts and planting beds, the gardeners have taken advantage of hazel and other wood to make wigwams to support many of the annuals within the garden.

The skilled craftmanship and artisan structures complement each other well.

At the far end of the garden are two of the most amazing greenhouses which house all manner of plant as well as being a cosy place to be in cold or wet weather and a great place for the propagation of seeds.

Around the walls of the greenhouses Erigeron karvinskianus, the mexican fleabane, has been allowed to self seed.  This plant always gives a sense of romantic abandon even though often very skillfully and carefully placed.

The walled garden was an oasis where time seemed to stand still as I wandered and drank in its sounds and sights.  The plants were something to behold but birdsong and nature were equally important to hear and see.  It was a private place full of life and the hustle and bustle of the gardeners and their activity.

As I stepped back through the gate into reality I entered another totally different space but with a very unusual feeling of tranquility.  This was the long pond garden which links the walled garden with the house itself.

This was a place to reflect and gather thoughts before stepping back into my day to day world.  Before I turned to leave, I stood still for a few moments and looked at the very basics of nature before me - sky, water and the most beautiful of trees.  I was reluctant to leave but sure that I would make this place one to return to soon.