A Musical Garden in Hampshire

West Green House, a musical garden in Hampshire, is a wonderful place which is full of surprises. I wasn't sure what to expect from this garden and first impressions gave very little away.

The garden has been created over several years by Australian designer, Marylyn Abbott, who has a passion for Opera and Gardens. At West Green she has very cleverly combined the two, linking music with art and generously sharing this love with others by opening her gardens and hosting a range of musical performances in the grounds, during the year.

When first arriving at West Green you are greeted with the most beautiful roses which festoon the walls surrounding West Green House, a stunning Manor House set within it's own beautiful courtyard.

The roses are a striking apricot shade which tones in with the walls and gives a very romantic feel. The style is quite classical and in some ways minimal as there is very little planting other than formal topiary within the courtyard itself and several small trees. These have been strategically placed to screen most of the house from view.

A gravel pathway leads alongside the house to the garden itself which is very cleverly split into distinctive parts. I choose to enter by the Lake Field with water, pavilion, island and, as it's name suggests - lake. The landscaping here is on a large scale and quite spectacular including a temple garden, dragon garden, grotto and garden of the five bridges.

A line of pleached trees draws the eye into the garden and the green foliage is in stark contrast to the red dragon art either side of the low level hedge.

Walking on beyond the dragon walk is the pond which is framed by an abundance of wild flowers and surrounded by trees with very dappled light. Just beyond the pond your eye is drawn to the pavilion which sits on the island in the lake.

To the side of the pond are walls that contain the most beautiful walled garden. Strategically placed is a wrought iron gate which during my visit was left open. Some beautiful ducks took advantage of this to slowly waddle from the pond into the garden itself.

This was one of the highlights of the garden for me - on one side of the wall a natural and wilder type landscape but, on the other side of the gate, a highly cultivated and stunning walled garden. Each contrasted with each other whilst, at the same time, blending naturally as you moved between the two.

The walled garden at West Green is spectacular. There are herbaceous borders, box parterres, vegetable and fruit areas as well as beautifully manicured grass lawns. There was so much to take in that it became quite overwhelming to see.

The mature trees along the boundary make it easy to forget that the garden is contained within walls at all. The trees present a perfect backdrop to set off some of the more structural and eye catching plants nestled with the rest of the herbaceous planting. This gorgeous yellow Verbascum densiflorum is striking and towers above the Digitalis below.

It's not only the plants that create a statement in this garden. The gravel pathways and Buxus edging are immaculate throughout and a credit to the gardeners at West Green. There are many focal points to draw the eye. In the picture below the paths lead to a stunning fruit cage flanked by small trees and very cleverly designed.

I was very impressed with the beautifully manicured lawns which had been mown in a diagonal style across the garden. These were a real showcase and again, the size of them and tree lined backdrop really disguised the fact they are confined within a walled garden.

The lawns were surrounded by roses and small trees with rustic climbing supports dotted throughout the borders.

Seating areas are dotted about throughout the garden like this pale blue painted arbor below, topped with the most romantic style of rose in a stunning white colour. The gravel and paintwork to the arbor all immaculate.

Just outside the walled garden is a huge expanse of grass and separate orangery and it is here that the house itself comes in to view sitting in front of a huge expanse of lawn where productions are often held. The setting is stunning and the house an amazing backdrop for the musical events. It's hard to imagine you are just 40 miles from London.

As you leave the walled garden and walk past the house you enter a small seating and topiary area. This is a more formal space with clipped Buxus and Taxus Baccata but quite simple paving and seating which is painted in a striking red colour which really stands out and makes a statement.

Everything about West Green House is perfection and attention to detail. It flows seamlessly from one garden room to the next but only due to the planning behind the design and the hard work of the gardeners who maintain it. I would certainly recommend a visit.