The Walled Garden at Parham House

My visit to the Walled Garden at Parham House was the highlight of my Summer and an experience which will remain with me for a very long time.

The garden is four acres in size and surrounded by 875 acres of agricultural land including 300 acres of ancient parkland in which fallow deer roam. These surroundings make the Walled Garden one of the most peaceful gardens I have ever visited and one that touched my soul.

There is so much to see in this Garden from herbaceous borders, a Rose Garden, an Orchard, a vegetable garden and the most beautiful greenhouse and Wendy House too. At times whilst walking around and taking all this in, it was easy to forget I was in a Walled Garden at all. There was a real sense of space and the feeling of stepping back in time to another era - I could easily imagine the generations of gardeners who each had their own influence on this unique and unusual patch of land.

The garden was full of surprises with many plants and plant combinations that I had not seen before and several simple but really effective ideas such as the rustic netting and staking supports. I made mental notes to try this at home in my own cut flower garden.

There were two styles of staking in the garden. Both made use of hazel rods and in some areas string was tied in a criss cross pattern between the rods to support the plants beneath. Elsewhere a clever string netting had been used for extra support. This gave a natural and rustic look which would eventually become covered by flowers.

Wood chip pathways had been laid between the cut flower beds for ease of access and there was a backdrop of sweet peas also supported by taller string netting. The whole effect was simple, effective and charming and just a lovely way to show off the foliage and flowers.

Towards the edge of the Garden was the most spectacular greenhouse which was full of traditional terracotta pots filled with all manner of plants and flowers. This was a wonderful place and there was almost too much to take in and see.

The floors were broken up with different styles of paving, there were beautiful shutters for shading, intricate staging and even shelves to add interest and height. There was a series of doors splitting off sections of the green house and other doors leading off to the side. This gave the opportunity to grow a huge variety of plants all with their own unique requirements.

There were many different varieties of Pelargonium as well as ferns and different varities of Fuchsia. One plant which particularly caught my eye was the lilac coloured Streptocarpus saxorum or False African Violet. This is a very delicate and stunning small plant with trailing stems which can only be grown outside in the Summer.

There was a very delicate Fuchsia magellanica, also known as Lady's Eardrops, which had beautiful red and white flowers and was planted in a larger pot on the floor. This plant has serrated leaves which show off its flowers to great effect. It can grow to nearly three metres in height and has the RHS Awards of Garden Merit and Plants for Pollinators.

Another treasure in the greenhouse was Lycianthes rantonnetii also known at the Blue Potato Bush. This plant is native to Paraquay and Argentina and can only survive outside in very mild weather. It is evergreen and has the most beautiful purple funnel shaped flowers followed by red berries. Another plant for my garden wishlist.