The English Garden January 2020

Advolly Richmond Advolly is a garden and social historian and a Gardeners’ World presenter. She also runs garden history courses for the National Trust and the University of Birmingham. She visits Goldstone Hall on p20. Widget Finn Widget is a business journalist and garden writer. She has recently downsized from a two-acre garden and is looking forward to the challenge of gardening in miniature. She visits Sapiston Secret Garden on page 56. Zara Napier Inspiration is always at hand in Zara’s Suffolk garden, but photographing unknown gardens and meeting passionate gardeners is what motivates her to travel with her camera. See her images on page 56. IMAGES CHARLOTTE ASHENDEN; NEIL HEPWORTH; TANYA HAMILTON; ZARA NAPIER…

As a Capricorn, I quite like January because I can look forward to my birthday, but I know that for many, once the excitement of Christmas and New Year is over, January and the rest of winter can seem to stretch out bleakly ahead. But don’t worry: that’s where this issue comes in. Cheer yourself with thoughts of summer and everything you could achieve in your garden this year, by studying the gardens featured over our pages this month. They all excel at being quintessential English gardens, whether that’s because of their topiary, in the case of Hampshire’s Weirs Barn, or their traditional herbaceous borders, like at Arley Hall in Cheshire. If you want to see an exemplary country garden, take a look at Goldstone Hall in Shropshire, with its…

Fulham Palace The botanic garden at Fulham Palace (above) was one of London’s first, but fell into disrepair after 1973. The ‘Cultivating Compton’ project has restored the walled garden to its former glory, introducing new beds filled with exotic plants. Tel: 020 7736 3233; fulhampalace.org Leonardslee Gardens These West Sussex woodland gardens reopened last April following restoration and are now a haven for wildlife, with a colony of wallabies, seven carp ponds, and unusual migrant birds. Tel: 0871 8733389; leonardsleegardens.co.uk Middleton Lodge Restoration of this Yorkshire retreat (below) was completed in 2018 with the help of Tom Stuart-Smith. The Grade II* Listed Kitchen Garden grows crops used in the two on-site restaurants. Tel: 01325 377977; middletonlodge.co.uk The Newt The Newt in Somerset, formerly the Emily Estate, has opened after a five-year restoration. There are several areas of…

Maidstone, Kent This beautiful one-acre garden offers panoramic views out over the Weald of Kent. Its most impressive feature is its 600 varieties of snowdrops, flowering in tiered display beds over the winter months. As spring arrives, borders fill with more colourful blooms, and there is also an extensive collection of alpine plants on display in a large greenhouse. Other features include a productive vegetable garden and a natural spring-fed water feature. Spring Platt, Boyton Court Road, Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent ME17 3BY. Opens for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 26 and Wednesday 29 January, 10.30am-3.00pm. Adult: £5. Children: Free. Call 01622 843383 to book your visit. For more details see ngs.org.uk; kentsnowdrops.com…

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 25-27 January, across UK The RSPB want people to share how they’re taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual survey undertaken by volunteers across the UK to count the birds that visit their garden or local green space over an hour. Participants are encouraged to get creative and bake wildlife-themed treats and make bird-feeders. Share the results using the hashtag #BigGardenBirdWatch. For more information and a free birdwatch pack, visit rspb.org.uk/birdwatch…

Winter walk at Wisley 10 January, Surrey Join RHS Garden Wisley’s curatorial team on a walk around the winter garden and learn about the plants that do well at this time of year. Tickets: £36 for non-members. Tel: 01483 224234; rhs.org.uk Heritage apples and pears From 11 January, Edinburgh Take a tour of the fruit garden at the Royal Botanic Garden, while Johanna Lausen-Higgins teaches how to grow trained fruit in your garden on this two-day course. Tickets: £90. Tel: 0131 2482909; rbge.org.uk Designing your own garden 19-22 January, West Sussex This course at West Dean is headed by Annie Guilfoyle and teaches site evaluation and creating a layout and planting plan. Tickets: £381. Tel: 01243 818300; westdean.org.uk What to do in the winter garden at Waterperry 20 January, Oxfordshire This one-day course, taught by Annette Pursey, focuses on tasks to…