J's Garden Notes - Spring 2023

Encourage the Wild Within

Wildlife Gardens, ‘Wildlife Friendly’, Wild areas in your garden. We are all trying to be more welcoming to the natural life in our gardens. To live in harmony with nature. To find ways that are mutually beneficial.

Is this really a new thing? I think not. We are much more knowledgeable now about the damage the human race has inflicted, and continues to inflict, on our natural host. Gradually we are becoming more respectful and are realising that we all have a part to play in this recovery. This can be, and is, extremely enjoyable and mutually beneficial.

In this country, we are so lucky to still have a wonderful gardening climate – for food and for the beauty and tranquillity of a garden space. This allows us all to join in this ‘wildlife friendly’ realisation revolution. We can all use our own spaces or public spaces and allotments to grow food and to create natural areas to escape to for peace of mind and quiet. So important in this busy busy, stress filled world we live in today.

Creating these wonderful spaces is not, however, a new thing. Perhaps something the majority of us felt was just for those with large areas of land or deep pockets, or both. This does not need to be. We can all benefit – however large or small. We have a wealth of knowledge to tap into and now a real desire for change and for involvement. For generations gardeners and designers have worked with the natural landscape to create the land of the future. We are now beginning to feel that we can all take part in that in our own way, and in doing so we will do our bit to re-establish harmony with the natural world and safeguard the land for future generations.

Concentrating on the grass roots of the ‘gardeners’ of our time, thinking of the most recent centuries, and the true greats of garden and landscape design in that period; the people that stand out for me are those such as Capability Brown and Humphry Repton in the 18th century, Gertrude Jeykll and Thomas Mawson in the 19th, Beth Chatto and the late Lady Salisbury in the 20th through to amazing designers of today such as Arne Maynard, Rupert Golby and Tom Stuart Smith to name a few. Every one of these created and continue to create sympathetic and beautiful garden spaces, working with the landscape and the natural world to capture its beauty and its benefits whilst making it welcome within it.

Working in the world of garden antiques has treated me over the years to see some truly beautiful gardens across the United Kingdom. It has been a very real privilege and pleasure to have seen these - large and small.

In the days of Capability Brown, ‘naturalesque’ was the word often used to describe a landscape in tune with nature. He designed huge swathes of parkland and estate and his vision was so far into the future he would never have expected to see the final piece in his lifetime. What a gift that was to future generations. Much of our most valued and most beautiful estates and parklands are down to his handywork and vision. What an incredible man. Humphry Repton took it a stage further and created spaces where nature was more controlled. His designs worked sympathetically with, and embraced the very best of the natural world in a garden setting, with the addition of flower borders and separate and varied garden spaces.

It is no secret that I have always loved and admired the work of the late and very special, Lady Salisbury. Hatfield House was very close to where I grew up and my mother was a Garden Guide there. I loved and spent much time there in admiration of her skill. I have still yet to visit another of her very special properties, Cranborne in Dorset, but already feel I know it and will love it when I do. I have just learned that Cranborne was a huge inspiration to Arne Maynard and that does not surprise me at all.

The ‘naturalesque’ approach to gardening has always been my way. Partly by design - my love of nature and a more natural feel - and partly just life getting in the way and my garden having to fend for itself! Survival of the fittest a bit! I feel honoured and proud if wildlife finds it can make its home in our garden and I strive to continue to make it as ‘naturalesque’ as I possibly can for them.

It takes some skill to re-create a beautiful natural space. A brook created to appear to be as if it has always been there is the most intricate, difficult and admirable thing to achieve. It sounds simple but certainly is far from it.

Many years ago I took a course in Garden Design led by Delphine Hill in Hertfordshire. She introduced me to the rules of nature’s balance and design - things that I had not particularly thought of but were obvious when pointed out.

Two simple things stand out for me.

Balance
The basis of all good design - If you see a space that is pleasing to you, take another look- break it down and you will see it works with the 1 third/2 third rule of natural design. This is the same at all levels and with all sizes of space. A tiny garden with maybe 2 thirds gravel/patio and 1 third flower border or pool works. Split the area up into halves or quarters and it simply won’t. It does not feel right, the balance is wrong. Simple - its nature’s way.

Shapes – Curves
Circles and curves in a garden create space. Long thin gardens are transformed by including curves into the layout. Moving your eye gently through the space. This is very true with the layout of our stand at the Chelsea Flower Show too – a gentle meander through the stand is what we work very hard to achieve.

Meandering brooks are a real pleasure to see. They move and change the space. Straight, manmade canals are far less pleasing, however can give a halt to a space, a peace and a stillness. More formal. It is, of course, all down to the effect you want to create.

If you would like the more natural feel, calm and pleasing – curves are the way to go.

Hidden, quiet areas can be created with still water pools. Softly shaped pools are always more pleasing than straight sided ones, continuing this theory.

If we adopt these simple rules we can all be successful designers of our own spaces. We can gain such contentment and pleasure from getting the balance right, we do not need to fight it or control it but work in harmony with it. We can all be gardeners in our forgiving climate, we can all be designers too and we can all embrace the beauty of nature and live more harmoniously within it.

All that is good in the world is from nature and eventually we will all be absorbed back into it. Nature is the constant and will prevail. The wise will work with it and learn from it.