Sissinghurst is one of those places many feel they know without ever having visited. It’s arguably one of the most famous gardens in the country and its iconic White Garden has been endlessly copied.
As such, it’s easy to imagine there’s little new that can be said about the international visitor attraction, yet Tim Richardson’s Sissinghurst, The Dream Garden manages to bring a new depth to an otherwise familiar place.
That there is more to learn about somewhere he felt he knew well came as a surprise: “. . . the process of getting to know Sissinghurst afresh, and in a far more intense manner than before, has revealed there is plenty that is new to say.”
It is not a garden that is laid out logically but that, we are told, is part of its charm. A map at the start shows the lack of scale or a sense of progression around yet it is “its very eccentricity and spontaneity which sets it apart”.
We learn of the “apparently artless romanticism” of the Rose Garden, created by using the more unruly old roses rather than modern hybrid teas.
“Vita used height not for architectural effect, but to enhance the feeling of being enveloped in flower and scent.”
There’s the “mysterious” Nuttery with its special quality of light, the surprise of the herb garden and the vibrant colours of the Cottage Garden. The White Garden, we discover, was originally conceived as having grey as the dominant colour.
Yet, Sissinghurst is more than just an armchair tour of the garden, and it delves into the impetus behind its creation by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson, be it their unconventional marriage, Vita’s relationship with Virginia Woolf or the influence of literature.
Running through the book are quotes, including from Vita’s articles and her poetry, and the tour of the garden pauses halfway for an ‘interlude’ where its literary setting is examined.
Underpinning the art of Sissinghurst is the fact it was made by amateur gardeners, creating primarily for themselves: “The tone and feel of Vita’s garden was amateurish but in the very best sense, in that her own personality shone through in every planting decision.”
It was something that the National Trust, who acquired Sissinghurst in 1967, struggled with and until 2014 when Troy Scott Smith was brought in as head gardener, the garden was managed to Trust standards rather than Vita’s, who was quite happy to have areas that peaked for a while and then became blank.
The process of “taking the pressure off the garden”, as Dan Pearson describes it in his foreword, is now being continued by current head gardener Michelle Cain.
Extensively illustrated with images by award-winning photographer Jason Ingram, the book gives a new insight into what seemed a familiar place.
Sissinghurst, the Dream Garden by Tim Richardson is published by Frances Lincoln with an RRP of £30. You can buy it for £21.22 here. (If you buy it via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.)
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