The sight of a mass planting of blue chionodoxa set against golden narcissi set the tone as I arrived for The Generous Gardener lecture day. Uplifting despite the wet, cold weather, they were a good indication of what was to follow – a day with fellow gardeners talking plants and gardens and all in the lovely setting of Rodmarton Manor.
I was lucky enough to have been invited as a guest to the first of this new series of lecture days and what a treat it proved to be. Billed as ‘thought-provoking expert talks’, they are part of a number of events under The Generous Gardener banner.
I first attended the specialist plant sales many years ago when they were run by Katie Lukas in Wyck Rissington (you can read about her new garden here). They then moved to Ampney Crucis and the home of Mel Tanner, and now ‘the two Sarahs’ have taken up the baton. The sales, in aid of the Simon Rivett-Carnac Trust, are at Sarah Rivett-Carnac’s home near Malmesbury, while Sarah Biddulph hosts the talks at Rodmarton Manor.
Our first speaker was designer and author Todd Longstaffe-Gowan who I first met when he created a gold medal-winning show garden at RHS Malvern back in 2016.
He was talking about his latest book, English Garden Eccentrics, and the people he described as creating gardens with “a degree of incipient lunacy”.
They were, we were told, trying to create their own Eden and it took many forms. ‘Gardens’ ranged from a rockwork imagining of the Swiss glaciers by Lady Broughton at Hoole House in Cheshire to Dr Brookes’ curious collection of animals and birds not far from today’s Oxford Circus in a vivarium constructed from Gibraltar rock.
There was Lady Dorothy Neville who fed her insectivorous plants wine and cheese, and Mabel Barltrop who set up a millenarian community in Bedford complete with her interpretation of the Garden of Eden. Meanwhile, Charles Isham at Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire, believed that the gnomes in his garden came to life at night.
Todd, who designs gardens across the world and is gardens advisor to the Historic Royal Palaces, said he hoped he’d inspired us all ” to go home and dare to be eccentric”.
After a very good lunch, The Generous Gardener Lecture Day included the chance to explore the garden at Rodmarton Manor. I was last out there in summer and hadn’t visited in spring for many years.
Although some features, such as the long, double herbaceous borders, were still to awake from their winter slumber, it’s good to visit early in the year to fully appreciate the structure of this Arts and Crafts garden.
Clipped hedges, beautiful old walls and – one of my favourite features – the pollarded limes are all important elements and more easily appreciated without the distraction of summer blooms.
Even so, it wasn’t without colour with masses of hellebores, narcissi and other spring bulbs in full flower.
Our second speaker of the day was garden designer Richard Miers who, despite having been in the business for more than 25 years, created his first Chelsea show garden only last year.
“I probably should have done one years ago,” he admitted, “because now the projects that are coming my way are quite extraordinary.”
He worked for 10 years with Arne Maynard but now runs his own business, creating gardens that he described as “timelessly elegant”.
We heard how his first attempt at gardening was a small plot at his prep school where he raised antirrhinums, marigolds and lettuce.
There followed a fascinating overview of some of the gardens he’s created for private clients ranging from vast country estates to small town gardens and a London roof garden. We heard how he likes to sketch out a design first, marvelled at the inky black, reflective pools he installs and the size of mature trees that are used.
His Chelsea garden was for horiticultural charity Perennial and had many of his trademark features – a rill, serpentine hedging and an ‘altar’ – a friend believes he has subconcious religious beliefs because so many of his designs have altar-like structures.
The Chelsea build was, we were told, “absolutely insane” with trees failing to come into leaf, problems with ageing the paving, and the neon sign having to be redone, all added to the inevitable time pressure of trying to make a show worthy garden from scratch in 19 days.
‘The Perennial Garden, With Love’ won the coveted People’s Choice award and was given a silver medal by the RHS judges.
The Generous Gardener Lecture Day series continues with James Alexander-Sinclair and Pippa Greenwood on April 20. More details and booking are available on the website.
English Garden Eccentrics by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is published by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art with an RRP of £30. You can buy it here for £25. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) If you prefer to buy via an independent bookshop, it can be bought here for £30.
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This is a perfect record of a most fabulous day. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you 😍