The location of Kirkham Farm may give it wonderful views but it’s not without challenges when it comes to making a garden. The hillside site means the ground is sloping and it’s often buffeted by wind. Then there’s the difficulty of trying to compete with a vista across open Cotswold countryside.
It was the dominance of the view that first made Liz Wills redesign the garden’s layout. What is now lawn and flower beds had been parking for the farmhouse and she was frustrated with visitors admiring the scenery and ignoring the garden.
“Everybody got out and said ‘Oh, Liz, what an amazing view’ and then went into the house for a drink. Nobody ever, ever looked at the garden.”
Moving parking to the other side of the garden wall and turning the hard standing into grass means the garden now gets a look in.
It’s divided into different areas, in some places by yew and box hedging, in others by changes in levels with terracing allowing the gradient of the ground to be reduced.
A rose-covered stone pergola partially conceals that view as you enter the garden, giving an important element of surprise.
Nearby, a spot that’s sheltered from the wind by the house and shaded by a pink blossomed prunus is where the family eat, while the terrace has been softened by planting pockets filled with lavender, geranium and white Centranthus ruber.
The main flower bed was already in place when Liz took over the garden. Even though it’s been reduced in size it’s still large.
Large trees behind make the planting tricky as everything leans forward to catch more light. Liz has added hydrangeas to the back of the border, hoping they will cope with the shadier conditions and add some late colour.
When I visited there was plenty in flower with masses of geraniums, alliums, peonies, and campanula.
The combination of the trees and the sloping ground means this border dries out easily while those further down the hill retain more moisture. Regular applications of manure and homemade compost mean the soil has been greatly improved.
On the lower level just before a small ha-ha, Liz has created a border of hotter colours with yellow phlomis and scarlet salvias among the plants anchored by a malus at either end.
Roses are a favourite, and they are in every part of the Kirkham Farm garden from the swimming pool border to the enclosed sitting room garden where the yew hedge has a scalloped top to allow sight of the countryside from the house.
The vegetable garden has now been partly turned over to cut flowers for the house along with clipped box and yew for structure, and more of her favourite geraniums for weeks of colour.
Recently she’s been experimenting with leaving the grass longer under some trees and on a bank by the tennis court. There’s mixed success with using yellow rattle to reduce the grass but camassia, fritillaries and narcissi are thriving.
“I love all of this,” says Liz, looking at the bank where yellow rattle is gradually winning against the grass. “It will come, I will get it.”
So much of gardening is about the long game rather than a quick fix.
Kirkham Farm, near Upper Slaughter, is opening for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday July 3. More details on the website.
You can read more of my garden visits here.
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