MEADOW STYLE A less structured take on the classic English country garden.

Dahlias, cosmos, Ammi visnaga and more intermingle in this charming country garden, imbuing a sense of relaxation, with topiary adding a focal point to draw the eye. style MEADOW Create a less structured take on the classic English country garden with a considered balance of nature and nurture

Sit back and imagine an enchanting summer garden full of birdsong, floral colour, a sweeping lawn and walls swathed in rampant climbers. These charming characteristics are all evocative of the English country garden and occupy a cherished place in our national psyche, creating a magical blend of natural and curated beauty. This garden style has gently evolved and continues to inspire landscape designers and gardeners alike.

Elements such as rose-covered arbours, wisteriadraped pergolas and richly planted herbaceous borders are immediately recognisable, but there are other, more subtle details and several new emerging plants and features that are well worth exploring to achieve this idyllic style.

EVOLVING HERITAGE

Leading lights have shaped English country gardens in a variety of styles over time and their influence can still be seen today.

William Robinson, a Victorian keen to reform gardening and often referred to as ‘the Irishman who taught the English how to garden’, was a keen advocate of nature inspiring planting. He was responsible for popularising the planting of perennials, which appear year after year, over having regimented borders of annual bedding. He was also one of the first designers to plant swathes of spring bulbs within a lawn or under trees. Meanwhile, his friend and contemporary, Gertrude Jekyll, championed planting borders with a free painterly use of colour that changed with the seasons. Together, Robinson and Jekyll laid the foundations of this constantly evolving, less obviously structured garden style.

ABOVE The gardens at Trematon Castle, Cornwall were an irresistible challenge for garden designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman. “We flung species rambling roses at the walls and tried to blend the borders by mixing in Daucus carota, moon daisies, wild echium and fringing the grass around so that the whole was a field of the cloth of gold.” OPPOSITE TOP A delightful tumble of fragrance and colour fill the Rose Garden at Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire each Summer. OPPOSITE MIDDLE Former home and lifelong work of Sir Roy Strong CH and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman CBE, The Laskett Gardens, Herefordshire marry theatre, personal and historical passions with opulent planting. Contemporary landscape designer Piet Oudolf is known globally for his meadow-style planting. Working across expansive areas, he plants large beds with bold, repeating drifts of perennial flowers that merge with elegant, swaying grasses to create a living tapestry that erupts into vivid colour before fading to bleached stems and seedheads in late autumn.

Garden designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman also share a love of carefree, colourful planting. “Although we are known as extravagant, romantic, almost theatrical gardeners and designers, Julian and I have been leaning more this way for 20 years,” explains Isabel. “Here in Somerset, where we moved two years ago, we have a cider orchard and very few mature trees in a flat landscape. We are planting four acres of woodland which will take some time, so meadowmaking is the thing.”

PRINCIPAL PLANTS

One distinct feature of meadow-style planting is an abundance of flowers. From the first glimpses of hellebores, snowdrops and fiery witch hazel in winter, to the riot of vivid spring bulbs – including narcissi, tulips, alliums – and the heady crescendo of summer, when perfumed roses, stately delphiniums and dancing agapanthus take centre stage, the everchanging palette of colours is a major draw. Colour and interest do not disappear later in the year, they simply become more subtle as vibrant sunflowers and dahlias are gradually overtaken with fading foliage, ripe seedheads and berries. Topiary and hedges also play a supporting role, as award-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell acknowledges. “I believe that English country gardens should fully utilise the natural advantages of the surrounding landscape and nature. The garden should lay with the land – relaxed, loose wild plantings with good bones such as evergreen shrubs, hedging and topiary combining to create tapestries of texture and kaleidoscopic colour in our gardens.”

Climbing plants are important in any garden, but particularly in an English country garden. Thanks to their free-roaming nature and ability to drape and soften walls and other structures, they exude romance and energy. Simon White, rosarian at Peter Beales Roses, explains: “Any English country home should have at least one or two rambling or climbing roses grown within their garden. Ramblers will adore arches and pergolas, giving large clusters of blooms and therefore the ‘wow’ factor. Climbers would be good for walls and fences, producing larger blooms that will flower off and on most of the summer.”

SIGNATURE ELEMENTS

Adding structure is imperative to this plant-heavy gardening style. Summerhouses, gazebos and pergolas all provide essential height and interest. With the focus firmly on natural style, look for materials such as timber shingles, handmade bricks, clay tiles and hand-woven hurdles. “Gertrude Jekyll described oak as the best material for a garden seat, and we agree,” says Simon Burvill, founder of Gaze Burvill. 

BELOW The aged patina and nod to agricultural heritage, make galvanised-steel planters the perfect choice. Each piece weathers uniquely over time, adding to its charm. Planters, from £275, Arthur Jack

Inspirational country-style gardens

Take time to visit and savour these inspiring and uplifting horticultural gems

The Garden House, Devon

Set deep in Dartmoor, there are 10 acres to explore and marvel at including densely planted borders and endless meandering pathways. thegardenhouse.org.uk

Hauser & Wirth, Somerset

Planted in 2014 and designed by renowned designer Piet Oudolf, this gallery site at Durslade features landscaping and a vast perennial meadow with mesmerising drifts and blocks of textural planting. hauserwirth.com

Mapperton House and Gardens, Dorset

A romantic valley garden featuring formal topiary and lush lawns intermingled with deep herbaceous borders and ornamental and native woodland. mapperton.com

Mottisfont, Hampshire

These walled gardens with their extensive collection of old-fashioned roses peak in summer, brimming with perfume and the most romantic of blooms. nationaltrust.org.uk

Sussex Prairie Gardens, West Sussex

Set in the rolling South Downs, the gardens brim with dense borders of grasses and colourful perennials that move and change with the seasons. Innovative sculptures are also dotted amongst the planting. sussexprairies.co.uk

Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire

Made famous by Beatrix Havergal, who established her School of Horticulture for Ladies here from 1932 to 1971, highlights of these ornamental gardens include the 100-metre-long colour co-ordinated mixed herbaceous borders and the enchanting Mary Rose garden. waterperrygardens.co.uk

Highgrove, Gloucestershire

The private Cotswolds residence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, the extensive gardens at Highgrove epitomise the classic country estate aesthetic and feature iconic areas such as the shaded Stumpery, magical Sundial Garden and picturesque wildflower meadow. highgrovegardens.com

Leighton Hall, Lancashire

Expansive lawns, lush herbaceous borders and an idyllic woodland walk give this property an air of tranquillity. The walled vegetable garden and new herb and sensory area are truly inspiring. leightonhall.co.uk

Holker Hall, Cumbria

An enchanting mix of formal and informal gardens, presided over by a seventeenth-century great lime tree, make this grand estate a national favourite. A cascade and sunken garden add to the romantic charm. holker.co.uk

ABOVE Gravel paths weave through drifts and asymmetrical groups of perennials and shrubs at Beth Chatto’s Gardens, Essex.

“An organic, beautiful product of nature, oak is naturally durable and will weather according to its environment, ensuring that it belongs in the landscape in which it sits.”

FOLLOW NATURE’S LEAD

Taking a relaxed approach is key to this style, and it is essential to choose plants that will thrive in their chosen spot with little intervention. Emphatically practised by revered plantswoman Beth Chatto, the importance of ‘right plant, right place’ is clear when walking around her Essex gardens, but it is a principle others also embrace. “At Mapperton House we have several areas, each with their own approach to the English country garden style,” says Steve Lannin, head gardener of the Dorset garden. “In Fountain Court, self-seeded erigeron soften the hard landscaping, whilst the walls are clad in rambling roses, with tree peonies, hydrangea and other shrubs supporting the wild perennial plantings.”

Although wild meadows are in decline, nurturing native species of grass and flowers at home is firmly on the increase. Hampshire-based garden designer Rachel Smith says: “A wildflower area can be seeded with a mix or can be created using specially created turf. Both seed and turf mixes are created to be used in specific ground conditions. Whether it is dry, sandy soil or heavy, acid clay, there will be an appropriate product available which will best suit these conditions.”

Planting an orchard will also soften the boundaries between formal and informal garden areas. “Choosing a fruit tree is a long-term investment, which – if looked after properly – will provide a beautiful focal point and fruits for many years,” says Jon Munday, nursery manager at Blackmoor Nurseries in Hampshire. His

Piet Oudolf’s meadow-style planting at Scampston Hall, Yorkshire creates an ever- changing tapestry of textured grasses and perennials.

recommended varieties include the Red Falstaff apple, with its bright red fruits, and Concorde pear, a new variety that is full of flavour.

THE CHARM OF WATER

Water can take various forms in an English country garden. A simple fountain will mesmerise as sunlight glances off the falling droplets, whilst a clean-sided rill or reflection pool nestled within loose, airy planting, as popularised by landscape architect and garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, can provide a tranquil feature perfect for quiet contemplation.

Wildlife ponds and natural swimming pools offer further creative opportunities, and landscape designer Claudia de Yong shares this advice: “Adding a feature like a jetty or pontoon to a pond is wonderful if you want to enjoy sitting on the water’s edge. You need to think of doing this at the beginning of the build as it is much easier than doing it later, once the pond is filled with water. Don’t be too mean on the size of the jetty – ponds always look bigger when they are empty, but once filled with water and plants, they end up looking much smaller.” n

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Establish a colourfilled meadow with a mix of 41 native British wildflowers. Birds and Bees Meadowmat, from £17.48 a square metre, Turf Online Place seating in a spot surrounded by planting. Meander conversation seat, £4,770, Gaze Burvill Fill the garden with deliciously scented roses that flower from May to October. Olivia Rose Austin, £27 potted rose, David Austin Roses

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