PROF SIR JONATHAN VAN TAM

EVERYONE LOVES SURPRISES, SURELY? Well, if you go down to the fens this month, you’re sure of a big surprise, because behind the farmhouse of Francis & Maisie Pryor opens up a vast, verdant garden created by the couple from just a bare plot. With native planting, an ethos of achieving harmony with the area in which it has been created, and home to native wildlife, the place is like a love letter to the Fens, which is little surprise, since Francis is the author of The Fens: Discovering England’s Ancient Depths, as well as 17 other books. He’s also a archeologist, historian, naturalist, and a former presenter of the TV series Time Team. Maisie, too is also a keen archeologist specialising in mediaeval timbers, and the couple are also co-founders of The Francis and Maisie Pryor Charitable Trust, which promotes archaeology and environmental conservation to the public. Anything else? Absolutely. They’re also the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and accompanying them on a tour of the garden they created back in 1992 was hugely enjoyable, even on the hottest day of the year when apocalyptic weather predictions of 40°c temperatures proved accurate. Happily, the gardens surrounding Francis and Maisie’s home, Inley Drove Farm, offers rather more shaded areas now than in the summer of 1992, when the site was a featureless expanse of wheat, bordered by two dykes and surrounded by fields of crops. Francis is from rural Hertfordshire, Maisie from is from, sort of... all around, as her father was in the army. The two were involved in the Fengate excavation at Peterborough, what is now the site of Eastern Industries, from 1971 to 1978. The dig was of significant archaeological value and led to the further exploration of the Flag Fen site on an area of wetland gifted to the city by Lord Fitzwilliam. The couple raised the £160,000 needed to create the visitors’ centre at the site, opening it in 1987. For Francis & Maisie, living nearby also presented an opportunity to restore a garden adjacent to their former farmhouse at Parson Drove, where they lived until 1990 and were ready for a fresh challenge... namely their current home at Sutton St James. The couple began laying out the main elements of the garden even before they began work building on their timber-framed farmhouse – a construction method inspired by living in Toronto prior to the UK. In order to shelter the land from breezy open Fens, the couple planted no fewer than 3,000 trees, but first had to address the issue of tired hardened clay soil which, farmed to exhaustion, lacked any humus and was just powdery mineral. >>

Right: Francis & Maisie created the 17 acre site from 1992, planting 3,000 trees and creating a wildlifefriendly garden on land former used for farming.

IN THE GARDEN IN SEPTEMBER

Lots of jobs to complete and a guide to planting this month...

n Collecting Seeds: It’s simple, generally inexpensive and it’ll help to increase the number of plants already in your garden. When seed heads ripen, collect them before they disperse, set two months after flowering or as soon as the seeds ripen. Think holly berries, catkins, poppy seeds, sweet pea pods and the winged seeds of acers and sycamores. n Divide Perennials: Ensure healthy and vigorous growth by diving perennials like iris and hostas. n Sow Hardy Annuals: Scabiosa, cornflowers and cerinths can all be sown in the ground now ready for flowers early next summer. n Plant Spring Bulbs: Now’s the time to plans crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, bluebells and snake’s head fritillaries, in pots or borders ready for spring 2023. n Autumn Interest: Use cyclamen, heathers, heucheras for autumn interest in borders and containers. n The Kitchen Garden: Plant onion and shallot sets, sow hardy greens like kale, pak choi, broad beans and peas. Pick apples and pears before they fall, lift and store maincrop potatoes. n Garden Maintenance: Rake up thatch or scarify to remove detritus in your lawn, capture fallen leaves over the coming months and compost to create mulch. Once you’ve completed the last cut, have your mower taken away for a good service and to have its fuel removed to prevent it going stale. n Make an Investment: Now is also the time to clip hedges, but if you’re still relying on noisy, vibration-prone petrol equipment consider investing in a single battery system but with multiple appliances: mowers, hedge trimmers, strimmers and chainsaws. Brands like Stihl and Ryobi provide a wealth of tools that are quieter, easier and lighter.

>> It took, Francis reckons, five to ten years before the soil was back to full strength, not to mention countless barrow loads of muck. Fortunately planning permission for the development was conditional upon the couple running a small farm from the site, and as many of 250 Lleyn ewes provided more manure than anyone could realistically want in their lives.

“We’ve always been keen to preserve wildlife and encourage it onto the farm and into the garden,” says the couple. “We’ve planted wet-loving trees like the endangered black Poplar, which in turn encourages the Poplar Hawk moth, Golden Oriels, plus barn owls, hedgehogs and hares.” During our visit a buzzard was flying overhead and unfortunately a less-welcome fox had also made an appearance, specifically to Chicken Lane, the area of the garden where the couple keep their hens. There’s a kitchen garden too, with two large areas of asparagus, vegetable beds, plum trees and espalier heaving with raspberries (very delicious raspberries!). On the opposite side of the garden is a nut walk and orchard so the couple are virtually self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables to enjoy. The most dramatic feature is the sensibly named 70-metre Long Border, and a second slightly shorter planted border both heaving with colour, scent and wildlife. There’s an alpine area, rose garden and cottage garden all separated by seemingly endless runs of hornbeam hedges which during our visit were due to be trimmed.

Sounds like hard work to us, so instead of grabbing a clattery set of hedge trimmers, we’ll bunk off to relax in the hammock strung between two of half a dozen horse chestnut trees, overlooking the meadow, with a good book – perhaps one of Francis’s

Archaeology Meets Ecology

This is a place to walk around, somewhereThe Francis & Maisie Pryor Charitable Trust is an organisation to quietly admire the set up by archaeologists and natural world and environmentalists invested somewhere that isn’t in conservation, find out more about the group over-manicured.” online. “One of our stipulations when designing the garden was that there would be different routes through the garden with no dead ends, no need to turn back once you’ve reached a certain books and a long drink. The meadow point, which we think is such an anti-climax.” includes self-seeded cowslips and fritillaries, and is mown just a couple of times a year. “Instead you can enjoy a walk, lose yourself Beyond this is 6.5 acres of woodland with in your thoughts and just turn left or right at oaks, willows, black poplars and metasequoia. different points to enjoy every route and every tree. Hopefully that’s what visitors will Advice for gardeners? Maisie has a gem. find for themselves during our NGS event in “When I created my first garden, my old September.” neighbour posed a question: ‘what will you use the garden for?’” “We’ve been opening for the charity for over a decade and it’s always a really enjoyable “We’ve seen some gardens which, as pretty as day, with tea, the very best homemade cakes they are, don’t appear to have a purpose – and the chance to really enjoy somewhere as a home to nature, a kitchen garden, some- very special, right in the heart of the where to sit, or somewhere to walk around. Lincolnshire Fens!” n

Find Out More: Francis & Maisie’s garden, Inley Drove Farm, opens to the public near Sutton St James near Spalding on Saturday 17th September 11am-5pm, set your navigation to PE12 0LX. See www.ngs.org.uk. Francis’s books including The Fens: Discovering England’s Ancient Depths (2020) and Scenes from Prehistoric Life (2021) are available from good bookshops, or see pryorfrancis.wordpress.com.

Beautiful Garden Products with FORAS

From landscaping to lifestyle, in your home and around your garden! Foras has a range of gorgeous products to express your creativity and individuality... and it’s a really enjoyable, beautifully landscaped place to find inspiration, too!

OUR HOMES & GARDENS are incredibly important, meaningful places and they influence how we think, feel and support how we want to live. Choosing what to put on the walls and floors is a huge decision, making tiles and flagstones the foundation of any project which are crucial to get right from the beginning.

There’s a lot to consider, from which materials and textures work harmoniously with the property to what colours and patterns will be complementary – so if you’re in need of inspiration and expert advice, look no further than Foras.

An award-winning family-run business, Foras was founded in 2003 by Norfolk farmer John Wootton and consultant Claire Brutnall with the aim of producing an exclusive range of natural stone flagstones, porcelain tiles and garden accessories, directly sourced throughout the UK, Europe, and Asia.

Products are cleverly displayed at the company’s home in Stowbridge, Norfolk, a unique browsing experience where the gardens are fully dressed and landscaped to provide plenty of inspiration and ideas.

Inside the tiles and flagstones are laid on the walls and floors in large areas, with accent tiles available to mix and combine into ‘mood boards.’ Swatch samples are available to take away and full tile samples are available to purchase.

Foras sets itself apart from the competition by importing their own unique blends of stones and finishes. The team personally sources their Foras Originals tile and flagstone range directly from the manufacturers, taking each product through a rigorous quality control process. “My passion has always been to supply the finest tiles and flagstones fully ‘in house’ to ensure consistency throughout every batch,” says John. “It has taken years for us to build solid relationships with our quarries and factories and, by sourcing directly from them, we’ve been able to select our own unique tonal blends, exquisite finishes, and can produce bespoke items to order.” Foras’ flagship stone is Moorland York F40, a fawn-coloured sandstone which has been extensively worked to give the appearance of an authentic aged York stone. It has proven popular in both modern and traditional projects, including the prestigious Old Hall in Ely. The team at the Old Hall started working with Foras in 2008. Since then, their business has grown alongside Foras, expanding more and more. They are now one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Cambridgeshire, also offering hotel stays, fine dining, and exclusive party/event hire. The extensive terraces are laid with Moorland York F40 sandstone and have the perfect amount of character to complement the Jacobean manor house. The pathways are detailed with Moorland York F40 Setts.

As the Old Hall continues to expand, more terraces will be required, thanks to Foras’ commitment to consistency and colour selection new Moorland York F40 can be laid alongside older batches of the stone with little to no tonal variation. n

Main Image: Foras' spectacular show gardens in Stowbridge with over 50 running water features. Insert Images: The beautiful Old Hall, in Ely.

THE DETAILS Foras, Stowbridge

About Foras: Based at King’s Lynn, Foras provides unique quality products for the home and garden from luxury water features, benches, sculptures, lighting solutions and bird care, plus deckchairs, candles and much more besides!

Tiles & Flagstones: For more details and information about Foras Tiles & Flagstones please visit www.foraswallsandfloors.co.uk.

Home & Garden: For spectacular Foras garden features please visit foras.co.uk or visit the showroom at Stowbridge to see the Foras difference for yourself.

Contact Details: Foras Ltd, West Head Road, Stowbridge, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE34 3NJ. Telephone 01366 381069. n