5 minute read
GARDEN Mediterranean themed
A Taste of the Med
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Enjoy the sweet smell of lavender and orange blossom in this beautiful Stamford garden. Steve and Karen are hoping to open for the National Gardens Scheme for the first time this year to show off their labour of love and raise money for impor tant charities...
Raised Vegetable Beds A S YOU STROLL AROUND Steve and Karen Bourne’s garden in Stamford, it’s easy to lose yourself amongst the sweet smell of lavender
Raised beds are ideal for low maintenance vegetable growing; and the tree-lined avenues. Home Farm has a you don’t need to dig, you can Mediterranean feel but looks over the area’s beautiful countryside instead of crashing waves. It boasts the ability to look beautiful in all four add fresh, weed-free soil, and it won’t get walked on or compacted. as colour. In winter frosts, the yellow and red stemmed cornuses are a focal point. seasons which is quite the task. Steve, Karen and their family moved to Home Farm in 2007 and their desire was to create a family garden, but also to encourage diverse wildlife. “A key feature, that was here when we moved in is the ha-ha wall,” adds Steve. “This ‘traps’ heat and so the beds in front of “We needed to create habitats that attracted more nature into the it are ideal for early rhubarb and asparagus. garden,” says Steve. “With an acre of garden and nine acres of Soon after arriving here, we also planted an grassland, this was an extensive learning curve for us all. We had avenue of cherry trees. This links the formal to work out what would work well and where.” garden with the field, and adds a burst of “We planted a woodland around the field to start with, and opted spring colour.” for 700 native trees including chestnut, field maple, oak, sycamore, Moving into summer, the garden displays a lime, rowan, alder, birch, cherry, pine, walnut, plum, apple, hazel, wide selection of roses. “We included many holly and woodland shrubs. We also planted wild flowers and a old English varieties but there is always lot of bluebells, creating a woodland walk. It’s now well-established something new to tempt us. Leaping Salmon and a pleasure to stroll through, especially in spring. ” is one of our favourites and a successful To add a burst of colour in summer and autumn, the couple have recent addition is David Austin Harlow Carrs.” recently planted a rugosa rose hedge that boasts white flowers Creating different heights and textures with throughout summer and red rosehips in autumn that are a great roses, delphiniums, foxgloves, salvias, dahlias, source of food for birds. Tibetan cherry trees have been integrated a few grasses and ferns has been important into the hedge for their interesting peeling red bark year round. in the garden’s development.
Just like most gardens, Home Farm is at its most colourful in spring and summer but to ensure it still looks attractive in colder months, Steve and Karen planted two big shrubbery areas. These include plants like amelanchier, ribes, cherry, buddleia, crab apple and philadelphus or orange blossom, which adds fragrance as well The garden’s autumn colour comes mainly from the trees. To create elegant shape as well as colour, Steve chose to replace a dead poplar, which was in a prime position on the lower lawn, with a pin oak. Pin oaks are one
Above: A newly planted oval bed designed for height and colour (and Steve and Karen’s beautiful black lab). Right: There’s a multitude of avenues to guide you through the garden. Steve Bourne, Gardener at Home Farm.
Main: Sarah’s garden features an unbelievable amount of beautiful elements from the tulips and fountains to the topiary and handmade greenhouse.
of the most rapid growing oaks, shooting up to 15 feet within five to seven years. Their brilliant lime green leaves turn a beautiful range of scarlet in autumn.
To keep the family supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables, two raised beds were added along with an orchard and fruit cage. Interestingly, the orchard is inspired with varieties seen at Stamford Apple Growers.
Stamford has at least 44 local varieties of apple, most of which were introduced in the late 19th century by Richard Gilbert, head gardener at Burghley and two nurserymen, Richard Brown and Thomas Laxton.
“We also inherited some old plum trees. They produce cherry-sized yellow and red plums that are delicious and sell like hot cakes at the gate.”
With such a large garden, maintenance is a hefty job. That’s why Steve and Karen have regular help with the lawns and flowerbeds, particularly in the growing season and autumn. Home Farm’s next adventure is to introduce a wildflower meadow. This will hopefully create a carpet of colour beneath the ha-ha wall and towards the winter garden, adding to the variety of colour in spring and early summer, as well as encouraging more wildlife. The couple have also now joined the National Garden Scheme.
“We’re really excited about joining. We see this as a perfect opportunity to let others enjoy the garden we’ve created, which is a combination of hobby and hard work, and contribute to some great charities.”
In 2019 NGS donated £3,000,000 from its open garden scheme to leading national nursing charities. Steve and Karen are really looking forward to adding to that fund.
“We hope to open this year, on 5th July, but if we do, it’s likely to be by appointment. Hopefully, we can open properly in 2021. By then the next project - the wildflower meadow - should be underway.”
n For more information on this garden and to check whether it is open this year, visit www.ngs.org.uk.
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