In your garden sculpture

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In Your Garden Monthly gardening ideas and tasks by Andrew Staib, Principal Designer of Glorious Gardens

Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden As a garden designer I have always attempted to design a garden without the need for sculpture, being wary that sculpture might detract from the beauty of the plants. However, after my visit to the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden, in nearby Dorking recently I have realised that not only can a sculpture really enhance the beauty of a garden but the design itself can be influenced by a particularly powerful piece of work and the plants complimented. Vikki Leedham first came across the garden when she went there on a school trip in the early 1990s. “I remember the founder, Hannah Peschar, being really scary, shouting out ‘Don’t Touch’ in her Dutch accent! But years later, after I graduated from art college, I applied for a placement here. I am now co-curator and gallery manager and I love it. I am called the queen of everything as I do pretty much every role here!” She beams with infectious passion over the glass desk in the simple office situated in the grounds of the sculpture park. “At any one time we have over 200 outdoor sculptures on display in our beautiful gardens. I and Anthony, Hannah’s husband, who designed the gardens over 35 years ago, select which artists we would like to exhibit, including quite a few European artists”. “Often I will go and visit them in their studios to get a better sense of their work. When the sculptures arrive, often driven in vans by the artists themselves, we get to work deciding where to put them and sometimes the daunting task of how to lift them! Compared to other artists, outdoor sculptors tend to

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be very down to earth so I really like working with them” The history of the sculpture garden is a testament to having a vision and just going for it. Anthony Paul was a landscape designer and his w i f e H a n n a h Peschar was a political journalist living in London. They bought the little cottage and grounds near Ockley, Dorking and spent 5 years just clearing the jungle of weeds, restoring the ponds and planting architectural looking plant species. They then canvassed the art world, inviting sculptors to exhibit outdoors. “It wasn’t the fashion at the time for outdoor sculpture. Of course there were artists such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth but their work was usually both monumental and expensive. There was nothing particularly accessible for the average garden owner”. “The sculpture is usually rotated on a two year basis, and we aim to exhibit at least 6 new artists every year. We have to make sure all the pieces can withstand the

English weather. They need to be frost and wildlife proof and the works have to be substantial enough not to get lost in the garden setting.” The gardens themselves are very beautiful with mature oaks, streams, undulating mounds and rivers and some majestic Japanese Acer specimens. “There are no signs,” explains Vikki, “as we want people to explore the garden without a tick list, though we do provide a comprehensive map!” “Our typical buyers are members of the public, some collectors, corporate clients and public art. I think the most someone spent in one go was £80,000. My internal jaw dropped! Some clients want a particular piece of sculpture that they have in their mind that they want for a special place in the garden. Then I try to find them the right artist. Other visitors are open-minded about what they like and when they find something, decide where it could go”. Vikki tells me about

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other activities they conduct in the gardens. “We have had a walking dinner tour, stopping off at canapé stations, ending in a formal dinner on the lawn, lots of school trips, creative workshops, like print making, and even yoga afternoons.” Where to visit in April The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden of course! Opening 3rd April. General admission (Thursday - Sunday) - Adults £12, concession £8, children £ 7. Black and White Cottage, Standon Lane, Ockley, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5QR (postal only –use RH5 5QU for SatNav). For more information call 01306 627269 or visit www.hannahpescharsculpture.com High Beeches Gardens, is a 25 acre garden, which is a botanical treasure trove that includes historic Magnolias. Laid out by the Loder family, but inspired by Victorian horticulturist William Robinson’s wild garden style, is it really worth going to when all the plants are coming into leaf. It is open every day except Wednesday, 1pm - 5pm, adults £8.50, children 5-14 £2. High Beeches Lane, Handcross, Haywards Heath, RH17 6HQ. 01444 400589 www.highbeeches.com And don’t forget the Tulip fair at Arundel Castle on the 1st April 2020. High Beeches Gardens

• Start hoeing any bare areas of earth before the weeds take hold –if you do this once a week you will be weed free all year. • A lot of your summer vegetables can be sown directly into the ground now. • Mulch your beds with compost and bark chips to seal in the moisture from winter and prevent growth of new weed seeds. • Feed all your shrubs and roses with a handful of bonemeal dug about an inch deep around the base of each plant. • Feed iron loving plants that are grown in pots with some Iron Fertilizer. • It is not too late to give Dogwood and Willow a big cut back. • You can apply both Mosskill and Broadleaf weedkiller to your lawns –wait a couple of weeks then vigorously rake out all the dead thatch. You can also reseed the lawn where there are obvious patches. • You can sow annuals indoors or in your greenhouse –rather than that trip to the supermarket you could try growing Marigolds and Lobelia in trays. April tasks

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