Great Dixter

For my last garden visit in the UK, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Great Dixter. I hate to use the tired old phrase “save the best for last,” but I cannot think of a more appropriate phrase. Walking through the gardens at Great Dixter was an emotional experience more than it was a nice day in the garden. It is the definition of awe-inspiring. The level of gardening, the setting, the plant material, the architecture, everything contributed to rendering me truly speechless. Also, it probably helped that it was the most perfect day, and after hours when there was no one else in the garden and the light was soft at the verge of sunset. I was lucky enough to have Stephen Crisp as my guide yet again, and it was nice to see that a seasoned gardener who has been to Great Dixter many times was experiencing the same level of emotion.

The house at Great Dixter dates from the mid 15^th century, and received future additions after Nathanial Lloyd’s purchase of the house in 1909. Lloyd and architect Edwin Lutyens designed the new additions to the original structure, and soon after started plans for a garden. Though Nathanial Lloyd began the gardens, it was his son Christopher (Christo) who would make Great Dixter one of the most beautiful private gardens in the world. Christopher Lloyd became one of England’s most beloved garden writers, and chroniclers of the intensive gardening history at Great Dixter.

Many gardening students have flocked to Great Dixter over the years to learn the innovated design elements, and to have the freedom to experiment with new combinations of form, color, and texture. One such student was Fergus Garrett, whose talent quickly caught the eye of Christo. Fergus and Christo soon developed a close friendship, and Fergus was placed in a permanent position at the garden. Fergus became Head Gardener at Great Dixter after Christo’s death in 2006, and is currently managing the legendary landscape with a team of students and volunteers.

As my last garden visit before heading home to the US, Great Dixter has a special place in my memory. Walking through the garden, I reflected on what an amazing journey I had through the British Isles, and all the wonderful people who have helped me achieve my goals as a student horticulturist. This was truly one of the greatest opportunities of my life, and I will never forget all of the friends I made along the way. I received a lifetime of experiences that have enriched my life in ways I cannot fully express. So in closing, I wish all who read these memoirs the very best. And Happy Gardening!

Hidcote

During one of my fieldtrips with Stephen Crisp, we visited the lovely Hidcote Manor Garden. Little is known of the 40 years of work that Lawrence Waterbury Johnston spent creating Hidcote.

The mysterious designer kept little in the way of records, and wrote no articles on his landscape. From just a handful of beech trees, and old cedar, and an open field, Johnston managed to create and intricate and brilliantly designed garden that designers are still studying today. The garden is as complex in design as any house; it consists of many garden rooms and corridors that are accentuated with lush, colorful plantings.

There is no set route around Hidecote which can become confusing to some visitors; however, this style allows for the discovery of secret areas seemingly tucked away from major pathways. There is a certain geometric logic that anchors Hidcote. This can best be seen in the 2 great corridors which stretch out in right angles. A breathtaking addition to Hidcote is how certain gardens open up to magnificent views of the Vale of Evesham.

Hidcote was obtained by the National Trust in 1948, and holds some significance as being the first property bought solely on the impact of the garden. Indeed, the National Trust “learned to garden” by their addition of Hidcote.

During my visit to Hidcote, there was a slight rain which gave the garden a certain ethereal quality. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed my visit, and having the head gardener of the Winfield House by my side to explain the finer points of the garden’s design was a real treat.

Sissinghurst

While working at the Winfield House in London, I was fortunate enough to accompany Stephen Crisp (Head Gardener-Winfield House) on a trip to Sissinghurst. Sissinghurst is a garden built on a truly ancient site in the weald of Kent. Weald (from the Old English for “forest”) is an name given to an area of South West England lying between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and South Downs. In the Middle Ages, Sissinghurst existed as a manor house with a three-armed moat. By 1305, the village was impressive enough to receive an overnight visit from King Edward I. By 1573, Sissinghurst attained further honor by having Queen Elizabeth I visit the village for three days.

By the 1930’s, Sissinghurst was unfortunately derelict and in ruins when Harold Nicolson and wife Vita Sackville-West decided to renovate the property. A most unusual couple, Harold was an English author, diplomat, diarist, and politician, and his wife Vita was a prolific garden writer garden writer, author, poet, and member of the Bloomsbury Group. The two had what we would call today “an open marriage,” both having multiple affairs with same-sex partners.

After studying this couple for my visit to Sissinghurst, I became stunned and fascinated by the so-called Bloomsbury Group. A group of intellectuals from different fields that held informal discussions in Bloomsbury during the 20^th century, the Bloomsbury Group had members ranging from John Maynard Keynes (“Keynesian Economics”/proponent of free markets), and noted author Virginia Woolf. Indeed Vita’s fringe involvement in the Bloomsbury Group brought about her most famous affair with Virginia Woolf which lasted for most of the 1920’s. Woolf’s novel Orlando (1928), dedicated to Vita, is partially a biographical tale of Vita’s life.

In Vita and Harold’s spare time, when they were not engaging in what must have been scandalous behavior at the time, they managed to create one of England’s most inspired gardens. The design of Sissinghurst was largely influenced by the styles of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. The garden consists of multiple garden rooms created by a mixture of high clipped hedges and pink brick walls. The gardens are lush and colorful, and the views from the top of the Elizabethan tower are simply breathtaking.

In 2009, Sissinghurst was featured in an eight-part documentary by BBC Four entitled “Sissinghurst.” The documentary accounts the attempts of Adam Nicolson, wife Sarah Raven, and the National Trust to restore a type of Wealden agriculture to the castle farm. The land will be used to supply produce to the licensed restaurant at Sissinghurst.