Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

24 AUGUST 2019 AMATEURGARDENING 53

Formalbedsandcottagegarden-styleplantingprovidetheperfectoutside

spacefora 300-year-oldcottagein Honington,Warwickshire,saysSueBradley

A

Ninvestmentin a strong

structurecontinuestopay

dividendsin theunashamedly

romanticgardenbehindIan

andDaphneBeaumont’s18thcentury

homein thevillageof Honington.

Theonceslopingsitehasbeen

tamedbythecreationof different

levels,withshallowflightsof steps

linkinga warmsunkenpatio with

moreopenareasabove.

Lowboxhedging,shrubsshaped

intogentlemounds,neatlymown

grassypathwaysandfeaturessuchasa

fountainandflower-filledurnsprovide

justtherightamountof formalityto

restrainanabundance of billowy

and frothy planting.

Furtherinterestis providedby

carefullychosenspecimentrees,

includinga silverbirch,anaceraCornus

kousa and a beech boundary hedge.

Inspirationbehindtheplan

Theherbgardenat CotonManorin

Northamptonshirewastheinspiration

for the overall layout of the plot.

“I’velivedthishousefor 23 yearsand

initiallythespaceoutsidewasusedas

a footballpitchfortheboys,withroses

downoneside,”Daphneexplains.“It

wasona slopeand I felt it lent itself to

beingdugout.

“Icameupwitha designbasedon

whatI hadseenat CotonManor,which

consistedof fourcornerbedswithin

a square.Theideawastocombinea

fairlyformalstructurewithinformal

cottage-gardenplantingthatwould

lookpleasantthroughouttheyear,

includingduringthewintermonths.”

Eachof thebox-edgedbedscontains

a rangeof flowers,predominantlyin

shadesof mauve,pink,lavenderand

white, together with shrubs with

EmbraceredvalerianCentranthusruberfora glorious

displayofinsect-friendlypinkflowers,buttakecare

whentheygotoseed to prevent unwanted plants

the following year

Ideas for gorgeous gardens

Get the look

Get the classic cottage style

“I’mnotmadabout

gravel,butI like

the result”

Photographs by Peter Chatterton