The Savill garden: redefining the winter frontier

Carex oshimensis Evergold wrapping around a Daphne bohlua Jacqueline Postiill

January 2020 – Winter was once the final frontier for garden folks. The cold season just meant leafless shrubs, perennials cut back to the ground, and muddy borders. Of course you could always count on holly, yew and various conifers for greenery and structure. The odd Christmas rose would bring a bit of colour until the first snowdrops popped up, along with winter aconites, followed by crocuses heralding the imminence of spring and a return to floriferous times. But mostly, in winter, gardens went into hibernation.

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Jean-Yves Gilg28 March 202010 June 20212 Comments

GARDEN VISITS

Marks Hall: bright barks and ancient trees

Araucaria in Gondwanaland, Marks Hall, Essex — Gondwanaland, a piece of ancestral Oceania in Essex

February 2019 — A sharp breeze sweeps across the hill, ruffling the silver-green eucalyptus grove in the distance. It forcefully combs the grasses and buffers the young monkey-puzzle trees that are dotted around the meadow. The air is crisp and the sky is clear. Apart from the hissing of the wind in the branches, there is barely a sound. Gondwanaland, on the western fringe of the Marks Hall estate, feels a bit otherworldly.

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Jean-Yves Gilg24 February 201922 February 20211 Comment

GARDEN VISITS

Anglesey Abbey: kingdom of stems and scents

The main path at Anglesey Abbey, lined with Cornus, grasses, Prunus serrula, Sarcococca and Rubus — The main path, lined with cornus, prunus serrula, hamamelis, sarcococca and other winter favourites

February 2019 — Search for ‘Betula jacquemontii’ on the internet and the chances are the first page of results will include several pictures of the white birch grove at Anglesey Abbey. It’s a testament to the garden design team that, despite the internet’s ability to warp our perception and unrealistically heighten our expectations, this should still be a striking sight when you eventually see it in real life. Continue reading “Anglesey Abbey: kingdom of stems and scents”