Tuesday, July 15, 2008

World-renowned garden expert Rosemary Alexander is no stranger to tackling large projects. She founded and is the principal of the English Gardening School, the largest gardening school in the world; she is a garden designer, author and lecturer and was responsible for the complete transformation of Stoneacre, a National Trust property in Kent, England, which is now an oft-visited favourite with garden lovers. The results of her efforts never fail to delight and her latest project is no exception. For the past seven years, Rosemary has been developing a series of garden rooms around her picturesque cottage, Sandhill Farm House, on the border of Sussex and Hampshire in the heart of rolling downland. The move to her new home has meant starting from scratch again with the challenge of a new site but, brimming with her characteristic enthusiasm and passion, Rosemary was ready to move on to somewhere that offered the chance to experiment with new ideas and plants. The perfect location was eventually found by her daughter in the small hamlet of Rogate, near Petersfield. “I chose the house as it was a pretty 17th-century farmhouse and, more importantly, I could see the land was a manageable size, ideal for making a series of garden rooms, as it was set on several levels with half an acre on each side of the house,” she says.

The bones of the garden were there, with hawthorn and beech hedging, along with an array of plants as the previous owner was also a keen gardener. Rosemary set about digging up plants and putting them into the vegetable garden before deciding where to replant them. Some existing trees were also removed while others had their lower branches pruned to lift their canopy and let in more light.

Rosemary’s style of “marrying the practical with the romantic” is plain to see. The redesigned half-hectare garden is now a rich tapestry of shrubs, herbaceous plants, bulbs and climbers within a framework of clipped accents.

Scent and all-season interest, which are very important elements to Rosemary, mean there is a wide palette of plants – from the earliest snowdrops through summer’s exuberance to autumn colour, winter stems and bark. Bulbs are a main feature of the spring garden with around 3,000 planted each year. A succession of irises, muscari and narcissi is followed by the definite highlight of substantial stands of vibrant tulips.

In summer, nodding oriental poppies, blowsy peonies and abundant roses attract the eye.

The design is a series of loosely defined garden rooms that flow into one another. The arched front gate is set into a beech and hawthorn hedge and leads into a delicate woodland bounded by a buxus-hedged ‘white garden’ and a Mediterranean-style sunbaked terrace by the house. Gravel paths wind through the woodland, which has the illusion of space thanks to the clever design of raised beds and mounded contours. Canopies of cherries and other deciduous trees are underplanted with rare and beautiful choices.

An expanse of lawn in the back garden is set against hotter colours and leads to a double rose border and small vegetable garden. An attractive summerhouse, built by Rosemary and painted in warm terracotta tones, provides a focal point at the end of the path.

Structure is provided throughout the garden by a series of clipped buxus balls which frame the views, draw the line of vision or edge pathways. Dark yew hedging is also used as foil against the bursts of colour. Seating areas on paved or gravel spaces are dotted among the planting, for alfresco dining or just to sit and enjoy the garden and views.

As a response to global warming, a section of the garden is being replaced with free-draining grit and further Mediterranean and New Zealand plants are being introduced. The summers are generally becoming hotter and drier in England and the winters milder, so plants have to be able to adapt to the changing conditions, which can mean they need to be anything from drought-tolerant to being able to cope with frost and wet feet.Rosemary’s gardening philosophies are clear and at Sandhill, they are being cleverly carried out. “Take time to get to know your house and environment, have a good plan in mind for the whole garden, choose plants that do very well and feel free to move them if they don’t – you can’t cheat nature. “Balance ecology with horticulture by using organic methods where possible while maintaining an interest in new trends,” she says.

Rosemary’s boundless energy will continue to guide the development of the garden, with the emphasis gradually shifting from landscape design to a deep interest in the beauty and well-being of the plants. This garden, like all of Rosemary’s works, will no doubt echo the evolution of her passion over more than 50 years.