secretgardenKT

Since it was first opened to the public about eleven years ago, the garden has been planted, designed  and maintained by Nick Dwyer. He has this to say...

"I have created what is essentially a very large cottage garden around a central display lawn that was once a tennis court. The idea has been to create a lush backdrop to the sculptures. The play of many different greens has also been encouraged to instil a sense of natural calm.

The planting scheme is inspired by sculptural forms with large structural varieties such as Miscanthus, Cardoon, Verbascum and Echium (see top four photos below). Formal blocks of tall plants and densely planted shrubs play against the informality of wild flowers. These are encouraged as much as traditional bedding favourites as they bring a lightness of touch that prevents the whole garden from taking itself too seriously. It is also a sustainable and to be honest, a FREE way to populate a large garden such as this, and bees and hover flies love them. There is now a new, secret-ish, miniature pond-zone to attract dragonflies if we're lucky. See if you can spot it".

Follow the garden and the gardener on Instagram @secretgardenkt