South Garden – Wild Garden

This starts in spring, when naturalised wood anemones and violets flower in the grass below the Magnolia Walk. The white of the anemones is complemented by white daffodils, a scented white viburnum and the magnolias. Of course the daffodils have a hint of lemon, which doesn’t quite hit the spot with the deep pink in the viburnum and magnolia flowers, but I seem to mind less each year.

Sadly the daffodils don’t seem too happy and have not multiplied as they have in the Meadow.

I wanted to keep the anemones, cowslips and violets, and indeed, all the plants of the original pasture. So I planted into the rough grass.

In the summer this area has a variety of tough hardy perennials and the weeds/wild flowers that were already living here. We love the result and a surprising number of our visitors do too. 

We added the Martagon Lilies and they are happy here and seeding mightily. But Charles does have to spend happy hours finding and squashing lily beetles.

We have added three Memorial Stones commemorating the changing names in the local area. 

Headstones

The stones commemorate a nearby settlement (The Cot), a local spring (Earl’s Well) and the local river (The Angiddy). In my research of old papers I’ve found lots of different versions of names, some of which are now recorded here in stone, with the dates the names were used.  Thanks to our engraver Caitriona Cartwright

The glory of this garden for us is in late summer when it can go quite mad.