IAM not a Monmouthshire native – and yet since Imoved to the lush rolling hills of South East WalesI feel as if I have returned home, protected by the

landscape and known by the ancient trees andmeadows. This may sound a little romantic, yet havingmoved from the flat expanses of the Lincolnshirefenlands to this gently undulating part of the worldmy views and feelings towards the garden I am creatinghave been inexplicably dictated by romance.

The medieval farmhouse I fell in love with, andhave spent the best part of two years restoring anddecorating, belongs to the meadowland surrounding it.Fields of wild grasses and flowers can be viewed fromevery angle, punctuated by ancient trees and a gentlyrippling stream. It is undoubtedly the stuff of dreams –and for me, as a working garden designer, even more soas the house, when we took it on, had no cultivatedgarden – just an expanse of ground, unloved and takenover by nature.

My passion is creating a sense of place. A sense ofplace is the soul of the garden. It is the intangible andharmonious atmosphere that stems from the perfectbalance between the house, garden, landscape, plantsand, importantly, the dreams of the owners. Creatingit requires patience – when designing a garden,whether in a rural or urban setting, I spend timelooking at the environment around it, taking photosand making sketches.

I make a note of the vernacular materials usedaround the garden in walls, fences, hedges andbuildings and try to mirror those in my designs. Agarden design must reflect its surroundings – forinstance, a neighbouring town garden might feature a

lime tree and so we might introduce pleached limes tothe design to create a sense of enclosure and privacyand ensure that our garden ‘holds hands’ with theestablished tree next door.

All the clients I have designed gardens for will testifythat before I sketch any ideas for a new garden design,I must first establish a little history of the existinggarden (many of my ideas are inspired by gardens ofthe past) and most importantly how the client wants touse the new space. I design gardens to enjoy, relish anduse – not simply to look at.

I am lucky enough to have a large plot to play withhere, but many of my clients live in towns andtherefore have more modest sized areas. Yet my adviceremains the same; with a little planning and a lot ofpatience, any outside space can be transformed into abeautiful and practical garden.

As I write, I am sitting with my back to the mainhouse, a medieval crook-framed farmhouse, enhancedat a later date with a Renaissance tower, complete now

with bell. The winter sun warms the ancient stone aroundme as I sip my early morning coffee. Myrtle, my faithfuldog, lies content at my side, warming herself on the pathsurrounding the herb garden at the front of the house. Thisis enclosed by a low wall, behind which I have constructedimposing pleached crab apple frames, laden with fruit inautumn but now standing bare like fingers enveloping thehouse, protecting us somehow from the wintry elements.

The cobbled path to the front leads past the herbs – sage,thyme, lavender, oreganum and camomile plantedrandomly to create a carpet of fragrance - through thepleached fruit to the front courtyard. From here I can seethe beautiful granary I use to host garden coursesthroughout the year.

To the left and around the side of the main house is mytopiary garden – beautifully pruned copper beach arrangedin a double spiral accented by dome shaped yews, whosegrandeur seems to befit the tower they sit beneath. Topiaryis a particular love of mine and a style which I usefrequently in my designs. I see the pruned trees and shrubs

as formal jewels which, if planted sympathetically, fitwith the existing trees in the landscape. They are themain players in a garden – the actors one cannot dowithout – providing structure and colour throughoutthe year.

This formal part of the garden gives way to the backof the house and the land leading from it to the fieldsbeyond. Unseasonal flooding, caused by our everchanging climate last year, has given rise to dramaticcontemporary earthworks in this part of the garden.We had to excavate a large area of land in order to sinkprotective drainage and so I used the opportunity tocreate a sweeping curve of moulded earth – anotherlevel from which to view the house and the fieldsbeyond. This curve has been perfected over manyweeks and is now greening nicely with cultivated andwild grasses and bulbs.

At the end of the circular route around the house isthe productive part of the garden. I have planted anElizabethan inspired vegetable garden which willeventually be fenced and reached through an ornategate. Rabbits are a particular problem here so fencingwill be essential to protect year-round crops. Crushedbrick paths, planted with low growing herbs such asthyme and oreganum, will separate the rows and beds.Despite unrelenting rain, stray cattle from theneighbouring farm and our small fluffy friends, thevegetable garden has yielded an excellent crop thisyear. We have enjoyed celeriac, leeks, French beans,courgettes, artichoke, onions, cardoons and amultitude of salads.

Myrtle, tail wagging gently, waits patiently as Ireturn, over the stream at the bottom of the vegetablegarden, to my seat in the sun. Chickens cluckreassuringly at our feet, continuing their never endingsearch for grubs in the earth. Although alone heretoday I am not lonely – I am surrounded by life,buzzing and singing happily in the trees and plants Ihave returned to this land. To create such a sense ofbelonging – to build in such a feeling of safety andfamiliarity – is the most satisfying part of my job.

I believe a garden should sit naturally within itssurroundings – whether rolling hills or high boundarywalls and fences. A garden should be a naturalextension of the dwelling it sits beside – a biography ofthe owner and a reflection of their lifestyle and taste.In addition, a garden should never compromise itsowners’ requirements – if you principally need yourgarden to produce year-round fruit and vegetables thenthis must be central to its design; if you want to useyour garden to entertain all year-round, we mustdevise ways to enjoy the space even in wet weather.

These principles are of course common sense but itis surprising how many gardens I visit which simply donot deliver what their owners require of them. I hopethat this regular column will encourage you to thinkmore carefully about your own garden and how youuse it and more importantly, whether you can make itwork harder for you with a little changing andshaping. ■

GARDENS

Topiary is aparticular

love of mineand a stylewhich I usefrequently in mydesigns. I seethe prunedtrees andshrubs asformal jewelswhich, if plantedsympathetically,fit with theexisting trees inthe landscape.

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CREATING ASENSE OF

PLACEWe are delighted to introduce the first in a newseries of columns by the distinguished garden

designer, Arne Maynard.