A charming winter wonderland, meticulously crafted by Arne Maynard, that blooms majestically under frost, encased within a traditional boundary.
In the heart of West Sussex lies a hidden gem, a private family garden that has been reimagined by renowned garden designer Arne Maynard. The garden, nestled within a walled enclosure measuring 85 x 110m, offers a captivating blend of tradition and innovation.
The garden's design draws inspiration from local architecture and the surrounding landscape, creating a harmonious balance between built forms and planting. A rose-filled landscape, reminiscent of Maynard's signature style, dominates the garden's aesthetic.
Cloud-pruned Buxus sempervirens hedges provide a sculptural element, contrasting with the organic forms of ornamental grasses, such as Miscanthus sinensis 'Kleine Fontäne', 'Malepartus', and 'Gracillimus'. The garden's soil, a mix of green sand and sandy loam, supports these diverse plantings.
Head gardener Ben Pope has introduced many innovations, including a layout that considers paths and their visual interest. One quadrant of the garden is given over to an ornamental grass spiral, offering a striking contrast to the more formal box hedge. Contrasting textures are recommended, with the bones of miscanthus and sedums close to the smooth surfaces of well-clipped topiary and hedges.
The garden features oak posts and parallel bars supporting raspberries, blackberries, and fan-trained cherries. Gloriously gnarled apple trees speak of the history of the place, their branches laden with fruit in the summer months.
A rectangular mirror pool is located outside the walls of the garden, overlooked by neat yew buttresses. Outside the walled garden, there is a stone-edged pool, adding to the garden's tranquil ambiance.
The fourth quadrant of the garden has been reimagined as a picnic area with a sunken central lawn reached by a gently spiraling path. In winter, Ben Pope recommends engineering dramatic effects by exploiting the bright highlights and long shadows of trees, topiary, and garden structure.
Repetition of shapes, surfaces, and materials is a useful tool in the garden, according to Ben Pope. Vistas are key, as they increase visual impact in winter when there is less to distract the viewer. The garden's hardiness rating is USDA 8, making it suitable for a frost pocket climate.
While specific details about the redesign process are limited, it can be inferred that the process involved analyzing the existing site and its architecture, incorporating lush, perennial plantings, and focusing on creating a sense of place that feels personal and enduring. For more in-depth insight, consulting Arne Maynard's official website or garden design publications featuring his West Sussex project would be advisable.
- Arne Maynard's reimagined private family garden in West Sussex exemplifies a harmonious blend of traditional and innovative garden design, with landscaping that draws inspiration from local architecture and the surrounding landscape.
- The garden's layout, overseen by head gardener Ben Pope, showcases a thoughtful approach to path placement, as well as the strategic combination of diverse plantings such as roses, Buxus sempervirens, and ornamental grasses like Miscanthus sinensis 'Kleine Fontäne', 'Malepartus', and 'Gracillimus'.
- Innovative features within the garden design include oak posts and parallel bars supporting raspberries, blackberries, and fan-trained cherries, as well as a layout that features a picnic area with a sunken central lawn, reached by a gently spiraling path.
- Aesthetic highlights within the garden include a rose-filled landscape, cloud-pruned Buxus sempervirens hedges, and gloriously gnarled apple trees, offering a striking contrast between organic and sculptural elements.
- The garden's hardiness rating is USDA 8, making it suitable for a frost pocket climate, and its tranquil ambiance is enhanced by the presence of a rectangular mirror pool outside the walls and a stone-edged pool beyond the boundary.
- In winter, Ben Pope recommends engineering dramatic effects by exploiting the bright highlights and long shadows of trees, topiary, and garden structure, a design technique that emphasizes repetition of shapes, surfaces, and materials, and increases visual impact in less-distracted winter conditions. For more in-depth insights into the redesign process and Arne Maynard's garden design philosophy, one can consult his official website or garden design publications featuring his West Sussex project.
