Howcroft - First Ladies of Gardening: Designers, Dreamers and Divas

The double flower borders in the unusual semi-walled garden at Sleightholmedale Lodge (see ).

Classic English gardens full of flowers still hold a fascination for many garden owners and represent what they aspire to, whether they live in the city, suburbs or countryside. A glance through the gardens described in the Yellow Book, published annually by the National Gardens Scheme, soon proves the enduring attraction of the traditional. The English garden has also become something of an export commodity a phenomenon of which the English themselves remain largely unaware. Foreign visitors come to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London not in search of the new but largely for reassurance that the tried-and-tested English flower garden is still alive, well and treasured. Americans and Australians, not to mention the French, Italians, and even Germans, excel at sleek, innovative design, as confirmed by the gardens and houses shown in magazines such as Architectural Digest or Ct Sud. What these garden fans understandably hanker after is the secret of the controlled haphazard look, the lightness of touch and the effortless flair that characterize English country gardens.

Admiration for the natural-meets-styled look can be traced back several centuries. During the latter part of the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth century, the English landscape garden was considered the ultimate in garden design. Royal houses and noble families across Europe swept aside their formal gardens, fountains and sculptures, to replace them with naturalistic landscapes complete with lakes, winding paths, hillocks and dells. The end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century witnessed the rise of the Arts and Crafts Movement, a period characterized by its idealization of English rural life as a contented milieu of cottages and country lanes, hedgerows and meadows. Large country houses were designed to resemble oversizedcottages and surrounded by correspondingly romantic gardens conjuring up a reassuringly old-fashioned world and offering an escape from the changes brought about by industry and technology.

After the Second World War, peoples tastes turned towards more modern styles. The garden became an extension of the living space, vegetables were bought in supermarkets rather than grown at home, and importance was placed on contemporary building materials while bedding plants and romantic touches were considered pass. However, the euphoric march of progress did not extend as far as the hinterland of the English counties. Deep in the countryside priorities do, after all, differ from those in the big cities and change is often viewed with distrust. People continue to garden here in much the same way as they have always done, ignoring trends and suiting themselves.

The 1980s and early 1990s saw a renaissance of interest in the English flower garden. The economy was booming, people had money to invest in their gardens, and no matter how large or small the plot, whether in the town or countryside, a sense of nostalgia prevailed for the old, familiar type of flower-filled cottage garden. During these two decades an influential role was played by the gardening books emerging from this books publisher, Frances Lincoln. Well written and lavishly illustrated with enticing photographs, these books could be found on bookshelves, on coffee tables and frequently even on bedside tables up and down the country. They were avidly studied and the plant compositions illustrated inside were eagerly copied.

At the head of this revival were Rosemary Verey and Penelope Hobhouse, whose gardens represented the complete opposite of all that was functional, modernand low-maintenance. Pursuing their own personal tastes, they understood that a garden, like good wine, needs time to develop. Their creations were romantic, overflowing with plants, quintessentially English in style and also supremely photogenic. Anyone who was able to do so visited Barnsley House, Rosemary Vereys masterpiece near Cirencester in the Cotswolds, or went to Somerset in the south-west, where Penelope Hobhouse achieved miracles at Tintinhull Manor. Frances Lincoln, whose contribution to the garden world is greatly underrated, successfully tuned in to the needs of the gardening public and persuaded Rosemary Verey and Penelope Hobhouse to write about their gardens. These two women raised the bar and people could scarcely wait to read their latest publications.

Neither Rosemary Verey nor Penelope Hobhouse would ever have claimed that their style of gardening was easy. On the contrary, they always made it clear how much detailed care and extensive knowledge was involved. Placing the correct plant in a suitable spot at the right time is no simple task. Looking after plants properly and achieving an outwardly effortless and informal appearance requires a range of skills that cannot be acquired overnight, as Beatrice Havergal understood when she founded Waterperry Horticultural School in the 1930s. Juggling with the seasons is another consideration, as is making the most of Englands prevailing maritime climate: temperatures are moderate, rain is considered virtually inevitable and, thanks to what are usually relatively short winters, plants enjoy a fairly long growing season. The landscape also plays a decisive role in the look of gardens. Having no vast expanses like Americas central plains, no great mountain ranges like the Rockies or the Alps, Englands landscapes vary within a comparatively short distance of each other. Each county has a distinct character, providing a wealth of opportunities to produce individual gardens that are in tune with their surroundings.

This book began as a celebration of English gardens that Marianne Majerus and I liked and admired, gardens made in the traditional mould by passionate amateurs. We were looking for gardens created during the second half of the twentieth century, private gardens initially intended for personal use alone and not designed by a third party. We were also keen to focus attention on plants and the skills needed to care for them, since this important aspect of gardening is becoming increasingly marginalized by the trend for instant gardens. As we compiled our shortlist we realized that our favourites were predominantly created or maintained by women. We wanted to talk to the women involved, learn what had inspired and motivated them, so as to appreciate how these unique gardens had come into being.

In a book of this kind it would be impossible not to include Sissinghurst. We also recognize the importance and not purely in historical terms of Gertrude Jekylls work. We were delighted to include Upton Grey Manor with the opportunity to showcase Rosamund Wallingers achievements. Since both Beth Chatto and Mary Keen continue to make an outstanding contribution to English gardens, it was important to gain an insight into their approach to gardening. Whether exceptional gardens can or should be preserved and developed after the lifetime of their creators is a much discussed question, and this forms a further strand in the book. Barnsley House, East Lambrook Manor, Kiftsgate Court and Helmingham Hall offer us interesting examples of how subsequent generations and new owners are successfully dealing with such a legacy.