Gresgarth Hall
Ninfa meets Bodnant in Lancashire
16 July 2023
By: James Lennox
Water is one of those essential garden elements that is sadly lacking at La Corolla. Of course, plenty falls from the sky, about 30 inches in the course of a normal year. And I've recently introduced more with the addition of a pond. But I’ve finally reconciled myself to never having a stream without major engineering, and as for a lake, the steep slope ruled that out long ago.
Nothing can beat the drama of moving water, a stream or small river, trickling benignly one minute, thundering past the next. Unless, of course, you decide to enlarge and re-shape a lake right next to it, a wide, calm expense of reflective water, separated from the river by the merest slip of land, the same element in two contrasting expressions.
That's one of the clues that the driving force behind the gardens at Gresgarth Hall is a designer of note. Arabella Lennox-Boyd has spent the past 45 years developing an initially unpromising site - a narrow, steep-sided valley in a wet and windy corner of the country. In that time she has conjured an astonishing garden in an idyllic setting, a combination of rose-bedecked Italian romanticism and the very best of Victorian-style woodland gardening.
Just as there is a contrast between the wild and tamed bodies of water, so the gardens themselves are divided into tightly controlled, sophisticated, superbly designed zones close to the house and looser, more informal, more natural areas beyond the river and lake. The two styles never clash, and the transition between them, whether via the footbridge or by passing through the mill yard, is perfectly judged.
The most obviously designed part of the garden is in the immediate vicinity of the house. The slope between the house and lake has been terraced, an intricate pattern of angled steps, stone walls and sitting areas, and abundant Mediterranean-style planting to take advantage of reflected heat, shelter from the house and the southerly exposure.
A formal, double herbaceous border heads off in one direction (planted in painterly tones of blue and pink with the odd red highlight) backed by precisely clipped yew, with more yew hedging funneling views to the lake in the other direction.
The curious visitor is enticed to explore the various sinuous grass paths that lead through typically refined ornamental trees and shrubs, flowering dogwoods a speciality, along with a wide assortment of hydrangeas. All of these areas are underplanted with a constantly shifting supporting cast of perennials and bulbs.
Throughout these areas, as well as in the intricately laid-out walled kitchen garden, the level of horticulture on display is superlative. Lawns are manicured, hedges are trimmed to perfection, there is not an unintentional plant (aka weed) in sight, and barely an inch of unclothed soil can be glimpsed between the plants. It is all too easy to take such impeccable standards for granted, but they aren’t always in evidence in even the most prestigious gardens open to the public.
Across the river and beyond the mill yard, the tone of the garden changes. Whereas the areas around the house are designed to impress in an instantly appreciable way, the value of what lies beyond is subtler. Given the unpredictable nature of the river, its banks have been given over to native vegetation, the ground beneath the trees is covered with wildflowers, grasses and native ferns. Nature is definitely more in evidence.
But then you look up and realize that the recently planted trees are very special indeed. Yet more dogwoods, a National Collection of Styracaceae, maturing magnolias and choice rhododendrons. I spotted a young Emmenopterys henryi in rude good health planted among rare limes and birches. Eclectic, adventurous, with just a hint of a wild Chinese hillside to transport you far away from a typically wet and chilly Lancashire.
So what lessons did I learn on my visit? That difficult sites can ultimately be the most rewarding; you can never have too much water in a garden; plant what takes your fancy and push the limits of what is considered hardy in any given location; and beauty does not have to preclude nature - the perfectly composed herbaceous borders were some of the most insect-filled spaces I’ve seen all year.
Gresgarth is clearly not a garden designed by committee. It is a very personal creation, packed with botanical interest, quirky and charming all at once and confirmation that, in the right hands, more can indeed be more.
More information here: https://www.gresgarthhall.com/
