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Christopher Lloyd, Country Life Magazine, Edwin Lutyens, Fergus Garrett, Gertrude Jekyll, Great Dixter, Perch Hill, Sarah Raven, The Well Tempered Garden
The house at Great Dixter
Great Dixter is a garden both Wellyman and I have wanted to visit for years. It, and visiting Sarah Raven’s Cutting Garden at Perch Hill, were the main reasons for booking this holiday, a sort of garden pilgrimage if you like. The garden of celebrated plantsman Christopher Lloyd, who died in 2006, Great Dixter has long been somewhere lauded by the gardening elite, one of those gardens that should be on on your list to cross off if you want to be seen as a serious garden connoisseur. Sometimes they get it right and you find a real gem, others, you leave wondering what all the fuss was about. I’m pleased to say I found Great Dixter to be the former rather than the latter.
I loved this quirky planting of succulents
The gardens were laid out in the early part of the 20th century by the architect and landscape designer, Edwin Lutyens, who had been employed by Lloyd’s father to renovate the medieval house. Christopher’s mother was a keen plantswoman and introduced her son to one of the most influential gardeners of the 20th century, Gertrude Jekyll. With this sort of background it seems inevitable that Lloyd, himself, would become a gardener but, in fact, he too, became a leading force in the gardening world. For over 40 years he wrote a gardening column in Country Life Magazine and was the author of over 20 books on the subject, most notably The Well Tempered Garden.
The sunken garden surrounded by the barn gardens
After spells away doing National Service and teaching horticulture he returned to Dixter in the 1950s, where he gardened until his death. In the later years of his life Lloyd was aided in the gardens by Fergus Garrett. They formed a strong bond and it is Fergus that continues to manage the garden today. Christopher Lloyd was perhaps most famous for his exuberant planting and his desire to try unconventional colour combinations. He was not afraid to use plants that others would say would clash or be too brash.
I loved this colour combination
I don’t think I’ve ever been to another garden that was so full to bursting with flowers. It was a joy to see so many plants and no bare earth. When you pay to visit gardens like this who wants to see soil in June. His use of colour was at its most evident in the long border with stunning planting designed to provide interest from April to October but with its peak from mid-June to August. His style of gardening is high maintenance to say the least and we were left wondering how anyone could penetrate the borders from summer onwards, such was the density of the planting. To maintain the look of fullness, annuals and bedding are often replaced throughout the summer, sometimes as much as 3 times.
The long border looking towards the house
Meadows play an important part in the gardens at Great Dixter. They are the first part of the garden that greets you as you enter through the gate and walk towards the house. These areas were created by his mother who loved these naturalistic scenes and would spend her time growing wildflowers from seed. To the back of the house are more meadows which are breath-taking in their simple beauty. Meadows better than any I’ve seen in any nature reserve. I don’t think I’ve seen so many orchids in one place. It’s a strange thing to go all this way to a garden and be blown away by the meadows, but we were.
The meadows and topiary
The barn garden and its planting surrounds the sunken garden with its pond and terraces and was beautiful, a sheltered hideaway. This is just one of many areas at Great Dixter where you realise how important the backdrop of the stunning buildings is to the feel of the gardens. The oast houses with their cowls that are such a quintessential part of the Sussex and Kent countryside, the beautiful tiled barns with their oak trusses and the house, itself, all gave the gardens a real sense of place and set about a debate between Wellyman and I as to how important the setting and buildings are to a truly great garden. Would it be possible to create an outstanding garden if the backdrop was a block of flats, or your average housing estate? I’m not so sure.
I love the skeletal form of the dead tree in front of the oast house
There is a well-stocked nursery for those who have been inspired by the planting combinations in the garden. The one downside were the refreshment facilities, which for a garden of such renown were disappointing – a tea/coffee machine and a fridge stocking insipid sandwiches. When Lloyd himself wrote a book entitled the Gardener Cook it was rather a let down and a real sense that the trust that now manages the gardens was missing a great opportunity. Improvements to the visitor facilities are ongoing, so hopefully this element will be addressed, which could bring in much needed revenue.
Mixed borders
This was a minor gripe, though, for such a beautiful place. The most striking feature that I’m left with from my visit to Great Dixter was the sense of the personality of the man who gardened here for most of his life. The quirky, the stubborn, the conventional and the revolutionary were all evident. This element that makes this garden so special, however poses problems for those who are gardening there now and in the future. Is it possible to maintain the sense of a garden’s creator once they have died and for how long? I’m pleased that, although Christopher Lloyd is no longer here, I was still able to experience something of the individual through his lifelong passion, the gardens of Great Dixter.
For more information about Great Dixter.
Fabulous, what an interesting post about a fascinating garden. I am planning to visit it next year, although as tea and cake plays such a vital part in my garden visiting perhaps I should wait until they build a tea room!! :)
K
Hi Karen, I’d certainly recommend a visit. You can get some tea which is something but in those disposable coffee shop containers, there are times when a mug, at the very least, is essential, if not proper tea cups!! The Anxious Gardener has suggested a great tea room and pub in nearby Bodiam if you do visit.
Pity about the cafe, or should I say lack of same. It’s always nice to sit with a cuppa and something nice after walking around a garden. It whets the appetite.
Bridget, yes it was a bit disappointing. Hopefully it’s something they will get round to sorting out. The amount of money lost by not providing such facilities must be quite large over the course of the year. Gorgeous gardens though.
Your post brought very happy memories of my visits to Great Dixter. I visited soon after Christo’s death and found the gardens a little sad but that was before the Trust was properly in charge, Iseem to remenber. I wonder as you do about a garden after the ‘gardener’ has departed. National Trust gardens show this – they are often wonderful and don’t get me wrong I think the Trust do a fantastic job but a garden isn’t a static building to be maintained – the whole joy of a garden is that it changes and evolves. It has to because plants grow, changing the conditions, I’ve seen in my own garden how the trees growth has dramatically changed the amount of shade and therefore I have already had to tweak the planting and my garden is very new. When this happens and the ‘Gardener’ is no longer present, the choices made will be different or maybe too much the same; good gardeners change their ideas as things develop. Christina
Christina, As you’ll read in my next post about Sissinghurst I share your feelings. I’m not sure what the answer is, maybe in ten or twenty years we’ll start to think of Great Dixter as Fergus Garrett’s garden, I don’t know but I tend to think a garden can’t really be anything other than an expression of the current owner and/or gardener. WW
Your post brought back happy memories from many years ago when we too had a holiday in the south east. It is good to see that the garden hasn’t changed much since Christopher Lloyds death, but I suppose all gardens must change eventually with new plants and ideas even though trying to follow the former owners principles, the problem will be when Fergus Garrett eventually leaves. In the meantime it is good to know that visitors can still enjoy Christopher Lloyds planting.
Pauline, I think because Fergus Garrett worked so closely with Christopher Lloyd then it probably will stay true to his gardening ideas but like you say once that close bond is no longer there it will be difficult. Do you maintain the gardens almost as a museum piece which is difficult when nature and plants are involved or do you allow change which may well dilute the connection to the reason why people are visiting? All that aside, it is a beautiful place and the team of gardeners and volunteers there do an incredible job in such a high maintenance garden. I feel lucky to have seen the gardens now whilst there is still a feeling of Lloyd’s personality there.
Probably my favourite garden, WW – thanks; this was like revisiting an old friend. I attended a one day course there a couple of years ago run by Fergus and you are right – the amount of labour they can devote to the borders is very impressive. (Not only the employed gardeners but volunteers and students too). Certainly pays off. Glad you liked it. Incidentally there is a great tea-room (and pub) a couple of miles away near Bodiam – until GD get their refreshment act together! D
David, It’s a magical place. I’ve always thought Fergus to be really engaging when I’ve seen him on his rare appearances on TV. I imagine a day’s course with him would be fascinating. The work they do there is incredible. Thanks for the tips about suitable alternatives for food. Will bear these in mind if we visit again. I’m sure it costs a lot to run and maintain Great Dixter, it’s just a shame they can’t maximise the potential income from better refreshment facilities. There were 2 coach loads of German garden visitors there the day we were there along with a good number of others. Still a great day and a very special place. WW
Dixter is rather a gardening mecca, so it is nice to hear that you weren’t disappointed. I’ve yet to get there but it is definitely on my list. Lovely pics too. If only my borders looked so lush!
Pen, It’s well worth a visit. I wasn’t disappointed with the gardens which is always a worry. The borders were stunning but the team there must work incredibly hard to maintain such a look. The long border was so deep it was probably half the width of my garden and much longer but such a mass of planting creates such an impressive sight.
It looks fabulous. I don’t think I’ve ever read one bad review of Great Dixter.
Hi Jo, I think it is deservedly well thought of. A beautiful place.
A truly wonderful garden to visit especially if, like me, you love flowers.
I’ve been a couple of times, and after reading this post I want to go again! xx
Great Dixter was the one essential garden on my list to visit when we holidayed in the UK last year. Having seen it, in late June, instead of being satisfied, I then wanted to see it in all the the other seasons too, as it’s a garden that changes so much through the year. And even from year to year; your photographs from the same time a year later show a lot of diferent plantings. And that’s the legacy Christopher Lloyd wanted to leave: not a garden preserved in time but one that kept pushing the boundaries, trying new plants and new combinations all the time, the way he did. Fergus Garrett shares this view ,and even when he leaves, as long as the new head gardener has the same philosophy, it will always be worth visiting.
Dear WW,
I worked as a student gardener at Dixter last year and your post left me missing the place even more at this time of year. Even in April, when most gardens are just waking up, Dixter is bursting with bloom! A mention about the tea room (or lack of it): since Dixter was a private residence it was up to Mr. Lloyd to decide which amenities would be provided for the visitors (notice the lack of plant labels). While the coffee machine and paper cups might not meet National Trust standards, that’s rather part of the point. The line between accommodating the public’s desire for tea and cake (which they do, just not with china cups) and over-commercialising is a fine one. Dixter is a garden that is moving forward but with its roots firmly planted in its past; to add a big new tea room would, I think, put a huge blot on the fabric of this wonderfully unique place. They sacrificed a much needed greenhouse to make the new covered loggia so people could drink their machine-made lattes under shelter and I hope that’s as far as they go with the tearoom concept. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cup of tea and bite to eat when I visit gardens, too, but the set up at Dixter, though some might consider primitive, is part of its quirky character. For those who want something a bit more civilised, there’s fabulous cafe in Northiam village on the road to Hastings.
Glad you liked Dixter – there’s truly no other garden like it.
Hi D. Wiles,
I can understand that getting the balance right at Dixter or any garden is important when it comes to visitor facilities. They should not detract from the experience. I’m certainly not suggesting a self service cafeteria, which certainly wouldn’t fit at all with the feeling and personality of the place. But I think it is possible to create a discreet place that serves good, local produce and that can bring in vital income. At present possibly something a little more explicit on the website as to the extent of what is on offer would suffice and maybe a mention of local places to eat and then visitors can make their own arrangements. Visitors from outside the area don’t always know that there’s a nearby cafe or pub, :-). It must have been an amazing time working there, it had such a lovely atmosphere.
What a fabulous garden and a lovely blog too! It’s been a few years since we visited Dixter, and after reading your blog it’s made me determined to visit again as soon as we can. And I love your pictures!