Everyone loves a castle, don’t they? I always feel there is a romantic aura wrapping round castles of all shapes and sizes, and Arundel Castle, towering over the small but perfectly formed town, nestled in the heart of the South Downs, is no exception.
Arundel Castle is seeped in history, as gory and dramatic as it gets - Henry VIII, Ann Boleyn, Catholicism, murders in towers and deaths in exile. It’s all there, but a softer profile has inspired an interesting, controversial and much talked about addition to the extensive grounds of the castle. Before WWII, there was a thriving and busy garden here, but as like everyone else’s green patches in those troubled times, this was slowly but surely given over to the production of vegetables, and, like so many other gardens, was not a priority for recovery after the war, and it was eventually covered with tarmac and used as a car park.
Time moved on and things changed, resulting in the grand opening of The Collector Earl’s Garden in May 2008 by HRH The Prince of Wales. This new garden, designed by the successful and bold landscape design duo, Isabel and Julian Bannerman (http://www.hanhamcourt.co.uk/) is sculptured and manicured to evoke a Jacobean garden, and has a bit of magic thrown in too. The planting, unlike the hard landscaping, is restrained, though like the matching pair of green oak domed pergolas, is planned on a large, robust scale. In the courtyard, with the rill of flowing water, which is flanked by huge pots, filled with seasonal delights, the tall stone walls are softened by scented Magnolia grandiflora, Catalpas and assorted shrubs.
As one walks through the pergolas and down the steps into the larger part of the garden, there is a delightful grass maize which circles its way into the centre, planted up with Tree Ferns, (Dicksonia antarctica) and seasonal additions, grounded by large rocks, all hand picked from nearby Fittleworth quarry, which reflect the rock work “mountain” at the top end which, in turn, sits low under the shadow of the cathedral’s impressive silhouette. It is always pleasing to have varying levels in a garden and this has been done to great effect here.
Sitting atop this man made hill, which has caused some concern in the town, as it, like the shrine in London’s Battersea Park, has broken the long neat uncluttered line of the boundary, is a charming, green oak folly. This sturdy building is full of magic, it’s interior being based on the shell mosaic, designed by Inigo Jones, to celebrate Prince Henry’s Masque on New Year’s Day in 1611. Taking centre stage here, no mean feat among this elaborate decoration, there sits a golden coronet, ever spinning, on a stalagmite fountain - clever and delightful.
But, do not think this is all. One must make time to explore and wander through the older part of the garden, now bursting with life. This area is managed organically and boasts many seasonal delights, amongst which, in Spring, are the glorious tulip beds. There are whole parterres given over to vibrant, nodding colour. The head gardener told us that appeldoorn tulips are the best repeaters, lasting for many years, retaining their vigour and colour. Each year the display areas will change, not only to surprise and excite regular visitors, but also as a help to keep tulip grey rot at bay. If these bulbs become infected with the virus, which presents as knobbly bud and leaf swellings and distortions, tulips cannot be replanted in the same spot for 5/7 years - that’s a long recovery.
This area of the garden is undergoing change right now, not only for aesthetic purposes but also as a prevention intervention to halt another plant disease. Box blight is slowly creeping in from the West, and so the little perfectly clipped box hedges, which have for so long delineated the beds, are gradually being replaced with Hebe sutherlandii, a small, grey green whipcord variety, or being removed altogether and small herbaceous perennial plugs, all grown on the estate, of course, are being encouraged to spill out and tumble over the shingle paths. The feeling is of a much softer, less regulated garden altogether, and now is a good time to see this change in progress, and have a chance to chat with the team who are much on evidence.
Another area of particular merit, is the wild flower garden. To my amazement, each year, the ground in this section is cleared, dug over and over, re-planted with spring flowering bulbs and, as that shows takes it’s bow, it is once again turned and sown with fresh wild flower seed mix. No two years mix is the same, and the parterres here are successionally planted, thus stretching out, even further, the season of interest. To date, apparently, 96,000 tulips bulbs have been planted, but at the time of going to press, there were no exact figures for the number of wild flower seeds sown! No such thing as a natural garden really, is there?
Arundel Castle is a perennial in the calendar of gardens to visit, and I make at least 4 trips per year. I learn from and watch each seasonal development and look forward to each new year’s opening dates, which are available at http://www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/02_gardens.htm
Arundel Castle is seeped in history, as gory and dramatic as it gets - Henry VIII, Ann Boleyn, Catholicism, murders in towers and deaths in exile. It’s all there, but a softer profile has inspired an interesting, controversial and much talked about addition to the extensive grounds of the castle. Before WWII, there was a thriving and busy garden here, but as like everyone else’s green patches in those troubled times, this was slowly but surely given over to the production of vegetables, and, like so many other gardens, was not a priority for recovery after the war, and it was eventually covered with tarmac and used as a car park.
Time moved on and things changed, resulting in the grand opening of The Collector Earl’s Garden in May 2008 by HRH The Prince of Wales. This new garden, designed by the successful and bold landscape design duo, Isabel and Julian Bannerman (http://www.hanhamcourt.co.uk/) is sculptured and manicured to evoke a Jacobean garden, and has a bit of magic thrown in too. The planting, unlike the hard landscaping, is restrained, though like the matching pair of green oak domed pergolas, is planned on a large, robust scale. In the courtyard, with the rill of flowing water, which is flanked by huge pots, filled with seasonal delights, the tall stone walls are softened by scented Magnolia grandiflora, Catalpas and assorted shrubs.
As one walks through the pergolas and down the steps into the larger part of the garden, there is a delightful grass maize which circles its way into the centre, planted up with Tree Ferns, (Dicksonia antarctica) and seasonal additions, grounded by large rocks, all hand picked from nearby Fittleworth quarry, which reflect the rock work “mountain” at the top end which, in turn, sits low under the shadow of the cathedral’s impressive silhouette. It is always pleasing to have varying levels in a garden and this has been done to great effect here.
Sitting atop this man made hill, which has caused some concern in the town, as it, like the shrine in London’s Battersea Park, has broken the long neat uncluttered line of the boundary, is a charming, green oak folly. This sturdy building is full of magic, it’s interior being based on the shell mosaic, designed by Inigo Jones, to celebrate Prince Henry’s Masque on New Year’s Day in 1611. Taking centre stage here, no mean feat among this elaborate decoration, there sits a golden coronet, ever spinning, on a stalagmite fountain - clever and delightful.
But, do not think this is all. One must make time to explore and wander through the older part of the garden, now bursting with life. This area is managed organically and boasts many seasonal delights, amongst which, in Spring, are the glorious tulip beds. There are whole parterres given over to vibrant, nodding colour. The head gardener told us that appeldoorn tulips are the best repeaters, lasting for many years, retaining their vigour and colour. Each year the display areas will change, not only to surprise and excite regular visitors, but also as a help to keep tulip grey rot at bay. If these bulbs become infected with the virus, which presents as knobbly bud and leaf swellings and distortions, tulips cannot be replanted in the same spot for 5/7 years - that’s a long recovery.
This area of the garden is undergoing change right now, not only for aesthetic purposes but also as a prevention intervention to halt another plant disease. Box blight is slowly creeping in from the West, and so the little perfectly clipped box hedges, which have for so long delineated the beds, are gradually being replaced with Hebe sutherlandii, a small, grey green whipcord variety, or being removed altogether and small herbaceous perennial plugs, all grown on the estate, of course, are being encouraged to spill out and tumble over the shingle paths. The feeling is of a much softer, less regulated garden altogether, and now is a good time to see this change in progress, and have a chance to chat with the team who are much on evidence.
Another area of particular merit, is the wild flower garden. To my amazement, each year, the ground in this section is cleared, dug over and over, re-planted with spring flowering bulbs and, as that shows takes it’s bow, it is once again turned and sown with fresh wild flower seed mix. No two years mix is the same, and the parterres here are successionally planted, thus stretching out, even further, the season of interest. To date, apparently, 96,000 tulips bulbs have been planted, but at the time of going to press, there were no exact figures for the number of wild flower seeds sown! No such thing as a natural garden really, is there?
Arundel Castle is a perennial in the calendar of gardens to visit, and I make at least 4 trips per year. I learn from and watch each seasonal development and look forward to each new year’s opening dates, which are available at http://www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/02_gardens.htm
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