Time out
Arundells’ manager and curator Stuart Craven gives us an insight: What makes the garden special? It is a medieval walled garden in the finest Cathedral Close in the country, with stunning views of the cathedral. The house is set back from the road and the garden stretches down to the confluence of the Rivers Avon and Nadder. A quintessentially English garden in fact! Your favourite time of year here? It’s just starting: from spring to July it is at its best, but autumn is beautiful too with the sunset in the west highlighting the autumn colours of the trees. Its best single feature? The quietness and tranquillity of the private, safe, walled aspect is what drew Sir Edward to enjoy his retirement and last few years here. Garden secret: The garden used to have a boathouse/belvedere – the building is still there and can be seen through the trees near the river. However, there was a dispute among neighbouring canons and the belvedere changed hands many years ago. You can see where the wall has been built to shave off the land where it sits. Sir Edward was quite peeved he was not able to reclaim it! Contact: Arundells, 59 Cathedral Close, Salisbury SP1 2EN; 01722 ;
arundells.org Open: Until 29 October 2012. House and gardens open for guided tours (pre-book) and selected freeflow days (check website for times and details) Prices: Guided tour £10, freeflow days £5 or see the garden on its own, £2 Distance from Salisbury: In the city!
Mottisfont Gardens
These glorious gardens surround the majestic Mottisfont Abbey by the River Test. Head gardener, David Stone, shares his highlights: What makes the garden special? It is rooted in history. Horticulture has been practised here for over 800 years. As today’s custodians, my team and I are well aware of the tradition of excellence that we seek to maintain. Your favourite time of year here? I love late spring, when the beech trees are dressed in their freshest, brightest green and the first roses start to appear. Its best single feature? Undoubtedly the walled garden of old fashioned roses. At its peak in mid-June, it’s the loveliest flower garden in England! Garden secret? Mottisfont’s ‘Great Plane’ tree is reputed to have the greatest spread of any tree in the country. Its branches
Garden heaven at Heale House
cover over 1,500 square metres. Contact: Mottisfont, near Romsey SO51 0LP; 01794 340757;
nationaltrust.org.uk Open: Year round, 10am-5pm Prices: £9 (whole property), free for National Trust members Distance from Salisbury: 15 miles
Shaftesbury Abbey Garden
The gardens of this Benedictine Abbey have historic herb collections and medieval-inspired orchard. Head gardener Peter Holloway offers his thoughts: What makes the garden special? It has a magic of its own, offering seclusion, peace and tranquillity. There’s a sense of history and continuity; it’s been a place of worship and a working garden for centuries (founded in 888 by King Alfred
Stunning blooms at Shaftesbury Abbey Gardens
the Great as a Benedictine nunnery, the first Abbess was his daughter, Aethelgifu). Your favourite time of year here? Spring is lovely when the orchard is in blossom and the first herbs appear, but the garden peaks mid-June when the scent of the herbs combines with Rosa mundi. Its best single feature? A herb garden with around 100 herbs that the nuns would have used for cooking, medicines, and perfume in Anglo-Saxon times. It includes unusual plants such as Woad, Madder, Lady’s Bedstraw, Marshmallow, Apothecary’s Rose and Elecampane. Garden secret? We grow White Broom here for its association with King Edward the Martyr. Legend has it that after his death, Edward’s body was hidden in a blind woman’s cottage. When she unknowingly touched the corpse, her sight was restored and the first thing she saw was a white broom in flower. She vowed that each year she would place a sprig upon the grave, and along her route of her pilgrimage to Shaftesbury grew white (or martyr’s) broom, sprung from the seeds that fell as she passed. Contact: Shaftesbury Abbey Museum & Garden, Park Walk, Shaftesbury SP7 8HQ; 01747 85291;
shaftesburyabbey.org.uk Open: Until 31 October 2012, 10am-5pm, Prices: £3 (adults), £2,50 (concessions) Distance from Salisbury: 18 miles
Kingston Lacy Estate Gardens
The late-Victorian formal gardens of this elegant country mansion are a highlight of any visit to the estate. Andrew Hunt, head gardener, shares a few of its highlights and secrets:
www.mediaclash.co.uk Salisbury Life 29
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