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Get up & go to... THE 58th
reintroduced, to Gary’s delight. “Inspiration comes from in here,” he exclaims, pressing his hand to his chest in a moment of passion as he imagines the centuries of devotion that have fashioned Lyme’s formal acres. Herbaceous borders feature hot colours, lilacs, pinks and grey, with mustard yellow Lady’s mantle flowering spilling out over the path. “It seeds like a monster,” says Gary. Lyme’s modest turf
machinery fleet includes Allett Expert walkbehinds to tend the rose garden grass, Flymos for clipping the terrace banks and a Honda rough cut with rear roller for the main lawns, which are edged with steel lining for a crisp appearance.
Some of the mowing is finicky, requiring a fine touch, as Simon demonstrates when we find him deftly manhandling his Allett to trim the narrow strips of turf among the flower beds of the East Terrace garden.
“The turf is contoured,” explains Gary, “cushioned to create a textured look that I’ve only ever seen here.” A kind of plumptiousness I suggest, to coin a Ken Doddism. “It’s complicated to manage and extremely difficult to cut.” At the other extreme, a Countax mulching/cutter deck tackles long grass, nettles and brambles across the site. The prescriptive style of gardening back in the day is fast disappearing and Lyme typifies the trend. “Our garden discussion group, including volunteers, comes together to
chat about the bedding schemes, then we design them as a team,” says Gary.
“My job is not to lay the law down, but to achieve results collaboratively by involving as many people as I can and encouraging volunteers to be honest and feisty as we run a tight ship ‐ a £35,000 annual budget for the garden, with about £13,000 of that ploughed into the two main annual bedding schemes.”
Wildlife diversity
Europe’s largest conservation body, the Trust ploughs back much of its £450‐£500m annual turnover into property maintenance and upgrades. At Lyme, the work seldom ceases, inside or out.
Beyond the immediate gardens gushes the stream feeding Reflection Lake, which once powered the sawmill. The Cascade is now in the early stages of renovation, along with reinforcement of the steep sides of the gully it runs through.
Ambitious plans are afoot to help reverse the decline in wildlife on Trust land under a vision to create 25,000 hectares of new habitats by 2025. Following a study last year that found 56% of species in decline, the Trust is playing its part to stem the slump in UK species and improve soil quality and water supply in the countryside to improve the condition of the land and deliver more for wildlife. At Lyme, the Hasebank North project is establishing the next
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