My Favourite Garden
Chris Beardshaw (Boveridge Garden)
For over 80 years this was a private garden to a number of fortunate families. Nowadays its serene spaces have been lovingly restored and provide the setting for the Philip Green Memorial School which educates children with learning difficulties. What is it that makes this garden so special to Chris? "It's about the garden being alive and about never being afraid to allow people to laugh and enjoy themselves in a garden."
The hard landscaping, structure, water courses and principal trees were all designed by Thomas Mawson in 1920 but it was another influential designer, Gertrude Jekyll who was responsible for the soft and fluid planting scheme. The extravagant 125 metre herbaceous border is one of the longest in Britain and typifies Jekyll's use of repetition and clusters of colour throughout. "For me Boveridge is one of those gardens which really has the ability to grab you when you walk in. You don't need to know anything about gardening... or the history of the place. It seizes you as you walk through the gate."
Common Beech (Fagus Sylvatica)
Golden Yew (Taxus baccata)
Ground Elder (Sambucus)
Whitewood (Aster Divaricatus)
Campion (Lychnis)
Head teacher Lesley Walters and the gardeners tend to use a multipurpose compost for all the plants. Chris suggested putting a silver spoon in the compost overnight to gauge the heat of the compost.
Chris's favourite spot
The part of the garden Chris loves the most is by the eye-catching mercury statue. He loves the way it draws you in and reveals a very unexpected and beautiful part of the garden.
Featured plants
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Top tips from this episode
Chris was surprised to find Phlix planted next to White wood Aster (Aster Divaricatus). Not usually friendly neighbours they seem to be working well together in Boveridge.Head teacher Lesley Walters and the gardeners tend to use a multipurpose compost for all the plants. Chris suggested putting a silver spoon in the compost overnight to gauge the heat of the compost.
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