Beth Chatto’s Garden

After our last evening in Rye we decided not to make a dash for home, but instead set forth on a gruelling journey north to Colchester. Here lies the home of celebrated gardener and plantswoman, Beth Chatto, whose name I have found to be one that pops-up repeatedly in horticulture! Her glorious book ‘Plant Portraits’ has given me great pleasure recently and here at Hidcote we plant purchases from her famous nursery, so it was jolly exciting to finally get up to her garden and poke about the place! I found it to have a great feeling of space and expanse, lacking the hedges and walls I’ve become accustomed to at Hidcote. The structure is instead provided by an almost endless number of specimen trees and large shrubs, which bank the large paths that wind about the place. The planting is deep and generally in large clumps, which make for some great distance views if you remember to look back up the path you have just taken. Clearly this was not the golden moment to visit the garden, but nevertheless it is a truly beautiful place with some incredible plants!

Late-season interest straddling a pond in the Water Garden, and another Taxodium distichum

A truly stunning pond, but unfortunately no boat hire

This tree is Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila, or Snow Gum

The jewel-like berries of the evergreen Viburnum davidii

Tricyrtis formosana, the toad lily

The light was beginning to fade here in the Gravel Garden

The spectacular foliage plant, Melianthus major

Five cats reside here at Mrs Chatto’s expense!