A Slice of Yorkshire Wilderness in the Middle of London
This award-winning garden’s designer tells how to get a naturalistic effect on an urban lot
When you look at this wild slice of the Yorkshire Dales, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually a show garden built in a few short weeks on a relatively small plot in the heart of London. Designer Mark Gregory explains how you can bring elements of his beautiful garden into your own.
Set on the edge of a simulated woodland, the garden encompasses a tumbling brook, a stone cottage and softly planted pastures, as well as a combined vegetable and flower garden.
Dry-stacked limestone walls dissect the wild meadow and separate the cottage, with its cultivated and romantic garden, from the natural landscape.
See how dry-stacked stone walls enhance other gardens
Dry-stacked limestone walls dissect the wild meadow and separate the cottage, with its cultivated and romantic garden, from the natural landscape.
See how dry-stacked stone walls enhance other gardens
In a woodland area at the back of the garden, Gregory used larch, elder and hazel to create a naturalistic, layered area that provides a rich habitat for insects and birds.
A stream tumbles down from this woodland edge, flowing through the entire space, lending life, movement and sound to the garden.
“My particular favorite place is where the water comes tumbling down and joins the stream,” Gregory says. “It just has an energy about it that I can’t really put into words.
“We aren’t the only ones enjoying it, though. Every day, we get a visit from a blackbird, who likes to have a drink and a bathe.”
A stream tumbles down from this woodland edge, flowing through the entire space, lending life, movement and sound to the garden.
“My particular favorite place is where the water comes tumbling down and joins the stream,” Gregory says. “It just has an energy about it that I can’t really put into words.
“We aren’t the only ones enjoying it, though. Every day, we get a visit from a blackbird, who likes to have a drink and a bathe.”
A simple covered seating area is tucked in next to the cottage. It’s a wonderfully serene spot to sit and reflect on the space.
The wall of the cottage and the green hedge enclose the area on two sides, while a sloping roof and climbing wisteria add to the feeling of peace and privacy.
Browse wooden outdoor dining sets for two
The wall of the cottage and the green hedge enclose the area on two sides, while a sloping roof and climbing wisteria add to the feeling of peace and privacy.
Browse wooden outdoor dining sets for two
“The planting is based around a cottage garden,” Gregory says, “so it combines productive with pretty.” This can be seen in the picturesque area in front of the cottage, which mixes flowers and vegetables in a colorful patchwork.
“If space is limited, adopting this way of planting means you’ll
get the best of both worlds,” Gregory says. “Alpine strawberries make great edging alongside the frothy Erigeron or Alchemilla.
“Plants such as chives can earn their space by repelling pests while looking pretty and tasting great,” he continues. “Crops such as broad beans deserve a place because they have wonderful flowers and can be cropped easily once ready.
“They also look perfectly at home when surrounded by the statuesque spires of cottage garden favorites, such as lupines, delphiniums and Aquilegia.”
get the best of both worlds,” Gregory says. “Alpine strawberries make great edging alongside the frothy Erigeron or Alchemilla.
“Plants such as chives can earn their space by repelling pests while looking pretty and tasting great,” he continues. “Crops such as broad beans deserve a place because they have wonderful flowers and can be cropped easily once ready.
“They also look perfectly at home when surrounded by the statuesque spires of cottage garden favorites, such as lupines, delphiniums and Aquilegia.”
But how about the landscape beyond the cottage garden — is it possible to re-create this style of wild planting in a small city garden? Absolutely, Gregory says.
“The most important thing about a garden is that it does what you want it to do. If you want a touch of wildness, then you should have it, and it’s perfectly possible, even in an urban setting.
“You could plant a cultivated meadow mix for the lawn and, rather than introducing the rather thuggish wild or hedgerow flowers into your borders, go with their ‘tamed’ versions,” he says.
“Try Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora, and Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Ruby Port’, as they’re less domineering than their wilder cousins.”
“The most important thing about a garden is that it does what you want it to do. If you want a touch of wildness, then you should have it, and it’s perfectly possible, even in an urban setting.
“You could plant a cultivated meadow mix for the lawn and, rather than introducing the rather thuggish wild or hedgerow flowers into your borders, go with their ‘tamed’ versions,” he says.
“Try Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora, and Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Ruby Port’, as they’re less domineering than their wilder cousins.”
Hawthorn hedging adds a frothy prettiness to the garden. Using it is a simple way to bring a bit of wilderness into your own outdoor space, as it can be trained as a boundary hedge or left to grow a little wilder, as shown here.
A simple gate and a stone footpath entice viewers into this pretty garden. “I like to think we’ve managed to share the soul of Yorkshire,” Gregory says.
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Name: Welcome to Yorkshire, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018
Designer: Mark Gregory of Landform
Prizes: Gold medal winner, best construction award and people’s choice award for best show garden
Gregory’s Welcome to Yorkshire garden won not one, not two, but three medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show this year — and it’s easy to see why.
Within a relatively small space, Gregory managed to re-create a slice of the wild landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, bringing the life, energy and spirit of this beautiful landscape to the center of London.