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Herefordshire is one of those counties that people tend to drive through, ratherthan enjoy. A great shame, for often hidden delights are missed. How many havevisited the Welsh Marches, its hidden backwaters and leafy lanes, its famousblack-and-white villages nestling in unspoilt countryside. This is just where weare, Ivy Croft and Aulden Farm, two gardens in close proximity, both designedand planted by their owners, both started from bare-field sites in 1997, both justover 3 acres in size, each home to a specialist nursery. But here the similaritiesend, for they have developed in very different ways.

Ivy Croft is a real treat fordiscerning gardeners wholove to find somethingdifferent or unusual, for theknowledge and experience ofplantaholics Roger and SueNorman is considerable.Their garden is planted withyear-round interest in mind.They are adamant that thewinter is dreary so they try tomake it as short as possibleby extending the season ofautumn colour (fig. 1). Then,by skilful use of winter bark,followed by early snowdrops and other spring delights (fig. 2), it seems that theyare successfully burning the candle at both ends! Snowdrops are one of theirspecialities – a mecca for galanthophiles, there are over 150 varieties (figs 3, 4 &5). Some names are quite evocative: who could resist ‘Blewbury Tart’, found byAlan Street in the 1970s in the churchyard at Blewbury, Oxfordshire; or ‘Trym’,named not for its shape but because it was found in a garden at Westbury onTrym, near Bristol, or the delightful ‘Tubby Merlin’. But this is not a sterilecollection, for other flowers and foliage are both used creatively to enhance thesnowdrops – I particularly remember them under the glowing stems of Cornussanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ (fig. 6).

Two gardens for plant loversJill Whitehead

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Clipped box line the path at Ivy Croft

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As you approach the cottage youknow immediately you are in aplantlovers’ garden: the pleached limeswith their knobbly knuckles give height,softened by trim mounds of box plantedaround their trunks; in spring the scentof a daphne wafting over this area –delicious; the alpine scree dominated bya ghostly silver birch, Betula utilis var.jacquemontii, its gleaming white trunklending an aura of majesty, leading theeye upwards. But don’t miss the littlegems below, including Sternbergialutea Angustifolia Group.

Ferns thrive along the north-facing back of the cottage (fig. 7). Of course, itshouldn’t come as a surprise to see them growing so well, as Roger and Sue areboth active members of the British Pteridological Society. Sue has recentlyreplanted a good collection of polypodiums in raised beds, which allows you tocompare and contrast the various forms. Polypodium cambricum ‘Richard Kayse’is particularly striking: first found in 1668, it’s quite distinctive with its spiky mid-green fronds. Naturally, many ferns are planted around the garden, including asplendid specimen of Polystichum setiferum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ – the true form.

The judicious use of the full range ofgarden plants is notable: alpinesintermingle with perennials, andevergreens are used to complement thedesign. Geranium harveyi, a native toSouth Africa, obviously likes the gravel,its silvery-grey, spreading foliageproviding an interesting contrast to itsclear pink flowers. One of the shorterspecies tulips, T. linifolia (fig. 8), hasspread itself, and is delightful comingthrough the slate nuggets used as a topdressing. Tulipa sprengeri has also madeitself very much at home in this area,and in early summer forms a brilliantsea of bright red, like guardsmen onparade who have been allowed to ‘fallout’, for this is no rigid planting.

Fig. 1 Arum fruits contrast with the Stipatenuissima

Fig. 2 Galanthus nivalis with hamamelis

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Bulbs are an important element, used toenhance, to give a little extra sparkle toalready well planted areas. It’s rather likethose old-fashioned children’s picture bookswhere the story was good but the pop-uppictures made it very special! And this isreally Roger’s domain, for he is a master oftwin scaling and such techniques.

By the characterful old door, pots aregrouped to add seasonal interest. Both tenderperennials and annuals are used, often with sempervivums, and a most magnificentspecimen of Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’. I wonderhow many folk have passed through that samedoor since the cottage was built in the 17thcentury, for whilst the ladies of theneighbourhood dutifully visited the chapelopposite, the menfolk congregated inside tolubricate their inner parts, as Ivy Croft wasonce a cider house. To continue this theme,Roger and Sue have trained fruit trees to eitherside of the path, giving both structure and abackbone to the lusciously planted borders.

The pergola at the side of the house iscovered by climbers including Clematisviticella ‘Flore Pleno’ (syn. ‘Mary Rose’), agorgeous deep dusky plum colour, withConvolvulus althaeoides sprawling at its feet.

As you leave the cottage over a smallwooden bridge, you enter a different world – amore expansive area which allows the eye toroam. Willows dominate around the seasonalpond but ferns and grasses also make theirmark.

Roger and Sue like to experiment with theirplants. They have the happy knack of beingable to combine rarities with the morecommon toughies. It is a formula which isoften used throughout the garden and itcertainly works for them! However, plants are

Fig. 3 Galanthus nivalis Sandersii Group

Fig. 4 Galanthus plicatus ‘Augustus’

Fig. 5 Galanthus ‘Galatea’

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given room, so that you can appreciate theirindividual forms. Rosa ‘Souvenir de Saint Anne’s’drips with fleshy pinky-white flowers, whilst inspring corydalis and viola form a carpet of blue in ashady walk.

A productive vegetable garden is framed by trainedfruit trees, a medlar its centrepiece. Some heritagevarieties are grown but the emphasis is definitely onflavour; yet with arches of climbing french beans andfragrant sweet peas it is also highly decorative.

Sue is fond of asters and over the years hasselected those which do well in the garden. Aspecies aster, A. bakerianus, with its larger violet-blue flowers, is one of my favourites, but then so isthe good, reliable, long-flowering A. x frikartii‘Mönch’. More asters are squeezed into the bordersin the vegetable garden. Other late-season delightsare the Arisaema ciliatum var. liubaense oftendescribed by visitors as ‘hanging green sweetcorn’,quite a good description really although they arenot always green.

The greenhouse is home to even more treasures:you are likely to see alpines, another of Roger’sinterests, and any number of scented or speciespelargoniums. I fell in love with P ‘Ardens’ with itssmall but striking red-and-black flowers on my lastvisit.

Further afield there is a young perry orchard andan embryonic native woodland, let alone thefantastic pastoral view from the very top of thegarden towards Monkland Church, the home ofHymns Ancient and Modern, which was largelycompiled in the village by the Reverend HenryWilliams Baker. It is said that Sir Henry picked hisservants for their singing ability so that the hymnscould be tried and tested.

Whatever the time of year, I always findsomething of interest at Ivy Croft: perhaps a littlegem in flower, and always a warm welcome and theopportunity to gain a little more knowledge.

Fig. 6 Cornus sanguinea‘Midwinter Fire’

Fig. 7 Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata’(syn.‘The King’) with hostas andHydrangea arborescens‘Annabelle’

Fig. 8 Tulipa linifolia

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Here at Aulden Farm ourconcern has been to work withthe wider environment and toplant with wildlife in mind.

Alun and I inherited anumber of old fruit trees, forthis is cider-apple country (fig.9). We were delighted to havethis structure to build on, butunfortunately the wind hadother ideas and a good numberhave since been lost, thoughwe’ve left a number of logsand stumps to provide a homefor a wide range of insects andbeetles. Now giving protection for this rather windy site, trees and hedges provideboth shelter and nesting sites for great spotted woodpeckers and tree creepers. Awhisper of birches seems to be the domain of a family of long tailed tits. Batsroost in the house roof and use the potting barn as their summer nursery.

We made a natural pond: well, a hole was dug in the ground, but no need toline or ‘puddle’ it on this heavy Herefordshire clay! Plants were allowed tocolonise the margins and it became a favourite spot for frogs, toads, newts andthe hedgehog who takes her hoglets there to drink. Of course, there are alsoplenty of slugs and snails which are not quite so welcome.

We wanted to create intimate areas, areas that felt controlled but natural, asstructure can often enhance the plants themselves (fig. 10). The old orchard isplanted with shade in mind: lily of the valley forms a skirt around a walnut treewhich fruits abundantly, and the dainty creamy bells of Solomon’s seal arefollowed later in the year by the hanging butter-pat-yellow shuttlecocks ofKirengeshoma palmata. Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ (fig. 11) is planted withAnemone nemorosa. The gorgeously luxuriant leaves of the hosta also contrastwith the fine, arching leaves of Chionochloa conspicua, whose seedheads glistenin the late-evening rays of autumn sunshine in this predominantly shady area.Planted in front of Hydrangea aspera Villosa Group, and a good companion, is aform of the toad lily, Tricyrtis formosana stolonifera (fig. 12) making a large drift– amazing really, as it is particularly heavy clay here. Further round under twohuge pear trees, Actaea rubra steals the scene in summer, for its clusters ofglistening scarlet berries certainly catch the eye. Known as red baneberry, itsfruits are poisonous and even the birds don’t seem attracted to them.

Much of the garden needs to be explored, as I feel that a garden should surprise

Fig. 9 Old fruit trees are characters, especially in winter

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– Alexander Pope’s ‘He gains all pointswho pleasingly confounds, Surprises,varies and conceals the Bounds’ oftenseems apt. There are numerous nooks andcrannies, and seats to sit a while – afterall, a garden is to be enjoyed as well as towork in! The difficulty lies in choosingwhich seat for the afternoon cup of tea –oh, what a hard decision to make! Often itis the yew circle, for this is where thegarden began, a quiet space in the centreof a busy world. When I think how long Ipondered over how to plant this area, allthe dreams, all the ideas, and suddenly itcame to me that what was needed was anempty space. Sometimes simplicity is best– it just takes a while to realise it.

Our National Collection of Siberian irisholds about 150 cultivars. (It would beimpossible to hold a complete collectionof this iris – ten years ago when we firstlooked there were some 2000 registeredcultivars. So we have limited ourselves toBritish, historic or significant others – butthis is not to say that we don’t grow othersin the garden, we do!) We have tried toplant in chronological order so that theprogression in the work of the breederscan clearly be seen. One of the morerecent introductions is ‘Peter Hewitt’ (fig.13), very floriferous, vigorous, and soonmaking a strong clump. It is often notedfor the distinct gold edge to the falls andquite rightly so, as in 2008 it was awardedthe Dykes medal, the highest award an iriscan obtain and not normally given to aSiberian. It was raised by Jennifer Hewittand named in memory of her late husband.Jennifer, as many of you will know, is akeen Hardy Planter and author of two HPS

Fig. 10 Foxgloves line the path

Fig. 11 Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ withCorydalis ochroleuca overshadowed bypokeberry

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publications. By way of contrast,one of the earliest in the collectionis ‘Mrs Rowe’, a rather distinct palelavender, bred by the famous AmosPerry in 1916.

The iris family features withinthe garden as we love the varietywithin the genus. Our challenge isthe bearded iris, as it is tricky to getthem growing well on heavy clay,water lying in the winter andoccasionally in the summer too!(Amazing how different the soil isat Ivy Croft, and how I envy theiralluvial loam when I’m trying to geta spade into ours.) Along the drystream, Iris ensata, the Japaneseiris, is planted to contrast with the beautifully symmetricalfronds of the shuttlecock fern,Matteuccia struthiopteris. AlthoughSiberian irises are adaptable plantsgrowing well in borders, they areparticularly effective surroundingwater, so some are planted roundthe natural pond. The flower driftsof predominantly blue shades are unforgettable (fig. 14), and yet all is not over as the rusty-brown seedheads contribute later in the year.

Another of our interests isHemerocallis; they are planted intwo distinct colour-related displayareas, enabling individual plantsand colours to be compared easily.In the reddy/purple range, the onemost often admired is H. ‘EdMurray’, admittedly an oldercultivar but reliably good and its

Fig. 12 Tricyrtis formosonana Stolonifera Group

Fig. 13 Dykes Medal winner Iris ‘Peter Hewitt’

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flowers are held well above the foliage. H. ‘Berlin Tallboy’, bred by TomasTamberg in Germany, stands out head and shoulders above many of the others. Ilike the taller daylilies and also those with the more simple flowers – I’m not onefor frills! However, the plant that demands most attention is Kniphofia uvaria‘Nobilis’, because of its sheer size, and with Clee Hill in the background it isquite a feature. The dense basal foliage forms an ideal hibernation space for oneof our hedgehogs. Kniphofias are striking amongst the orange and yellowdaylilies – why are they so often neglected?

So you see the garden is constantly evolving and changing, challenging myassumptions, giving us the chance to experiment, the chance to use gardening asan art form. We work the garden and nursery entirely by ourselves, believing itshould be a place we want to relax in, not be slaves to, so it has to change as wedo. The garden evokes a feeling of expectation, of hope. We are constantlysurprised by the way nature plays a developing hand, and we wouldn’t have it anyother way.

So if you fancy seeing some of the delights of Herefordshire, do come and seeus. You will always be sure of a warm welcome.

Jill Whitehead is trying to create her ideal romantic garden but manages tocombine this with her more earthy role as secretary of the British Iris Society(BIS), whilst her husband Alun is a member of the Joint Iris Committee, formedbetween the RHS and the BIS.

Fig. 14 Siberian iris with Valeriana officinalis

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