Garden Checklist
[ MOS’ Top 5 Gardens to Visit Post Lockdown ]
The anticipation of re-opening has rekindled my love for planning. The kind of planning that you make to experience life outside the 2-mile radius of your home. So, what am I prioritising in my post lockdown life? Gardens.
It wasn’t until I visited Claude Monet’s Giverny Gardens when I was a fashion student in Paris that I fully understood the complexity of the garden. What started off as a casual day trip to escape the city, transformed into an experience that I have trouble cohesively formulating into words. I recently tried to go back through my photos of the gardens and realised that they were practically non-existent. What happened? I love taking photos – the camera is like my second hand, so why didn’t I feel the need to document this experience? I came to understand that for the first time, the garden encapsulated me. I distinctly remember the emotion I felt when this rainbow of colours exploded over the bridge over the water. Monet’s money shot. Photographing anything would not have done it justice – so I decided to just experience it. And even though I don’t have any photos to share with you, I can say there was such a powerful vivid beauty, tranquillity and emotional resonance that I had not experienced in any garden before. Ever since, with every new city I visit, I look for botanical gardens. They have become my number one attraction (alongside gelato shops).
Gardens are works of art. Each is unique. One is unlike any other. And when you let yourself experience its rich diversity, walk its paths, or smell its first roses you are transported into a haven, a source of inspiration, an escape.
I am incredibly eager to start my garden exploration in this post-lockdown life. I thought some of you might also share a similar inclination, so I’ve put together my top 5 gardens I plan to visit over the next few months. And they are all within driving distance from London! Now I just need to get used to driving on the other side of the road – shouldn’t be too hard, right?
(Also top tip: don’t forget to pre-book your trips!)
1 DEREK JARMAN’S PROSPECT COTTAGE, DUNGENESS
± 2.5 hours
A garden in the middle of a nuclear waste land? Yes, that’s right. That’s about enough description anyone needs to visit this oddly satisfying dystopia - or is it a utopia? Most of you are probably already aware of it and have made the trek, but Jarman’s masterpiece only came into my existence this past year. And that is why it is number one on my list.
Derek Jarman’s prospect cottage was the subject of a recent exhibition at the Garden Museum in 2020 and it was while I was stumbling across the rocks of the recreated landscape, that I realised this was a pilgrimage worth taking. The more photos I came across, the more I read about it, the more my gut was telling me there is something almost spiritual here. I really look forward to walking across the real stones in Dungeness, hoping not to disturb its mystical quality.
2 HAUSER & WIRTH, SOMERSET
± 3 hours
I’ll admit this one is a stretch of a drive at 3+ hours out of London. But my memory of walking the High Line as a young designer, fresh in NYC, transports me and nudges me to experience another one of Piet Oudolf’s gardening masterpieces. Also, its attached to a world-class art gallery. Art and nature? Sign me up.
I’ve been reading that autumn at Hauser and Wirth is particularly striking. The way the first bits of frost sprinkle the shifting landscape seems very poetic. Perhaps this one should be saved for last.
3 BROUGHTON GRANGE, SWINDON
± 2.5 hours
I found Broughton Grange after diving into Phaidon’s recent publication “The Garden,” by Tony Musgrave. The curvaceous topography with tulip heads peeking through instantly captured my attention. It seemed fantastical.
Encapsulating an entire 400 acre set of land in North Oxfordshire, it’s known as one of the greatest garden creations of the recent century. It would probably take more than a measly day trip to experience the full breadth of Broughton. It’s adorned with a stumpery, water meadows, rose gardens, wildflower meadows and knot gardens. It sounds like a gardening aficionado/horticulturist/nature lover’s paradise.
4 GREAT DIXTER, KENT
± 2 hours
Now apparently this is *the* place of pilgrimage for horticulturists. Also, it’s only about an hour and half drive from London – win win.
I learnt about Christopher Llyod’s masterpiece through a Nowness’ series called, “Great Gardens” (check it out you won’t be disappointed). Watching this video made me feel deeply immersed in its high-octane environment. Can you imagine what it would be like to experience its beauty in person – I am already getting chills thinking about seeing the poppies frame the Tudor House for the first time.
5 BETH CHATTO PLANT & GARDEN, COLCHESTER
± 1.5 hours
Beth Chatto is the wizarding planstwoman that I’m sure you’re all aware of. Her gardens are listed by Historic England, establishing its significance in the post-war landscape. Yet, there is nothing formal lurking here, instead it’s all about planting the right plant in the right place.
I am particularly excited to see the contrasting difference between the gravel and water garden. Also, there is a nursery that stocks over 2,000 plant varieties – my car boot will be full on my way back to London.