{"id":17274,"date":"2022-12-08T15:16:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T14:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=97148"},"modified":"2022-12-08T16:12:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:12:37","slug":"ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Ornamental grasses and coloured stems in a winter garden in Berkshire"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Richard Bloom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The garden surrounding Sarah Pajwani\u2019s Berkshire home is surprisingly paradoxical. At first glance, it appears a wide, naturalistic landscape, but it\u2019s held back from open countryside by ruddy hornbeam<\/a> and mixed native hedging<\/a>. House and garden borrow the open views and the outlying fringe of mature willow<\/a>, walnut, pine, oak<\/a> and copper beech, brings a feeling of maturity to a relatively new garden.<\/p>\n

Natural as it may seem, none of this is by chance. Sarah has deliberately selected and placed key plants for maximum effect. Using a relatively restricted plant palette, she has embroidered a free-flowing design with an intricate web of planting that is intentionally strong in winter. Although she has deliberately steered clear of traditional, heavy, evergreen<\/a> winter structure<\/a>, she has made use of existing evergreens, including a towering yew<\/a> and tapering pine, but has used these to punctuate her planting rather than make them the main structural text. \u201cIn winter the entire garden lights up,\u201d she says. \u201cThe grasses, in particular, capture every bit of light, as does the pond<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Fifteen years ago, when Sarah started work on the garden, it was little more than an empty field with perimeter trees, a section of hornbeam hedging and four isolated pampas grasses<\/a> marooned in various parts of the lawn. Sarah\u2019s ambition was to link the house to the garden, and to create a series of beds that would change with the seasons and offer a different view for each aspect. To insert some fluid design and definition, Sarah brought in design studio Acres Wild, who created a large wildlife pond<\/a> as a central focal point, from which a series of deep beds and curvaceous borders radiate out. It was then left to Sarah to bring in diggers to make the beds and add the all-important planting.<\/p>\n

In brief<\/strong><\/p>\n

Name<\/strong> St Timothee. What<\/strong> Private garden, planted\nfor year-round interest with strong winter structure. Where<\/strong> Berkshire. Size<\/strong> Two acres. Soil<\/strong> Variety of soil conditions, ranging\nfrom heavy clay to well-drained chalk. Climate<\/strong> Temperate. Hardiness zone USDA 9a.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Inspiration came from other gardens, in particular Le Jardin Plume in Normandy and Knoll Gardens<\/a> in Dorset, where Sarah was drawn to ornamental grasses.<\/a> This aesthetic dovetailed more practically with Beth Chatto\u2019s \u2018right plant, right place\u2019 philosophy. \u201cThe garden is open and quite exposed, so plants, especially in winter, need to be tough, resilient and largely look after themselves,\u201d explains Sarah.<\/p>\n

The full feature appeared in our December issue of Gardens Illustrated.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The two-acre garden at St Timothee provides winter drama on a grand scale. Owner Sarah Pajwani has blended existing structure with soft plantings of mainly perennials and grasses to add interest throughout the year.<\/p>\n

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Pennisetum macrourum<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

A range of tough grasses<\/a>, including slow-growing Pennisetum macrourum<\/em>, add soft structure to the garden, while also catching the low winter sun.<\/p>\n

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Sarah Pajwani<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

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Sarah Pajwani in the garden she has created slowly over time, building on an outline plan from design studio Acres Wild to make a garden that offers interest for every season.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Sarah briefed Acres Wild to design the garden around a new pond that would encourage wildlife and act as a central focal point. The design studio created an outline of where borders and paths would go but left Sarah with the freedom to put together her own planting plan. She rescued the pampas grasses<\/a>, Cortaderia selloana<\/em>, from their solitary positions in the lawn to add a theatrical backdrop to the pond. Now they bring real energy and dynamism to the winter garden, interplanted with verdant evergreen Euphorbia characias<\/em> subsp. wulfenii<\/em> and Hydrangea paniculata<\/em> \u2018Limelight\u2019. Behind this, a backbone of Cornus sanguinea<\/em> \u2018Midwinter Fire\u2019, brings warmth and energy to the Fire Border.<\/p>\n

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St Timothee garden in Berkshire designed by Sarah Pajwani<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Sarah\u2019s 1930s red-brick house looks out on to her Grass Island, where the planting includes a Piet Oudolf<\/a>-inspired mix of grasses such as Calamagrostis <\/em>x acutiflora<\/em> \u2018Karl Foerster\u2019 and perennials that continue to provide interest in their senescence throughout winter. Beyond, a row of Lombardy poplars mark the garden\u2019s boundary.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

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The classic parterre<\/a> garden, devised by Acres Wild, sits between the potting and tool sheds. The idea to round the edges of the box hedging is one Sarah took from designer Mary Keen\u2019<\/a>s former Cotswold garden. Drifts of Russian sage, Salvia<\/em><\/a> \u2018Blue Spire\u2019 (previously known as Perovskia<\/em> \u2018Blue Spire), help to soften this formal arrangement even more.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Beyond the pond, Sarah\u2019s Fire Border is dominated by the bright stems of Cornus sanguinea<\/em> \u2018Midwinter Fire\u2019. The dogwood\u2019s<\/a> fiery colour is cooled by a range of grasses and sedges of different heights, from the low-growing Carex comans<\/em>, through Anemanthele lessoniana<\/em> and Miscanthus<\/em> sinensis<\/em> \u2018Kleine Silberspinne\u2019 to the giant pampas grass Cortaderia selloana<\/em>. Anchored by a large box ball, the border has an orange and blue theme throughout the year, with a mix of perennials, including the evergreen, blue-green foliage of Euphorbia<\/a> characias<\/em> subsp. wulfenii<\/em>, and the spiky Mahonia nitens<\/em> \u2018Cabaret\u2019, which offers orange-red buds opening to yellow flowers in summer, followed by blue-grey berries in autumn.<\/p>\n

Key plants from Sarah Pajwani\u2019s Berkshire home<\/h3>\n

Sarcococca confusa<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Sarcococca x confusa<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

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Glossy, evergreen shrub that bears highly scented, tiny white flowers in winter. These are followed by glossy black berries. 1.5m x 1.5m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-8b.<\/p>\n

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Cornus sanguinea<\/em> \u2018Midwinter Fire\u2019 <\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Cornus sanguinea<\/em> Midwinter Fire<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Bushy, spreading shrub, which drops its butter-yellow autumn foliage to reveal brilliantly coloured stems. 2m x 2m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-7b.<\/p>\n

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Euphorbia characias<\/em> subsp. wulfenii<\/em><\/h4>\n
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Euphorbia characias<\/em> subsp. wulfenii<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Short-lived perennial with propensity to self-seed. Best in full sun, it tolerates dry shade. Its evergreen foliage provides winter interest long after the acid-green flowers have been cut back. 1.2m x 1.2m. RHS H4, USDA 6a-8b.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our euphorbia plant profile <\/a><\/p>\n

Hydrangea paniculata<\/em> \u2018Limelight\u2019<\/h4>\n
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Hydrangea paniculata<\/em> \u2018Limelight\u2019<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

A robust, prolific-flowering hydrangea. Flowers emerge lime green, fading to white before blushing in autumn, with desiccating flowerheads clinging on through winter. 2.5m x 2.5m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 3a-8b.<\/p>\n

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Calamagrostis<\/em> x acutiflora<\/em> \u2018Karl Foerster\u2019<\/h4>\n
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An upright, light-catching, clump-forming perennial grass. Its high-held, iridescent flower plumes form attractive seedheads, which linger throughout winter. 1.6m x 50cm. AGM. RHS H6. USDA 5a-9b.<\/p>\n

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Cyclamen coum<\/em> f. pallidum<\/em> \u2018Album\u2019<\/h4>\n
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\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Bulbous perennial that offers beautifully patterned evergreen foliage and a profusion of winter-flowering, white blooms. Naturalises well under a deciduous hedge or woodland canopy. 10cm x 10cm. AGM. RHS H5.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss our guide to cyclamen<\/a><\/p>\n

Helleborus<\/em> Walberton\u2019s Rosemary (= \u2018Walhero\u2019)<\/h4>\n
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Helleborus<\/em> Walberton\u2019s Rosemary (\u2018Walhero\u2019PBR)<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Semi-evergreen perennial, and one of the earliest hellebores to flower. Its star-shaped, pink flowers often appear from December right through to mid-spring. 50cm x 50cm. AGM. RHS H7.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to grow hellebores<\/a><\/p>\n

Cortaderia selloana <\/em><\/h4>\n
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Cortaderia selloana<\/em>, pampas grass<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Densely tufted, clump-forming perennial with towering, waving, shaggy-feathered flower plumes, starting white but fading to cream throughout winter. 4m x 2.5m. RHS H6, USDA 8a-10b.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss our piece on how pampas grass is back in fashion<\/a><\/p>\n

USEFUL INFORMATION<\/strong> Address<\/strong> St Timothee, Darlings Lane, Pinkneys Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 6PA. Web<\/strong> ngs.org.uk<\/a> Open<\/strong> 12 January 2023, 10.30am-12.30pm for Winter Talk and Walk in aid of the National Garden Scheme. Admission \u00a316. Limited to 25 people. See NGS website to book and for details of more dates throughout the year.<\/p>\n

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By Richard Bloom Published: Thursday, 08 December 2022 at 12:00 am The garden surrounding Sarah Pajwani\u2019s Berkshire home is surprisingly paradoxical. At first glance, it appears a wide, naturalistic landscape, but it\u2019s held back from open countryside by ruddy hornbeam and mixed native hedging. House and garden borrow the open views and the outlying fringe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17275,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"8"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/12\/ornamental-grasses-and-coloured-stems-in-a-winter-garden-in-berkshire-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Richard Bloom Published: Thursday, 08 December 2022 at 12:00 am The garden surrounding Sarah Pajwani\u2019s Berkshire home is surprisingly paradoxical. At first glance, it appears a wide, naturalistic landscape, but it\u2019s held back from open countryside by ruddy hornbeam and mixed native hedging. House and garden borrow the open views and the outlying fringe…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17274"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}