{"id":35071,"date":"2024-05-02T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T10:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b6faf2ca-dc15-498e-8dd4-6789c216410d"},"modified":"2024-05-02T12:34:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T10:34:56","slug":"a-woodland-garden-with-a-modern-classical-home","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/a-woodland-garden-with-a-modern-classical-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A woodland garden with a modern classical home"},"content":{"rendered":"

On her journey from novice gardener to professional designer, Bella Stuart-Smith has created a multifaceted, ever-evolving garden at her home in Hertfordshire. Words Jodie Jones, photographs Claire Takacs. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 02 May 2024 at 10:00 AM<\/p>

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Wandering round Pie Corner on an early summer\u2019s day, slanting sun highlights a collection of quirky topiary and formal hedges. Bees buzz lazily from one mound of lavender to the next, past beds fizzing with geraniums and alliums<\/a>, foxgloves<\/a> and salvias. It is all the work of Bella Stuart-Smith, who started with the ultimate blank canvas \u2013 no garden, no house \u2013 and went on to create a perfect country estate in miniature. When Bella and her lawyer husband Jeremy were drawn away from London with two small children and the promise of building a new home on inherited land, they were joining a very exclusive community. Most of Jeremy\u2019s family live in this magical corner of Hertfordshire and, as their surname suggests, they are all exceptional gardeners.<\/p>
To the north of the house, crisp topiary shapes on the terrace contrast with more relaxed planting around the pond, including generous clumps of rosemary and Lavandula angustifolia \u2018Hidcote\u2019. The beds are filled with masses of Allium cristophii and the beautiful, lavender-coloured Geranium \u2018Philippe Vapelle\u2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
IN BRIEF<\/strong><\/p>
Name<\/strong> Pie Corner What<\/strong> Private garden designed to complement a modern classical house, with formal pool garden and woodland walk Where<\/strong> Hertfordshire Size<\/strong> Four acres Soil<\/strong> Various Climate<\/strong> Temperate Hardiness zone<\/strong> USDA 8<\/li><\/ul>
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The need to cultivate large quantities of vegetables has dwindled now that Bella\u2019s children have grown up and moved away, and these days the kitchen garden is increasingly ornamental. Soft-blue love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) pops up everywhere since Bella grew the flowers for her daughter\u2019s wedding more than two years ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Brother-in-law Tom\u2019s world-famous Barn Garden is just down the lane, and Serge Hill, long-time home of Tom and Jeremy\u2019s parents but now occupied by their sister Kate, can just be glimpsed from Bella\u2019s drawing-room windows. \u201cStarting from scratch here was rather daunting,\u201d says Bella. \u201cI had done next to no gardening before we arrived, but everyone was terribly nice and helped with initial design ideas and structures.\u201d<\/p>
$\"Geranium$
Geranium pratense \u2018Midnight Reiter\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Geranium$
Geranium phaeum var. lividum \u2018Majus\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Cephalaria$
Cephalaria gigantea<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Verbascum$
Verbascum \u2018Petra\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Allium$
Allium flavum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Stipa$
Stipa tenuissima<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Ophiopogon$
Ophiopogon planiscapus \u2018Kokuryu\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Aconitum$
Aconitum \u2018Stainless Steel\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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Against a backdrop of clipped box and columns of mature cypress, the ever-enlarging beds in the Swimming Pool Garden are filled with lavender and the deep-purple Salvia x sylvestris \u2018Mainacht\u2019, which contrasts with zingy, yellow Achillea \u2018Moonshine\u2019 and the pale daisies of Cephalaria gigantea, waving on their wiry stems.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Paeonia$
Paeonia lactiflora \u2018Festiva Maxima\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Lilium$
Lilium martagon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"$
Lilium hansonii<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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The sheltered Gravel Garden includes Melianthus major with its grey- green pinnate leaves, the crimson flowerheads of Knautia macedonica and bold clumps of golden-yellow Allium flavum. The grass Stipa tenuissima self- seeds happily and must be controlled. \u00a9 Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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The need to cultivate large quantities of vegetables has dwindled now that Bella\u2019s children have grownup and moved away, and these days the kitchen garden is increasingly ornamental. Soft-blue love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) pops up everywhere since Bella grew the flowers for her daughter\u2019s wedding more than two years ago. \u00a9 Claire Takacs<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>