Finding a house for sale with not one but three walled gardens could be classed as extremely fortunate. Add to that the bonus of fertile, free-draining, alluvial soil beneath your feet, and it seems Polly Nicholson hit the horticultural jackpot when she, her husband Ed and their four children, moved to Blacklands ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Polly\u2019s first priority was overseeing the renovation of the 18th-century house in Wiltshire. Then she set about restoring the gardens, working hand in hand with designer Arne Maynard to create spaces that served as both a family garden and a workspace for Bayntun Flowers, Polly\u2019s artisan flower-growing and floristry business. She knew from the start that she didn\u2019t want anything that shouted \u2018look at me\u2019, a garden that would both echo and frame the beauty of the 120-acre estate around it, and the Malborough Downs beyond. \u201cI wanted soft forms and something that linked with the landscape, so there is a lot of cloud hedging and topiary,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

In April, it is the garden\u2019s breathtaking display of blossom that first catches the eye. There are curving rows of pleached crab apple Malus<\/em> \u2018Evereste\u2019, echoed by the established fruit trees that were carefully incorporated into Maynard\u2019s design. The beds are lit with the contrasting tones of the pink and green tulip \u2018Virichic\u2019 and the deep, dark \u2018Black Hero\u2019, all set into a patchwork of bee-friendly oreganos (Origanum laevigatum<\/em> \u2018Hopleys\u2019 and lime-green Origanum vulgare<\/em> \u2018Thumble\u2019s Variety\u2019) in beds edged with soft mounds of Daphne<\/em> x transatlantica<\/em> Eternal Fragrance (= \u2018Blafra\u2019) and Teucrium<\/em> x lucidrys<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Although a separate flower field provides space for Polly\u2019s cut-flower-growing business, she also picks from her own gardens. Bayntun Flowers supplies flowers wholesale to select florists in London and in Wiltshire, as well as creating bespoke displays for events. Polly is constantly experimenting with rare, new and unusual flowers and bulbs, assisted by her head gardener and brilliant plantswoman Hannah Gardner. \u201cThe people I am supplying don\u2019t necessarily want bulk, they just want something different,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n

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