The element of surprise

Set alongside a tranquil millpond, Mill Dene appears the quintessential English garden. Spring brings forth ranks of tulips, summer is a mass of roses, and clipped box adds a touch of formality. Yet, far from being bound by convention, this is a garden that revels in its individuality and ability to surprise.

It is the result of 30 years’ work by Wendy and Barry Dare who never actually intended to make a garden on this scale. Having spent 10 years restoring the near derelict former mill, they decided to level part of the sloping site to give their children somewhere to play.

“It was the beginning of the great Dare garden saga,” laughs Wendy.

Having inadvertently removed the topsoil, exposing the underlying clay, they quickly had to learn how to cultivate it.

“I went to Pershore and did the RHS course, read lots of books and visited other gardens. I was hooked.”
Over the years, they have acquired the other half of the house and lots more ground and today the garden covers two-and-a-half-acres across both sides of a steep valley, the separate areas unified by repeated used of soft blue paint on rope and post supports. Every corner is planted from a shady spot filled with Arum italicum, violets, epimedium and foxgloves, to clematis that scramble through shrubs and up trees.

The millpond, home to numerous ducks, dominates the area at the front of the house. A large weeping willow trails into the water at one end and there are red and yellow-stemmed dogwoods strategically placed to be seen from the sitting room in winter. Nearby, her children used to play under the large foliage of Darmera peltata, which they called ‘green roofs’.

Wendy has given in gracefully when it comes to the long, north-facing border and now contents herself with spring bulbs and late summer colour.

“Nothing grows here until the sun is high in the sky,” she explains. “You learn these things as you go along.”
Buddleia and amelanchier alternate in front of a wave-clipped yew hedge and tripods of clematis add more height. Paulownia are grown for their big leaves and perennials include asters, geraniums and heucheras.

The arbour bed – named for the ivy, passion flower and clematis-clad arbour – has recently been cleared and double dug after plants started failing. The couple discovered it was full of iron ore – a legacy from the mill’s past as an iron foundry.

Refilled with homemade compost and bone meal, it has been planted with nepeta, oriental poppies, alliums, hyacinths, tulips and polyanthus.

Cottage loaf box and bays flank the narrow path, a variation on the more commonly seen box domes and this attention to detail is typical of Mill Dene. Pyracantha, grown to cover a wall alongside what was once the main path, has not been left as a hedge, but clipped to form a series of alcoves. These are alternately filled with seasonally planted urns or groups of spring bulbs. At the end, where there was once a gate, a seat and piece of driftwood now provide a focal point.

Careful use of colour is another consistent feature. This is clearly seen in the long rose walk – a delightful mix of pink, mauve and limey green.

Standard Rosa ‘Super Fairy’ are teamed with R. ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and pink R. ‘City of London’. These are underplanted with Alchemilla mollis, Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ and creamy Tulipa ‘Triumphator’, all set behind a lavender hedge. In spring the picture is finished off with masses of dark purple aubrieta tumbling over the walls behind.

More colour coding is found on the next terraced level, known as The Cricket Lawn. The garden’s main sunny border is filled with yellows and blues – helianthus, hemerocallis, anchusa, campanula, lilies and blue penstemon. The border started off as 3ft-wide, but as Wendy gained gardening experience she realised it was the only warm bed and widened it.

“It was a ghastly experience, having to bring all the stone up by hand and then having to bring all the soil up by hand,” recalls Wendy, who is now an RHS judge.
Opposite are two hot beds filled with oranges and reds, including dahlias, phormium and sedum, while one corner sees reds and purples, with cotinus, hemerocallis, abelia and hebe. Nearby, a purple prunus and Vitis coignetiae complete the effect.

The top part of the garden is home to the ornamental kitchen and herb gardens. Medieval tent-style fruit cages set the tone in the kitchen garden, which also sees standard gooseberries marking the spot where the couple’s grandchildren were ‘found’. Step-over apples are underplanted with tulips and hyacinths and there are more fruit trees, including peach and nectarine against the boundary fence.

The herb garden sees the newest addition to Mill Dene’s many water features. A pair of narrow rills now cut across the area with a bubbling fountain in the middle. The square beds are filled with a mixture of culinary and medicinal herbs and the small summerhouse provides the ideal spot to enjoy the view.

One corner has a collection of dyeing plants, traditionally used to colour cloth. These include Lady’s Bed Straw, American pokeweed and Dyer’s Green Weed.
The opposite side of the valley has a more informal feel. Along the banks of the tumbling millstream, the couple have planted moisture-lovers, such as primulas and Iris sibirica. Kilmarnock willows add a graceful note; there are gunnera, tree ferns and Lysichiton americanus, with its bright yellow spathes.

Climb further up the slope, past the swimming pool and raised vegetable beds, and the ground has been sculpted to give a gentle, undulating effect. Narcissi and crocus are naturalised in the grass and a group of shrubs and trees effectively disguises a telegraph pole.

Trees commemorate family anniversaries and a striking glass sculpture was Barry’s retirement present from Unwins seeds, which he ran.

Indeed, the garden is known for its art and regularly hosts exhibitions. Some exhibits – particularly lettering on stone or seats – have found a permanent home at Mill Dene and add to the interest.

There is also a good deal of humour in the garden: a scarecrow cricketer sits by the pavilion on the Cricket Lawn; a cat peers for fish in the millpond; a slate snake slithers through grass. Elsewhere, a gate has been fashioned from old tools, a small grotto is decorated with shells, Buddha sits among foliage and carefully placed mirrors enlarge the space.

It is all a far cry from merely a place for children to play.

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