The English Garden

Yours for THE DAY

Before we start I feel that I should come clean: I love Rousham, it is about ten minutes from my house and I try to visit a few times every year. I acknowledge its imperfections (sometimes I wish that I could take a chainsaw on my walks around the gardens!) but still love the atmosphere, the views and the general ramshackle romanticism of the place. It has no shop, no café and, until very recently, the only way to get an entry ticket was by putting coins into a re-purposed parking machine. Yet underneath this charmingly shambolic beginning lies a world-class garden.

Anybody who has studied garden design will know about Rousham: it is held up as an

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The English Garden

The English Garden5 min read
Test of TIME
Some gardens are designed and created all-of-a-piece. Others evolve, slowly, shaped as much by the passage of time and the vagaries of chance as by invention. Both approaches can result in dynamic, arresting gardens. But, to my eye at least, gardens
The English Garden1 min read
A Festival Of Flowers
Border plants will benefit from a spring feed of well-rotted manure, chicken pellets or a top dressing of fresh compost. Ensure potted plants remain evenly moist and feed during summer with a high potash fertiliser. Taller varieties might benefit fro
The English Garden2 min read
People to Meet
The deputy director and head of science at Oxford Botanic Garden on his journey deep into the rainforest to propagate Rafflesia I’ve always been fascinated by plants. I have a scientific mind and want to understand how things work. When I was little,

Related Books & Audiobooks