When tasked with upgrading the landscape surrounding Park House near Cambridge, Robert Myers’ aims were to create a flower-filled contemporary garden that supported the local wildlife, while staying true to the historic setting. But he could not have foreseen that his design would have an additional benefit for owners, Sharon and David Smith, who developed a new-found passion for plants and love of nature while caring for their restored garden during the Covid lockdowns.
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The couple’s Grade II-listed house was built in 1854 in the Gothic Revival style, and was originally surrounded by formal gardens that led on to an orchard and extensive parkland, some of which has now been sold off. Robert’s brief was to create a new garden that would be sympathetic to the historic house, while offering David, Sharon and their three children spaces to relax, entertain and play. “We also worked closely with architects Cowper Griffiths to integrate the gardens with the new kitchen extension and pool house they had designed,” explains Robert.
kitchen extension, offering views over the flowers and grasses to the meadow and trees beyond. The limestone paving and sliding glass doors create a seamless transition from the house to the garden. © Richard Bloom
Taking his cue from the bold glass-fronted extension, which blends a contemporary structure with the period architecture, Robert’s design of the outdoor space is also a marriage of the old and the new. “When we first arrived on site, the lawn at the back of the house looked more like a field than a garden, and I wondered if the original designs could offer us any inspiration. I discovered Ordinance Survey maps of the property dating back to the late 19th century, which showed a diagonal path running from the house, through the formal gardens to the park beyond, and decided to reference this historic route in the new design.”
We were never avid gardeners before, but being in touch with nature during the lockdowns was very relaxing
The diagonal path forms the main axis through the garden and steps now link it to an elevated paved terrace on the same level as the kitchen. Warmed by the evening sun, this west-facing terrace provides space for dining outside, offering views over a series of rectangular beds filled with perennial flowers and grasses and the meadow beyond.
The planting beds are sandwiched between the diagonal pathway and another straight path in front of the kitchen. These provide alternative routes to the wildflower meadow and new pool and pool house. “The beds are also traversed by narrow gravel paths that immerse you in the planting as you travel along them, while providing glimpses of the Corten-steel water tanks, which we designed to reflect the sky and scudding clouds above,” says Robert.
An expanse of lawn on the south side of the garden references the original historic design and offers long, uninterrupted views from the house over the whole site, while the walled garden surrounding the pool includes more perennials and grasses. A new greenhouse and informal kitchen garden, where the couple grow their own soft fruit and vegetables, lies beyond the pool house on the north side.
The main show of flowers and grasses sets the garden alight from midsummer through to autumn
Robert has combined the ornamental grasses Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ and Sesleria autumnalis with a tapestry of pollen-rich perennials, including Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’, Agastache ‘Blue Boa’, Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ and Penstemon ‘Raven’, which draw in wildlife and increase biodiversity in the garden. “The grasses also create a visual link to the wildflower meadow, which was already well established when we arrived,” he adds. The chalky soil was augmented with some new topsoil but the plants have been carefully selected to thrive in the free-draining conditions, and Sharon says that now they are established, she rarely has to water them, even during the dry summers that are typical in this part of the country.
“In spring, the beds are flooded with tulips,” says Robert. “And by May, there is a succession of alliums, euphorbias and geraniums, before the main show of flowers and grasses sets the garden alight from midsummer through to autumn.” The planting at this time of year almost masks the reflective water tanks, but as the seasons turn and the plants die down, they become more prominent, providing structure and interest in winter alongside cuboids of low clipped beech hedging and the grass and perennial seedheads.
Robert’s masterplan for the landscape at Park House delivers a succession of food and habitats for wildlife throughout the year, with hedges and trees for nesting, water to sustain many different garden creatures, and climate-resilient planting to support insect populations, which in turn feed bats and the migratory birds that visit the area. “We have also been careful not to include any invasive species that may upset the ecological balance of the wildflower meadow,” he says.
Many of the trees in the old orchard had disappeared or were unproductive, and have been replaced with a range of apples, pears and walnuts, which were grown there in the past. “We have also included some more fruit trees in the pool garden, and they collectively help to support pollinators in the spring when the blossom unfurls, while offering Sharon and David – and wildlife – an abundant harvest of fruits and nuts in autumn,” adds Robert.
The garden was installed in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown, which meant Robert wasn’t able to visit it until much later, but if he had any concerns about the state of the planting, when he was finally able to visit, they were quickly put to rest – all the plants were in pristine condition, with no weeds in sight. “I think Robert was quite surprised when I said that we had been maintaining it,” says Sharon. “We were never avid gardeners before, and had help looking after our previous property, but we found that being in touch with nature during the lockdowns was very relaxing and rewarding. We loved going outside every day to water and weed, enjoying the plants and wildlife, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”
meadow beyond the garden, which was well established when Robert came to design the garden, a host of butterflies and moths when it flowers in summer. © Richard Bloom
Sharon and David have some help with trimming their boundary hedges and each year a local farmer comes in to mow the meadow and remove the hay, but David mows the grass paths that lead through the meadow himself, and the couple work together to keep the rest of the garden looking good throughout the year. “I’ve learned a lot about plants, too, and we have added to Robert’s original list with others we like,” says Sharon. “It’s also really satisfying to look at our wonderful garden from the terrace on sunny evenings in the summer, knowing that we have helped to create this beautiful space.”
USEFUL INFORMATION Find out more about Robert Myers’ work at robertmyers-associates.co.uk
Using water in this garden
The water tanks in the garden act like visual punctuation marks in the beds, sparkling among the flowers and grasses and reflecting sunlight on to the plants. “We bought the features off-the-peg from Dutch supplier Adezz,” says Robert. “They are made from Corten steel, which looks grey on arrival but then weathers to a rusty colour, with an inner black polyurea lining that prevents them from corroding. You then create a sump beneath each tank to hold the water and a pump that pumps it around on a continuous circuit to create a smooth reflective surface on top. The moving water prevents algae from forming, but the tanks also need to be drained and cleaned periodically to keep them in good condition.”
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