In the gentle rolling hills of the Sussex High Weald sits Wakehurst botanic garden. It’s the home of the Millennium Seed Bank, a James Bond-style bunker that ensures the future preservation of more than 2.4 billion seeds. Often referred to as ‘Kew in the country’, Wakehurst has long been considered a botanical haven and is still regarded as holding one of the finest collections of temperate flora in the world.
Bequeathed to the National Trust in 1963, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has leased the property since 1965, managing some 535 acres that encompass wetlands, woodland, pinetum, garden, meadows and a nature reserve.
IN BRIEF
What A contemporary winter garden. Where West Sussex. Soil Predominantly acidic clay with pockets of sandstone. Size Approximately eight acres. Climate Warm temperate. Hardiness zone USDA 9.
Despite this, Wakehurst receives little public attention in comparison to its globally renowned London-dwelling sister. However, its current curatorial team has strong ambitions to change this, and under the guidance of new director Ed Ikin, the gardeners are working hard to showcase the historic collection to best effect. Old features, such as the Meadow Boardwalk, have been improved, while new developments include the Coronation Meadow, created in 2015, and more recently the American Prairie.
Creating a winter garden
In 2017, garden supervisor Francis Annette was given the task of redesigning an existing Winter Garden that dated back to 1986. Having worked in the garden for 18 years and studied at the London College of Garden Design, Francis set about evaluating the site. “The existing garden was of its time; not bad, just dated. Planting was mixed and heavy, with interesting specimens scattered through so there was no real impact.”
The location nonetheless was perfect: nestled beside the walled garden on the west side of the Elizabethan manor house, overlooking a large expanse of lawn that allowed for low winter sunlight going into evening. Inspiration for change came from the surrounding countryside, the multi-layered vegetation found on the Downs.
In the Winter Garden this translates to swathes of vegetation that interlock over mounded beds, creating undulating interest and drama while referencing the lowland hills of the Downs. Canopy and height are created using ornamental birches, which structurally help to generate a scale that is in keeping with the proportions of the manor house. Lower-storey plants include various dogwoods, daphnes and rhododendrons, ornamentally sitting alongside the existing specimens of Corylopsis pauciflora and Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’.
At ground level, bergenias, hellebores and ophiopogons ramble through shadier parts, while Phlomis russeliana, ornamental grasses and sedges, and heather occupy the sunnier spots. “It’s about creating simple yet striking combinations,” explains Francis, while looking at a colourful sandwich of Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Feuerzauber’, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ and Carex morrowii. A slight turn of the head sees a river of striking Erica x darleyensis ‘Mediterranean Pink’ dramatically bleeding into the brilliant, pure-white form. “Combining strong or opposite colours, such as red and green, makes the display really pop, though you have to be careful it doesn’t look too contrived.”
Adding bands of deciduous grasses, with their dried buff foliage and wild-looking seedheads, can help to diffuse and naturalise anything that looks too artificial. Delivering such a bold design of colour requires restraint, an amazing discipline on Francis’s part in limiting plants to just 46 taxa, spread over the 33,000 plants that were used to bring the design to life.
After planting, the garden was initially mulched with composted bracken to aid establishment, reduce weed colonisation and protect the soil. Long term, Francis intends to use groundcover to achieve this. “Mulches can often look unsightly during winter and drain the colour from ornamental stems,” he explains.
Now in its fourth year, the garden feels as though it is establishing well. Groundcover species mesh together below an abundance of vibrant stems that appear dramatically after leaf fall. Late winter and early spring bulbs have been interplanted to enrich the display further, with large clumps of the beautiful Crocus ‘Ard Schenk’ looking skywards, as amiable Cyclamen coum decorate the base of trees. A selection of snowdrops add charm, in particular Galanthus woronowii with its verdant green foliage, hinting that winter is almost over.
Looking forward, the future of Wakehurst and its Winter Garden appears dazzlingly bright, even on the dullest days of winter.
Key planting from Wakehurst Winter Garden
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Peel’
1 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Peel’
Deciduous shrub with a vase-shaped habit and good autumn colour, having scented orange
Deciduous shrub with a vase-shaped habit and good autumn colour, having scen†ted ora
Cornus sericea ‘Bud’s Yellow’ 2 Cornus sericea ‘Bud’s Yellow’
A striking shrub with yellowish-green stems, becoming brighter in winter after leaf fall. Intense
A striking shrub with yellowish-green stems, becoming brighter in winter after leaf fall. Intense colour on youngest growth following hard pruning. 2.5m x 2m. RHS H7, USDA 3a-7b.
Buxus sempervirens 3 Buxus sempervirens
Small, oval, evergreen leaves on this dense shrub, which is often used for topiary and hedging.
Small, oval, evergreen leaves on this dense shrub that is often used for topiary and h
Daphne bholua var. glacialis 5 Daphne bholua var. glacialis
A semi-evergreen, upright shrub grown for its highly scented, late-winter flowers that open
A semi-evergreen, upright shrub grown for its highly scented, late-winter flowers that open
A semi-evergreen, upright shrub grown for its highly scented, late-winter flowers that openopen
A semi-evergreen, upright shrub grown for its highly scented, late-winter flowers that opensemi-evergreen, upright shrub grown for its highly scented, late-winter flowers that open white from pink buds and appear in small terminal clusters. 3m x 2m. RHS H4.
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ 6 Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’
A suckering, deciduous shrub forming a thicket of colourful red stems, becoming conspicuous
A suckering, deciduous shrub forming a thicket of colourful red stems, becoming conspicuous after a colourful leaf fall in autumn. 2.5m x 2m. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 3a-7b.
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ 8 Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’
A compact, clump-forming grass with fluffy, bottle-brush seedheads in late summer, which
A compact, clump-forming grass with fluffy, bottle brush seedheads in late summer, which attractively persist into winter with the old foliage. 2m x 1.5m. AGM. RHS H3, USDA 5a-9b.
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’
7 Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’
A spreading shrub with buttery-yellow autumn foliage that falls to reveal yellow stems.
An upright shrub with buttery-yellow autumn foliage that falls to reveal yellow stems, which These change to orange and then red at the tips. 2m x 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-7b.
Bergenia ‘Eroica’ 9 Bergenia ‘Eroica’
Large, evergreen leaves of bronze and green, turning shades of burgundy during winter. In
Large evergreen leaves of bronze and green, turning shades of burgundy during winter and spring it has bright-magenta flowers. 40cm x 1m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.
Daphne bholua 10 Daphne bholua
A beautiful shrub with semi-evergreen foliage and heavily scented, star-shaped,
A beautiful shrub with semi-evergreen foliage and heavily scented, star-shaped pinkish white pinkish-white flowers in late winter. 3m x 1.5m. RHS H4.
Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’ 11 Galanthus ‘S Arnott’
This large snowdrop, with vigorous growth, has narrow, glaucous leaves and soft
A bulbous, perennial snowdrop that is vigorous in growth, with narrow, glaucous leaves and honey-scented flowers. 20cm x 15cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ 12 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’
A spreading, deciduous woodland shrub with broad leaves that turn yellow in autumn, followed
A spreading, deciduous woodland shrub with broad leaves that turn yellow in autumn, followed by scented, bright-yellow flowers in late winter. 3m x 3m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.
Cyclamen coum
A summer-dormant, bulbous perennial with attractive round leaves that appear through winter and spring, alongside glowing pink and white flowers. 10cm x 10cm. AGM. RHS H5.
Salix alba ‘Hutchinson’s Yellow Bark’
A deciduous tree often coppiced or stooled to promote young growth. After leaf fall, new stems glow an intense yellow. 10m x 5m. RHS H6.
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Red Lady’
Semi-evergreen, leathery palmate leaves throughout the year with nodding, cupped burgundy flowers from late winter into early spring. 40cm x 40cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-9b.
Hamamelis mollis
A winter-flowering shrub with clusters of scented, yellow flowers conspicuously held on bare stems and golden foliage as leaves fall in the autumn. 4m x 4m. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.
Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Little Bunny’
Smaller in stature than the straight species, this perennial, clump-forming grass has fluffy seedheads that endure the worst of the winter weather. 60cm x 60cm. RHS H3, USDA 5a-9b.
Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’
A resilient evergreen that will cope with dry and shade, having large, waxy green leaves that are peppered with pale-yellow marks. 3m x 3m. RHS H5, USDA 7a-9b.
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Carmine Red’
A large, spreading, deciduous shrub with leaves that turn vibrant autumnal shades before falling, and lightly scented, coral-red flowers in late winter. 3m x 4m. RHS H4, USDA 5a-9b.
Betula utilis var. jacquemontii
An elegant deciduous tree with small leaves and spring catkins, although it’s often grown for its striking white bark that glows at dusk. 10m x 6m. RHS H7, USDA 5a-6b.
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’
A choice, deciduous, woodland shrub with good autumn colour and conspicuous coppery- orange, lightly scented flowers during late winter. 3m x 3m. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.
Erica x darleyensis ‘Rubina’
A decorative, winter-flowering pink form of this sprawling shrub that will spread to form
a low, evergreen mound. 40cm x 80cm. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b.
USEFUL INFORMATION Address Selsfield Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN.
Head Gardener of a private garden in West Sussex, Benjamin lectures, writes and judges for the RHS plant trials, whilst creating a market garden in the South Downs.
Richard Bloom travels widely, photographing gardens, plants and people. He was the Garden Photographer of the Year in 2016 and Garden Media Guild Features Photographer of the Year 2018.
A lavish sweeping curve in front of Wakehurst’s manor house divides the Winter Garden from the more formal lawn area, lending a sense of generosity and expanse that is in keeping with the size of the mansion and lawn. Forming the curve, tousled Carex comans ‘Bronze Perfection’ creates a textural carpet that contrasts with the vivid stems of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’.
