"If there is some way that I could choose my eternal paradise,
this would be it.
An English garden in summer filled with the soothing colour of flowers,
heady with the perfume of roses and alive with the buzzing of insects
and chattering of birds. I am here at the garden of Ros Wallinger
in Hampshire"
......Geoff Hamilton ( BBC TV Paradise Gardens)
26
years ago this garden in Upton Grey, was nothing more than an unkempt
jungle. What we didn't realise when we bought the property was that
underneath the jungle were the foundations of a very special garden,
indeed one that Gertrude Jekyll had
designed in 1908 for a house belonging to Charles Holme, a leading figure
in the Arts and Crafts movement.
We had very little knowledge of gardening until we came to Upton Grey;
that was soon to change with the unearthing of this important piece
of garden history.
We decided to research the garden and, having discovered a full set
of plans in the Reef
Point Collection at The University of California at Berkeley, we
obtained copies and
set about the restoration. What we recreated is now believed to be the
most complete and authentic Jekyll garden in existence - a living museum
of Jekyll design. We hope the following pages give you some insight
into the restoration, together with some notes about
Gertrude Jekyll herself.
For a more comprehensive look at Gertrude
Jekyll we recommend the official website of the Jekyll estate.www.gertrudejekyll.co.uk
this looks into the life and career of Miss Jekyll together with notes
on Lutyens and the Arts and Craft movement.
Rosamund Wallinger's book
'Gertrude Jekyll's Lost Garden' was published
by Garden Art Press in 2000.
It gives an amusing and well illustrated account of the garden's history
and restoration (with, adds her husband John, all its trials, tribulations
and lessons).
Copies of Rosamund Wallinger's book Gertrude Jekyll's Lost Garden
- The Restoration of an Edwardian Masterpiece,
ISBN 1 870673 35 2 is available through any reputable bookshop, price
£25. Also at Antique
Collectors Club
Copyright © 2008 Ros Wallinger