A day of visiting Chatsworth House Gardens , Derbyshire

Why you should visit or revisit Chatsworth House 

 

As I drove down into the valley past the sheep grazing in the parkland, I caught sight of  Chatsworth. Built of local limestone, honeyed in the September sunshine, with gold tips on the roof glistening, I felt a shiver of excitement. 

I was here to see the biggest garden transformation of Chatsworth for 200 years designed and created by three well known and respected landscape architects and garden designers. 

Dan Pearson, Tom Stuart Smith and James Hitchmough have all worked with  Steve Porter who is Head of Gardens and Landscape at Chatsworth to create an area of 15 acres known as Arcadia, and carry our major changes to a further 10 acres in the rock garden and elsewhere.

First though, a quick visit to the kitchen garden, where fruit, flowers and vegetables are grown for the house, the cafes and for wedding events.

As well as being decorative with lovely views, I liked the informative and decorative signage.

From the kitchen garden, you walk, higher to where the old trout stream has been remodelled by Dan Pearson. based on his Chelsea Flower Show design of 2015.

 You follow the stream as it snakes half a mile from herbaceous borders into grass. It's shady, welcome on a hot afternoon as you walk into Arcadia.

Arcadia , a new garden at Chatsworth House

 It's based high on the ridge behind the main house, there was a wilderness that had never been gardened. 200 trees were felled to create light and space, and the area is divided into four glades.

In one there's an impressive sculpture by Laura Ellen Bacon. I've not heard of her before but I do like this "Natural Course" and the way the 100 tons of stone connects so well with the landscape.

The meadow glades delight in shades of dusky pink, cream, white and blue as you wind your way through the pathways. There are huge drifts of perennials, and in the wet glade, over 8,000 camassia, ferns and persicaria have been planted.

your senses are heightened too in this special place.  Birdsong seems louder and scents stronger .....with major plantings of daphne and actea "Pritchard's Giant".which I have decided is a new favourite.

 Pretty arches of white glisten and its heady scent take my breath away.

A quick chat with Tom Stuart Smith

I speak to Tom Stuart Smith who has overseen this project, adores this plant too..., using 50 of them at a time throughout both Arcadia and the rock garden.

More walking through Arcadia, and you enter an area that was cleared of beeches oaks and limes to create a wonderful moment, of seeing how this garden connects with the rest of the formal gardens. There in front of you, newly planted bulbs and perennials line the steps leading you down ....but your eyes are caught by the majestic maze, with green parkland beyond.

Stepping downwards, Tom Stuart Smith leads us to the three-acre Rock Garden which has also been remodelled with the introduction of new paths and heavier planting of perennials than before, some echoing those up on the ridge.

Now, this is one of the earliest and largest rock gardens in the world, designed by none other than Joseph Paxton. So how does it feel to be asked to redesign some areas? Tom smiles and agrees it's a challenge...but you can see by the smile in his eyes and his love of the gardens here, he's happy with what has changed here over the last three years.

Meanwhile, the more formal gardens, designed by gardening greats such as Capability Brown and Joseph Paxton are waiting to be explored. 

The Maze itself and the newly planted entrance are on the foundations of the Great Conservatory designed by Paxton. It took 4 years to build and was the largest glasshouse in the country in 1840 - an elaborate and stunning place to grow plants and to visit. 

According to Steve Porter, the Head of Gardens and Landscape though, after the First World War, it became a huge extravagance and the 9th Duke of Devonshire decided to demolish it. It was blown up, and apparently, it took several attempts to do so. Steve says that even now, his team are still digging up pieces of glass. 

By now, it was time to walk back to the Stables near the House.

 Families were still sitting by the water, entranced by the sight of the Emperor fountain shooting water up to 90 metres high, but it was nearly closing time.

I've spent the last week constantly thinking about my visit to Chatsworth House and the hugely ambitious garden transformation commissioned by the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. They wanted an exciting contemporary and sustainable garden.

It takes a leap of faith to radically remodel, and institute change on such an expensive and expansive scale in a much loved and admired garden.

Supported by Gucci, after three years of hard work by the designers, the gardeners and a team of volunteers, and even mucking in themselves to help during the Pandemic, the Duke and Duchess's vision  "Arcadia", a pastoral paradise, in harmony with nature has been realised.

Accessibility information for the Gardens at Chatsworth House

You can download an access map from the Chatsworth House website.

There is free admission for carers (don't book a ticket for one)

A 28 seater trailer which is fully wheelchair accessible,  offers tours of the garden on certain days. Garden buggy tours are also running for visitors to book at a small additional charge. 

I visited Chatsworth House as a member of a press trip with the Garden Media Guild

Days of harvest and a heatwave

So, September sunshine came at the weekend, bringing almost tropical temperatures.

It meant meals in the garden after watering the tomatoes and sweet pepper plants in the evening. Glasses of wine whilst watching the swallows pirouette, soar and swoop around us until the skies became dark.

No so relaxing though for our local farmers. They’ve been harvesting at full pace when there’s a tight window between having lots of sunshine and the storms forecast. 

Farmers Phil and Mark were hard at work in the field at the end of our garden on Monday. Our dogs Boo and Eric had a grandstand view, following their progress with interest as they circled the field.

After a couple of hours it was time for the hard workers to have a drink and a chat …

Meanwhile on the other side of the village, I stopped to watch as they were working on another field, with a cloud of dust  trailing behind them …..

On the other side of the road, all was safely gathered in as I walked through one of my favourite fields.

As I got closer, I realised just how huge this tower of bales was. It looked so majestic in a commanding position on the ridge, pale gold surrounded by bright blue skies.

I know storms have been appearing already  elsewhere in the country but here in our little village, all is still dry. This  warmth and sunshine have given us a glimpse of the summer we didn’t have. A small bonus as the year marches on and the nights draw in…..

A reading day: a review of Big Veg by Gerald Stratford

Ah, the beginning of September - heralding the beginning of autumn and the big bonanza of newly published books, all shiny new and ready for the Christmas market. 

One of the first books to arrive through the door with a satisfying whack on the mat is Big Veg by Gerald Stratford.

Gerald Stratford has been growing vegetables since he was taught how to as a small boy by his father but had never thought about writing a book about it.

He's a grandfather in his seventies, a retired fisherman and gardener but that's just what he's done.

His book "Big Veg",was published last week and I think it's going to sell very well for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Gerald is an internet sensation. Despite not being on social media for long, he has already made his mark, attracting over 308,000 followers on twitter alone.

I'm one of them, and I know all is well in the world when there's a post and video from Gerald.

"Good morning" or "Good evening "he says in his lovely Oxfordshire lilt, and I'm transported to a happy place where there are outsize vegetables to admire which Gerald has grown, and to hear little snippets about his life. Nothing earth-shattering takes place in his videos, they're not slick there's no fancy, frenetic, over the top presentation either, but they are surprisingly addictive.

So what about his book?

In the words of a famous Ronseal catchphrase from yesteryear "it does what it says on the tin."

It's about the outsize veg he grows in his garden and allotment, and how to grow them in simple, understandable terms.

Split into sections, the book has lots of tips for beginners to both grow and show big vegetables. His advice is encouraging and he understands that when growing veg, anything ..good or bad,  can happen despite your best efforts.

He only grows he likes to eat though, an important commandment really for any grow your own fan. After all, what's the point?

In his chapter on what its like to show your vegetables, Gerald is spot on as he describes the anticipation, the sheer thrill and the fun to be had whether you're exhibiting at your local village show or a more prestigious one. In the world of big veg mind you, size matters and his friendly, inspiring approach will enable you to grow some whoppers.

The last part of the book guides us month by month through Gerald's year of growing vegetables, both for showing and for supplying him and his family with meals in every season.

It's a charming glimpse into a land which is forever England. A gentle land of sheds, greenhouses, allotments and vegetable and flower shows. This book takes into Gerald's likeable world of retirement, family, growing food for his family and above all, humour and contentment.

Mind you, his world is already changing with a book,  even modelling, plus appearing at a literary festival next month, but I suspect that nothing will change Gerald.  

Cheers Gerald!

Big Veg by Gerald Stratford is published by Headline Books and costs £14.99.

My copy was sent for review.