Chiswick House’s Head of Gardens on planting for the next century and the ‘northern wilderness’

Kitchen Garden Flower Bike, by Rosie Fyles

How the garden team is balancing 18th-century landscape history with the challenges of a changing climate, as they transform the woodland opposite the Classic Bridge

Guest blog by Rosie Fyles

When I first became a head gardener, it was as a trial. I don’t think my National Trust general manager at the time had anxiety about my abilities, but I did. A caring and wise volunteer at Ham House in Richmond suggested I visited their friend, who happened to be one of two ‘heads of Regent’s Park’ to encourage me and so that I could ‘ask questions’. That visit has been a consistent, guiding influence on how I ‘head of’ every day.

Mark at Regent’s Park explained in a modest, gentle and enthusiastic way that his work required him to think in multiple timeframes, he talked about present day, next year, thirty years and one hundred years ahead.

At Chiswick I’ve adapted Mark’s timeline to the following (and writing it down is anxiety-inducing):

• 17th century (think kitchen garden)
• 18th century (English Landscape movement, about 55 acres)
• 19th century (Italian Garden, shrubbery and Rosary)

I’ll stop and save the rest for another time…

Volunteers working to mulch planting areas,  by Freya Willetts

I’ll focus on the 18th century as that’s where the team have been working incredibly hard, under the guidance of gardener, Freya, to develop what we call ‘the northern wilderness’ woodland.

The project is exploiting the topography of the English landscape created by garden visionary William Kent here in the 18th century and seeking to open views, enable mature trees to thrive, add wildlife, biodiversity and present-day visitor interest and create a sustainable woodland garden for the future. The predicted climate in thirty to fifty years has influenced our planting choices.

What does this look like? Do have a walk. It’s the area right opposite the Classic Bridge, now more open, with tiny shrub plants in situ and a few very polite slate signs.

Ready to accept new plants, by Freya Willetts

We are adding new species (Holm Oak, dogwood – appropriately named for all the canine visitors), augmenting existing (Laurel, under firm aesthetic control) and establishing a way of caring for this space that will enable it to play its intended and future part in the landscape.

When will it be finished? A garden project is never finished. At the risk of opening the timeline again, it’s working well already, but in five years, it will be making its way to being wonderful.

Working on projects gets me out in the garden more. I’ve had the privilege of planting one of the first new shrubs and while doing this, a visitor said, ‘I’ve not seen through here for 70 years’, he was beaming. Another told me, ‘You are doing such a good job. My clever dog knows the ropes mean he shouldn’t walk there’. He was smiling with pride. These moments of shared joy make my day and I thanked them both.

Sweet smelling Labrador with topiary, by Rosie Fyles

My hope is that this planting continues to bring joy for decades, even a century or two.

What I’m doing in my own garden this month:

I’ve made what is either called ‘a rough job’ (a bit harshly) or ‘taken an organic, mindful approach’ (much kinder) to clipping my experimental lemon-scented Cypress topiaries.

Sounds grand, it’s not. Topiary can have place in every garden and these smell lovely when a Labrador brushes past…

What to look out for in the Chiswick House Gardens:

Beautifully pruned Cypress behind the house (I’ve not touched them). The kitchen garden is open, Thursdays and Fridays already, weekends soon. It’s having a super, special spring.

Rosie Fyles is  Head of Gardens at Chiswick House & Gardens, and writes on plants, nature, seasons: the latest from our local green haven every month.