13 Jul Developing a Garden at “The Berkshires” Chapter Two
Discovering the original garden at “The Berkshires”
The crown lifting and reduction pruning on the avenue of Peppercorns meant we could assess if it was possible to extend a new driveway from the road to the base of the trees, and then up through the trees to the house. We needed a whole new drive as there was no driveway to where the house was going to be located. After surveying the access we worked out that it would be feasible to run the driveway from the road to the base of the Peppercorn avenue without it cutting up the paddocks too much. It would then continue up through the avenue to the planned garden area. At this stage we needed to make some decisions on where to locate the new fence for the house paddock that would become the new garden at the Berkshires. I knew I wanted the fence line to include as many of the existing trees from the original garden as possible. Mum and I spent a very hot December morning walking the hillside plotting on a mud map the location of the existing trees and completing a tree inventory table. Luckily for us all the trees were in a fairly good condition so there were none that needed to be removed. All were structurally stable and had signs of good vigour and health. I drew up a rough outline of where the fences could be built so that all the trees would be included in the home paddock. The existing trees essentially guided us in where to place the fence. Wherever possible I tried to have the fences placed so that they would run parallel or perpendicular to the avenue of Peppercorns and to the new house. I knew having the fencing in this layout meant that it would be easier in the future to create a balanced cohesive design for any pathways, garden structures and gardens beds that would also run parallel or perpendicular to the avenue of Peppercorns and to the new house. This placement of the fences meant the garden ended up being a rectangular shaped area running across the slope and another rectangular area running down the slope to include the Peppercorn driveway. The garden area became approximately five acres in size.
It was very satisfying that we could create the garden boundaries to include all of the established trees. This meant we could take full advantage of the shade they provide and the sense of place they already gave the empty space that would become the garden. Having mature trees in a garden that otherwise was a bare paddock is a true asset. From the beginning our aim has been to try and retain, protect and preserve what the previous owners had planted and grown in their garden. I always aim to work with the site and existing plantings wherever possible. Once the fence was installed we had a designated area to start creating a garden in. I knew I needed to take some of my own advice that I give clients “when you have a new garden area you should try to live with the space for 12 months to see the space in all four seasons”. This waiting period allows you to develop a better understanding of the site and also gives you time to do a full assessment or analysis of the site’s characteristics.
Stay tuned for the next blog post in the series of Developing a Garden at “The Berkshires” where I will show you how we did the site assessment.