Garden Answers Mini-Mag

WORDS: LIZ POTTER PHOTOS GARDEN NEWS/NEIL HEPWORTH
IN THE
GARDEN
WITH…
Barbara &
Marek Polanski
AT 41 Southbrook Road, Lee,
London SE12 8LJ
SIZE 27x40m (88ftx131ft)
SITE South facing
SOIL Gravel over clay
FEATURES Wide, mixed herbaceous
borders surrounded by mature trees;
central box parterre; dramatic
pergola and bay tree feature; ancient
pear trees; two lily ponds
VISIT By arrangement for groups
May to July (2-5.30pm); adults £3.50,
children free
This elegant formal garden is packed
with colourful plants and inspiring
artefacts. “Being former art
teachers has definitely had an
influence on how we created the garden,”
says Barbara. “We’re both interested in
architecture, travel and design history, and
Marek is interested in classical history and
its influence on architecture.”
The classical influence is revealed in the
garden structures and ornaments. “There’s a
pavilion with classical architrave and
columns (now with mosaic inside), an
elaborate red brick wall fountain, Pompeiistyle
frescos and decorative urns. Marek
built all the architectural elements himself.”
The garden is a rectangular plot that
Barbara says is large by London standards.
“It was once part of a large estate that was
subdivided into generous plots. The garden
is where the manor’s orchard used to be and
still contains old pear trees, now covered
with scrambling roses ‘Kiftsgate’ and
‘Rambling Rector’.
“When we moved here 15 years ago the
garden was simply a large lawn surrounded
by established trees,” says Barbara. “I was
keen to keep a large area of grass, so the first
job was to set out the main feature of the
garden – a small parterre – about threequarters
of the way down the lawn. I created
lots of box topiary to go with it – pyramids,
balls and cylinders – and planted a bay tree
in the centre.”
The bay was a small standard 14 years ago,
but it’s grown into a large tree. “It’s actually
two trees tied together; over time they’ve
grown into one another,” says Barbara. “We
trimmed out the lower branches then let it
come out in an umbrella shape at the top.”
The iron pagoda is a more recent
introduction. “We often visit reclamation
yards to hunt for architectural treasures and
on one visit saw a similar but more expensive
piece,” says Barbara. “It inspired us to search
online to find something more affordable,
and that’s how we found this one at a salvage
yard in Suffolk.” [Extract from July 2015]
12 Garden Answers