Garden News - July Digital Sampler

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Garden OF THE WEEK Gardeners Alison and Godfrey Young Location The Fold, High Wooley, Stanley Crook, County Durham DL15 9AP Size of garden Around ½ acre Soil Very thin, acidic Aspect South-facing Been in garden 25 years Open July 8, for the NGS, from 1.30-4.30pm. Entry £4. Open to groups through the summer, by appointment. More info www.ngs.org.uk Coping with extremes Meet a couple from County Durham who have battled the elements on an exposed, south-facing site to create a colourful piece of paradise Words Geoff Hodge Photos Neil Hepworth With its splendid views over the surrounding picturesque countryside, The Fold looks like a delightful gardeners’ paradise. And it is, but it belies the fact that it sits at an altitude of 210m (700ft) on an exposed, south-facing site. “No-one with any sense would have attempted to create a garden here. It’s windswept and the soil’s thin and bare as 20 Garden News / July 1 2017 the area had been extensively mined,” says owner, Alison Young. “Added to that, when we moved here, it was just a field!” Now it boasts a wide range of spring-flowering ericaceous and summer-flowering shrubs, superb herbaceous borders, alpine and island beds, ponds, numerous mature trees and even a small roof garden. It contains a wide range of plants, mostly perennials, with the emphasis on colour, harmony and texture to create all-year round interest. And most of these need to be as tough as the proverbial old boots to survive the conditions. When Alison started developing the garden, she made plans to landscape the site using the natural slopes and developed two main areas. “I called one ‘the upper Alps’ and the other ‘the lower Alps’, which were mainly for growing alpines,” she said. The rest of the garden was to be in an arboretum style. To get the areas cleared for development and planting, she used Roundup, which she calls ‘the lazy gardener’s friend’ and this is now used for keeping paths and the car park weed free. A formal lawn was laid in front of the house, which Godfrey is in charge of mowing. “A major part of my grand plan was four ‘blobs’, which were excavated by a JCB and created by importing 20 tons of topsoil.” Alison then took advice from a local nursery as to what would grow in the garden’s climate. “I did look at what other gardens in the area were growing, but there was nothing. This has changed over the years, as the area is Continues over the page
This exposed garden has to cope with a lot of extreme weather, but on a fine day the views are extraordinary. Below, alpine planters add diminutive charm Good colour is always at the centre of the borders, with cosmos, rose campion and geraniums. Below, the willow arch gives a great view of the stumpery Subscribe for just £1 an issue. Go to www.greatmagazines.co.uk/gn July 1 2017 / Garden News 21
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Garden News - July Digital Sampler

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