digwithdorris
digwithdorris
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | May 17, 2013 (13 years) |
- | 1 | 0 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
May 17, 2013 (13 years)
- Last activity
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- Topics created
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Bio
Dorris was a nickname given to me by a couple of garden colleagues and I quite liked it as a moniker for this blog. My real name is Rebecca.
I work part-time as Head Gardener on a rather special family estate on the edge of the Chilterns. I also help create new borders and planting schemes. I can provide design and maintenance advice, create gardens from scratch, update garden planting schemes as well as general gardening.
My own garden now open by appointment for the National Garden Scheme charity was formerly an expanse of grass, divided into pens by post and rail fences. The grass, not lawns, were grazed on by chickens, turkeys and goats! Located on heavy clay with a band of blue clay, it is on the Herts./ Bucks. borders.
My planting in the garden started with clearing trees destroyed by the goats. A hedge of dying Leyllandii and brambles was ripped out to make way for the most beautiful woven willow fence. Woven in situ by a Norfolk craftsman who took 10 days weaving his own harvested willow from the ground up. What an incredible skill.
A shelter, which I refer to rather grandly as the Summer House was built from English Sweet chestnut sourced from the Ashridge Estate and topped with a wrinkly tin roof to reference the Tabernacle opposite my garden.
Trees I have planted here include a multi stemmed Chinese red birch, Betula albosinensis, a variegated Indian Bean tree, Catalpa pulverulentum and my beloved Cercis candanensis. Hedges of Hornbeam were planted as whips.
Roses, which seem to love the heavy soil include:The Pilgrim, Brother Cadfael, Gertrude Jekyll, A Shropshire Lad, Lark Ascending, Morning Mist and Paul's Himalayan Musk. All David Austin Roses.
Then masses of perennials, particularly tall ones including Verconiastrums, Thalictrums, Leucanthemella and Helianthus salicifolius. Grasses which I adore include Stipa gigantea and S. tenuissima, Calamagrostis Karl Foerster and C. brachytricha and perhaps my favourite, Molinia Transparent. The garden was started in December 2014 and is still evolving but beginning to look more established. I opened the garden for the National Garden Scheme for the first time in 2018. To date I have welcomed over 365 visitors.
I am a hobby photographer and blogger. Thank you for reading my blog
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