The Long Garden at Cliveden has reopened, with a new 'climate resilient' planting scheme of shrubs, perennials and grasses replacing the historic garden's former seasonal bedding. Accessibility has also been improved throughout the garden, with wider pathways, automated gates and York stone paving.
Cliveden's long garden in summer with vibrant topiary and purple flowers.
The Thames-side, Grade I-listed Buckinghamshire garden was originally designed for the Astor family by the renowned gardener Norah Lindsay, a former contributor to Country Life, in the 1930s. The garden is now in the care of the National Trust.
Norah Lindasy (right) in the garden of Sutton Courtenay, circa 1923.
‘It needed a change because it wasn’t sustainable — what we were doing there,’ says Cliveden’s head gardener, Anthony Mason. ‘Luckily we had a plan [made by Norah] which was available to use, so we used that as the inspiration for today. We did a lot of deep diving into Norah and her work,’ he clarifies. ‘We asked: “How do we think that would be 100 years later? How can we make it fit-for-purpose for today’s climate?"' Including the contractors, Cliveden’s gardening team and a group of green-fingered volunteers, it took more than 100 people to restore the gardens to their former glory.
A sketch design made by James Scott for the new garden.
Some of the volunteers helping to plant the Long Garden.
The deterioration of the path, which stretches through the 200-metre garden, kick-started the project. It had been in the garden for about 15 years, Anthony says, and was made out of artificial turf, which was starting to deteriorate. A plague of box blight on the garden’s hedges was another motivator.
When the team came to rethinking the beds themselves, the key was variety. ‘A large part of that was trying to incorporate a much more diverse range of plants to begin with, which in turn has definitely increased pollinators.’ Anthony says. Bees, moths, butterflies and hover flies have flocked to the garden as a result and, considering it was only planted in spring, those at Cliveden are delighted. The garden’s original topiary, which is more than 120 years old, has been maintained, but beech beehives and Taxus baccata pin cushions have been added along with ornamental grasses.
Anthony Mason tending to one of his beloved beech beehives.
How Cliveden's Long Garden looked in 1981.
‘In the wintertime, when everything starts to die down a little bit, there’ll be a lot more movement of the grass now,’ Anthony explains. ‘We’ve tried to make it a garden where there’s something always in flower — definitely from spring all the way through the end of autumn.’
The general manager of Cliveden, Robert Miles, says: ‘Norah Lindsay’s bold vision has guided us, and we’ve worked to ensure the Long Garden remains a place of inspiration, biodiversity and accessibility for generations to come.’ Landscape designer James Scott of The Garden Company, who worked with Cliveden’s garden team on the restoration, said he hopes visitors will find the resigned Long Garden to be ‘a very immersive, tranquil experience’.
Video footage: James Dobson for National Trust Images
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