We looked for someone special to give our Diamond Anniversary talk and decided to invite Bunny Guinness. A chartered landscape architect for over thirty years, Bunny has transformed so many different areas from inner city housing estates to golf courses. Of course, we know her from her involvement in the Chelsea Flower Show where she has won six gold medals for her stunning flower gardens.
Bunny began by describing her own garden at Sibberton Lodge. This embodies all the principles that have guided her career as a garden designer as well as demonstrating her imaginative plantsmanship. Her garden is ever changing and provides a splendid showcase for her many clients.
Her YouTube virtual tour shows the miniature ornamental farm, formal flower garden, the kitchen garden, paddocks for the Dexter sheep and so on. In fact, I can do no better than to direct you to her series of YouTube videos which show not only her magnificent garden but also gives advice on a variety of subjects from weeding and plant labelling to garden lighting and choosing the right gravel! Do take time to read her YouTube entitled “For Peat’s Sake – Don’t Deprive UK Gardeners!” where Bunny explains her reasons for opposing the UK Government’s current proposal to ban peat in retail compost by 2024 and throughout the whole of the UK horticultural industry by 2029.
Bunny has also written many articles for newspapers and magazines as well as books for example Highgrove, which she co-wrote with Prince Charles. Highgrove is one of her favourite gardens – Prince Charles shares her enthusiasm for experimenting and is still continually editing his garden. As with Bunny sustainability is at the heart of the Prince’s management of the gardens. All waste materials are recycled, and the gardens are maintained to ensure that they are in complete harmony with nature. Rainwater is collected and used for irrigation. Solar panels and a wood chip boiler are used for heating. Composting and natural fertilisers ensure that the garden is as self-sufficient and environmentally friendly as possible, and rich habitats are provided for wildlife.
Do read my article on the Club’s visit to Highgrove in our archives for more mention of Highgrove describing (amongst other features) the mystical atmosphere of the stumpery, the stone water feature with a canopy of gunnera providing a favourite resting place for ducks.
The surprise of the evening was the inclusion of another garden, Le Jardin Agapanthe, located in the heart of Normandy, embodying all of Bunny’s gardening principles and more! Created by Alexandre Thomas, a French landscape architect, although contemporary in style, the garden concentrates on strong underlying structure with walls, terraces, water features and ponds. Abundant planting and the use of large trees gives just glimpses of the two houses in the garden. “There are no lawns, borders or views though plenty of focal points”. River sand covers the winding paths which lure you up and down, low flowers and herbs happily grow between the pavers. You may spy a pillar, a large empty terracotta pot or one filled with fresh flowers. Each path leads to a statue, a dramatic stone, a private terrace may house antique and vintage garden furniture. The garden’s palette is soft and romantic with shades of pink and purple with lots of white scattered through the grass like fairy dust. Topiary abounds as do box hedges just as in Highgrove and Alexandre believes that the most important part of the garden isn’t the flowers but the foliage and structure of the planting and the water they work together.
Well, what a talk! Brim full of ideas – truly a magnificent contribution to our Diamond Anniversary.
