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Manor House in The Cotswolds

Tiggy was initially invited to re-design the borders at The Manor which needed harmonising to create an overall personal feel to the garden for her clients. This lead to some structural design changes; creating new herbaceous borders, planting new trees and reshaping the land. The structure is strong with a lot of evergreen topiary to lead you through the garden and the herbaceous borders now flow seamlessly from one area to the next.

Looking under the Catalpa bignonioides tree at the formal terraced garden beyond

Reclaimed York paving was used for the terrace and cut Bath stone for the coping stones on the Cotswold stone walls. Clipped Yew domes and topiary edge the steps to draw the eye up the garden. Behind the evergreen Yew hedges in the distance is the secluded Swimming Pool Garden and beyond that the much used Tennis Court. Herbaceous borders run throughout the garden with a mix of evergreen and deciduous perennials.

Looking out of the drawing room door over the terrace and up the formal terraced garden beyond.

“Tiggy Lessner has worked with me on my garden for three years and in that time we have changed much and improved it very significantly. Although of strong opinions and confident of her ideas, she is unusual in that she listens to what the client wants and engages him fully in the process, taking time to learn about the garden and its history – even studying the inside of the house to understand the garden’s relationship with the interiors – before recommending changes. So it is a partnership and things evolve naturally over time, not all at once. Her skills go beyond planting, shrubs and flowers, cutting back and pruning, to design and structure, sheds and tools, gates and trees. In fact everything in the garden. She has a great eye and great attention to detail.”

The new, young Yew buttresses have been planted to divide up these long herbaceous borders

As you walk round the house from the formal Parterre outside the kitchen you see this late spring herbaceous bed and the view of the garden beyond

Repeat planting in these long herbaceous borders has created a calm, cohesive feel to the beds. The images were taken in last spring showing the white flowers of the Standard Wisteria, the blue Iris sibirica and the dark purple evergreen Heuchera Obsidian.

A large herbaceous border with repeat planting divided by Yew buttresses

This is the large herbaceous border you see from the drive as you approach The Manor (above in summer and below in winter). The strong Yew buttresses hold the bold planting and the purple Heucheras ground the border with their deep rich colour, reminiscent of the shadows you find in paintings.

This large herbaceous border is bold enough to catch the eye as you arrive and reveal a little of what lies behind in the Walled Garden.

The structure during the winter is very important to hold The Manor in its surroundings and the maintenance of the trees allows them to show their true grace.

The shape and texture of plants is important too in order to create a different feel to a bed as with the Anemone sylvestris Wild Swan above and the Zantedeschia aethiopica Crowborough.

This Formal Parterre beautifully combines the structural topiary with the delicate but strong spring flowering Tulipa Purissima on the left and in the summer Rosa Iceburg on the right

The delicate heads of the Anemone sylvestris Wild Swan with Heuchera Obsidian. The Heuchera Obsidian is planted throughout the borders to create continuity and to give depth to the beds.

An existing summer border with the deep maroon Sedum, white Hydrangea Annabel, blue Geranium Roxanne, Perovskia and Eupatorium Purpureum

An existing patch of Astrantia Pink Pride, Digiplexus Berry Canary and Sanguisorba Pink Tanna

Call Tiggy anytime on 01453 833452, email tiggy@tiggylessnergardendesign.co.uk or use the contact form

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