I’m a creature of habit, and once I find a fantastic garden, I can’t help returning to the scene, again and again. The stylishly unkempt walled kitchen garden at Wiveton Hall is always a lure, and combined with great coastal walks and big big skies, it’s a fantastic reason for sojourning in Norfolk (along the north coast to be precise!). I have blogged about the garden before, but I find that with each new visit comes a fresh wave of inspiration. I mean, what can beat the elegance and delight of a gnarly old pear tree surrounded by such flinty gorgeousness?
Or a field full of Fennel (aka Florence Fennel if you plan on buying seeds)?
This most perfect of spots is attached to a 17th century Jacobean manor house and a fantastic café, (best food around for miles), whose chefs forage daily in the garden. For full immersion, you can hire a wing of the house (or one of their nearby cottages) or have a delicious meal at the café, overlooking the surrounding marshes. Alternatively, just pay your £2 in the shop (next to the cafe),
and pop in for gentle wander.
Mid October, and there are still a few blooms in flower. Above, pink Nerine bowdenii and the daisy like stalwart Erigeron karvinksiannus hug the base on the wall,
and parsley is supplying dainty lime green umbellifers as it goes to seed.
Eslewhere in the garden, there are still plenty of herbs and veg to keep the restaurant going until it closes for the season on November 3rd. (Reopening around Easter 2014).
Along with the planting, I was rather taken by this fine trio of compost bins.
I love their simple but brilliant construction and the fact that they too sit happily amid the flint surroundings.
Whilst it seems like a quiet time in the garden, the walls are awash with trained fruit trees,
and fruit canes (not sure if this is a Tayberry or Loganberry?) have been beautifully positioned for the year ahead.
More forward planning and propagation can be seen in a patched up cold frame,
in the greenhouses,
and nestling in other corners of the garden. This kitchen garden is my idea of heaven.
I love the make do and mend feel of the place particularly the compost bins-totally unpretentious. And at the same time it’s a skillfully managed and productive kitchen garden.
Hi Sue, Yes, it’s a beautiful balance of style and substance!
The erigeron you recommended before is still going strong in my mother’s garden. She’s very pleased. I want some too now.
Hi Nicolette, We’re hoping to grow some from seed for our tree pits next year. E. karvinskianus flowers in the first year from seed, so you should have some gorgeous tiny blooms next year.
Looks wonderful. When I read ‘stylishly unkempt kitchen garden’ I was hooked – my favourite sort of garden! Clicked on the holiday cottages and they look gorgeous too.
Hi Andrea, my favourite kind of garden too!! Our friends have stayed in the cottages and found them very comfortable (and very handy for access to the garden and cafe!).
Lovely Blog post Naomi.. great inspiration 🙂 x
Hi Judy, yes it’s a wonderful spot. Wish I lived a little nearer so I could just pop in every now and then for a little bit of inspiration….X
From your photos, I’d say the garden is well worth the entrance fee – and a café makes it even better! Interesting that they’ve used weed suppressant around the Kale, I suppose every little helps with a garden that size. It was the erigeron growing around the seat in the Sunk Garden at Dixter that I loved this last visit and have also bought seeds for next year, such a pretty natural plant!
Hi Caro, I agree, Erigeron is such a wonderful plant. Hoping once we get ours planted in tree pits next year, it’ll start self-seeding in front gardens and tree pits all over the neighbourhood!
Hi Naomi,
We’ve just returned from a few heady days in Paris, so our garden visiting experiences were mainly to the formal/official ones there – though Cluny’s contemporary-mediaeval one was a delight. On our stop-off via London however, we did manage a night time peek at the Blackstock Triangle gardens, tree pits and topiary: sheer delight! After coming across the blog and reading your book it was fantastic to visit the area, even at this time of year. Congratulations to all involved.
All the best with plans for next year.
Sian
p.s. hope all went well with the cake day and bulb sharing!
Thanks Sian! Glad you enjoyed your night time visit. Our next Cake Sunday is fast approaching, and we’ll be sharing out daffodils and alliums to flower next spring and summer in our tree pits and front gardens. Hoping bulbs and more perennials for our tree pits will really brighten up the streets in 2014.
V.best Naomi
– came across a US blog on a mission to tackle ‘hellstrips’ last night, but you’re probably already familiar with those.
Hi Sian, just had a quick look at ‘hellstrips’. Thought these must be nightmare streets, when in fact they are beautifully maintained planted areas on pavements, in lovely neighbourhoods! Makes our tree pits look positively tame!!
How nice to read about a lesser known garden. I love the look of this one and would love to visit. Thanks! I will be adding it to my list.
Love the look of this place, will make an effort to go and see it myself too.
Hi Dorris and Max, most definitely worth its place on any garden visiting list. Any other great gardens to visit in your neck of the woods? V.best Naomi