Explore the vibrant, richly diverse, and breathtakingly beautiful garden showcased on Monty Don's British Gardens TV program this week.
## Nigel Dunnett's Peak District Woodland Garden: A Haven for Wildlife and Aesthetics
Nigel Dunnett's former quarry turned woodland garden in the Peak District is a testament to the power of thoughtful ecological restoration and innovative garden design. This captivating landscape project, which has been abandoned for 150 years, now serves as a vibrant, sustainable haven for wildlife and a feast for the senses.
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## Planting Strategies and Combinations
Dunnett's approach to planting is characterised by a blend of native and non-native species, creating naturalistic combinations that thrive in the challenging conditions of the quarry. Among the plants that have made themselves at home in the log piles are Ammi majus, Allium sphaerocephalum, and Digitalis purpurea.
The garden is also adorned with Campanula lactiflora 'Loddon Anna', its almost flouncy lilac blooms adding a touch of elegance throughout the space. Alchemilla mollis, with its cascading yellow flowers, creates a waterfall effect down the slope, providing a striking contrast to the colours of the annuals.
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## The Log Pile Habitat
The log piles in Dunnett's garden serve not only as a structural element but also as an incredible insect habitat and shelter for birds. As the logs rot down, they result in an incredible fungal fruiting every autumn, with toadstools appearing. This process enriches the soil and supports the overall ecosystem of the garden.
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## The Rain Garden
One of the unique features in Dunnett's garden is a rain garden, which absorbs runoff from the house roof and is planted with plants that can cope with wet conditions. This area has slightly more formal planting in narrower, 60cm-wide beds, with plants chosen to create multiple layers and not make a lot of shade.
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## The Inspiration Behind the Garden
The woodland feel of Dunnett's garden is inspired by the Kent countryside of his childhood, where he would regularly roam among ancient hedgerows and coppiced woodland. The log piles in his garden are made up of stacked sections, with larger logs at the base and are inspired by the Peak District's dry-stone walls.
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## The Plants of Nigel Dunnett's Garden
Among the plants in the rain garden are Miscanthus x giganteus, Ligularia 'The Rocket', Leucanthemum vulgare, and Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii 'Purpurlanze'. In this sunny spot, Scabious columbaria is combined with the South African, Cape daisy, Arctotis fastuosa var. alba 'Zulu Prince'. Hylotelephium 'José Aubergine' acts as an anchor plant to pull the design together and add a counterpoint to the cool blues of Nepeta racemosa.
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## The Garden's Unique Challenges and Solutions
The garden's soil is thin, rocky, and gravelly, with a cool and wet climate, and is located in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b. Despite these challenging conditions, Dunnett has managed to create a thriving garden by choosing resilient plant species that are tolerant of calcareous soils typical in the Peak District.
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In summary, Nigel Dunnett's Peak District woodland garden is a shining example of ecological design and planting that respects the site's history while embracing its potential for a biodiverse future. By combining native and non-native plants in naturalistic combinations, creating habitats for wildlife, and adapting to the garden's unique challenges, Dunnett has crafted a garden that is both beautiful and sustainable.
- The woodland garden designed by Nigel Dunnett, originally an abandoned quarry in the Peak District, features a blend of native and non-native plant species, such as Ammi majus, Allium sphaerocephalum, and Digitalis purpurea.
- The garden also showcases the Campanula lactiflora 'Loddon Anna', whose lilac blooms bring a touch of elegance, along with Alchemilla mollis, whose yellow flowers cascade down the slope, creating a striking contrast.
- The log piles in Dunnett's garden not only serve as a structural element but also provide shelter for birds and insects, enriching the garden's soil with decomposing logs and producing toadstools every autumn.
- One unique feature of the garden is the rain garden, which absorbs runoff from the house roof and is planted with plants tolerant of wet conditions, such as Miscanthus x giganteus, Ligularia 'The Rocket', Leucanthemum vulgare, and Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii 'Purpurlanze'.
