Plants are typically grown in generous blocks which throw dazzling reflections of rich colour and texture off the water. In addition, the deliberate construction of the archipelago compliments the natural beauty of the plants.
As well as the forefronting plants such as the great beds of Hostas, Darmera and marginals that line the water’s edge, the planting is as equally inspiring as you venture further into the garden.
The seam of acidic peat allows for a forest of rhododendron and azaleas to thrive in the rear of the garden, providing bold flourishes of colour in the late spring set around the titanic giant Redwoods.
Another American introduction originating from the Floridian Everglades and Mississippi Delta, the Swamp Cypress, dwells at the very heart of the Water Garden. This beautiful and prized tree both breaks up the apparently unmoving water’s surface with snorkels to allow air to reach its submerged roots and transforms into an inferno of deep orange foliage come autumn.
Greater autumn colour is introduced by the Himalayan Birch, whose deep gold foliage and peeling bark offer an evocative tribute to the changing of the seasons.
Visitors will be impressed by the 25m tall Metasequoia. The second tallest specimen in the United Kingdom, the Metasequoia, only became known to science in the 1940s. Its swift import from the waterlogged mountain slopes of central China offer testament to Spedan Lewis’ pioneering vision for the Water Gardens.
Spot this ….
Spedan Lewis’s favourite colour combination of pink and yellow plants are often planted together, this is in homage to the Partnership’s pioneering founder.
