The Garden
at Blackland Park
Over the last decade we have developed the ornamental gardens around Blackland House with the help of Arne Maynard Garden Design, as well as more informal areas along the river created with former head gardener Hannah Gardner.
Running through the garden, the River Marden accounts for the dark, alluvial soil from which Blacklands derives its name. We work in a naturally holistic way, having put in a bore hole, harvesting rainwater, using manure from our livestock, and keeping British black bees in the wilder part of the garden. Wildfowl attracted by the water provide a constant, yet relaxing soundscape. They help with slug patrol, although we also introduce nematodes during the growing season.
The cut flower operation is focused around the Walled Garden and a one-acre flower field. On restoring the walled garden (which had been used as a tennis court) we installed a traditional Foster & Pearson glasshouse for sowing and propagating, as well as utilising it as a teaching space. Alongside a series of cold frames and espaliered fruit trees, self-seeded flowers join oversized topiary in the gravel around a central rill. The adjacent Pool Garden, enclosed by old walls and pleached crab apple, has a parterre of tulips and shrub roses, underplanted with herbs. Borders are filled with historic peonies and iris; walls of brick and Bath stone are adorned with old-fashioned roses.
Wilder, yet still highly considered, the Woodland Garden is a focus for species plants, with unusual spring-flowering bulbs and winter-flowering shrubs and trees. Autumn is another highlight, with vibrant foliage and berries and a host of delicate, late-flowering woodlanders. In late spring, candelabra primula and globeflower (Trollius) create a colourful trail through a textural foliage carpet, along the riverside walk that we call Pig Wood, after the pigs that were used to clear the ground elder before any planting began. The river is criss-crossed by a series of rustic twig bridges created by David Raffle over the past few years.
The garden is open for workshops and garden events only. Please visit our Garden Days page for our current event schedule.