RHS Gardens

RHS Rosemoor, set deep in the beautiful North Devon countryside, has been described as a “garden for all the senses”  - a jewel nestling within a wooded valley and the creation of a dedicated gardener, Lady Anne Berry.

Lady Anne Berry (then Palmer) first came to Rosemoor in 1931 with her mother. She returned to live there permanently with her husband after the Second World war. Her interest in gardening came from a rather unusual occurrence – she caught measles from her children and went to recuperate in Spain where she met plantsman Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram in 1959

Read more: RHS Rosemoor – A garden of inspiration

Sandy Felton visits the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Harlow Carr and discovers a diverse and inspirational garden – a true champion for northern horticulture.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)  garden at Harlow Carr is the most northerly of the four RHS Gardens. Originally, the site started its life as the result of mineral springs in and around Harrogate in the 19th century when a hotel was built on the estate with a bath house in 1844 and gardens laid out.

In 1946 the Northern Horticultural Society (NHS) was founded and its then Chairman, J.H.Bell, started looking for a northern counterpart to the RHS garden at Wisley. The Harlow Carr Estate, or what was left of it, was the perfect site for the NHS to build their garden and so started the work of taming the woodland and installing new plants.

In 2001 the Northern Horticultural Society merged with the Royal Horticultural Society who subsequently took over the running of Harlow Carr. There was a good foundation upon which to build and the RHS were able to inject much needed extra funding.

A number of exciting projects were proposed, which seven years down the line have helped cement the garden as one of Yorkshire’s most relaxing and inspiring locations taking visitor numbers up from an average of 75,000 per year to over 220,000 in 2007.

I was welcomed by Dean Peckett, the garden’s Superintendent, who explained that the RHS had taken over the garden in 2001 with the aim of injecting finance to improve the garden and infrastructure and to attract more visitors - Harlow Carr would also provide the RHS with a base to cater for members in the North of England.

“Harlow Carr is a very beautiful garden in its own right”, explained Dean. “We want to maintain that appeal because it is a very naturalistic kind of view and on a clear day from here you can see the North Yorkshire Moors.”

Harlow Carr provides a showcase for plants that thrive in a northern climate but it also highlights a few surprises. Dean comments: “When I came here I thought that maybe up here we will not be able to grow much in the way of tender plants. I have been surprised what tender varieties we can grow. It’s a valley essentially and it is protected, but we do get frost.”

In recent years there has been a lot of work on the pathways and a new visitor entrance has been built. There is also  Bettys Café and tea rooms, just the ticket after you have had a bracing and enjoyable walk around the garden. I was amazed to learn that in the last couple of years the gardening team have planted 200,000 bulbs so you can imagine what the garden is like in spring. The staff of 18 full-time qualified gardeners are supported by a couple of trainees and a very healthy volunteer section now numbering 50.

On the West side of the garden, there has been a lot of brand new planting with a series of long borders bisecting the whole width of the garden. Here you will find perennials and grasses, naturalistically planted, which shines from the end of May onwards. Beyond these borders you find natural meadow planting, based on willow weave structures – always a big hit with younger visitors – which this year depicts a whale.

The old alpine house will soon be replaced by a new one which will be twice the size. Alpines are an essential part of Harlow Carr and its history, the limestone Rock Garden being one of the older features of the garden. We loved the display of alpines growing in all manner of unusual containers, especially the pair of old gardening boots and inside the alpine house we found a treasure trove of plants.

In the East end of the garden, beyond the rose revolution borders, there is a small kitchen garden. The ‘Grow your own Veg’ campaign over the past couple of years has been designed to get families and children into growing their own. This is part of Harlow Carr’s long term education planting to get growing out into the public arena and get children and families involved growing their own from seeds to the table.

Particularly interesting are the Gardens through Time – seven gardens created for the BBC television series presented by Diarmuid Gavin and Jane Owen to give a flavour of fashions and gardening techniques over the past two centuries.

For me, Harlow Carr will always be synonymous with Geoffrey Smith, a gardener who influenced me a lot during my early days in gardening. He was the longest serving curator at Harlow Carr (1954-1975) and responsible for much of the backbone of the present day garden including most of the tree and rhododendron planting.

He was also responsible for the breathtaking Streamside Garden – one of the longest in the country -  which cuts through the garden and is a real jewel. Along its length you will enjoy all manner of hostas, ferns and gunnera, blue poppies, candelabra primulas and irises.

The soil at Harlow Carr is heavy clay and despite a number of ditches and streams feeding the beck, the ground is in fact poorly drained. The name ‘Carr’ or ‘Car’ as it was in the 19th century, means ‘land reclaimed from a bog’ and when you consider that recorded temperatures can range from -11c up to 30c you can understand the challenges for the gardening team.

Respect for the environment is fundamental to gardening practices at Harlow Carr and techniques are employed to ensure that wildlife and biodiversity can flourish. Today, the garden attracts all ages – as Dean explained it is a garden for everybody, young or old  – to come along and have a good day out, enjoy the open spaces, perhaps have a picnic and get a few ideas for your own garden.

The Garden also offers fantastic events for all the family including outdoor theatre, free demonstrations, exhibitions and wildlife discovery activities. There is an excellent garden library and Museum of Gardening and every season brings with it a host of treasures – springtime bulbs, Streamside hybrid candelabra primulas in June and July, delightful summer roses and glorious colourful main borders, beautiful bark and leaf colours in autumn and gentle woodland walks in winter.

The Garden is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am. For more information log ontowww.rhs.org.uk/harlow carr

Better still why not become a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and gain unlimited access to the Garden as well as the other three RHS Gardens and over 140 RHS recommended gardens. 
For membership information go to www.rhs.org.uk/membership

You can also join the RHS Garden Explorers to open up a world of exciting events and hands-on gardening for all the family. Visit www.rhs.org.uk/explorers for further information