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The
Walled Garden
The Walled Garden is Goodnestone's most renowned and popular
area, and many visitors think that the central view through
the succession of mellow brick-walled enclosures to the church
tower, is one of the best in any English garden. Some of the
walls are older than the house and having been carefully restored
through the 1960s and 1970s they are now hung with a range
of climbers and wall plants including clematis, jasmine, solanum
and roses, Fremontodendron 'California Glory' and Carpentaria
californica.
The succession of three main enclosures leads from the old
fashioned rose garden underplanted with hardy geraniums
and other perennials, to the summer garden with borders
planted for mid to late summer flowering, and finally the
kitchen garden where flower borders mix with an array of
fruit and vegetables. It is hard to believe that when Margaret
FitzWalter started her work on the garden this last area
was planted with Christmas trees that were sold at the local
market every year.
As well as these main areas the Walled Garden has many hidden
secrets to discover: the now huge wisterias planted before
the war by Emmy FitzWalter that now cover the far wall in
front of the church tower; the alpine garden where raised
beds and sinks are planted with gentians and other tiny
treasures; or the ornamental greenhouse overflowing with
exotic tender plants.
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The
Woodland Garden
Thirty years ago the Woodland Garden was an impenetrable jungle,
the pool surrounded by giant blocks of York stone, rhododendrons
and other delights all brought in by Emmy FitzWalter, obscured
by brambles and undergrowth. Over many years it has been restored
and developed so that today is covers a much larger area,
having expanded into the surrounding woodland.
The winding
paths reveal a rich array of trees, shrubs and smaller woodland
treasures: especially good collections of witch hazels, snowdrops
and hellebores in spring, camellias, cornus and magnolias
in early summer, then in late-summer banks of hydrangeas produce
a mass of deep blue flowers and tall evergreen eucryphias
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The Parterre
and Terraces
The main front of the house
overlooks a wide expanse of lawn from which a broad flight
of steps leads down to the lower terrace where, in 2000, a
parterre designed by Charlotte Molesworth was laid out to
celebrate the millennium. The pattern of box hedges, gravel
and planted enclosures was taken from a detail of the early-18th
century view of the garden by Harris, thus giving continuity
over a period of three centuries. From the parterre the view
extends out over the village cricket ground immediately below
and the rest of the main area of parkland beyond. It is a
very different scene to the years after the war when the terraces
were overgrown and a series of army Nissan huts survived on
the lower terrace from the years of military requisition.
On
the other side of the house the flights of steps in the
middle of terraced lawns lead up to a yew-hedged walk at
the top of which is the lime avenue. The early-18th century
view of the garden show a formal axis here and the avenue
of red-twigged limes, Tilia platyphyllus 'Rubra', was planted
to recreate the same vista. ‘The avenue was planted
in 1984 to mark Brook FitzWalter's 70th birthday. Positioned
at the top as an eye-catcher is a large stone urn on a pedestal
that was positioned a few years later, in 1991, to celebrate
Brook and Margaret FitzWalter's 40th wedding anniversary.
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The
Arboretum and Gravel Garden
Between the lime avenue and the woodland garden what was an
area of rough pasture has been transformed into an arboretum
with an outstanding collection of ornamental trees. Mown paths
wind between areas where the grass is left unmown for spring
bulbs and later flowers such as snake's-head fritillaries
to thrive, and the collection of trees is notable for the
different varieties of birch, sorbus, malus and robinia.
Below the
arboretum, back towards the house, an old tennis court has
been the scene of the latest transformation, into a new
gravel garden that has been completed in 2003. The garden
brings a contemporary note to Goodnestone, with its path
leading from one side to the other, between bold plantings
of perennial grasses and other striking foliage perennials
such as euphorbias and eryngiums, all growing out of gravel.
Towards the centre a paved area and seat have been positioned
to enjoy the view towards the house and glimpse of the park
beyond.
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Outstanding
Trees
Thanks to its long history
Goodnestone Park is blessed with a selection of wonderful
old trees. Perhaps the most prominent is the ancient cedar
of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, that stands on a raised lawn to
the north of the house's entrance front. It almost certainly
dates from around the time that the house was built and as
well as having had its top blown out in a storm half a century
ago it has lost many branches to the weight of winter snow.
At
the end of the lawn to the south-west of the house is an
enormous sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa which is even older.
The woodland garden contains more enormous sweet chestnut
and oaks, as well as a magnificent southern beech, Nothofagus
fusca, which is not only unusual but the largest in the
UK. The nothofagus, an unusual free-standing evergreen magnolia,
Magnolia grandiflora, which has achieved majestic size,
and two other rarities Abelia triflora, and a cut-leaf alder,
Alnus glutinosa 'Imperialis', were all planted between the
wars by Emmy FitzWalter.
As well as the many varieties in the Arboretum, notable
trees planted during the last thirty years include a fine
tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, an unusual cut-leaf
copper beech, Fagus sylvatica 'Rohanii', and an outstanding
example of the variegated Cornus controversa 'Variegata'.
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