From the mundane to the magical … the creation of a romantic garden

For garden owner Sunil Patel, opening his garden in Sandhurst, Berkshire is a true labour of love. His spellbinding ¼ acre garden invites you to lose yourself on its sinuous paths, explore hidden corners, waltz down the long pergola and dance through rose arches.

“I think of the garden as having a combination of formality and folly, and once visitors have explored, they can finish off their visit on the Mediterranean terrace looking out over it all, relaxing with a cup of tea and some wickedly sumptuous home-made cake,” he says.

The garden at 13 Broom Acres began as an ordinary suburban expanse of grass with some neglected shrubs and lots of weeds. It has taken nine years for it to become the captivating romantic garden it is today. There is always something in flower and always something new to see in this hidden gem.

“Gardening in a romantic style involves a lot of work and maintenance,” says Sunil, “especially when you have so many plants crammed so close together. But it’s done in a way that doesn’t make it look manicured and pristine. While this is how the garden initially starts each season – especially in the early spring after the winter clean-up, by mid-July, visitors are already having to brush past plants that are closing in and meeting each other across the paths, well-defined border edges are disappearing as plants spill over and the line between what is under control and what isn’t, is increasingly blurred.”

It is this exuberant, relaxed planting that gives the garden its romantic feel, with a classical urn, rose arches and a long pergola drawing the eye – and the visitor – to explore.

 

Sunil’s love of gardening started when he was a small child. “My granddad only ever planted two things: spinach and marigolds. It was then that I made the connection between plants and food, though all I wanted was chocolate. It was the marigolds that sealed the deal. Those bright, vibrant yellow and orange flowers, the size of softballs took my breath away. I remember wailing when they were picked. Thankfully these days I can envisage the concept of a cutting garden without bursting into tears.”

Before moving to Berkshire, Sunil had a much smaller garden in Cambridgeshire, “It was my first garden and I used it as a learning opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience that would be invaluable in creating the much larger garden we currently have,” he says.

The previous garden was a compact, distilled version of the one Sunil currently has. He quickly turned over much of the grass to borders and filled it with shrubs, perennials, climbers, rose arches and more. It was cozy, inviting and quickly filled to bursting.

“I think the romantic garden style is underrated, many of the UK’s best-loved gardens are romantic: Mottisfont, Bodnant, Nymans, Sissinghurst to name but a few. It’s the style that gives the most freedom of design and freedom of expression.

“In my own garden, it’s the style of plants packed cheek-by-jowl, of crisp border edges covered by exuberant growth. It’s clematis growing up a honeysuckle growing up a rambling rose growing up a tree, tangled in a pergola. The impression is a garden on the verge of spiraling out of control. There’s a tension between cultivated and wild, manicured and natural, serious and playful, formality and folly.”

The inspiration to open for the National Garden Scheme came from a TV series featuring gardeners preparing their own gardens to open, most succeeding just in the nick of time. “The series was a long time before even my first garden, but I do remember watching it and being inspired, wondering if I would ever have the opportunity to do the same. It was a dream that lay dormant for years, then took a further nine to come to fruition.”

 

Like many garden owners the question often asked is why do you open your garden to others. For Sunil it’s sharing his visitor’s joy. “I think it’s seeing the garden filled with people. Seeing them enjoying walking around the borders and looking at the plants, talking, commenting and discussing. It’s also watching people drawn to the large table laden with cakes and then make the challenging decision on which one they want to have!

“It’s lovely to hear their comments about the garden, about the cake and it’s interesting to see what any particular person focuses on, whether it’s a question of a rose variety, the mostly-hole-free hostas or the secret ingredient to the Victoria sponge.  Finally, it’s knowing they go away happy, enthused and inspired.”

For Sunil it’s not just incredibly rewarding to see people enjoy the efforts of his hard work but also it’s an opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds with a common interest. “It’s a chance to educate, inspire and demonstrate the value of a beautiful garden and the money raised goes to fantastic causes.”

 

But perhaps the bigger question is who makes all the fabulous cakes? While many garden owners call on the help of friends and family to add the flourish to the tea table it’s Sunil who bakes the sumptuous offerings at 13 Broom Acres.

“I’ve been baking for as long as I have been gardening,” he says. “And I make all my own cakes.”

The cakes on offer are now just as well renowned as the garden itself. So much so that Sunil has been asked if he can cater for events, and people turn up with Tupperware to take pieces away. There’s even been a thinly veiled marriage proposal resulting from the coffee and pecan.

So, what are Sunil’s top tips for creating a garden in the romantic style?

“The romantic style epitomises the phrase, ‘go big or go home’,” he says. “It also has only two types of plants, the fast and the dead. It’s about being bold with your ideas. Don’t plant singly, plant in blocks, plant close together and plant in tiers with bulbs, ground cover, low shrubs, taller trees and climbers. Go for plants with interesting foliage, tasty fruits, heady fragrance or unusual flowers. Don’t be too neat and meticulous all year-round, let some plants go, let others self-seed. Prune just once a year, prune haphazardly.

“A romantic garden is an escape from the mundane and about creating a space with a sense of playfulness, tension and mystery, where it looks as though a gardener might have passed by, but you can never be quite sure.”

You can visit Sunil’s garden at 13 Broom Acres when it opens for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 25 August – or By Arrangement.
For more details click here

For more about the garden catch up with Sunil’s garden blog at: www.sunilpatel.co.uk