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About 12 Willow Hey
A garden developed over 40 years by a couple with a shared interest in plants. There was no grand plan and areas have evolved over time. The accidental result is a garden with ‘rooms’ that range from a formal lawn and beds via the pond/rockery and orchard to the Leeds/Liverpool canal bank. Each different area has colour in most months.
Most of the shrubs and trees are pruned annually so they don’t swamp their neighbours while retaining the flowering/fruiting year on year. The term ‘dwarf’ does not mean a plant will not outgrow its space. . The soil is a light loam over sand – very well drained. Two compost areas help to build soil quality.
The year begins with bulbs (snowdrops/croci/daffodils/trilliums/bluebells) and hellebores followed by the rhododendrons and early shrubs. Later in the year the perennials add to colour with a 10m summer border being a particular pleasure. Flowers eg the asters continue into the early winter.
There are over 60 different trees from dwarf confers to a 250 yr old Quercus rober on the canal bank that give colour, form and shade. And a wide variety of plants that we have collected from garden shows and specialist growers – eg over 60 different roses. Two vegetable areas (no dig principle) and a greenhouse supply vegetables for half the year and and an orchard fruit area with 10 different apple varieties and 4 damsons. 8 of the apples are grown as a Belgian fence – an effective version of cordon training. There are multiple slightly quirky garden ornaments and several seats from which to enjoy different parts of the garden. The pond with koi carp is surrounded by a rockery.
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