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About Beechenwood Farm
The house is the rebuilding and extension of two farm cottages burned down in 1965. It was completed in 1972. The garden of 1.8 acres has evolved since then. The garden is ‘L’ shape following the bend in the lane. It is in three main parts: the woodland garden, the more cultivated lawns, terrace and walled herb garden next to the house, the orchard and vegetable garden. Although there was no garden as such when the owners moved in, they were fortunate that the site possessed many mature trees. In the woodland garden, advantage has been taken of the fact that the trees in this area are ash, whose foliage enables a curving linear lawn to be extended through the dappled shade of the woodland. This area is planted with spring bulbs and evolves through the summer with cowslips, tulips, bluebells, fritillaries, cow parsley and long grass. The lawns, rose garden and terrace are squeezed between the house and the west boundary of the site to take advantage of midday and afternoon sun. A rose and clematis planted pergola defines the border with woodland garden. Being further from the edges of the site, the walled herb garden is a more formal design in contrast to other areas which respond in layout to the garden perimeter and the existing trees. By early summer the planting becomes exuberant – the angelicas echoing the lead statue in scale and height. Herbs include medicinal and culinary varieties and attractive intruders such as aquilegia.The orchard is designed as a traditional regular grid of apple, pear and plum trees and the vegetable garden follows the line of the lane and is a simple layout of raised beds enabling maximum flexibility of planting over time. Extending from the north-west corner of the garden is a sliver of land between two fields. This is treated as a woodland walk planted with bluebells and specimen trees including Prunus Serrulata, Acer Griseum and shrubs such as the tree peony. At the end of the walk, advantage has been taken of the levels to provide a raised ‘belvedere’ giving extensive views to the north-west over Odiham as far as the Thames Valley. On the other side of the lane is a small field where plants are grown in a polytunnel for sale at Country Markets and when the garden is open to the public for the NGS. A copse of eight acres was planted in 1992 in a further field. This consists of mixed woodland into which rides and walks have been included. With the advice of the forestry commission, trees include oak, beech, larch, cherry, ash, whitebeam, chestnut and English maple.
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