Hawkhill House

About Hawkhill House

We have been gardening at Hawkhill for 8 years, a passion which we enjoy, alongside work and our growing young family. We were fortunate to inherite mature trees and shrubs which we have used as structure around which we have introduced roses and flowering perennials. The 4m wide yew hedge creates a passage through into the second part of the garden, separate from the house, and home to the apple walk, perennial avenues, and a looser, more informal planting style.
We garden with respect for the environment, pollinators, birds and other wildlife. We don’t use pesticides and try to reuse and recycle wherever possible. Our paddock we leave to grow wildflowers for the bees in May and June when other flowers are scarce, and for the last few years we have noticed marsh orchids.
The lily pond at the centre of the rose garden was created using a scrap 4m section of sewage pipe and capped with Victorian flags. We currently have it grated for safety.
We have been rewarded with a blossoming population of hedgehogs, toads, sparrow hawks, kestrels, buzzards, barn and tawny owls, and swallows which return year after year.
Our rabbit and hare population makes things challenging, limiting the variety of plants we are able to grow, and periodically we need to cloche our roses to allow them time to recover.
While we have some 2 acres around the house restored, we have a further 4 acres of woodland, drives and rides which will add to our project for the years to come.