Hazel Cottage

About Hazel Cottage

Hazel Cottage garden started life in 1888 as a one-third-acre Victorian cottager’s subsistence plot to produce food for the family table. A solitary ‘Hazel’ or ‘Hessle’ pear tree survives as memorial to an even earlier time as part of the widespread Bretherton orchard. Over the past 40 years the garden has been transformed into a series of enclosures & open spaces which draw visitors forward on a journey; too much explanation can spoil the sense of discovery. Good things are still grown to eat, but the senses of smell, touch & vision are also entertained. There is food for thought in the Yorkshire, Lancashire & Sunset borders, seats for quiet contemplation in hidden corners & celebration of the natural world in the ponds, native hedgerows, meadow & developing woodland . The garden has been designed to have minimal visual impact on the countryside in which it sits, to respect the environment & to provide a home for wildlife. Other than hedge-cutting & hard landscaping, the garden is the work of the two owners. The soil is heavy clay, enhanced by garden compost & horse manure. Lying about 8 metres above sea level, the garden has its main axis running south-west/north-east & is prey to the moisture-laden prevailing wind. Acquisition in 2016 of the two-acre pasture field adjoining the garden has enabled further development of sanctuaries for native species by dredging an existing field pond, sowing a perennial species-rich meadow and planting native tree and shrub species alongside the summer grazing.