Little Yarford Farmhouse

About Little Yarford Farmhouse

Little Yarford Farm sits comfortably on the lower slopes of the Quantock Hills facing South, East and West. While it is exposed to the South Westerly winds the arrangement of the buildings permits sheltered corners and areas. The soil is a good rich loam but many of the beds are on made up ground and raised well above the water table leading to drought problems in summer. The Ph is neutral to acid so both Rhododendrons and camellias survive comfortably in the camellia walk.

Over the last 50 years the garden has expanded away from the house. Once almost lost beneath climbing plants nature has been taken in hand and we await to see just how they have responded to a drastic pruning. Rather than a series of rooms extending from the building the surrounding garden with lawns and ponds provides a setting for it with trees and plants placed in relation to each other and the wider landscape. After 50 years or so there is a need for some degree of rejuvenation which is now very much the task in hand but offering opportunities for new ideas and approaches and spaces for new plants.

While the garden and ponds around the house might be described as an exercise in the aesthetics of planting, the two paddocks with their extensive collection of tree cultivars is a dendrologist’s dream. It contains both conifer and broadleaf, some extremely rare or unusual, with a number of named gingkho and sequoia specimens. The beech family are particularly well represented even including one yet to be named from Vietnam, several Rohanii and an Ansorgii.

For those in need of re-fuelling there are cream teas and cakes and for interest a few plants for sale. Entrance for children is free and there will be a few activities for them too.

Visit https://ngs.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/05/Little-Yarford-Paddock-Tree-Collection.pdf for the Paddock tree collection list.

Visit https://ngs.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/05/Little-Yarford-Tree-List.pdf for the tree collection list.

An exercise in landscaping, contrast planting and creating views both within the garden and without to the vale and the Quantock Hills.