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About Montana
Cholesbury is high in the Chiltern hills, 3 miles from Tring, Berkhamsted, Chesham and the A4251 Northchurch junction on the A41. Montana is in a quiet country lane on the edge of the village and part of the 1000 year old Herts/Bucks boundary ditch can be seen both in the front of the garden and wood, hence, Shire Lane. The area is an AONB and surrounded by hundreds of acres of Ancient Woodland with many footpaths, maps for which are available in the garden. It is excellent dog walking country.
In 1947 the wood besides Montana was part of Dunton’s Brick Yard where handmade bricks were made. A garden has now been created round the house although in the wood there remain many signs of this industrial past, such as clay pits and the concrete engine block for the pugging machine, which will add interest to your visit.
The Garners moved in in 1995 and started the garden. The acre adjoining the house has been completely cleared of scrub trees, holly and brambles, and planted with flowers, shrubs and trees to attract birds and wildlife. A small gate leads to the 3 acre wood that surrounds the plot. There are a large number of different shrubs and herbaceous perennials in the garden giving a striking combination of leaf colours and shapes including a mature Cercis Forest Pansy, Cornus ‘Norman Hadden’, Hydrangeas and Berberis, and a beautiful Cercidiphyllum japonica ‘Pendulum’. In the summer the kitchen garden is surrounded by beautifully scented sweet peas which start flowering in June. There is an apiary. A Cornus controversa ‘Pagoda’, a beautiful tall Wollemi Pine which has flowered, Quercus petraea ‘Laciniata Crispa’ and a selection of Acers and Camelias and Rhododendrons mark the gradual move into a mixed woodland (over two dozen species) dominated by beech, oak, and silver birch. Thousands of daffodils have been planted in the woods over the past twenty years. Meandering paths guide you through the wood pass ample seating to enjoy the shade on the hottest of days. A fernery, with more than 40 different varieties, lies in the back corner of the wood waiting to be discovered planted in an old clay pit originating from the brick works. Visitors are invited to sit and listen to the birds and the quiet. This is not a manicured garden but a happy calm peaceful space
Covered open barn available for refreshments if wet
Parking is in the front drive, and on the two front verges which is why it is important to phone to book your parking space – the lane is single track.
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