About Overstroud Cottage
This cottage garden, reminiscent of the late Margery Fish’s garden (East Lambrook Manor in Somerset), is carved out of an old chalk quarry; the soil is therefore alkaline.
An artistic colour schemed garden on two levels where visitors will find the popular flowers and herbs of the 17th & 18th centuries including auricular, hellebores, spring bulbs, pulmonaria, geraniums, peonies and antique roses.
Divided into specific areas relating to each season, the surrounding woodland setting provides the backdrop to a garden of year-round interest. In June/July it is festooned with rambler roses: Rambling Rector, Filipes Kiftsgate, Longicuspis, Paul’s Himalayan Musk, Kew Rambler and Frances Lester.
There is a lily pond, and a potager edged with ‘step-over’ apples is featured in Joy Larkcom’s book, ‘Creative Vegetable Gardening’.
Soft colours are of prime importance as the property is situated on a B road. Traffic noise has been lessened by growing barriers; a layered hedge, a row of hornbeams and an ivy ‘fedge’ which forms the backdrop to a mini wildflower meadow
.