Pie Corner, Hertfordshire: a slice of paradise
In Pie Corner the modern classical house is the centrepiece to the formal garden. In late spring, wisteria climbs the brickwork of the house’s distinctive exterior and carefully planted tulips bloom beneath the vines.
Join Garden Owner, Bella Stuart-Smith for a glimpse of some of the highlights at Pie Corner, Hertfordshire, this April.
Discover more…
The house at Pie Corner was built in the late 1980s, and Bella and her husband, Jeremy have lived there ever since.
The house was designed by architect James Gorst and is one of the latest additions to the new Pevsner’s Architectural Guide to Hertfordshire. When the house was built there was no garden, and so Bella and Jeremy had to start from scratch – working from the house outwards with a terrace, yew and hornbeam hedges. As time and energy allowed the garden was extended into the field, where they planted lime trees and established a vegetable garden.
With help and advice from their family, Bella and Jeremey laid out a plan for the garden at the very beginning for the areas immediately south and north of the house. The original plan included an elaborate box parterre, which has since been removed after finding gardening within box too restrictive.
Like many family gardens, Pie Corner has evolved over time with recreational additions to keep a young family entertained. But above all the garden is a playground for Bella to learn how plants grow, what works and most importantly to have fun in.
In April, the formal garden is full of a number of pinks, purples, whites and reds. In the spring these are brought by the garden’s fantastic array of tulips, including ‘Barcelona’, ‘Red Shine’, ‘Ronaldo’, ‘Virichic’. ‘Dordogne’ and ‘Dolls Minuet’.
Be sure to mark this as a favourite to visit when the gates open again – for more details click here
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