A Visit to Munstead Wood
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit Gertrude Jekyll’s house and garden, and meet Katherine Mills, the manager. Her garden is called Munstead Wood. It is located near the town of Godalming, in the southern English county of Surrey. I had been there quite a few years ago and loved it, so I jumped at the opportunity to return. The property was recently acquired by the English land and garden preservation organization called The National Trust. It is not yet open because changes have to be made to transition from private home to public garden. It will emerge as a place with a new, strong mission of telling the Gertrude Jekyll story in a way that is relevant today.
To say that Gertrude has influenced a century of gardeners is not hyperbole. She, along with her friend and fellow writer William Robinson, were major proponents of a new style of gardening. It was one that relied less on ephemeral annual plants and more on long-term effects using trees, shrubs, and perennials. Gertrude was already a respected artist and craftsperson and had a group of friends who shared her artistic sensibilities. Later in life, Gertrude turned her creativity to her garden. She used the garden at Munstead Wood as her playground and trial area. As she gardened, she recorded her experiences in her writings.
Anyone who has attended one of my lectures will know that given half a chance, I will slip Gertrude into the slide deck. I include her whenever I can because I feel a personal connection to Gertrude though her writing. I have read her books and many of her magazine articles. I love her down-to-earth approach of getting plants to grow well, paired with her consistent theme that the resulting creation should be beautiful. I aspire to follow in her footsteps.
I will be following the progress of Munstead Wood closely and sharing regular updates via this newsletter. If you would like to know more, the National Trust website is very detailed, and I recommend that you check it out at the link below. If you are interested in donating to the fundraising effort, you can find information there too.
Blog Post: Munstead Picnic
I have so many more thoughts after visiting Munstead Wood than I can share in this email. So, this month, I am posting a blog with even more pictures.
Plant of the Month:
Rue graveolens
The plant of the month is one of Gertrude Jekyll’s favorites. She mentions it in the July chapter of “Colour in the Flower Garden.” She describes it like this on page 61: “There is a drift of Rue, giving a beautiful effect of dim grey colour and softened shadow; it is crowned by its spreading corymbs of pale yellow bloom that all rise nearly to a level.”
What a great description. I have grown rue in my herb garden for over twenty years. It looks good all spring with its highly divided, glaucous leaves. Summer brings the yellow flowers that are flat-topped as Gertrude describes. The one caveat is to wear gloves when handling this plant because its sap can be a skin irritant. I think that it deserves a place in flower beds as well as herb plantings.
Book of the Month:
Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden
Pasted into my edition of Gertrude Jekyll’s classic work Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden is what appears to be an obituary from a newspaper. It begins: “Many who read of the death of Miss Gertrude Jekyll may have little idea of what they owe to her.” I agree with this statement wholeheartedly.
The Victorian era of gardening that preceded Gertrude Jekyll’s writing was typified by stilted and formulaic pattern gardens that were referred to as “carpet bedding.” The rows and circles of brightly colored annual flowers were thought to resemble a patterned rug. There was little skill required to plant this garden up and it vanished with the first frost. The next year, you had to plant it all out again.
Into this dreadful gardening style comes a breath of fresh air led by the twin garden luminaries, William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll. They were both opinionated, avid gardeners who wrote extensively about their own gardens—William Robinson at Gravetye Manor and Gertrude Jekyll at Munstead Wood. They both grew hardy plants that returned year after year. They loved the naturalistic or wild style of garden better than the formal patterns of contemporary gardens. They were not afraid to stick their necks out and cause an uproar. William Robinson, in particular, was criticized for his wild garden ideas. Gertrude Jekyll somehow seems to have persuaded people that, maybe carpet bedding was an outdated style, and we could do better.
This new hardy gardening style involved a great deal more artistry than before. Gertrude explained how she combined plants for artistic effect using color as her primary decision maker. Her famous long flower border began at one end with soft blues and whites, and then merged through to hot colors in the middle, and soft purples at the other end. It was a tour de force that was emulated the world over. She had started a trend that continues today.
In her own words she describes the border: “The big flower border is about two hundred feet long and fourteen feet wide.” What a sight that must have been. She designed it so that it was not for spring but was “at its best in late summer.” In this way, she could use all the space in the border for plants that looked good from July though frost. It is wise advice today if you have room to create areas for each season. Most of us need our flower beds to perform well throughout the growing season.
I will be sharing much more about my Gertrude Jekyll thoughts and quotes, but I would recommend that you read some of her writings online. Her books are illustrated by her garden maps and her own black and white photographs. Gertrude was a woman of many talents.
Here are a few other links that I think are worth checking out:
Colour in the Flower Garden
“A Brief Introduction to the Remarkable Garden Designer”
Note: I am not sponsored to promote books found in these newsletters. They are featured because I truly love them.
In Case You Were Gardening…
Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – June 2024
A Classic English Garden – April 2024
Cutting a Dahlia On a Ladder – July 2014
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If you would like to see photos of my garden at Northview and images of my garden travels, please follow me on Instagram @NorthviewGarden and @JennyRoseCarey
Bye for now,
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