Springtime in The Secret Gardens

The Secret Gardens of Sandwich are a delight to visit at any time of year.

However, it is in Springtime, when a plethora of tiny bulbs pop their heads through the hardened earth, that Head Gardner Steve Edney gets his biggest buzz.

Steve, who has helped restore, revive and re-design this stunning Lutyens and Jekyll garden, galvanises a team of eight gardeners at The Secret Gardens, which has rapidly grown – deservedly – into one of East Kent’s top tourist attractions.

Steve and his team have planted 40,000 bulbs in the past two years which start to show from February through to June. By April, the herbaceous planting is coming to life and new colours are coming through in succession all the time.

The bulb planting project is just one small part of a mammoth restoration programme undertaken at The Salutation – a stunning Edwardian manor house – and its gardens, which had lain in a sorry state of neglect until purchased by the present owners, Dominic and Stephanie Parker, in 2004.

The productive vegetable garden was once no more than a pile of rubble and the Holm Oak Walk was totally shapeless and overgrown.

In four years, the gardens have undergone a complete metamorphosis and, whilst the spirit and style of the original garden remains, a number of more modern features have been added to create a fascinating attraction for both the keen gardener and the enthusiastic amateur.

Jekyll believed that a garden should offer unexpected views and visual surprises and should be made up of many “rooms” – each with its own character. Consequently, visitors gain new and surprising experiences as they twist and turn their way through
the tree-lined walkways and shady glades.

The beautiful ‘bowling green’ lawn is now pretty much how she and Lutyens would have imagined it, while the new Tropical Border, with the incredibly rare Wollemi Pine, which dates back to the Jurassic period, the Persian Ironwood and the Indian Bean Tree, would have been beyond the duo’s wildest dreams.

Lake Patricia was created during the seventies and has an island which has been turned into a meadow. Accessed by a small bridge, this is a remarkably tranquil place to sit and meditate on the beautiful surroundings.

The Gardens also include a stunning Yellow Garden and Rose Garden, as well as a kitchen garden and woodland garden, while the breathtaking White Garden, with its abundance of white, cream and silver foliage plants leaves a lasting, calming memory at the end of a rich and varied garden tour in which your senses are quite overwhelmed!

The garden, which extends to some 3.5 acres, operates entirely on organic principles and is a fine example of how healthy your plants can be without chemical intervention.

To round off your visit, there is a delightful Tea Room selling delicious home-made cakes and cream teas – including the popular Chocolate Cream Tea – and a gift shop, selling exclusive and unusual pieces, is due to open in the Spring.

There have been times in the past five years that Dominic and Stephanie have questioned the wisdom of their undertaking – such as when, having spent several weeks re-lining the lake with the traditional clay dug from the garden, they found it had to be completely re-done with a composite after it drained almost immediately!

However, looking out from the terrace of what is the family home as well as a thriving business, they have to admit: “It’s not bad for a back garden.”

The Gardens are open seven days a week, throughout the year and visitors can always be assured of a warm welcome. For further information telephone 01304 619919.

© Jane Shotliff 2010