Very few people have 100ac of grounds wherein their vision for the garden can take root. Most of us are working with a more modest space than Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, and we equally lack the years of horticulture experience and knowledge.
But although the Georgian estate operates at a huge scale, there are elements of horticulture that apply to any green space, says head gardener, Claire Woods. “Aspects of the walled garden are replicable in a smaller garden. It’s quite easy to replicate everything. It’s about variety in terms of shapes and sizes and colours and different textures,” she explains.
“People can take little cameos from it,” she advises. “For example, you need an evergreen structure in the garden. You need something that’s going to look good in the winter.
“In your own garden, you also need a focal point. It might not be Lady Alice’s Temple,” she jokes. “It might be a particularly nice tree, a ceramic pot, or a bird feeder.”
Another element to gardening is planning, Claire continues. “So these planters were planted up in the autumn,” she points towards several large wooden planters that are full to the brim with daffodils. Their brilliant yellow folds conceal layers of heather – “great for the bees” – and dappled ferns.
“They looked good all winter because they were planted with lovely primulas and evergreen ferns, and that kept them looking good. And then you’ve got the lovely daffodils coming up now. And what you see here is really compact. If you don’t have much space, you can use pots.”
When you’re choosing tulips, look at the season of blooming and make sure that you choose different groups to give them that continuity
When it comes to planning, considering seasonality is really important, Claire explains. “When you’re choosing daffodils, choose daffodils with different flowering times, so that they cycle. We’ve got some that are starting to bloom now, and some that will bloom at the end of April. It’s about the length of the season.
“When you’re choosing tulips, look at the season of blooming and make sure that you choose different groups to give them that continuity.”
Claire says that people are thinking more about biodiversity and wildlife in their gardens too. “They’re moving away from summer bedding plants that you buy for a season, and instead towards perennials that are long-lasting.”
Finally, think about layering in the garden and planting in tiers, advises Claire. “You should have a ground cover layer, a shrub layer and then your canopy layer. You can do it with a myriad of different things, like snowdrops, azalea and a tree.
“Another tip for beginner gardeners is to use ground cover, because if you leave the ground bare, it just grows weeds. Layering your garden softens everything as well,” she says.
Claire Woods, head gardener at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Co Antrim. \ Peter Houston
Very few people have 100ac of grounds wherein their vision for the garden can take root. Most of us are working with a more modest space than Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, and we equally lack the years of horticulture experience and knowledge.
But although the Georgian estate operates at a huge scale, there are elements of horticulture that apply to any green space, says head gardener, Claire Woods. “Aspects of the walled garden are replicable in a smaller garden. It’s quite easy to replicate everything. It’s about variety in terms of shapes and sizes and colours and different textures,” she explains.
“People can take little cameos from it,” she advises. “For example, you need an evergreen structure in the garden. You need something that’s going to look good in the winter.
“In your own garden, you also need a focal point. It might not be Lady Alice’s Temple,” she jokes. “It might be a particularly nice tree, a ceramic pot, or a bird feeder.”
Another element to gardening is planning, Claire continues. “So these planters were planted up in the autumn,” she points towards several large wooden planters that are full to the brim with daffodils. Their brilliant yellow folds conceal layers of heather – “great for the bees” – and dappled ferns.
“They looked good all winter because they were planted with lovely primulas and evergreen ferns, and that kept them looking good. And then you’ve got the lovely daffodils coming up now. And what you see here is really compact. If you don’t have much space, you can use pots.”
When you’re choosing tulips, look at the season of blooming and make sure that you choose different groups to give them that continuity
When it comes to planning, considering seasonality is really important, Claire explains. “When you’re choosing daffodils, choose daffodils with different flowering times, so that they cycle. We’ve got some that are starting to bloom now, and some that will bloom at the end of April. It’s about the length of the season.
“When you’re choosing tulips, look at the season of blooming and make sure that you choose different groups to give them that continuity.”
Claire says that people are thinking more about biodiversity and wildlife in their gardens too. “They’re moving away from summer bedding plants that you buy for a season, and instead towards perennials that are long-lasting.”
Finally, think about layering in the garden and planting in tiers, advises Claire. “You should have a ground cover layer, a shrub layer and then your canopy layer. You can do it with a myriad of different things, like snowdrops, azalea and a tree.
“Another tip for beginner gardeners is to use ground cover, because if you leave the ground bare, it just grows weeds. Layering your garden softens everything as well,” she says.
Claire Woods, head gardener at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Co Antrim. \ Peter Houston
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