This is a short guide to help you find your way around, and to point out some of the plants to those who may be interested.   Please feel free to ask me (I should be around somewhere) if there are any further details you would like to know. 

The garden was started in August 1995, absolutely from scratch.  The first major work was clearing brambles as thick as a wrist and ten feet tall – blackthorn, knotweed and ground elder in quantity.  Then came the landscaping -  building walls, heaving and placing of rocks (all indigenous to Dyffryn and none bought in), then the carting and tractoring of vast quantities of manure and topsoil.  Slowly it began to take shape. 

You have parked in what was the old farm QUARRY  which is now planted mainly to trees and roses.  The central bed has a selection of ornamental grasses and cardoons surrounding Quercus coccinea – the scarlet oak, from America.  There are Eucalypts from Australia, various Betulas (Silver Birch) and ornamental Acers.  The large shrub border is backed by Drimys winterii, two Stuartia and Tai Haku – the Great White Cherry.  Among many roses are Kiftsgate, Albertine, Seagull, the  Rambling Rector, Astra Desmond, Paul’s Himalayan Musk, Penelope, Buff Beauty,  Rosa omeiensis ptranthca,  Rosa woodsii fendieri (what extraordinary names!) Meg Merilees, Cooper’s Burmese, Canary Bird, Mermaid, Dr. Van Fleet and Cerise Bouquet. 

As you follow the drive towards the house, there is an uphill path on your left to the Magic Garden, past the rose Bobbie James which I hope will one day drape itself from the Ash tree. As you approach the house, the bank on the left is planted to Azaleas and Acers, with a good undercover in spring of Snowdrops, Narcissi, Wood Anemones, Helleborus etc.   To the fore are Daphne tangutica, Fothergilla monticola and more roses – Graham Thomas, Buff Beauty, and Fantin Latour.  The autumn colour here is particularly good.  New plants on the bank are one Fothergilla gardenii Mount Airey and one Liquidamber styraciflua Naree, plus a quantity of lilies. 

The FRONT GARDEN.  This is the only part that I designed and drew out in detail. The wall was built for me by an ex-neighbour from the Gwaun,  who also laid the path and paving.  The large round copper fountain was previously part of a whisky still – but unfortunately it only holds water now!  The steps by it go up to the Magic Garden – but be careful! They are very small and steep at the top.  Starting by the steps under the bank and working clockwise,  plants of particular note are Daphne blagayana  under a Snake Bark Maple;  past the Ceonothus is the rose Duchess of Portland with white Anemone japonica and a white Wisteria.  A new addition  here is Daphne bholua Jacqueline Postill.  A tender evergreen  Buddleja salvifolia on the front wall of the house (corner by oil tank)  has masses of intensely fragrant flowers in the Autumn.  The rose in this bed is probably one of the most ancient of all, a china called Mutabilis.  By the front door, are climbing Compassion and Clematis Prince Charles.  In the front of this bed is Peony emodii and one of a number of very early hybrid teas, a pink single called Dainty Bess, along with Salvia uliginosa,  Crossing to the other side of the door, is the early Dutch Honeysuckle and in the far corner, the rose Meg with Lobelia tupa in front. Moving on round, we have Mrs. Oakley Fisher, an exquisite orange-yellow single rose, then the silver Teucrium fruticans, plus Jasmine, the Summer sweet-scented climber and the evergreen shrubby yellow flowered.  The next rose, a stunning red echoed by the Knautia planted nearby, is Dusky Maiden.  Daphne odorata is by the gate and we cross over to Hamemalis mollis pallida.  Possibly my favourite of all roses, Mme Hardy – white with a little green centre - but you are lucky if you catch her in flower,  she visits us just fleetingly.  Down on the corner of this bed is rose James Mason, and as you turn back towards the copper, Tuscany superb is on your left followed by the hybrid musk  Prosperity, a new plant,  Liquidamber styraciflua Gumball, and then finally M. le Comte de Chambord.  The lilies are mostly the richly scented Regale variety and the Orange Martagons and there are tulips and alliums in season. 

 I will digress briefly to the MAGIC GARDEN. So-called because the sons of the previous owner named it so. From here Mercury , messenger of the gods, looks up to Garn Fawr. This is presently a wild area, cleared by my son and now just strimmed.- with more climbing and bush roses – Complicata,  William Lobb and on the other side Wichuriana aiming to tumble down into the quarry.  There is a good view from up here, making it an excellent place to pause and reflect a little on the Pembrokeshire landscape. 

Leaving the front garden, go round the side of the house to the back and up a few steps to the KITCHEN GARDEN.  Here I have a shady-ish bank with Epimediums, Hellebores, Primroses, spring bulbs, Hostas etc. There are also some winter-flowering Hamamelis, including Jelena and Arnold’s Promise.  The large-leafed Rhododendron in the far corner is not enjoying its draughty site and is due to be moved.  This garden has been laid out to follow the old four-course rotation of potatoes, legumes, brassicas,  roots. There are also ancilliary  beds, some companion planting and – guess what? – more roses: Mme Gregoire Staechlin and Moyesii Geranium – which has superb flagon-shaped hips. 

To the side of the house is the NURSERY GARDEN with greenhouses,  cold frames and hard standing for pots etc.  In the top corner there is a nice young Liriodendron tulipfera and at the entrance corner near the Long Barn, Cercis siliquastrum- the Judas Tree. Judas was said to have hanged himself from it, but as it never gets very large and  the

Branches are extremely brittle, I can’t quite see how!  The large shrub with furry brown branches is Viburnum rhytidophyllum. This can look extremely manky in the spring but more than makes up for it during the rest of the year. 

All of this garden once comprised the OLD RICKYARD and on the lower level a more formal garden is in the process of being made. Four tall Junipers mark the corners. At the centre of each rectangle is Embothrium coccineum – the Chilean Flame Tree.  The centre is taken up with four squares of roses for cutting, lavenders and tulips together with embryo evergreen “bumps” of Pittosporum, Hebe and Buxus. There will be round balls of yew (Taxus) at the far end one day and two “lollipop” hollies are considering the odds…   A new Ginko Biloba has been planted downhill towards the orchard which I hope will mirror the Liriodendron at the other end.  At the back of this bed are Callistemon, white Buddleja and Mimosa  - but it seems too exposed for this last to flower. Within this formality I intend to have strips of cultivated soil for growing on new plants, seedlings, cuttings and some vegetable “ overflow”. 

Follow the path down some steps into the small ORCHARD – a favourite place to sit or idle time away on the swing.  The orchard has now been extended with many more fruit trees and is underplanted with soft fruit.  It is currently massed with scented daffodils in the spring. More roses, of course, but I am going to cease naming them, and two giant-Redwood-to-be  Metasequoia glyptostroboides, which will eventually make quite a mark on the skyline.  I have always remained fascinated by Beth Chatto’s comment that when planting trees to think of it as “painting the sky”. Towards the end of the Long Barn there is a tree called Cercidiphyllum japonicum, whose leaves smell of warm caramel when they fall and gives glorious autumn colour.  Further down is Parrotia persica (the Persian Ironwood) a “thumper” that grows as wide as it is tall, has minute scented flowers in spring and the most stunning autumn colour. This tree is exceptional in that it is the only one to really hold its leaves in the teeth of Pembrokeshire autumn gales.  This area is bordered by a winter hedge of lime green coral, gold and red stems of Salix and Cornus.  A new path runs down here, nicknamed “Victory Parade” on account of its unnatural straightness. 

From here you turn up to your right into the COUTYARD GARDEN  (or you may have come down into it earlier). This garden is formed by the old farm buildings which are now used for storage, workshop/potting shed and a small one-roomed cottage.  The surface here is rock and concrete, so all the soil and stones to form the beds had to be imported.  The planting is primarily for “jungle” effect with whatever plants I had to hand. You will be relieved to know that I shall not name the roses, but leave aficionados to guess them. Briefly, there is a boggy bed adjacent to the Long Barn, where we discovered natural surface water rising up.  Here thrive Inula afghanica, Arundo donax, Bowles’ beautiful golden grass, Ligularia etc.  The plant right in the middle of the garden is Melianthus major, a distinguished tender foliage subject which used to flower regularly, but not these past three summers.  Are the winters colder (I think so) or is the plant just getting older?  There are some stone sinks with alpines on the terrace and a large slate planter full of grasses which contribute very welcome winter colour.  This is a good place to sit and enjoy the view over Dinas Mountain and up to Garn Fawr.  This hillside is a blaze of colour in autumn, with gorse, golden bracken and pink sunsets.  Birdwatchers, please let me know what you see! Quite a variety fly over that area, and as all the locals know, there are a pair of ravens that nest on Garn Fawr itself.  The planting in the courtyard is not complete and will I hope continue to change.  New plants added include:  Acer griseum Carpentaria californica Ladhams variety.  Another plant which is really “doing its thing”   is Euphorbia mellifera, along with Rosa Banksia lutscens  on the front of the Long Barn. 

A small slate terrace and steps lead down from the courtyard to the BOG GARDEN. This is the experimental part of the garden. The one which produces more problems and the most unremitting hard work. Small successes are therefore highly valued.  Dominating this area is David’s obelisk, in polished stainless steel.  David came into my life in 2001 and is now a full-time supportive partner in the garden. 

This area was created late winter 1999/2000.  The “inner” bog garden is contained in a hedge of golden, red and coral willow. The slate path, the three seats and most of the planting were done whilst the entire area was under running water.  “Suck it and see” now has a new meaning for those of us “bogged down” all that winter and only much laughter kept us on the go.  There has been  a lot of experiment.  With about 4” of topsoil over solid blue clay, the water runs over the surface and it is far too wet for a lot of plants.

Over time , I found which plants will grow directly in the bog and which need more topsoil brought in to survive.  Work is constantly in progress and I now need to find a legal (or illegal) method of killing bullrushes – suggestions gratefully received!  I have got very excited about growing Equisetum (aka horsetails)  which most people would consider sheer lunacy.  However, one variety is our rarest native plant and another is said to grow to 7’ – if only it would, we could perhaps tempt the odd pterodactyl to nest in it!   A friend from New Zealand mentioned that Phormiums grow in ditches in their native habitat, so I planted one directly into the wet and after two years of agony, it decided to adapt and is flourishing. Nothing venture, nothing gained! 

I prevaricate endlessly over the content of the four old washing coppers. Last year they were very good with giant tender Lavendula x christiana and Nicotiana glauca.  At the time of writing, this year’s planting is still to be decided.               

The outer bog garden is planted to Gunnera, Eupatorium, Inula afghanica, various iris,willow even Petasites and the grass “Gardeners’ Garters”  (where did this name come from?) 

Returning up the steps to the courtyard, and going to your left, you move into the shade of the big Ash tree.  The bed on your left is planted with subjects that like a lot of moisture ( the soil is heavier here) and will take shade.   There are Rodgersia, Hostas , Bamboo, Kirengshoma, Hydrangea villosa, Solomon’s Seal and a Golden Hop against the wall of the building.  There are Meconopsis (Himalayan Blue Poppy) here.  In my previous garden in the Gwaun they seeded themselves everywhere and I long for them to be happy here.  

On your right  behind a bamboo screen, on the corner of the Bwthyn, is the entrance to an old yard that I have developed as a FERNERY.  In the two corners are the most hardy tree ferns, Dicksonia Antartica.  There are many examples from the families of Asplenium, Athyrium, Dryopteris and Polystichum.  In the summer, three more tender tree ferns, (Cythea)  are stood out in pots.  Please note in particular, the interactive water feature.  You are invited to lift the pot with two handles and pour the water over the large stone and enjoy the consequences.  I am hoping that the Junipers will eventually form an arch leading through darkness to light. 

Leaving the Fernery and turning to your right, you walk towards the old farm gate past the CAMELLIA BEDS  with Hydrangea Paniculata tardiva and H. guercifolia for late summer interest.  Through the farm gate is an area leading to Hopeful Wood with the working title of the BETWEEN.  The Dragon Willow to your left is to be extended.  On the right, stone walls are to be erected to enclose an area called the SHEEPFOLD.  This is a difficult area covered in stone and Ash tree roots, but I would like to try some specimen shrubs with a mixed spring carpet of bulbs and primroses.  A pew against the wall offers a sunny pause.  

The ramp comes down from the right and to the left is a winding path through old pasture full of buttercups.  Follow this path down to the bridge with rambling honeysuckle and a Kiftsgate rose growing up the sycamore tree.   In the summer there is a double hammock hanging by the stream inlet to the pond,  a pleasant place to doze to the trickle of water coming over the ford. 

On the far side of the bridge is the embryo DAVID’S WOOD.  60 Betula pubescens, 60 Betula pendula, 60 Larix leptolepis (Japanese Larch) planted in November 2003.

Please be careful! Some of the trees are so tiny you could walk on them without noticing.  The soil here is extremely difficult, being mainly subsoil clay, so the trees were dipped in mycorrhizal fungus preparation to get them established. It is hoped that they will form a windbreak and there are detailed plans for specimen trees downwind. 

Follow the circular path round the pond.  PLEASE WATCH YOUNG CHILDREN.  THE POND IS STEEP SIDED AND 6’  DEEP!     You will find a swinging seat as well as rocks  to sit on close to the water.  Continuing, you will come back to the seat at the end of “Victory Parade” in the Orchard. 

Reverting to the Between,  the path leads you on into HOPEFUL WOOD.  This area was originally rotovated and all my plants were dumped here for two years during preparation of the garden.  More planting is yet to happen here, but the central area is dedicated to a circle of trees.  Among them,  Oak, Eucalyptus, Davidia, Liriodendron, Walnut, Buckeye. Many are neglected and in need of care due to frequent transplanting and my energies being involved elsewhere, but growing nonetheless!  A programme of pruning and loving attention started last autumn.  I sincerely want this to become a “green and pleasant space” primarily for calmness of mind and contemplation.  For the early part of the year the circle is divided by crossing paths.  Daffodils and Camassias give way to tall seeding grasses and in midsummer  we cut it all down and mow a lovely green circle within the trees.  As the trees grow, the circle will become more enclosed, exclusive and intimate and the surrounding area more exciting with hydrangeas, magnolias (Maryland, an American grandiflora hybrid, sieboldii) and other plantings.

I hope you will enjoy a little peace here, having passed from the hectic nature of the Courtyard, through the shade of the ash tree and the camellias.  The oak in the field to your left is Quercus sessile, dedicated to the memory of my brother, and planted with much Buddhist ceremony in January 1997. It thrives.  A Quercus rubra here is the oak of my second son, Michael.  That of my first son, Rupert,  is the Quercus coccinea in the Quarry.  My own oak is of a similar type, grown from seed and infinitely smaller,  by rose Bobbie James on the way to the Magic Garden.  A beautiful tree, given to us when my eldest son was born, and far too well-grown to shift when I moved here in 1994 has prompted the notion of planting an oak for each of us wherever we go.  David is planning a Holm Oak, Quercus ilex in Nicky’s field where the paths divide  towards the bridge. 

From Hopeful Wood you may walk up the ramp to the Quarry, or use  some steps up from the centre which take you through the cotoneaster and rose hedge, back to your car.   

I hope you have enjoyed your visit. The garden is far from perfect in terms of pruning, disease and weed control and many other  horticultural aspects. But it is an intensely personal garden. The response of one person to the intimacy of this particular landscape, a wild and uncontrolled love of plants, a feeling that will never really keep pace with precision and exactitude.  The downside is the lack of care for specific plants that would look wonderful with just that little more love,  the upside is the untameable exuberance of a garden that, like Topsy,  “just growed”.  I love it, I run after it, I despair of it and I care for it – notions I know a lot of you will recognise. 

My reasons for opening this garden are many and also very simple.  Your contributions will help me to maintain it, but more than that, it means that I am not creating this environment in isolation,  if you, my friends, and others, can take part in the aspiration that I seek but which becomes stagnant if not shared.  Any comments, help or advice are sincerely welcomed.