ALL the colours and smells of a Mediterranean garden can be enjoyed at a new attraction at the National Trust’s Beningbrough Hall near York.
The work is the vision of award-winning garden designer Andy Sturgeon who has been collaborating with the Trust on its eight-acre garden at Beningbrough since 2016.
The new Mediterranean Garden is the largest phase of his garden project to open and has been created to cope with the challenges of a changing climate.
Once an underused grassed area, the garden now features more than 4,000 herbaceous perennials, grasses, trees and shrubs from Mediterranean climate zones around the world, including South Africa, South Korea, Chile, China, Australia and, the Mediterranean itself .
Inspired by the Italian-style baroque hall, Andy selected plants from Mediterranean climates that are better able to cope with hotter, drier summers and wetter winters, ensuring the garden’s resilience in the face of climate change.
Drought-tolerant plants will need less watering, while the introduction of more free-draining soil, and additional drainage, will help manage intense rainfall.
Andy said: “In the UK we can expect warmer summers with prolonged dry periods and drought, but also an increase in very wet days, particularly in winter. We need to start changing the way we garden, and I have taken the opportunity to embrace this at Beningbrough.
“What we have created is in effect a vast gravel garden that sits comfortably in the historic setting – I hope that it will feel quite timeless.”
The design is set to enhance the biodiversity of the garden; 3,500 of the new plants are on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, compared to only ten in the previous planting scheme.
Extremes in local weather over the past year have underlined the need to adapt Beningbrough’s garden. A French drain leading to a large attenuation tank under the garden will help to reduce flash flooding as it slowly releases captured rainfall, only after weather moments have passed. Once established, plants will need to be self-sufficient to earn their place in the garden as no supplementary watering will take place.
Head gardener Sam Shipman said: “Since starting the build in 2023, it has rained almost every day, holding up our progress. The irony of building a Mediterranean garden in one of the wettest autumns, winters and then springs on record has not been lost on any of us.”
Alongside the plants, hard landscaping is an important part of the new design. A series of low stone walls emerges from the sloping ground, providing structure, while boulders around the garden give the flavour of a Mediterranean hillside. Winding pathways with increased accessible routes, reveal fresh viewpoints, hidden corners, and welcoming seating areas.
Among the planting and seats are water bowls with miniature lilies, spaced to attract wildlife and create reflections through the garden. All plants have been grown peat-free and the bowls, boulders and Yorkshire stone were sourced from local artisans and quarries.
Andy said: “I think the success of this garden comes from the marriage of the ancient red brick walls, the presence of the Hall towering over it and the elegance and textural beauty of the new planting.”
The design draws on archive photographs and archaeological research which showed there was likely a series of ponds and a fountain in this part of the garden in around 1900.
Sam continued: “We have returned water to this part of the garden in the form of a rill on one of the walls, flowing into a new pond with stepping stones across it. The sound of its three spouts really adds to the relaxing feel of the garden.”
National Trust Head of Gardens and Parklands, Andy Jasper, said: “With more intense weather events, including drought and floods, predicted, our gardens need to change to better tolerate extremes”.
Andy concluded: “The new Mediterranean Garden sits perfectly alongside the Italian architecture of the hall. Over the centuries, the hall has been constantly reinvented – this new garden continues that spirit of renaissance. We hope that visitors will enjoy this garden, but also be inspired to future proof their own gardens.”
The redevelopment was made possible by the late Mr Ian Reddihough who left a generous gift in his will to support the ongoing development of Beningbrough. This money has enabled the garden vision to progress and will continue to support ongoing projects each year.
Fact file
Built in 1716, Beningbrough Hall is a grand red brick mansion just outside York at Newton-on-Ouse. The historic rooms of the hall re-opened in 2023 after nearly two years of essential works to ensure the future of Beningbrough. There will be a new exhibition in the Reddihough Galleries on the first floor, opening in September: The Botanical World of Mary Delany.
The eight-acre garden is undergoing a renaissance with work by designer Andy Sturgeon to enhance its grand borders, walled kitchen garden and extensive wilderness play area. Surrounded by 380 acres of parkland, the wider estate offers walks through hidden woods and along riverside paths.
Beningbrough is open daily with free entry for National Trust and RHS members.
For full details and to plan your visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough
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