Walled Garden Revival
Walled gardens have always been special to me, each with its own unique atmosphere. Often very peaceful, full of beauty, purpose, and life of all kinds. So, having the opportunity to design, develop, and build this garden back into production with the help of many talented people is an absolute joy.
There is a symbiosis at play between the chef, bar, production, and shop teams and the garden. We can riff off each other, enabling plantings that contain both stalwart kitchen staples and the freedom to experiment, resulting in delicious and beautiful outcomes.
As I develop ideas for the garden, I try to bear in mind that it has one foot bridging the past and the present: with heritage varieties, techniques, and remaining plants, and one foot bridging the present to the future with more wildlife-friendly, organically grown produce and newer varieties. The aim is equilibrium.
Currently, more infrastructure is being installed, including more polytunnels and a new greenhouse. The lawn is being transformed into planting space, and top fruit will once again grace the lichen-clad walls, as it did many moons ago. The new infrastructure will enable us to increase production of tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, salads, and tender herbs, as well as expand our propagation spaces.
The plan is also to increase outdoor cut flower, vegetable, and herb areas, with a big emphasis on squash and pumpkins for the annual Pumpkin Festival at Durslade Farm. The cut flowers adorn the smile-inducing chicken jugs on the tables at Da Costa and are for sale in Farm Shop Somerset.
When I began, there were no known plant tags for the historic plantings here. On further inspection, we realised this was not the case, and the first reveal was a tag that simply said ‘Constance Spry.’ This related to an aromatic, pink rose that would have once been planted in that very spot. When I explained this find to a colleague, I was shocked and amazed to discover, as a sheer coincidence, that Farm Shop Mayfair — the sister shop to the Farm Shop Somerset — is actually housed in the old workshop of the renowned florist Constance Spry, after whom the rose was originally named. I will be planting her back in the garden next month as a nod to the past gardeners, her floristry work, and the present shop in Mayfair.
Amongst the redesign and ongoing developments, we are continuing to harvest and deliver winter salads and radicchio to the restaurant team at Da Costa, and to enliven the chicken jugs with seasonal interest from the walled garden and wider estate. The snowdrops are out, and the daffodils are on their way! Roll on Spring!
Fran Wood, Head Gardener, Somerset