Many people, on hearing the word arboretum, might imagine their eyes inexorably rising through 45 degrees to take in the lofty tops of giant firs and redwoods, parkland, where a pedigree flock of Black Welsh Mountain sheep graze under towering tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), red oaks (Quercus rubra) and Caucasian maple (Acer cappadocicum).
Right of the avenue and extending far beyond the house are the garden and arboretum, strung together along the Rhyd-y-meirch stream, which Waddington gently canalised in serpentine fashion, criss-crossing it with stone slab bridges.
The soil is neutral to acid, which helps to achieve autumn colour, and this, coupled with the heat of modern summers, has become a recipe for success
As it passes the house, it broadens into pool-like proportions to become the horizontal ‘fourth wall’ of a circular walled garden, before passing onwards as a stream again; sometimes serene, sometimes dropping through noisy little cascades or changes of level. This watercourse is the life of the garden. “And what a welcome sound the cascades make on a dry summer’s day,” says Elizabeth.
That lawned circular garden – the Round Garden – has a deep border in front of its curving wall, punctuated by a 16th-century dovecote that Waddington incorporated into his design. The border was replanted in 2009 by the planting consultant Mary Payne (‘maximum effect, minimum effort’ was the brief) and now shows masses of glowing yellows alongside the autumnal browns, with spectacular height given by Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Herbstsonne’, which flowers to the very end of the season.
You may also like:
- A Welsh garden with a host of unusual flowers
- Best gardens to visit in Wales
- A Georgian walled garden in Wales
- This is how you make a modern cottage garden
- An Airbnb with its own natural swimming pond
Dahlias such as ‘Moonfire’ and ‘David Howard’ happily remain in the ground from year to year, and late blues and mauves come from Salvia uliginosa and Salvia leucantha. On the open, water-girt side of the Round Garden, a line of Stipa gigantea grasses reflects in the pool, as does pink Salvia involucrata. Royal fern (Osmunda regalis) turns copper-coloured on a small island which appears in all the old maps, and may have been part of Waddington’s original design. In all probability, they are his ferns.
Many high-pedigree trees have been grown from seed, or have come from distinguished nurseries, so unusual selections can be found here
Elizabeth and Ross have concentrated on giving the whole garden a richer herbaceous layer, because the woody planting was so generously established by Elizabeth’s father Robin between 1960 and 1999. He added high-pedigree trees from seed, and from distinguished nurseries such as Hillier’s, so there are many unusual selections here, including of magnolias, in which the garden is particularly rich. In autumn, the hardy, scented Magnolia obovata is a joy, its large, shiny, brown foliage as glossy as if it were lacquered.
In his early years, Robin spent time in the USA and came to love that famous East Coast display of fall colour, which he tried to recreate at Llanover. The soil is neutral to acid which helps the colour, and trees such as sweet gums can be planted where their roots can easily find water. This, coupled with the heat of modern summers, has become a recipe for success.
“Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’ is always the first tree to colour here,” says Elizabeth. “It began in August this year, and is an utterly reliable variety.” Tupelos (Nyssa sylvatica) sit right by the stream, colouring magnificently, their bark heavily corrugated, and with suckers arising from mower- damaged roots, as is their wont. A specimen of Nyssa sinensis is just as spectacular.
Llanover also has several good paperbark maples (Acer griseum), their flaking cinnamon bark extending right up into the crown. The first was given as a seed to Elizabeth’s grandmother’s gardener by the gardener at Dyffryn House, Newport, in the 1930s.
The autumn colouring is a dramatic orange and burnt brick, and these maples are always the last of the colouring trees to drop. Pink fruits invariably appear on the dogwood Cornus ‘Norman Hadden’, one of Elizabeth’s favourites: “It’s healthy, never fails to flower, and produces fruit top to bottom.”
The Round Garden has a dovecote, and a deep border replanted by planting consultant Mary Payne, with a brief of ‘maximum effect, minimum effort’
Of course, she is adding new trees too – beautiful, golden-leaved dawn redwoods and yet more magnolias. Last year the couple planted three cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). Just as well, too, because a storm flattened the only two remaining mature specimens in the park. But isn’t that life in a woodland garden? Always thinking ahead, and always, always, being prepared to thin the trees when necessary. Survival of the fittest, with a little help.
Useful information:
- Address: Llanover, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9EF.
- Open: Visits by appointment, or for open days and events.
- Visit the website for details: llanovergarden.co.uk
