Spring Refresh at The Crown & Garter
Courtyard garden
Returning to a Garden
There is something particularly enjoyable about returning to a garden once it’s had time to settle; when the structure has softened, the planting has grown into itself, and the space has found its rhythm and flow.
This spring, I revisited the gardens at The Crown & Garter in Inkpen, Berkshire, a 17th-century coaching inn set within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Originally redesigned in 2023, our brief was to create gardens that felt generous and unshowy, rooted in their rural surroundings and able to welcome guests comfortably throughout the year.
Geum Totally Tangerine
A Warm Welcome
Our design purposefully worked with and enhanced what was already there: retaining original paving, integrating existing trees and hedging, repurposing materials wherever possible, as well as echoing the stunning landscape surrounding this country pub in the many changes we made. Our sustainable approach is wholly consistent with the values of Honesty Group, owner of The Crown & Garter.
At the entrance, upcycled agricultural water troughs were planted to greet visitors with a warm welcome with Lavandula x intermedia Grosso, a French lavender well known for its wonderful scent, and the ever-reliable Geum Totally Tangerine, which flower from April to November. Three tall, upright (fastigate) hornbeams, underplanted in circles of shade-loving perennials, soften the entrance and pick up the hornbeam in the existing hedge around the property.
By the coffee shop, a pair of splendid cloud-pruned hornbeams provide a focal point and a dramatic entrance.
Cloud-pruned hornbeam
Spring Refresh
Three years on, the bones of the garden are doing exactly what they were designed to do: provide a setting that feels both relaxed and quietly structured, where people naturally want to spend time for a chat, a cup of coffee or a drink and a delicious meal.
Our latest visit was an opportunity to refresh the planting design for the seasons ahead, adding much loved biennials such as the foxglove Digitalis purpurea Apricot Beauty, which bring vertical interest, and filling in gaps where our recent wet winter had taken its toll. Everything we planted is entirely in keeping with the original planting scheme, adding additional layers of colour, texture and seasonality. It was wonderful to see the glorious white blossom of the large plum tree sparkling in the sunshine, surrounded by a circular teak bench when we visited.
Courtyard Garden with the plum tree in blossom
Courtyard Garden
The courtyard was reimagined as a series of intimate seating ‘booths’, created from traditional estate fencing curved to create circular spaces or circular teak tree benches, all connected by gently, curved pathways. With a planting palette of pinks, blues, mauves and whites, the space feels natural and enduring, with a strong emphasis on biodiversity and seasonal interest.
In springtime, the garden is filled with blossom from plum, pear and crab apple trees, with a host of bulbs popping up from February to May. Starting with snowdrops, followed by daffodils, or narcissi to quote their latin name, the bulbs come to a crescendo with a ‘tutti fruiti’ mix of tulips in pastel shades which change from white to darker and sweeter colours as April turns to May. This planting is complemented by the fragile, heart shaped flowers of Lamprocapnos spectabilis, also known as bleeding heart, and Brunnera Macrophylla Jack Frost which looks rather like forget-me-not, with prettier, mottled silver leaves.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis
By summer, aromatic lavender, salvias, verbenas, grasses and roses take over as the borders fill with blooms. Undoubtedly, Rosa Rosy Cushion is the star of the Courtyard show, flowering profusely from May to November.
Rosa Rosy Cushion
Malus Evereste multistem in a terracotta pot
Crab Apple Multi Stems
A favourite feature of the garden redesign has been our repetitive use of Malus Evereste multi stem trees surrounded with Erigeron karvinskianus Lavender Lady, planted in handsome terracotta pots. Much admired, these offer three seasons of interest: wonderful apple blossom in spring time and then small red crab apples which dangle like Christmas baubles through Autumn and Winter. Beloved by birds and pollinators, these trees have been placed on corners or at entrances to create the atmosphere of an English country garden.
‘Tutti Fruiti’ tulips and narcissi
‘Tutti Fruiti’ Tulip Recipe
Finally, I wanted to share a recipe with you, in the same way that Romilla Arber, Founder of Honesty Group, shares reliable, sustainable and delicious recipes with her followers!
For this ‘tutti fruiti’ combination, we planted approximately 20 tulips and 10 narcissi per square meter i.e. 2/3 tulips to 1/3 narcissi. The Narcissus Geranium threads through the tulip planting, creating unity and cohesion, pulling the soft contrasting tulip colours together. I love its small perky orange trumpet with contrasting white petals, which it holds high on strong stems. It has multi headed blooms which last well, carrying the planting combination whilst the tulips come and go across early to later flowering varieties.
Here are the tulips, to be ordered in equal quantities:
Tulip Tres Chic
Tulipa Blue Heaven
Tulipa Exotic Emperor
Tulipa National Velvet
Tulipa Salmon Jimmy
Tuliipa Apricot Beauty
Plus the narcissus:
Narcissus Geranium
If you order 120 of the above tulips in total, order 60 of the narcissus etc.
In November, scatter the narcissus evenly across the area. Then mix up all the different tulips and scatter across the same area. Plant all bulbs deeply so mice and other vermin aren’t tempted to feast on your tulips through the winter. Come April, you should wonderful ‘tutti fruiti’ tulips!
I hope you enjoy this tulip mix as much as you enjoy our gardens at The Crown & Garter which have grown into their stride this Spring.
If you would like to read more about our Approach to garden design here.
Crab apple blossom