Munstead Wood

We were extremely privileged to be shown around the home of Gertrude Jekyll, the legendary plantswoman. The house was built by Edwin Lutyens, his second commission, it looks like it is a country cottage and fits in perfectly with the garden as you first approach:



In fact Miss Jekyll built the garden from scratch first, leaving a space for the house.

Miss Jekyll was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and took the young Lutyens under her wing, the two of them went on to design and build over 100 houses and gardens together in a life-long partnership and friendship.

You'll see the Arts and Craft's influences in the garden furniture and house details:

 

Every little detail is beautifully crafted including this stone floor in a summerhouse, made from ironstone dug out of the borders:

And this very old looking door into the Underground Mushroom House (again all built around 1895 to look as though it had been there for centuries);

 

The trees give a lot of shelter and even though it is very close to my home, everything here is far ahead, the Melianthus major on the lower left is way ahead of mine:


The Pergola is a classic Lutyens/Jekyll feature, seen in many of their gardens to frame a distant view:



The little window in the distance is Miss Jeykll's darkroom, she was a very proficient photographer and many of her photos are preserved showing these same views:

 

It's a garden for all seasons, this is the Primula Garden, my photo does not do it justice, it was a drizzly overcast day but the primulas shone out like little lights:



Lot's going on the the Spring Garden:



and this is next door (was once part of Miss Jekyll's nursery/garden but was split off after her death, the current owners keep it looking wonderful:

 

There are surprises, like this seat viewed down a Yew path.




She also came up with the idea of garden rooms so that the garden was an extension of the house.

This is the Summer Garden, so it's not yet at it's best but even so the massed Euphorbias look stunning:

 

I love this view through the Silver Birches with Miss Jekyll's River of Daffodils winding into the distance:


and a view back to the house from the wood:

 

We hope to return when the Rhododendrons and Azaleas come out.

And in the summer to see her iconic feature, the Main Flower Border, some 200ft of sumptuous colour.

 

All in all she was an amazing multi-talented lady. Initially she trained as a painter and also learnt many practical skills, silversmith, embroidery, carving, interior design as well as being a prolific writer - she produced some 15 full length books and around 2,000 articles in the national press and magazines of the day.

She had to give up painting in later life when her eyesight started to fail. So she concentrated on gardening instead. Her theories on colour have influenced us all and her other original ideas such as growing climbing roses and clematis up through trees she copied from nature.

She also started a business from her home, a nursery to supply her many clients (she designed around 400 gardens in total, mostly in West Surrey but also throughout the UK and even the USA and other countries). She worked in her garden alongside her gardeners, planting and dividing up plants, collecting and packaging up seeds. I don't know how she managed to do so many things in her life.

 

Sorry, that all sounds a bit like a lecture, I've been researching Miss Jekyll for a project and wanted to share my piccies