In Your Garden: Brigette’s Shropshire garden

“My husband Adam and I moved into Bramble Cottage, Shropshire in 1996. Back then the 3/4 of an acre garden was just a field, but with lots of space and potential. We both love formal gardens and topiary so thought we would try to create our own version of a topiary garden such as the iconic Levens Hall. Well, a mini version anyway!

Topiary can be quite addictive and over the years we have planted two parterres and many more pieces in box and yew. There are now well over 120 different topiaries in the garden. Creating the garden has been quite a journey, definitely requiring patience as topiaries can take many years to achieve their final shape, although smaller ones like the box balls are much quicker to grow.

It’s hard to choose a favourite part of the garden but I do love the yew topiary avenue, it is almost like each one has its own personality! We have been very lucky here to have avoided the pests and diseases of the buxus that I know many people have had. We try to keep everything healthy by feeding and mulching.

The main challenge now is getting everything clipped each summer. Adam does it all himself and I think he has a good eye, especially for straight lines. I am very excited at the moment as he is creating a yew dragon for me. It’s only in its second year but already showing a good form. We are both passionate about topiary and really hope that our garden may inspire others to have a go and to know that it’s not just for large stately homes and grand gardens. So if you are thinking about starting topiary, my advice would be to go for it and start now!”

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