GARDEN TO VISIT
Great Dixter House & Gardens MASTERCLASS IN INSPIRATION
The Long Border at this East Sussex gardening stalwart is a work of art that depends on successional planting for year-round interest
GardenTOUR
PHOTOS: GREAT DIXTER, RHS
Stretching a whopping 100m, the Long Border at Great Dixter House & Gardens is a breath-taking masterclass in inspired and complementary colour and plant combinations. A slow meander along the path flanking one side gives an up-close view of this multicoloured ribbon, a highlight of the garden for the majority of the year. Its highly decorative and diverse annuals and bedding are changed seasonally to create a seamless display when partnered with permanent perennials and shrubs. In August, it’s the turn of the dahlias and phlox to shine. Because of its impressive 4.5m depth, plants gaining great height and stature, such as verbascums and cannas, also become part of the horticultural tableau, with additional pops of colour coming from a notable 8ft golden holly and the burgundy foliage of cotinus (smoke bush).
Originally created by the great gardener and author Christopher Lloyd, who was born and lived at Great Dixter in East Sussex all his life, the Long Border has become a work of art, skilfully curated by those who work in and love the garden. Emma Davies, Operations and Marketing Manager, explains that the secret to the display is its successional planting – which continuously keeps interest levels high – and its fantastically rich and vibrant, thick, unbroken canopy.
“Gardeners are trained to take plants out, put in new ones and stake those that need it, without leaving any trace,” she says.
Great Dixter is undoubtedly one of the most horticulturally important gardens in the UK so any time spent here is a treat. But one of the many things making this garden extra special is its setting within the rolling East Sussex countryside. Emma describes Great Dixter as having a ‘handshake with the wild’ and its fully audited biodiversity reports, available to read on its website, are testament to the care and importance of the garden’s interaction with the natural world. Facing away from the Long Border is an idyllic layered view, transporting visitors to bygon
