Garden TOUR
A lush, verdant testament to what can be achieved in a small space
IN THE GARDEN WITH…
AT: Turpins Lane, Chigwell, Essex
SIZE: 17x4m SOIL: Heavy London clay has been removed and replaced with a variety of topsoils
FEATURES: Densely planted rich, lush foliage, tree ferns, hostas, topiary and an abundance of well maintained shrubs complemented by a small pond and three water features designed for year-round interest
VISIT: Through the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 28, 11am until 6.30pm. Entry £4. Visit ngs.org.uk
When it comes to gardening, patience is a virtue, but usually it’s the gardener that has to do the waiting rather than the site itself. When Martin Thurston moved into his end-of-terrace cottage in the London end of Essex, all he could do was his best. The site sloped away to one corner, the soil was heavy and he was no plantsman, so for years it retained a very conventional status quo. “It spent 20 years with a lawn, a conifer hedge and a rather grim concrete patio,” says Martin, slightly ruefully. “I didn’t think about the soil, but when Fabrice came and started to dig, an unbelievable amount of rubbish came out – old bicycles, fire escape steps, broken glass, all sorts of things!”
However, when Fabrice arrived in 1997, there was an overnight revolution. Brought up in south-east France and fascinated by plants since early childhood, he’d already completely redesigned his parents’ large garden as well as his own, so Martin’s characterless plot came as a bit of a shock.
“I saw the garden and I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to live with this’,” he says, “but I went to bed on the first night and I had a flash of inspiration – I saw in a moment how the place could become, so I got up and took notes and started gardening the following morning!”
Fabrice started digging and breaking concrete, entirely focussed on the vision in his mind’s eye. The soil was uncharitable, so he dug down through layers of clay, removing rubbish as he went.
“I was like a robot, following the idea in my head and not thinking at all,” explains Fabrice, “but as I was digging there was a sudden rush of water. At first we thought I’d hit a pipe, but when none
