Over four decades, one couple has transformed rough paddocks and a cattle yard in Yorkshire into a series of magnificent garden rooms
As farmers, Sarah and Richard Cundall always knew that their garden, set high in the Yorkshire Wolds, was their future. “When we moved to the farmhouse 40 years ago, we were adamant this would be our forever home, and so we developed the garden with a view to it lasting us a lifetime,” says Sarah.
Their starting point was to plant a woodland around the paddock areas beside the house to provide a shelterbelt from the North Sea winds. They then focused on creating a south-facing garden beside the house with a large lawn and borders of trees, shrubs and sun-loving perennials, together with stone troughs of alpines.
“We made so many mistakes when we started,” Sarah recalls. “It was a steep learning curve understanding about the chalky soil and what would grow in it, but we learned as we went along and we’re still learning! Yes, a garden takes time to develop, but it’s amazing how quickly little shrubs that look like rows of soldiers can develop into a soft, full planting scheme.
“The biggest transformation was the walled garden, formerly a working cattle yard,” she continues. “When we needed to move the cattle shed to a different location on the farm because of regulations, we decided to transform this walled area into a quintessential English rose garden. At the height of summer, the perfume of shrub and climbing roses is quite overpowering in this warm enclosed space.”
The roses are underplanted with colourful perennials including geraniums, salvias, astrantia and thalictrum, while citrus plants flourish in the south-facing conservatory.
A formal kitchen garden followed, containing box-edged beds of vegetables including asparagus, onions, cabbages, beans, parsley and potatoes interwoven with sweet peas, cosmos, dahlias, roses and sweet William to bring in the pollinators and provide cut flowers for the house.
“We were quite early players when we created our wildflower meadow in 1990, which provides a link between the formal areas and natural landscape beyond,” says Sarah.
