Well known for his tree and shrub expertise, botanist Dr John Grimshaw allows his herbaceous side to run riot in his own small, glittering gem of a garden near York
WORDS JACK WALLINGTON PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREA JONES
In the soft light of October, in Dr John Grimshaw’s garden, colourful Michaelmas daisies and yellow Solidago glow among gentle ornamental grasses; a sea of colour and texture overseen by wandering Silver Sebright bantam chickens, peacocks and golden pheasants, for an added air of exotica. This is a garden full of treasures waiting to be discovered, packed with top-performing plants and featuring the experimental use of rare species and cultivars.
John is the director of the Yorkshire Arboretum, with 120 acres of trees and shrubs to play with at work, but his home garden is relatively small, at just under a fifth of an acre. The wraparound plot is a year-round gem that overflows with layers of herbaceous planting from February right the way through to late autumn. There are, however, many hidden challenges.
“The first thing you need to know about this garden is that everything’s really stocky because of wind and the sunshine,” he says. “It’s like being on a cliff top: everything is condensed and compact.” The garden sits in the middle of a vast, flat basin surrounded by agricultural fields, making it surprisingly exposed. Strong winds rush in from the coast just 20 miles east, and sun blasts every inch of the garden as it moves from the front to the back of the house through the day.
“Nothing is staked; I think it looks unnatural,” says John, who has turned the harsh conditions into an advantage by selecting plants that can cope, including Eutrochium maculatum, and robust, upright grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’. They all grow that little bit chunkier and tougher, thanks to constant wind movement – something John recommends can be replicated on seedlings by brushing hands over them while in trays.
When John moved here in 2012, he was told he could rent the house for a couple of years. As a temporary measure, he filled the two existing main beds, running parallel to the front of the building, with his extensive bulb and perennial collection, brought with him from the Cotswolds. Two years have become 11, and John’s natural curiosity has seen the
