Structure and form come to the fore at Malverleys in Hampshire, as frost and snow turn a sleeping garden into a beautiful wintry landscape
Hidden away along the twisting, wooded lanes of north Hampshire lies Malverleys, one of the finest private gardens in the country. The Italianate Victorian house certainly lives up to its romantic-sounding name, and it is surrounded by glorious gardens, which owners Georg and Emily von Opel have spent the last decade or so redesigning and improving, along with head gardener, Mat Reese. Having trained at some of the best gardens around the country, including Wisley, Kew and Great Dixter, Mat’s talented vision has enabled the gardens at Malverleys to be sympathetically reimagined as a series of interlinked rooms, each with a separate theme and distinct personality.
The 10 acres of formal gardens have been described as a modern English flower garden for all seasons. In the depths of winter, however, the bones are laid bare, and rather like a tree that has shed its summer foliage, lines become crisper and more defined. At this time of year, there is also the added layer of plants that have been left for wildlife to enjoy, either for their seed heads or to provide natural shelter.
It takes insight and planning to create a garden that looks as good in the winter as it does in the warmer months, and with Mat’s clever design, the topiary, statues and evergreens can now take centre stage, with texture provided by the softer shapes of perennials and grasses, punctuated by the occasional surprise of a rose that chose to flower perhaps a little too late.
At the rear of the house, impressive double-long borders have been widened and replanted, drifting out onto the chequerboard York paving and cobblestone terrace in a wild, William Robinson sort of way. The effect is stunning in summer, but in winter, the borders take on a different personality. While Mat and his team of gardeners have cut back some of the spent summer abundance, much is left for winter interest, including soaring verbascum seedheads and ‘space-needle’ phlomis, which are silhouetted against foamy grass fronds. At ground level, moss and greenery that has been allowed to creep into the cracks of the paving rise like little iced buns from the path, covered in a dusting of snow or frost.
Water is an important component at Malverleys. In the Pond Garden, a rectangular reflective pool takes on the appearance of opaque glas
