East Ruston Old Vicarage in Norfolk has just celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Alan Gray looks back on the creation of this dazzling garden, where he and his partner, Graham Robeson, have carved out their own special slice of paradise
PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS
What changes there have been since Graham and I started gardening here at East Ruston Old Vicarage some 50 years ago. We were thought mad to even think of making a garden in an area with prairie-like fields, almost nonexistent hedges and very few trees, all within spitting distance of the North Sea in north-east Norfolk. A cold and inhospitable place, they said, but was it? And is it? Walking around various lanes near the Old Vicarage, it became clear to us that provided they had shelter, plants deemed to be half-hardy could thrive. This was demonstrated by a large, colourful drift of osteospermum, a South African daisy, growing under a hedge on a south-facing bank by a local cottage. Cheekily I begged a cutting and was rewarded with a handful of stems all of which had adventitious roots. Hey presto, we were off on our journey little knowing just how far it would take us!
In 1973 the house came with around two acres of land, which we quickly hedged to produce the shelter needed to keep out our main enemy: wind. Into this mini oasis we gradually introduced a selection of rare and unusual plants. Our maxim was, and still is, to acquire the best. We listened to the gardeners of the day, read avidly and learnt. The arrival of three plants of Helleborus corsicus, now H. argutifolius, from Hillier Nurseries was a great talking point among friends in the 1970s. With its glamorous green flowers and the fact that its petals are bracteose (having a leaf-like texture) and last for several months, it caused something of a sensation. There was a fascination with green flowers then that continues to this day – think of snowdrops with daubs of green on their outer petals.
Over time we have increased our space to 32 acres, and, of course, the garden has changed. With more space we were able to be expansive with avenues and allées leading to vistas and views tempting visitors to explore and feeding our need to grow more varieties of plants. With our love of half-hardy plants, we have always pushed the boundaries of what will survive the cold, dark winter months. Climate change has aided us in our endeavour, and the fact that we are 1�
