Out come the tulips at the wonderful Cotswold garden of Trench Hill, where the bright and beautiful planting even gives the view a run for its money
WORDS MANDY BRADSHAW PHOTOGRAPHS IAN THWAITES
It takes something very special to compete with the view at Trench Hill. From the garden’s elevated vantage point, the Cotswold countryside is spread out like a tapestry below, hills folding into each other with a sheep here and a village church spire there.
In spring though, all eyes are on the tulips and a display that runs into thousands of bulbs in a paintbox array of colours. One border is a vibrant mix of yellow and orange, in another pink, purple and white combine, while elsewhere there are pastel shades. On a crisp spring morning it’s a sight that will make your heart sing.
This three-acre garden in Sheepscombe near Stroud has been created over the past 30 years by Celia Hargrave, but the tulips are a recent addition. She’d always liked them, but not until 2019 were they planted in any great number. It was only during lockdown that she realised what an impact they had.
“For me, the tulips were a sort of saviour,” she recalls. “When I couldn’t go anywhere or meet people, the garden looked spectacular. I could look out of the window or be out in the garden and the tulips were a big influence on how I felt.” Since then, the display has gradually increased – a staggering 1,500 tulips alone have been planted for this season, along with crocus, Dutch iris, alliums and other spring performers.
Celia prefers what she describes as classic tulips – elegant ‘Ballerina’, Triumph varieties such as ‘Paul Scherer’ or Darwin tulips including ‘Apeldoorn’. Doubles and parrot varieties rarely find a home in her borders. Some she grows every year: “Recently I got into ‘Jumbo Beauty’, which is a big pink tulip. The classics have proved quite spectacular, so why would I change that?”
She starts the process by choosing her favourites, then looks at catalogues, being careful to select tulips with different flowering times for the longest possible display. There’s always the temptation to try something new. “I get distracted and think ‘Oh, that looks lovely’ and I’ll have it.” She likes tall tulips and isn’t worried about placing them at the front of a border, but she dislikes varieties with untidy foliage. “I find with some tulips the leaves become messy early on before the flowers have finished. So I might think ‘Perhaps I won’t grow that one again.’”
