You wouldn’t know it by looking at her garden, but Leila Shafarenko didn’t set out to become a gardener
Leila and Alex Shafarenko’s small, walled garden is a calm space where sunshine filters through a canopy of foliage, highlighting an array of spring flowers. ‘It was the garden that sold me the house,’ says Leila. The house dates from the 16th century and the garden has seen many changes. ‘The gardens of old houses have a special mood,’ she notes.
When the couple first moved in, the garden was very traditional, with a framework of mature plants such as the magnolia, a purple-leaved ornamental cherry and wisteria. ‘I changed it around, getting rid of the greenhouse and compost heap,’ she explains. ‘I have a conservatory [which is] where I sow seeds – Ilove seeing what’s coming up each day.’
Having relocated the gazebo to a raised area, the lower step leading down to the lawn was replaced with a round millstone, and box balls were established on each side. The circular shape of the step was then echoed in a patio built from granite setts, where there’s now a table and chairs.
The garden has developed in stages, and Leila admits to making mistakes along the way, moving some plants successfully while losing others. ‘I didn’t set out to become a gardener,’ she says. ‘I just love plants, so I’ve learnt through trial and error, and am never afraid to try again when something doesn’t work out.’
Each year Leila has a project. Recently, she laid a pebble path, which worked well. ‘Originally, there was a pathway, but it wasn’t very defined. So, I did it myself,’ she explains. First, she cleared the ground and laid a weed-proof membrane, before arranging the pebbles on top. Then, on each side, she planted a box hedge.
The path is gradually being softened by flowers, such as selfseeding forget-me-nots and honesty. Welsh poppies also return annually. ‘I love the yellow flowers.’
Most of Leila’s favourite plants appear in spring. There’s wisteria and tulips, which are followed by peonies and bearded irises – both particular favourites. ‘This is not a big garden, but the borders are quite wide and take some filling,’ she explains. So initially, she bought lots of vigorous ground-cover plants such as hardy geraniums, Japanese anemones and aquilegias. ‘They self-seed and create a lovely haze of nodding heads in spring.’ Nowadays, if Leila wants to int
