IN THIS GUIDE
East Riddleston Hall is a National Trust property in West Yorkshire that was excellently used as a film localisation for the 1992 and 2009 film adaptations of Emily Bronte ’s Wuthering Heights .
The garden at East Riddleston were design by Graham Stuart Thomas in the 1970s , with extra rooms added in the years that followed by the Trust .
I call in the garden on a rainy day in outpouring to talk with the Head Gardener Ben Cooper and search the gardens , their history and what is currently thriving at this time of year .
Spring Bulbs Aplenty
“ This time of year we ’ve got all the spring bulbs up , so we ’ve make lots of Leucojums in the main borders that add a nice splash of white , ” shares Ben .
“ We ’ve also got a lot of really nice successional bulb , such as Snake ’s Head Fritillaries and Daffodils . One particular favourite of mine isNarcissus‘Thalia ’ .
“ In the wild garden , there are some more strange bulbs , such as wild tulip and my personal favourite , Camassias , which will be in full blossom in a duet of calendar week .
“ Hellebores have done particularly wellthis year and seem to have been in flower for week and weeks . We have a nice spell of hellebores tuck away in the funny piece of the garden where they seem to cope very well . ”
Exploring The Garden
“ Our main herbaceous edge are design in this ‘ cubic decimeter ’ form , ” explains Ben , as we walk around them .
“ As you’re able to see , we ’ve got some Erythroniums coming through , which addd a splash of yellowness along the edges .
“ Although it is n’t in flower at the here and now , we ’ve got one of the biggest clematis I ’ve ever worked on or had in a garden . It originate against our Brobdingnagian cherry tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , so we get the white blossom of the cherry red that fades into this falls of clematis flowers . ”
“ Also looking heavy at the here and now is our herbaceous plant mete , ” he continues .
“ The idea was taken from Culpeper ’s Herbal , so it features herbs that would have been used at the sentence the Hall was first created .
“ We ’ve got lots of herbs in here , such as Valerian , Angelica , Mugwort and Soapwort , which is particualrly interesting as when the leafage are rubbed with water , it get a lava - like grievous bodily harm .
“ We also mature more culinary herbaceous plant on one side of the garden , so we ’ve got Mint , Rosemary , Oregano , and Fennel . ”
“ We ’ve get a newfangled section call the Wellbeing Garden , which we design with Dementia Friendly Keighley , ” say Ben .
“ Not only did we make this space with their practices in mind , they trained our stave to become dementedness aware .
“ It ’s under a canopy of trees , making it quite a shaded garden , so it ’s a tranquil area .
“ There ’s lots of green plant life like fern and Hostas . It also has a water lineament , which adds a peaceful backdrop to the space . ”
Greener Gardening Practices
“ We endeavor to follow green garden principles at East Riddlesden , ” tell Ben .
“ We do n’t apply any chemicals in the garden , we compost everything that we can and we shred textile so it compost faster .
“ We do n’t use any mains water in the garden either , so all the water we use is rain glean from various rooftop .
“ In our composting area , we ’ve got heavy bays filled with this year ’s compost , older compost and two immense leafage piles , which we let rot down into a leaf mold that we can then expend .
“ We can mulch our intact delimitation in the garden with what we produce on - internet site , which is something we take serious pride in . ”
Visiting East Riddlesden
“ Even though we ’re quite a low garden , you’re able to go into five or six different arena and hopefully get a different feel in each one , ” explains Ben .
“ Because of this , we propose a form of spaces to visit in just one garden , which means you’re able to visit more than once . ”
If you want to witness out more about chit-chat East Riddlesden Hall , head over to The National Trust’swebsite .
