IN THIS pathfinder
Birkhead ’s Secret Garden and Nursery boast 14 private garden rooms that are design to barrack agriculturist in the North East , as they demonstrate the diversity of the plants that can be farm there .
The land were left damaged after years of being a site for coal minelaying , so the owners , Christine and Mike Liddell , have spent year transforming this once derelict site into a booming horticultural masterpiece .
I visited Birkhead ’s Secret Gardens and spoke with Christine about the garden ’s racy story .
About Birkhead’s Secret Garden
“ We came here in 1978 and we set out with the idea of self - sufficiency and keeping two toddlers amused , ” jokes Christine .
“ We start with the garden nigh to the house . One of the interesting features in the garden is the fact that there ’s a pear Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree espaliered on the side of the house .
“ That was put in when the house was built or else of a damp course , as they did n’t exist in those days .
“ After a while , we embark on to recollect that we needed a bigger garden and we did n’t require to move , so we draw near our local farmer and we managed to take on some extra land .
“ The garden started off as an data-based garden to show what I could do and to try out my design ideas .
“ My main idea was to have a garden that had something of interest every day of the year . ”
The Main Features
The avenue was put in about 1995 and it protrude off mainly ash gray , blueand purple , ” explains Christine .
“ I started this garden as a fashion of engineer the body of water off the hillside and taking it down through to the woodland .
“ I raised the bed at the side and put in lots of gravel , shuffle it in with the soil and now we ’re growing things that like teetotal soil and well - drained conditions .
“ There ’s delphiniums , lavender , rosemaryand lots of genus Eryngium , which the bee perfectly love .
“ We then go into the woodland garden . We had to start this garden by putting trees and hedge flop around it , because we ’re 650 feet above ocean point , so the internet site is let out .
“ We’veplanted a wild flower meadowunder the trees so there ’s presently Michaelmas daisies growing in there too , which bet lovely . ”
Christine’s Favourite Garden Rooms
“ We ’ve got a slate garden , which wemade into a bee and butterfly gardenso all of the plants in there are scented , ” she apportion .
“ There ’s Lilacs , Philadelphusand Deutzias – luck of things that will attract pollinating insects . I roll in the hay this garden the most I think .
“ The speculation garden is also rattling . It started off with a pool because we needed to do something with all the water coming into the garden .
“ The master feature of themeditation garden is the Acers . There are also a group of wild orchidaceous plant growing at the moment which seem great .
“ Also in here is a Trachycarpus , which should not be growing in a North East garden , but it ’s surviving and it ’s even got flowers on it . ”
Visiting The Secret Garden
“ The ambience of public security , quiet and tranquillity is what most the great unwashed point out on , ” says Christine .
“ It ’s never a in use garden and we have metre to spill to multitude who visit .
“ They know that they ’re not being rushed around and there are n’t crowds of masses here at any one time , so it ’s a real kickshaw . ”
To visit Birkhead ’s Secret Garden or to find out more selective information , head over to their website .
