Ingenious planting
Fine lawns flank a gravel path, with raised banks of different shapes and heights behind them. Bateman planted in generous groups to create striking features. He used golden yews and hollies to produce a change of colour and to mark the transition from one group of plantings to another.
Many of his conifer groups were planeted on top of long mounds to improve the drainage at their roots; the instant elevation also allowing them to be viewed from below. The mound-planting offers the bonus of seeing the roots on the surface of the soil, grasping at the earth to support the trees’ massive weight.
Monkey puzzles galore
In Victorian times, conifers arrived in Britain that looked hugely different from the kinds of tree to which people were accustomed. Bateman’s beloved monkey-puzzles (Araucaria araucana, from Chile) appeared more like the types of plant found in fossils.
It is easy to think that all monkey puzzles look the same but, when seen in a group, it becomes apparent just how much they vary; some more pendulous, some tighter, some broader. James Bateman appreciated that diversity and gave each of his monkey puzzles an individual name.
