By the beginning of the war in 1939, all the elements of the Lime Walk were in place, but it was only after the war that Harold really had the time to fully devote himself to ‘MLW’ and from 1946 he threw himself into this project, keeping meticulous notes as he went along. He even employed his own gardener, Sidney Neve, who joined the gardeners at Sissinghurst in 1937, age 17. Harold planted an amazing array of bulbs and spring flowering plants including many varieties of Narcissus, Tulips, Primroses, Anemones, Scillas, Erythroniums, Violets and Auriculas. His aim was simple; to create ‘the loveliest spring garden in England’. Every year he wrote careful notes in his notebook, commenting on the successes and failures of his plantings. Like most gardeners, he was seldom happy with his results, writing comments such as: “Rather a dull section – enliven”, “Same old story – heaps of primroses but tiny and flowerless” and “Tulips are wrong colour – replace”.
He was helped in his quest for perfection by frequent trips to the RHS spring shows in London tracking down rare and unusual bulbs to add to the Lime Walk. Every year the colour combinations would change slightly, evolving over the years depending on Harold’s interests and recent discoveries. For him, the Lime Walk was a sanctuary and a refuge from the stresses of his working life and he did much of the work himself, regularly weeding and pruning the limes.
Since his death in 1968, successive Head Gardeners have ensured that the beauty and simplicity of the Lime Walk endures, continuously improving and replanting areas that need attention. Many of Harold’s choices are still used today and we hope that if Harold were to see the Lime Walk he would approve of how we care for his legacy.
We do hope that you will be able to visit the Lime Walk this Spring. It is a wonderful sight in April and a joyful reminder that winter has finally passed.