Winter 2020

W e visited Malverleys estate, in East Woodhay on a beautiful autumn day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and there was a crisp chill in the air, but even so estate manager Mat Reese said we were not seeing the gardens at their best – or at least not all of them. Malverleys is a privately-owned estate with a working farm and when we arrived Mat was busy dealing with the sheep on the 200-acre estate, 10 acres of which are given over to the garden. He heads a team of five who deal with all the estate works – from repairing fencing to opening up the private chapel or simply chasing the aforementioned sheep. The estate is busy all year, but winter tends to be quietest and is a good time to take stock and start to plan for the next season. Mat trained in horticulture at Myerscough College, a year at Wisley, followed by three more years at Kew, before going to Dixter, East Sussex, where he learnt more of his craft from gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd. When he arrived at Malverleys 10 years ago part of the grounds surrounding the house was a football pitch. Over the last seven years, this has been transformed into a trail of different themed garden spaces from summer whites to bright tropical oranges and yellows.

Water features have been installed with reclaimed statues strategically placed to add to the splendour and style of each area. The mixed borders in the walled garden provide all year round colour with tulips in the spring and annuals and biennuals ever-evolving to surprise and delight. The walled garden also contains areas for fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Mat said: “We wanted everything to

look natural. I didn't want to create anything that was too contrived, but I did want each themed area to have its own style.“ To keep the natural look, the themed gardens are separated by tall yew hedges. As we walk through the Hot Garden we are surrounded by bright reds and orange and yellow before entering the more tranquil atmosphere of the Italian or Cloister Garden, where roses line the borders.

This reflecting pool is fed by rainwater with some blue dye added to create the sense of depth

O&A WINTER 2020 58