Colour, shape & form

Above: A glorious copper beech dominates the sloping lawn

Above: Grasses add late season interest

Above: Partly hidden seats feature in the garden

Above:

Diana and David Hart Dyke have been welcoming visitors to share their garden at Hambledon House, through the National Gardens Scheme, for 20 years. This very popular garden displays a wide palette of plants chosen for their leaf and flower combinations, guided by very experienced hands. “I buy the plants I want to grow and move them in their pots on the soil until I’m happy with leaf and colour combinations,” Diana explains.

All year interest
The lovingly cared for two-acre garden has gradually evolved into loosely divided areas brimming with all season interest. Deep borders display a tapestry of colour and form. Spring bulbs are followed by massed perennials, with bark and berries continuing the show through winter. Some areas reveal themselves, bordering the flowing lawns and others are partly hidden by hedges to offer delightful surprises as you discover them.

“I started gardening at the age of 10 when I was given a small border in the garden and packets of seeds by my mother and never looked back,” remembers Diana. The interest has continued steadily, both through hands-on experience, visiting gardens and reading avidly, especially books by the late Christopher Lloyd, Stephen Lacey and Helen Dillon. “The wonderful RHS Encyclopaedia of Plants, edited by Graham Rice, is my bible,” she adds.

Constantly evolving
When Diana, David and their two teenage daughters moved to Hambledon House they loved the garden straight away, with its mellow flint walls and structure from mature yew and copper beech. The first task was to create the borders in the thin, chalky flint soil. Adding plenty of organic matter, such as leaf mould, compost and manure along with regular mulching continue to be priorities in this hungry soil.
Patient progress has given wonderful results that continue to mature. “I’m a keen plantswoman but I don’t just collect plants for the sake of it. It’s the combinations of colour, shape and form, which are my passion – how you put them together and how they evolve over the years. That’s what really makes a garden something special. I’m constantly changing and adjusting things, finding new plants, trying different colour combinations and creating new borders. It’s a gradual process. I’m certainly not an advocate of instant garden makeovers,” Diana comments.

Hidden corners
The garden gently enfolds the attractive Georgian house and suits the setting perfectly, nestling behind the walls and hedges. As it is in a valley it creates its own views internally. Colour schemes vary from soft mauves and creams to dark maroons and rich crimsons. There is a large collection of salvias, grasses and heleniums reaching their peak in August and September. Diana enjoys all the areas in the garden as they look their best in different seasons and is particularly fond of developing little hidden corners to sit and relax in. Propagating many of her own plants allows a continuing supply of material to experiment with in the borders in this plantaholic’s paradise.

Open gardens

Hambledon House
Monday, August 25 (2pm to 5pm)
Admission £3, children free.
Visitors also welcome by appointment to September
Tel: 02392 632380