Gertrude Jekyll Gardens: A Legacy of Garden Design and Beauty

Gertrude Jekyll's gardens are a testament to her innovative approach to garden design. She believed in creating spaces that were both beautiful and functional.

Her gardens at Munstead Wood, her country home in Surrey, England, were a reflection of her love for nature and her desire to bring the outdoors in. They featured a variety of plants, including roses, lavender, and herbs.

Jekyll's emphasis on naturalistic plantings and subtle color schemes has influenced garden design for generations. Her use of stone, brick, and other natural materials added texture and visual interest to her gardens.

Her gardens continue to inspire gardeners and designers today, with many seeking to replicate the beauty and tranquility of her creations.

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Gertrude Jekyll's extensive travel in her young adulthood had a profound impact on her gardening style.

She used many of the Mediterranean and exotic plants she encountered on her trips to add scent, texture, and silver foliage to Munstead Wood.

Bay, myrtle, rosemary, santolina, and Iris stylosa were some of the plants she chose for their unique qualities.

Exotics like cannas, euphorbias, and yuccas also held special memories for Jekyll and thrived well in the poor sandy soil at Munstead Wood.

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Gertrude Jekyll's gardens are a masterclass in painterly design, where every element is carefully considered to create a cohesive and beautiful whole. She believed that gardens should be designed with a sense of drama and movement, much like a painting.

Jekyll's use of color is a key aspect of her painterly approach, as seen in her gardens at Munstead Wood. She employed a range of colors, from soft pastels to bold primaries, to create a sense of depth and visual interest.

In her garden design, Jekyll often used plants with varying textures and forms to add visual interest. This can be seen in her use of ferns, grasses, and shrubs in her gardens at Hestercombe.

Jekyll also believed in the importance of creating a sense of rhythm and repetition in the garden, much like the repetition of brushstrokes in a painting. This can be seen in the way she repeated certain plants and plant combinations throughout her gardens.

At Munstead Wood, Jekyll's garden is a perfect example of her painterly approach, with its bold use of color and varied textures and forms. The garden is a true masterpiece of garden design.

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Gertrude Jekyll's gardens at Munstead Wood are a treasure trove of design inspiration. The Nut Walk, a stately path lined with pink and white hellebores, sets the tone for the garden year.

The Pergola, a classic feature of Arts and Crafts gardens, provides a shady recess for climbing plants to grow. Pergolas like this one were recommended by Jekyll to many of her clients, and for good reason - they offer a perfect spot for shade and for showcasing beautiful plants.

Michaelmas daisy borders burst with colour in late summer and early autumn, featuring bouncing asters in hues of white, lilac, pink, and purple. These borders are a stunning display that's not to be missed.

The Sunken Rock Garden, once lost but re-discovered in the 1990s, is a secluded and shady spot with an abundance of rotating colour. Entry is down rough stone steps, and the path is divided by an elongated island bed at the centre.

The Nut Walk at Munstead Wood is a beautiful feature that starts the garden year with stately rows of pink and white hellebores under the trees.

These hellebores sit proudly under the trees along the path leading to the Pergola and beds of kalmias, which create a shady arbour to ready the eye for the colourful delights of the spring bulbs in the Spring Garden beyond.

A revision in the last century saw the replacement of part of the walk with a swimming pool, but we're keen to restore this area in full.

The Pergola runs at right angles to the Michaelmas daisy borders and provides a shady recess before encountering the summer flower borders.

Pergolas were a typical feature of Arts and Crafts gardens and offered a place for climbing plants to grow.

The Sunken Rock Garden is a secluded and shady spot, with an abundance of rotating colour from early spring flowers such as fritillaries and Solomon’s Seal, to alpines, ferns and then delicate dwarf azaleas.

Entry is down rough stone steps at either end, at the base of which the path is divided by an elongated island bed at the centre, encased by a low rock wall.

The tree canopy here is much more dense than when it was originally planned, so not every plant thrives as originally intended.

The Greenwood Walk was Gertrude Jekyll's chosen view from her bedroom window of her favourite part of her garden.

The arched door through a stone wall can be a stunning feature in any garden. Munstead Wood's main border arched door is a great example of this.

Jekyll's use of non-native plants for structure and foliage in the main border includes plants such as yuccas and bergenias. These plants can add a unique touch to your garden's entrance.

The North Court and Tank is a unique and fascinating garden feature. The design of the North Court and Tank Garden was a collaboration between Gertrude Jekyll and her architect Edwin Lutyens.

This collaboration resulted in a harmonious blend of garden design and architecture.

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Spring is a wonderful time to enjoy your garden, with a vibrant display of color from flowers and trees.

The Spring Garden at Hidcote is filled with drifts of tulips, crown imperials, wallflowers, arabis, and daffodils. These flowers create a beautiful backdrop for morello cherries trained against the stone walls.

Jekyll chose to allow Clematis Montana to ramble through the hazel trees, adding a touch of whimsy to the garden.

The Main Flower Border at Munstead Wood is a true masterpiece, showcasing a complex planting scheme that will keep you engaged for months on end.

Jekyll's colour scheme for the border began with cool colours at the edges, blending towards hot colours in the centre, creating a visually stunning effect as you walk along the border.

A group of yuccas on either side of the gate offers some much-needed structure and texture to this break in the long border, and these plants are still thriving in the garden today.

The border is a tapestry of drifts of herbaceous perennials, biennials, annuals, bulbs, and tender plants with contrasting textures, foliage, and leaf shape, weaving together to create a visually appealing display.

This intricate planting scheme allows you to step back and admire the 'garden picture' at any point along the way, making it a truly unique and captivating feature of the garden.

Gertrude Jekyll's plant selection was deeply rooted in her love for her local landscape. She chose plants from her childhood home in Bramley and her local heathland, constantly comparing and selecting the best through trials and experimentation.

Her aim was to elongate each season and give structure year-round, which set her apart from many of her contemporary horticulturalists. Jekyll chose plants as much for their shape, texture, and habit as for their scent or color.

The Michaelmas daisies are a great example of this, as they're so important in September and October that it's worth giving them a separate place in the garden.

Selecting plants from your local landscape can be a great way to create a unique and authentic garden. You can draw inspiration from the plants that grow naturally in your area.

Jekyll's choice of plants was influenced by her childhood home in Bramley, a nearby village to Munstead Wood, where she included shrubs like Amelanchier and Kalmia.

Collecting plants from the wild and local heathland can be a fun and rewarding experience. Just be sure to experiment with different varieties and select the best ones for your garden.

Jekyll's love of the local Surrey landscape inspired her development of water, woodland, and dry wall types of planting schemes.

When selecting plants, consider their texture, shape, and habit to add depth and structure to your garden.

Jekyll chose plants for their shape, texture, and habit, which set her apart from her contemporary horticulturalists.

Plants like Michaelmas daisies are important for their role in elongating each season, and can be given a separate place in the garden.

Their shape and habit can add structure year-round, making them a valuable addition to the garden.

The Michaelmas daisies are so important in September and October that it is worthwhile to give them a separate place.

This thoughtful approach to plant selection can help create a garden that is interesting and dynamic throughout the year.

The primrose is a beautiful and delicate flower that deserves a special spot in your garden.

In the Primrose Garden at the North Court, you can find Jekyll's Munstead Bunch primroses, which she bred over many years by carefully selecting the best colours.

This specific variety of primrose is a great choice for a garden because it's available in a range of colours and is relatively easy to care for.

The Munstead Bunch primroses in the Primrose Garden were almost completely lost by the 1980s, but a few plants were found growing around the edges and were used to restore the garden.

Primroses typically bloom in March and April, making them a great choice for adding some early spring colour to your garden.

Irises at Surrey are a great choice for a long blooming season, as Gertrude Jekyll was passionate about including them in a garden.

Gertrude Jekyll included irises such as stylosa in her garden at Munstead Wood, Surrey.

For a vibrant display, plant irises in a spot that gets plenty of sunlight, like the gardens at Munstead Wood.

Irises like stylosa will bloom for a long time, making them a great addition to any garden.

In a Gertrude Jekyll garden, paths and walkways play a crucial role in guiding the visitor through the garden and creating a sense of progression.

The Nut Walk, for instance, features stately rows of pink and white hellebores under the trees, setting the tone for the colourful delights of the spring bulbs in the Spring Garden beyond.

Pergolas were a typical feature of Arts and Crafts gardens and were recommended by Jekyll to many of her clients. They provided a place for climbing plants to grow and offered a shady recess.

The Pergola at Munstead runs at right angles to the Michaelmas daisy borders, creating a sense of visual interest and guiding the visitor's eye through the garden.

Michaelmas daisy borders are a key feature of the garden, showcasing a stunning display of bouncing asters in hues of white, lilac, pink, and purple on parallel borders.

Shade was important in a garden, and Jekyll's designs often incorporated features like pergolas and trees to create a sense of depth and visual interest.

Munstead Wood is a significant horticultural site due to its connection with Gertrude Jekyll's designs.

Gertrude Jekyll's work at Munstead Wood showcases her innovative approach to garden design.

The garden's layout and plant selection reflect Jekyll's emphasis on harmony between nature and human-made structures.

Jekyll's collaboration with architect Edwin Lutyens at Munstead Wood exemplifies the Arts and Crafts movement's ideals.

Their partnership resulted in the creation of a unique and influential style that blended architecture and horticulture.

Munstead Wood is a treasure trove for horticulturists, with its significance in the development of the English cottage garden style.

The garden was designed by Gertrude Jekyll, a renowned horticulturist, in collaboration with architect Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the house.

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Gertrude Jekyll's life was a testament to her passion for art, gardening, and design. She studied at the South Kensington School of Art from 1861-63.

Jekyll's early career began with travels in the Mediterranean, which likely influenced her artistic style. She started writing articles for The Garden magazine in 1881.

In 1882, Jekyll bought 15 acres of heath and woodland, where she began creating her own garden, Munstead Wood. This marked the beginning of her remarkable gardening journey.

Jekyll's health issues led her to give up painting and embroidery in 1891. She then turned her attention to gardening, helping Edwin Lutyens with his first commission.

By 1897, Jekyll had moved into a new Lutyens-designed house at Munstead Wood. This marked a new chapter in her life, where she could focus on her gardening and writing.

Her first book, Wood and Garden, was published in 1899, when Jekyll was 56 years old. This milestone was followed by the publication of Home and Garden the next year.

Jekyll continued to create influential gardens, including the Deanery garden for Edward Hudson, which she designed between 1901-02.

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Planning a visit to a Gertrude Jekyll garden requires some thought, especially if you're traveling from afar. These gardens are often located in rural areas, so it's essential to check the opening hours and any specific rules or regulations beforehand.

Most Gertrude Jekyll gardens are open from late spring to early autumn, with some closing for the winter months. Be sure to check the specific garden you're planning to visit for their opening times.

Gertrude Jekyll gardens are often designed to be explored at a leisurely pace, so be prepared to spend a few hours wandering through the beautifully landscaped grounds.

Visiting is a crucial part of any travel experience. Research your destination beforehand to get a sense of the local culture, customs, and etiquette.

Consider visiting during the shoulder season, typically April to May or September to November, when prices are lower and crowds are smaller. This can be a great time to explore popular destinations without the chaos of peak tourist season.

Be respectful of local traditions and dress modestly, especially when visiting temples, mosques, or other sacred sites. For example, in some countries, it's customary to remove your shoes before entering a home or place of worship.

Plan your itinerary according to the opening hours and days of the attractions you want to visit. Some museums and historical sites may be closed on certain days or have limited hours, so it's essential to check ahead of time.

Take time to explore the local neighborhoods and get a feel for the everyday life of the people. This can be a great way to discover hidden gems and authentic experiences that you might not find in guidebooks.

Munstead Wood has been a private residence for over 75 years. It's a testament to the enduring legacy of its former owners, who carefully curated the property to showcase its unique character.

The house is a collaboration of creative genius between Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. Their combined talents have left an indelible mark on the property.

We're exploring how to carve a future for Munstead Wood that safeguards its unique character. This means finding a balance between preserving its history and making it accessible to the public.

The garden tours that were held at Munstead Wood each year are just one example of how the property has been shared with others. These tours were a rare glimpse into the property's beauty and significance.

In our first year of exploring the future of Munstead Wood, we've made significant progress. We're excited to see what the future holds for this remarkable place.