In brief What designer’s own garden. A long, thin plot on the edge of town. Where Southern Netherlands. Points of interest Use of space, hedging and rare . Size 350 square metres. Soil Sandy loam. Climate Cool temperate, very similar to southern England. Hardiness rating USDA 8b.

Narrow escape Dutch Tom de Witte has loved plants from an early age, and he’s indulged his passion in his own garden, cleverly structuring a long, narrow space into a peaceful retreat

WORDS NOËL KINGSBURY PHOTOGRAPHS MAAYKE DE RIDDER town garden

THIS IMAGE Tom has played to the garden’s strengths by planting against boundary walls and creating four distinct areas linked by a meandering path. IMAGES (clockwise, from top left) The rich planting palette includes: Geranium ‘Anne Thomson’, Baptisia australis; Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Nora Barlow’ and the climbing ‘Guirlande d’Amour’. RIGHT The bamboo Chusquea culeou ‘Tenuis’ flourishes in a shady spot near the house.

73 Ressita quassitis rest aut anditiis inverum nemquas doluptat quamusam rem. Ga.

om de Witte has been a keen green planting with several young : The planting style here Tsince he was young. “I have been familiar Acer griseum, the Sorbus sargentiana with planting plans since I was 12,” he says. and silk Albizia julibrissin, all chosen is distinctly naturalistic, “A couple of months after I got my driving because they are compact and provide with several grasses licence, I borrowed my mum’s car and year-round interest. As Tom explains, “The and members of the drove to Hummelo to meet Piet Oudolf. It acer has wonderful bark, the sorbus has was a three-hour drive, so it was quite a and berries, and the albizia has a cow parsley family, journey for me.” A career in touch of the tropics.” both of which strongly seemed inevitable, and Tom now runs a The planting style here is distinctly well-established business naturalistic, with several grasses and suggest natural habitats with fellow designer Corinne Lecluyse. members of the cow parsley family, both Tom’s own garden is in a small town of which strongly suggest natural habitats, in Zeeland, very near the Belgian border. even though they may not necessarily be It occupies a long, narrow strip, averaging north European natives. This natural about four metres wide – an awkward shape approach is emphasised by the solid oak but one that allows for sub division and the benches Tom has installed for seating. creation of different zones, each of which The rear of the garden is not dissimilar, has its own special atmosphere. “The garden although it is more shaded. “There are trees ABOVE The handsome umbel Molopospermum peloponnesiacum brings height and drama has an Alice in Wonderland feel,” comments growing in a cemetery behind,” says Tom, to this border. Maayke de Ridder, who photographed this “so it is quite shaded, but having them PLANT IMAGES (above, clockwise from top feature, “because each segment is small but enables me to ‘borrow’ some landscape.” left) The pretty pinks and purple tones of seems larger than it actually is.” Paving with relatively wide spacing filled Astrantia major ‘Roma’, Geranium x monacense, The area immediately outside the house with gravel creates a clearly defined central Allium schubertii and Salvia verticillata ‘Purple Rain’ work well with the predominance has a small terrace that overlooks a lush area. This part of the garden is reached of greens in the garden.

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This oak bench offers the perfect spot to admire the paperbark maple, underplanted with the long-flowering Geranium ‘Anne Thompson’. Tom with his business partner Making the most of a Corinne Lecluyse who helped in long, narrow garden the design of Tom’s garden. • Develop areas with a 8 distinctly different feel, so that each one has an atmosphere all of its own. • Make sure the boundaries provide as much privacy as D possible. This is often not possible for the entire 5

garden, but can usually be 7 5 achieved for one or two

small areas. One of the best 4 ways of doing this is to have a sheltering seated place, such as an arbour, at the very end; getting there becomes a journey, and this is often the easiest place to ensure privacy. C • Make the most of trees and large in 4 5 neighbouring to The end is reached through two contrasting help blur the boundaries; zones, one dominated by beech hedging, planting in front of them can sometimes make it the second by naturalistic grassy planting look as if they are part of 5 your property. • The surface area of the boundaries may be substantial, so use 6 climbers on higher fences 5 through two contrasting zones, one megalophylla, which can be found and walls to maximise the B dominated by beech hedging and the clambering up a trellis. This rarely seen area that is planted. • Tom advises, “Try to 5 second by naturalistic grassy planting. The grape relative has huge divided . Tom 6 hedged area is very different in character notes, “It will grow enormous but I prune create a couple of extra 5 from the rest of the garden: ascetic, even it hard. I grow it because the foliage is so little places to stop, such as 4 severe, the rectangular green blocks good and it has interesting too.” somewhere to sit down. preventing a sight line through. Another rarity is the tree Tetradium They will help you see the “You go in, but you do not know what daniellii, which can be found in the lower, garden from different angles and give multiple is at the other end, so you are invited to shaded garden. It too has divided foliage 2 viewpoints, which always explore,” says Tom. “This part is meant to and the additional virtue of flowering in make a garden look bigger.” 4 3 be contemplative, a link between the August and September. flowery first part and the flowery next part The demands of designing small A of the garden – I like the idea of the gardens are very particular and can often coulisse.” A coulisse is one of the flat pieces be met by making this type of precise of scenery at the side of a stage in a choice. Smaller plots deserve plantsman theatre, or the gap between the scenery designers every bit as much as larger ones, 2 panels where actors can make entrances or as Tom’s creation demonstrates. exits. Drama builds expectation. GARDEN PLAN Narrow gardens will have a high ratio 1 House 2 Wooden bench USEFUL INFORMATION of boundary to area, so climbers are 3 Shed important. Some of the climbing plants Tom de Witte Garden Design, Landstraat 18, 4 Wooden fence here are what might be expected, such 4527 CX Aardenburg, the Netherlands. 5 Hedges 1 6 Slate as the rose ‘Guirlande d’Amour’; others Tel +31 (0)1 1730 1288. 7 Stone paving are rather daring, such as Ampelopsis Website tomdewitte.nl 8

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Near the house (area A), self- Clipped beech hedging (area B), seeding aquilegias and woodland obsucures the end of the pathway planting give a relaxed feel. tempting you to explore.

The slate path leads through a The secluded far end of the contrasting area of softer garden (area D) features a planting (area C). bee-bee tree, Tetradium daniellii.