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Topic: Outdoor Living Ideas



Date Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Posted by: Tanya Zanfa (Master Admin)
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-2753510/The-gar...


The garden that's got it all! Water features, superb topiary, a sunken courtyard - the idyllic Surrey plot crowned our winner


The garden that's got it all! Water features, superb topiary, a sunken courtyard - the idyllic Surrey plot crowned our winner

Keith Francis, a retired marketing consultant, isn’t often lost for words, but when he heard that he and his wife Felicity had won the Daily Mail’s 2014 National Garden Competition, he was stunned into silence. 

‘It was such a surprise,’ he says, still not quite believing it. ‘Having seen the other three finalists when they were featured in Weekend magazine, we didn’t think we stood much of a chance. It’s been a shock – a wonderful one, of course!’

Just under 2,000 gardens were entered for this year’s contest, and after much deliberation the judges whittled the entries down to 12. 

Keith and Felicity Francis winners of National Garden Competition 2014. in their garden at Holmbury, near Dorking, Surrey

Keith and Felicity Francis winners of National Garden Competition 2014. in their garden at Holmbury, near Dorking, Surrey

They visited the shortlisted gardens in July, following up with a second visit to their four favourite gardens in mid-August.

Keith and Felicity’s two-thirds of an acre plot near Dorking in Surrey eventually triumphed because, as landscape designer and head judge Tim Sharples explains, ‘It combines so many of the elements we look for in the gardens we visit. Above all, Keith and Felicity manage to maintain interest and colour throughout the year with innovative planting and careful use of container plants.’

The couple, who are in their 60s, bought the house and land in 1996, and initially wondered if they’d ever be able to make a garden there at all. The sandy soil was so bad for plants that a neighbour confidently told them nothing would grow there. 

Keith and Felicity¿s two-thirds of an acre plot near Dorking in Surrey eventually triumphed because it combined so many winning elements

Keith and Felicity’s two-thirds of an acre plot near Dorking in Surrey eventually triumphed because it combined so many winning elements

 The couple's beehive 

 

The topiary area

The couple's garden includes a beehive (left) and a topiary area (right)

Fortunately, they ignored this advice and set about improving the soil with vast amounts of stable manure and home-made compost. 

Before long, plants were thriving and they found they were spending every free minute working on the garden. Felicity, a gifted amateur artist, trims the superb topiary, does the weeding and has the final word on colour schemes, while Keith does the construction work and most of the maintenance.

The design of the garden has been very much a joint effort. ‘We knew we wanted an open layout so we could see most of the garden from the house; on a rainy, miserable day we can sit snugly in the conservatory and still look at the garden,’ Keith says. 

The view of the garden from the couple's house

The view of the garden from the couple's house

‘We’ve made many different areas over the years, and now we have three water features, a sunken courtyard, a fernery, a topiary area, a rockery, a grass garden, herbaceous borders and shrubberies, and a woodland garden. We’re particularly proud of the 68 species of birds that have come to the garden over the years.’

Keith is always on the lookout for new plants, despite Felicity’s efforts to curb his spending at local nurseries. As well as the National Garden Competition’s coveted blue winner’s plaque, they will receive a cheque for £2,000, and Keith knows exactly where the money’s going. 

‘It will all go on plants,’ he says happily. ‘It’s bulb planting season and next year, thanks to the Daily Mail, we will have a really amazing display.’ 

 



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