Middle Garden Path

Winding Middle Path (Archive)

Middle Path starts at Middle bridge and winds gently through the plantings in Middle Border to reach the grass beyond. There are river stones along its edges. It forms the main route from the house through to the Hazel orchard beyond.

The plantings in this archive photograph are very new. For Middle Path's first year I planted bright red zonal geraniums at the grass end, together with red flowering cannas. I learnt very early on that bright red, a colour which can frighten town gardeners off, actually looks fabulous out in the bigger spaces of a country garden. The other side was edged with tussocks, lemon lupins, and some deep crimson peonies.

Garden Developments

Things have changed - the shrubs and flaxes have doubled in size, and the trees planted in the gardens here have quickly grown. Rhododendrons are slowly taking over the under-story of the planting schemes either side of the path, particularly one beautiful pink rhododendron whose flowers seem to last for months.

Virburnum Tinus

Early Plantings

At the start of Middle Path there is a Yellow Wave Flax in front of a trio of red Cordylines which are growing tall and straight and look amazing. There's a Viburnum Tinus next door which has beautiful pinky-white flowers in early spring. It is regularly pruned to keep the pathway clear - these shrubs are quick to restore themselves. Just occasionally it suffers from a sort of dieback - probably the result of totally indiscriminate pruning!

Early in its life Middle Path was extended, making room for two standard roses. Extra edging plants including dwarf daylilies and dwarf agapanthus took the place of the geraniums (which were killed by the winter frost). The cannas had to be moved out, too, since the hard winter frosts were too dangerous for their tubers.

As the trees grow and the rhododendrons settle in this whole area is slowly turning into a woodland shrubbery. The current edging plants (like the small daylilies) will doubtless have to be relocated to a sunnier space.

Spikey Plants by Middle Path

Self-Seeding Nicotianas

Middle Path suffers from a surfeit of self seeding Nicotianas near the grass area, and cerinthes and bright blue forget-me-nots near the bridge. All these flowers are so appealing that it's hard to pull them out and clear the path.

The tussocks have to have haircuts every month to stop people slipping on their trailing foliage. Low growing euphorbias flop over the path every summer. I get the feeling that Middle Path is trying to tell me something.

Peonies by the Path

Early on I planted some crimson peonies quite near the path edge. Gradually these noble plants settled in, and now their flowering is one of the joys of late spring.

It might get too shady for them in here, but for now all is well. I hope I don't have to move them - I've read about peonies who sulk for seasons after being shifted.

A Woodland Walk?

But still I get the feeling Middle Path's destiny is to become a short woodland walk.