Modern Planting Lessons from a Historic English Garden: Bishopscourt

Behind the Bishop of Rochester's residence at Bishopscourt, in the shadow of one of England's oldest cathedrals, a traditional garden is being quietly revolutionized. The acre-sized space retains Victorian and Edwardian bones — expansive lawn, rose garden, yew hedges — but its planting schemes have been updated for the 21st century with remarkable skill.

I visited on a glorious June afternoon during a National Gardens Scheme opening (the charity opens gardens nationwide for fundraising). Head gardener and volunteers maintain the space with an eye toward labor-saving beauty.

Labor-Saving Mixed Shrubs

Rear wall borders now feature evergreen shrubs instead of high-maintenance roses or bedding plants: bright yellow box honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold'), small-leaved kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium), deep green laurustinus (Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price'), and Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata 'Aztec Pearl'). Dried allium seedheads contrast beautifully with the dark foliage.

Repetition for Impact

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' repeats along a border near the house, its green-white blooms lifting a dark corner. Repetition strengthens visual impact and emphasizes plant choice.

Low-Maintenance Summer Color

A circular bed around a stone sundial replaces hybrid tea roses with two lavender cottons: gray Santolina chamaecyparissus and green Santolina virens with acid-yellow button flowers. Woodland sage (Salvia nemorosa) provides purple spires. All are low-maintenance groundcovers.

Planting for Conditions

Kent's near-continental climate — dry summers, cold winters — demands appropriate choices. A south-facing wall hosts Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima), purple woodland sage, and tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) swaying overhead. Fan-trained Victoria plums exploit the wall's stored heat. Gravel mulch aids water retention.

Overplanting as Strategy

The parterre behind a clipped yew hedge is the garden's jewel: an "overplanted" mix of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses (a perennial meadow) punctuated by three painted obelisks supporting purple clematis. Tall verbena along the border's spine creates cohesion.

Movement comes from giant feather grass (Stipa gigantea) and verbena plumes. One obelisk sits in a sea of warm heleniums contrasting near-black Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'.

Wildflower Meadow in Miniature

A rear walkway borders the parterle on one side; the other features low raised beds of English wildflowers from "Easy Sow" seed mixes. Many gardeners fail broadcasting wildflower seeds in borders, but raised beds yield spectacular results.

Beyond the trees, Rochester Castle's Norman keep (1127) dominates the skyline. The raised seating area overlooks lawns to the house, framed by mature trees including a tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).

Info: Bishopscourt opens twice yearly (June and September) via the National Gardens Scheme.

See more inspiring garden tours