An Unexpected Garden

An article from Sustainable Wells ‘A Year of Living Sustainably’ - written by Gael Witor

Gardening should always be a pleasure, not a chore, and happily it would seem there are a number of organic methods that are just that! Less of a hands on approach and more of a wait and seed! 

With just an inch of gravel and a handful of wayward Calendula and California poppy seeds, that is exactly what is developing on a rather forgotten stony area at Brownes Garden Centre in Wells. It is an unexpected garden, which is now awash with the sunshine oranges and yellows of the poppies & marigolds, against the striking contrast of the wirey purple Verbena bonariensis  and ground hugging Sedums which are all also self seeded. 

Initially there were other green guests that weren’t quite so well received, as they arrived like a rowdy crowd. You will be familiar with the ones I mean, Willow herbs, native Euphorbias, hardy grasses etc. However with a bit of ‘weeding’ out, suddenly this pop up gravel garden really started looking impressive. It is astonishing really, because there is literally no soil, just an inch deep of stones and weed matting. In a cultivated gravel garden, there would be at least some soil under the gravel layer. 

We are hoping to experiment further, by introducing other native seeds such as Verbascum, Self heal, Blue Fleabane, Wild fennel  etc, along with other herbs such as Thyme.

Gravel gardens are certainly gaining well earned momentum, as they require far less maintenance than lawns and traditional garden beds, but they can also deal with our climate changing seasons. They prevent moisture loss, provide good drainage and using sharp gravel deters munchers such as slugs and snails. They are however a big step change and this garden design is going to take a while to be accepted, especially by the staunch lawn rangers. But it is perhaps worth setting aside a sunny part of your garden and just having a go.

A trip to Yeo Valley, which has a large gravel garden will provide plenty of inspiration. They have created paths through their garden which give a sense of management, a bit like paths mown through uncut lawns create interest and a sense of care and order.
At Yeo Valley there is certainly plenty of colour and interest, pollinators and pebble pools. And it really is a rather unexpectedly beautiful garden!