Trip out!

I needed a change of scene; time to take a day off work and go and visit a new garden!

Situated in an absolutely beautiful little cove on the North Devon coast, Cliffe is five acres of steep garden a stones throw from the sea. I'd heard great things about this privately owned garden, but didn't know quite what to expect. I was certainly not disappointed- this garden is a real gem.

The garden at Cliffe is impressive for many reasons; firstly the excellent collection of plants that sit so well together, and secondly for managing to feel like a garden bigger than five acres! We've probably all been to gardens with different and distinct areas, where attempts to have as many different areas in the garden as possible mean that parts of the garden jar with each other. This is not a problem at Cliffe; each distinct area blends perfectly with the next, allowing each part to contribute to the garden as a whole. 

In most places a slope as steep as that at Cliffe would be a real hindrance, but over the years this garden has learned to embrace the lie of the land and use it to a major advantage. Terracing the slope allows a wealth of plants, exotic and also quite traditional, to grow well; each terrace and area has its own personality and charm, and the skillful choice and arrangement of the plants means that the areas all still contribute to the whole effect.

Cliffe is definitely a great garden to visit if you enjoy seeing new and interesting plants. Head gardener Gill Heavens has an excellent eye for plants that are a little special and then skillfully blends new plants with already established specimens. In flower on my visit were the spectacular golden spears of Wachendorfia thyrsiflora (above), a half-hardy herbaceous plant from South Africa with sword-like leaves (and bright orange roots!). This bold clump is echoed just down the slope by a bold clump of a dark Kniphofia (below). 

A nearby clump of Moraea huttonii added to the South African theme...

Further down the garden Astelia chatamica from New Zealand looks magnificent....

... while a nearby Leucodendron glows in the sun.

If the exotic flora isn't your thing then the woodland at Cliffe is the perfect antidote. A great blend of semi-wild natives and beautiful cultivated plants make the wooded areas a distinctive feel. 

 

I do love Rodgersias, and this clump of Rodgersia podophylla really caught my eye...

 

Lurking in the undergrowth, this Woodwardia radicans reminded me just how awesome ferns are!

I have many many more pictures of this remarkable garden, but I really think this is a garden that you have to see for yourselves. Thankfully the garden is open for the National Garden Scheme... 

Special thanks to Gill Heavens for wonderful hospitality and a tour; very much appreciated! Cliffe is in the tiny North Devon village of Lee, near Illfracome, and is open by appointment until the 30th of June, then seven days a week until mid September. The garden is very inspirational, and shows what can be done in even the most unlikely site. http://ontheedgegardening.wordpress.com/about/