In early June, we visited architect Ben Pentreath at his Dorset garden, shrouded in a dewy early summer mist.
Three months later, he's invited us back. Over the weekend, Pentreath, the author of the recently released English Decoration; Timeless Inspiration for the Contemporary Home took some photos to remind us once again that there's really nothing to compare to an English garden at its peak:
Photography by Ben Pentreath.
Above: Two years after Pentreath took a long lease on the house in southwest England and undertook an overhaul of the garden, late summer dahlias preen against a fence.
Above: The herbaceous borders change seasonally; summer perennials complement each other with a mix of heights and textures.
Above: Pentreath spent the first year doing rehab: pulling out bindweed and ground elder and overgrown shrubs, digging and filtering, and bringing the ground back to clean soil.
Above: Dahlias and cloches—both glass and bamboo—to protect tender plants from wind, cold, and insects. For more garden cloche inspiration, see "The Beauty of the Garden Cloche."
Above: Staked dahlias hold their heavy heads high.
Above: Hollyhocks, biennials, will self sow in the border.
Above: In typical cottage garden fashion, Pentreach interplants edibles with flowering plants.
Above: Nasturtium (R) at the edge of the garden.
Above: Pentreath's carrots, potatoes, beans, squashes, and beets, headed to the table.
N.B.: See Season of Mist for our Spring visit with Ben Pentreath. Inspired to dream some more? See Gardens.