Kiftsgate Court might not be as well known as its very close neighbor Hidcote, but the two country houses’ histories are intertwined. The original creators of the gardens, Heather Muir and Lawrence Johnston, were friends and between them created some of the most romantic borders in England. On a lovely summer day we took a tour and found 10 ideas to steal to create a romantic garden (manor house not necessary):
Long-Flowering Specimens
As well as being firmly under the influence of three generations of talented gardeners, Kiftsgate Court is also an extraordinarily beautiful house that looks as though it has been picked up and transported from northern Italy. In fact the portico and Georgian façade were both removed from a nearby house, Mickleton Manor, and then moved stone by stone on a specially made railroad in 1887. In 1918 Heather Muir and her husband bought the house and so began the story of a magical garden.
Kiftsgate is a garden of not one but three gardeners: Muir created the garden through the 1920s and ’30s until her daughter Diany Binny took it on during the middle of the century, and by the ’80s her granddaughter, Anne Chambers, became the third and current chatelaine.
A Refined Color Palette
Running the entire length of the house, there are successive waves of soft pink, mauves, and purple with roses, peonies, salvias, and foxgloves—and perhaps most prominently, established clumps of favorite geraniums including the delicate beauty, G. pratense ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’.
Dark Backdrops for Drama
Kiftsgate’s position only serves to emphasize the drama and theater of its Italianate architecture; it sits up high on a hill with stunning, far-reaching views of the surrounding Malvern hills. In the ’30s, with the help of some Italian gardeners, Muir created the terraces on the precariously steep slopes around the house and then protected the house with towering pine trees.
Clusters of Martagon Lilies
Climbing Roses
Climbing roses are an effective way to light up shaded areas. The famous Kiftsgate rose, planted in the 1930s, sprawls up through the trees along one side of the garden and is reputedly one of the largest roses in England.
Rose Hedge
Deutzias at Every Turn
If you haven’t yet thought about adding a deutzia to your garden, you really should. These airy, easy-to-grow shrubs are smothered in elegant buds and flower from spring to summer.
Pretty Shrubs
Shrubs with pretty foliage or flowers will soften the edges of hardscape features.
Roses Everywhere
At Kiftsgate there is also a vast rose garden with a long clipped hedge of Rosa gallica versicolor and the enormous white ‘Kiftsgate’ rose.
Echo the Borders with Seasonal Pots
N.B.: For more irresistibly romantic gardens (and tips for recreating the look), see:
- Designer Emily Thompson Explores Her Dark Side in the Brooklyn Heights Garden.
- Landscape on a Budget: The $250 Instant Rose Garden.
- Long Barn: Vita Sackville-West’s Starter Garden.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation