Garden

‘I have the freedom to do what I like. This isn’t a garden like anywhere else, it has the character of it’s owner’, Christopher Lloyd OBE, VMH.

Great Dixter is a garden you can immerse yourself in. Vibrant, daring and exciting. Once the family home of the great gardener and garden writer Christopher Lloyd, now led by Fergus Garrett, Great Dixter is gardened remaining true to the personality of Christo. It is a highly managed garden that is bold, experimental, and has a long season. It is exuberant yet rich in biodiversity.

Originally a working farm, most of the garden was designed by Lutyens back in 1910, the bones of the garden are provided by the yew hedges. They have a fluid feel, sometimes curved rather than straight. Lutyens used tiles similar to those on the house in the garden in a decorative way, cleverly linking the garden to the house. The charming old farm buildings were incorporated into the garden such as the hovel once used for cattle, now bordering the Topiary Lawn and The Old Rose Garden.

The paving throughout the garden is York flagstone, which was once London’s pavements before they were ripped up and replaced with tarmac.

The garden changes dramatically from season to season, Christopher mastered the art of succession planting with Fergus taking the art of succession planting to another level by identifying plants that flourish together, occupying the same area but giving interest at different times.

We have a strong sense of place and a spirit of excitement, experimentation, and learning.