Great Dixter: Fergus Garrett Creates Art in the Garden
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Over the past few years some designers have preferred to label themselves as artists, perhaps viewing their outputs on a different plane from those by their fellow creatives. It’s a long-running debate on what is deemed worthy of being described “art”; in the late 19th century, it was a hot topic, as the Arts & Crafts movement believed that beautiful design and decorative arts were as worthy of discussion and reverence as fine art or sculpture. What about gardening? Could the creation of a garden be considered an art form, too?
In the hands of Fergus Garrett—who celebrates 30 years as head gardener at Great Dixter in Sussex, England, this year—there’s a strong case to suggest it could be. Evidence that Garrett is operating on a higher plane was in full effect on a recent midsummer visit to the Arts & Crafts house. As borders exploded in an intoxicating race to their high-summer peak, and beautifully orchestrated plants spilled out over paths, it was, as often happens in this garden, almost too much to take in. A visit to Great Dixter can feel like a slightly transcendental experience, via sensory overload and sheer beauty.
Above: In the Peacock Garden plants reach for the skies, including allium heads that provide a sculptural punctuation point amongst frothier perennials and annuals including cornflowers. Above: Squeezing through the plants in high summer is all part of the fun. It adds another sensory element to exploring the garden, an immersive experience in which visitors are encouraged to get up close with the plants. Here, metallic blue eryngium, Briza media, hardy geraniums and clouds of daisies create a joyful moment by the stock beds. Above: Two cultivars of Cotinus coggygria have been added to the garden’s famed topiary meadow in which crisp yew forms hold court amongst billowing meadow flowers. The fuzzy flower heads of the cotinus seem to float above the meadow. Above: In the Sunk Garden, Rosa mutabilis makes a statement with its copper and pink flowers that play against the deep burgundy foliage of physocarpus.
Above: Forget calm and color-themed. At Great Dixter all colors are welcome, and often all at once. Here, intense scarlet roses spill forth over borders. Above: The Long Border, which swoops along the southeast side of the garden and house, is a bravura orchestration of form, texture, color, and successional planting. Big shrubs and trees play a key structural role in this ever-changing 150-foot-long border.
