Day Cottage was built in the second year of the reign of King George III, 1762. According to the original conveyance the land was acquired for just 13s 8d. Previously it was called Lady Day Cottage. Lady Day or the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March was the first of the quarter days when traditionally people paid their rent. It was also exactly nine months before Christmas.
All these interesting relics from the past were lost on a previous owner who took a saw to the sign. So we became Day Cottage. Like many old cottages we face east to benefit from the maximum amount of winter light.
From the side of the road there is nothing much of Day Cottage for visitors to see, until they pass through the garden gate. Then the wow factor is quite considerable!
When we first moved in, the garden only extended about a yard beyond the far end of the house where the field began. This meant that at harvest time the combines would come right up to the kitchen window and fill the house with dust and straw.
The original garden contained a raised bed with an apple tree at one end and a pear at the other. They must be pretty old but what variety they are we have yet to establish. They can both be described as productive but inedible. However, they play their part by framing the view of the countryside beyond.
Another feature of the original garden was the patch of lawn which regularly turned brown in the summer no matter how wet. Only when we had the patio laid did we discover that the grass concealed a large concrete septic tank that had never been used for its original purpose. Today all the water from roofs is sent down into the tank and a submersible pump brings it back up for use in the garden and topping up the water butts. Despite increasingly dry summers, it has never run out.
In 2000 we were lucky enough to be able to buy about a quarter of an acre of field beyond the house. A post and rail fence went in and the beginnings of what is now a successful native hedge. Some of the hornbeam we have allowed to grow up into trees. Our original intention was to cloud prune them but like many plans it hasn’t happened yet.
The new land we sowed with a perennial wildflower mix as recommended by Charles Flower. The ground is flinty clay with chalk about 18 inches down. For the next few years, we weeded out all the rape and charlock until the meadow was sufficiently established. Despite the high fertility of the ground the meadow has been successful. Cowslips give way to buttercups and then to the summer flowers: ragged robin, knapweed, oxeye daisies. Some orchids have finally put in an appearance. We cut the meadow until May in an attempt to restrict the height. Let it get too tall and the wind and heavy rain can spoil it very easily. In September, we scythe it all down, remove the aftermath and try to compost it. Very slowly this reduces fertility which is key to a successful meadow.
Everything is composted that can be and then returned to the garden. Each heap takes about two years to decompose and that involves turning at least once, which is hard work. Harder with each year that passes. The compost heaps are warm even hot and very attractive to grass snakes who creep in to lay their bundles of large white leathery eggs. So do the mice and the rats. Exactly who feeds on who I don’t know but it all adds interest for the gardener.
Every garden needs a wildlife pond, and it is amazing how quickly the wildlife appears and how much time can be spent just watching it. How do we ever get anything done? On a midsummer night I have watched as strange ugly creatures emerge from the depths to climb the leaves of the flag iris. Then when they feel safe and secure a dragon fly emerges headfirst from behind the creature’s neck. Then over the hours of darkness, safe from predators, the dragonfly slowly inflates its wings. By dawn it is gone, leaving the husk in which it spent the first few years of its life.
We usually have a good display of sweet peas but of all the plants in the garden, it is the climbing and rambling roses we love best: Rambling Rector, Seagull, Wedding Day, Parade, Lady Hillingdon, Alberic Barbier, Dublin Bay, and two French ladies, Madame Gregoire Staechelin and Madame Alfred Alfred Carrière
Gardens are for doing and watching but also for dreaming, which is why providing plenty of seats is so important. Each seat is different. Each enjoys a different view. This garden is not for those in a hurry. Take your time. Relax. Close your eyes. The garden will do you good.