A visit to Hidcote

Hidcote Manor has existed in one form or another for centuries, but the present garden was only established in the early twentieth century when Lawrence Johnston bought the property at auction on behalf of his mother and the two moved in in 1908, adapting the house to suit their requirements. Having been farmland for much of its history, Johnston had a blank canvas on which to begin work. He was a keen plantsman and went on plant-hunting expeditions himself – today Hidcote’s plant collection still contains many species regarded as of national importance, and many gardeners will be familiar with Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ and Rosa ‘Lawrence Johnston’.

Between 1907 and 1914 Johnston carried out much of the work in the garden, creating a series of ‘garden rooms’, (one of which was named after his mother, ‘Mrs. Winthrop’s Garden’, her name from her second marriage) but his work was suspended by the First World War. Johnston himself has said that the development of Hidcote owed much to his gardener Frank Henry Adams and the team that worked under him. Others have suggested that Johnston was much influenced by his close friend, Norah Lindsay, who developed her own garden at Sutton Courtenay and note the similarities between the two gardens.

On his return from the war, Johnston’s mother bought adjoining land thus extending the garden further and work was eventually completed in 1920. With the garden already attracting critical acclaim. Johnston opened the garden three days a week for charity and it was the first garden to be bought by the National Trust, in 1948.

August 2025 was probably not the best time to visit gardens! As hosepipe use in the area was banned, gardens like Hidcote were struggling with the dry conditions and parched grass was clearly visible in the Red Borders. These are a fabulous mix of grasses, Lobelia tupa, red Dahlia, Hylotelephium, moody Sambucus with an intense Agapanthus popped in.

Nevertheless, some plants were doing remarkably well, including Hostas ‘Sum and Substance’ and ‘Empress Wu’, perhaps because the conditions did not favour slugs and snails .

The garden was designed with smaller, more formal ‘garden rooms’ around the house itself, which gradually give way to more relaxed planting. Alongside the more formally planted areas such as the area surrounding the Bathing Pool, the garden has a relaxed cottage garden style, seen to good effect surrounding the Lily Pond.

Passing along the side of the house, the courtyard garden was a riot of colour, with Dahlia ‘David Howard’, Zinnia and Calendula doing well. We were told that some areas which were easier to access with a watering can had been watered and this was evidently one of these.

There is also a lovely Silent Space at Hidcote, which has an air of seclusion created with a restrained planting consisting mostly of pots of Hostas and Begonias. Large pots filled with Plectranthus and Salvias add weight.

Much of the planting at Hidcote will seem familiar today, but Johnston’s Red Borders were unusual in their day and influenced by his trips abroad. Vita Sackville-West described it as ‘a jungle of beauty controlled by a single mind’. Johnston had created another garden on the French Riviera and it was his intention to move there later in life. He had planned to leave Hidcote in the care of Norah Lindsay, but her premature death meant that ultimately the garden was placed in the hands of the National Trust.

Vija V