Andrew Salter’s Barn Garden

Last weekend I visited Andrew Salter’s garden near Canterbury in Kent (@big_drewland on Instagram). Having announced the open garden date a mere three weeks into the drought, he then considered postponing / cancelling by the time another rainless, hot month had passed. I am very glad he did not, as even drought-scorched, crispy and hot, the place bewitched me.

I’d seen many fairytale photographs of the site from above – a simple black weatherboarded house surrounded in turn by deck, garden, split-rail fence, textured meadow and field boundary, with river and countryside/farmland beyond – but the reality in scale, planting and sense of place took me by surprise.

Especially the planting. I had somehow missed, in all my reading and following on social media, Andrew’s love of conifers, especially Pinus spp. There are more trees and shrubs in this garden than you might expect, from low cushions of Pinus mugo to taller glaucous spruce (Picea), cultivars of of Sambucus, Salix and Cercis, Cotinus and an extraordinary twisted Cryptomeria by the gate. Andrew explained that he was especially inspired by Japanese gardens, which of course use conifers beautifully, and that they provide both winter interest and a ‘muscular’ presence that is needed to hold the space together. This worked well with airy grasses, large-leaved Macleaya cordata and bistorts and other perennials that were more upright than most I’ve seen in the current arid conditions.

The garden’s atmosphere is calm and beautiful, but with a strong sense of energy and passion. It feels loved and enjoyed, and talking with Andrew about the space and the plants was a delight – such enthusiasm and knowledge was really inspiring to me. I asked how he made planting decisions and he said he just fell in love with plants and had to bring them home – this I could really relate to, and while it’s clear the decisions are much more considered and informed than that sounds (he definitely knows what he’s doing), I enjoyed the zest with with he told me about various plants and his eye for brave and characterful design. He was especially excited by unusual and novel plants, showing me a rare lime, unusual hawthorn (“with purple haws!”) and a Parrotia cross with a name I will never remember. A beautiful stooled poplar (Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’) glowed near the entrance.

I’m aware that the time of year and the drought/heatwave conditions meant I saw precious few bulbous or early summer herbaceous plants, and it was a stretch to imagine the garden with those plants to the fore. It would be fantastic to see it again in any season, but I’d especially like to see those beautiful conifers in deep winter, and a green, green late-spring garden and meadow too. As it is, he plans to open again in October this year and I will be there. In my mind, I’m already there.

Ali H