rutland

Inspiring People. Nick Hamilton

/ karen / 11 Comments

Continuing my series on inspiring people in horticulture, this week, I’m focusing on Nick Hamilton, son of TV gardener Geoff Hamilton.

Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland were originally created by all-round horticulturist and writer Geoff Hamilton. Geoff made a guest appearance on the BBC Gardeners’ World programme in the 1970s and made such an impression on viewers that he was given a regular slot. He joined the team in 1979 and hosted the programme for 17 years.

Photo credit: Barnsdale Gardens/ Steve Hamilton

Geoff originally broadcast from a two acre site overlooking Rutland Water, but in 1983 he bought a Victorian farmhouse and five acres of land. He called it Barnsdale and viewers tuned in at 8.30pm every Friday night to see Geoff’s latest gardening projects.

Photo credit: Barnsdale Gardens/ Steve Hamilton

My parents sat and watched the programme as mum was, and still is, a very keen gardener. Dad knew that whatever Geoff was fashioning out of bits of wood and odds and ends, he too would be making something similar that weekend. Whatever mum wanted, dad was able to make it. Geoff made gardening affordable and fun, and dad was only too pleased to be able to make something so mum could enjoy her garden. Garden benches, bird tables, raised beds and multiple fish ponds, one with a waterfall, were all constructed for next to nothing.

Inspiration at Barnsdale. Home-made herb garden coffee table and bench, and plant support with a plumbing ball cock providing the finial on the top.

It was while filming his Paradise Garden series that Geoff had his first heart attack. That was in June 1995. In August the next year, Geoff suffered a fatal heart attack during a charity cycle ride in Wales.

The question of what would happen to Geoff’s garden fell to his middle son Nick to answer. Nick says, very honestly, that Geoff left the legacy of the garden, but there was never any money to go with that inheritance. And the gardens were not initially in any condition to open to the public. They were always created for the television programme and the cameras would focus in one one area at a time.

Nick in the Cottage Garden, built as the main show garden at the first Gardeners’ World Live in 1993. The feature was created by Dan Pearson and recreated at Barnsdale following the show.

Nick and a small team of gardeners crammed two years worth of work into the next eight months and opened for the first time on 19th April, 1997. Since then, the money generated from visitors has been reinvested in the garden and its facilities to ensure that Geoff’s ethos to educate, inspire and entertain continues.

Nick and his team work tirelessly to maintain and improve the 38 individual gardens. Some of the names of the gardens give an idea of the range of plots to view. There’s the Modern Estate Garden, Artisan’s Cottage Garden, Stream and Bog Garden, Wildlife Garden, and Children’s Garden and Allotments. There’s even a garden inspired by Versailles.

Planting ideas. Structure and colour in the Reclaimed Garden
The Reclaimed Garden was made almost entirely from recycled materials. Raised beds were made from railway sleepers and the pergola was made from old oak roofing timbers. The water feature was created from an old immersion heater.

My favourite is the Town Paradise Garden, a walled plot with a conservatory full of pelargoniums, a lion head wall water feature, a rill and beautifully planted lily pond.

Sitting in the summerhouse, overlooking the pond and rill.
Bog and border planting in the Town Paradise Garden
Scented roses in the Town Paradise Garden

Nick says a garden should not stand still but keep on evolving. There are new gardens and many updated features. Gardening is still undertaken on the organic principles Geoff promoted, and there are a huge range of courses, talks and demonstrations on all aspects of gardening.

Nick in the Allotment Garden/ vegetable plot

Here are a few highlights this summer.


Fairy Trail -Throughout July & August 9am – 5pm

Children are very much welcome at Barnsdale Gardens. They can hunt for fairy doors, find tiny fairy houses and mischievous ‘fairies’ tucked away around the gardens. Follow the clues, solve the fairy riddles, uncover their secret messages and make a special wish at the wishing tree.

Cottage Gardens – 12th July 12pm – 4pm

Nick Hamilton, President of the Cottage Garden Society, will give a series of informal garden walks highlighting the history behind Barnsdale’s cottage gardens. You can learn about the must-have plants that bring this much-loved style of gardening to life.

Artists in the Gardens – 12th July 11am – 3pm

Watch talented artists take inspiration from the gardens. Visitors can watch live painting, sketching and other artistic techniques while exploring Barnsdale’s gardens.

Live Music – 26th July 12pm – 4pm

Award-winning duo Annie Duggan and Rob Hines provide music in the garden with a mix of Americana, Jazz, Blues and Roots – the perfect soundtrack for a summer’s day in the garden.

Nursery Walk & Talk: ‘Top Plants for Our Changing Climate’ – 31st July 11:30am – 11:50am

Join Barnsdale’s Emma for a 20-minute walk and talk exploring plants that thrive in drier conditions and changing weather. Visitors attending the session will also receive exclusive plant discounts on the day.

Barnsdale’s Question Forum – 19th July 11:30am & 2:30pm

Following the success of last year’s event, Barnsdale’s Question Forum returns, bringing together a panel of gardening experts, including Nick Hamilton, vegetable expert Susie Watson, and Head Gardener Jon Brocklebank.

Visitors are invited to bring along their gardening queries and enjoy an entertaining and informative question-and-answer session packed with expert advice, handy tips and plenty of inspiration.

Lands’ End, seaside retreat. Photo copyright: Steve Hamilton

Spring Garden Visit for Mothering Sunday

/ karen / 20 Comments

It’s always to treat to discover a garden you haven’t visited before- especially when they open for only one day a year. Gunthorpe Hall proved to be the perfect place to take Mum for our special Mothering Sunday outing.


We stood and admired these iron gates and views over the Rutland farmland. One thing we wished we had was a guide for all the rare breed sheep. Mum and I thought we recognised a few, but there were many we’d never seen before. The lambs were a springy delight. 


The park surrounding the formal garden is awash with daffodils, and every kind of spring bulb you can think of. 




Daffodils have naturalised in the grass around the magnolia, cherry and lime trees. Backed by a south facing wall, there’s a new kitchen garden with raised beds and a new Hartley Botanic greenhouse.



We all love to mooch in greenhouses, looking to see what other people are  growing. We found broad beans and  beetroot seedlings  looking very healthy and thriving. 


I would just love to get my hands on these sleeper-edged beds. There would be sweetpeas, and dahlias, and cut flowers galore! 


And after all that gardening, I’m sure I would be quite comfortable lying on these outdoor couches, with wonderful canvas sails to shade the sun. 


Well, some people have gnomes, stone statues etc. And then there’s……plastic penguins! Not sure what the story is behind these slightly grumpy-looking penguins, but there were quite a few about the place- all in different colours. And a white plastic gorilla, and a red teddy bear. I will try to find out and report back…….


We weren’t sure about the scary-looking eyes. But we did love the cowslip bank and the mulberry tree underplanted with thousands of bulbs. 


Gunthorpe Hall, near Oakham, opens for the Leicestershire National Gardens Scheme once a year. I can highly recommend a visit. The garden is a wonderful spring delight. Mum loved her outing – and the delicious afternoon tea made by all the hard working volunteers.  

Do you have any favourite spring gardens you like to visit? Or have you, like us, found somewhere new and special to visit?