Taking ownership and developing a garden made famous by the wine writer Hugh Johnson might be a challenge for some. However, not so for Matthew and Jennifer O’Connell who moved into the Jacobean property in 2018 and who are already part way through their ambitious plans for the 12 acres which surround their home.
This October, the Grade II listed garden at Saling Hall in Great Saling near Braintree will be open again to members of the public. Readers may remember the garden from the years when Hugh and Judy Johnson lived at the manor house, creating the garden and building the impressive collection of trees that they left when they moved on in 2011. During their time, the gardens and arboretum earned an international reputation and were opened regularly for the National Garden Scheme, for which Judy was County Organiser. Publication of Trees: The Definitive Guide to Trees of the World by Hugh Johnson cemented the author‘s reputation as an authority on trees as well as wine.
It seems a happy coincidence then that Matthew is himself an expert on fine wine (Head of Investment at Bordeaux Index and CEO of LiveTrade the fine wine trading platform) and is quickly becoming an expert on trees too. Arriving in 2018 when the house had been largely unoccupied for seven years was timely, certainly with respect to the garden. Lockdown provided him with the time to really get to know the garden and begin to make plans, kickstarting an obsession with trees which in turn is influencing the direction of the garden.
While already home to some mature and very rare trees, Matthew is introducing more and is skilled in identifying and sourcing new and interesting varieties to enhance the existing collection. His membership with the International Dendrology Society offers opportunities to learn and share ideas with fellow enthusiasts and is helping him to develop a scheme for a more layered tree landscape by introducing a collection of small to medium-height trees.
The Johnson legacy might inhibit such plans. 'We are in regular contact with Hugh,' he says, 'and it is marvellous to chat to someone who knows this garden so intimately. I am not intimidated, rather it makes me even more keen to restore and preserve areas that Hugh and Judy created while also stamping my own identity on the garden. I refer to it as a garden of scale. With 12 acres there is room for plenty more trees and opportunities for us to rethink other areas.
'I would say that our overarching plan is to make the garden design more fluid, with four or five areas with their own distinct character, but which flow from one to the next. For example, there are two areas of meadow, one through the existing grass on the approach to the house and the other a two-acre site now in its fourth year. This merges with a delicate glade area where we have planted summer flowering magnolia. The old walkway is being transformed so that connections between areas are improved.'
The magnolia genus is a favourite of Matthew’s and they have introduced many new species to the garden since arriving, managing to achieve an impressive extended flowering season within the group. The actual planting of the new trees is not as arduous as it might be in a county where heavy clay dominates. 'There is not as much clay as we expected,' he says. 'There’s a lot of naturally occurring gravel on site which not only creates some ideal growing conditions but also makes digging a hole much easier.'
The programme of modernisation continues throughout the garden and is done with the invaluable assistance of head gardener Jack Dykes who joined Matthew in 2020 and Steve Hockley. Jack’s experience working at RHS Hyde Hall for a number of years means that he knows and understands most of the plants and trees on the estate. He has some innovative ideas on how to rejuvenate and reshape some of them so that the garden design is gradually evolving into something more contemporary and exciting.
The Walled Garden has been an ongoing project since he arrived and has offered him the opportunity to update the planting schemes. 'While the layout of the beds remains, giving good structure to this area, I am incorporating new perennials and grasses which will add movement and texture to the area,' he says. 'And I am addressing the ‘June gap’ that period after the roses and early perennials have finished and there is a lull before the high summer colour kicks in.' Some favourites remain, however, including the parasol-trained apple trees which he reckons are 125 years old along with the impressive rambling Rosa banksiae which reaches the full height of the house.
Another of Jack’s projects is the Victorian Water Garden which he is currently replanting. This is a largely shaded area where he is introducing an understorey of smaller trees over some herbaceous perennial planting inspired by Beth Chatto.
Matthew and Jennifer are intent upon reviewing all areas of the garden, and in time, will plant up the informal areas of parkland, create more traditional formal borders close to the house and complete an impressive fruit and vegetable garden. They are keen to share the gardens with the public and continuing the garden’s relationship with the National Garden Scheme seemed the obvious route to take. With so many good times of year to see the garden it is understandably difficult to decide which months would be best for visitors to see the gardens. There is no doubt that autumn colour is an absolute highlight and so choosing the first date to open as October 21 was not difficult. The Acers in particular should be amazing then, but so too will many others in this vast collection of deciduous trees. They are currently considering a spring opening when an avenue of cherry trees and carpets of daffodils enhance the approach to the house or June for the magnificence of the rose collection.
A visit to Saling Hall Gardens will be a rewarding experience whatever the time of year and following the gardening year on Instagram @salinghallgarden shows that there is always a special flower, tree or view to be enjoyed.
Saling Hall Gardens will open to the public for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday, October 21 from 10am until 4pm. Admission for adults is £7 and children are free. Tea and cakes will be available. For full details head to ngs.org.uk
