Enthusiasts of botany who have filling their Welsh garden with a variety of peculiar blossoms.
Nestled in the picturesque countryside of Monmouthshire, Wales, Highfield Farm Garden offers a rich tapestry of flora that captivates visitors throughout the year. The garden, open on select dates and by arrangement for groups, boasts three acres of free-draining red sandstone loam soil and a diverse array of plants, including tulip trees, monkey-puzzles, ginkgo, cypresses, and a paperbark birch.
The garden's owner, Roger Lloyd, is particularly fond of his Cornus hongkongensis, a flowering dogwood that opens green and turns pure white, hardy to -10°C. Another notable plant is the giant hog-fennel, Peucedanum verticillare.
The garden is divided into two long rectangles of land, each dedicated to large-scale perennial planting experiments. The inner, older plot features a vertical theme, with grass paths and bold blocks of grasses and perennials. In contrast, the outer rectangular plot showcases a horizontal theme, with umbelliferous flowers as the backbone and accent shrubs like variegated forms of Cornus controversa and C. alternifolia.
Between the house and adjoining barn lies a sunny gravel garden in the Beth Chatto manner. Here, some plants are permanent, while others come and go by self-seeding, creating a vibrant and ever-changing landscape. The gravel garden area is adorned with plants such as Scabious, Gaura, and Verbena, producing natural pastel shades.
One plant that Roger Lloyd lists among his eight key plants he wouldn't be without is the Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’, a striking red-hot poker. The garden's kitchen garden houses a polytunnel for tomatoes and an apricot tree. A greenhouse within the garden is filled with succulents and aromatic pelargoniums.
The climate in Highfield Farm Garden is temperate, with an average annual rainfall of 900mm. The garden sits at 95m above sea level, placing it in USDA hardiness zone 8, and enjoys a winter low temperature of -5°C.
Jenny Lloyd, another owner of the garden, had a career in horticulture as a plant breeder and later with her own import and interior decoration business. Highfield Farm has a series of different gardens, representing gardening trends from the past 30-40 years. As the garden matures, it is starting to move towards shrubs and small trees.
Highfield Farm Garden has raised over £80,000 for the National Garden Scheme and Macmillan Cancer Support through garden openings, teas, and plant sales. The garden is open for the National Garden Scheme on select dates and by arrangement for groups. Admission is £7.
[1] Key plants in Highfield Farm garden: https://www.gardenvisit.com/news/highfield-farm-garden-monmouthshire-wales/ [2] Roger Lloyd's eight key plants: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardening-advice/gardening-advice/roger-lloyds-eight-key-plants-he-wouldnt-be-without/ [3] Highfield Farm Garden: A haven of diversity and season-long interest: https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/highfield-farm-garden-monmouthshire-wales/
- At Highfield Farm Garden, nestled in Monmouthshire's picturesque countryside, the diverse array of plants, such as flowers like Cornus hongkongensis and Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’, make it a captivating destination for visitors throughout the year.
- The garden owner, Roger Lloyd, cherishes his Cornus hongkongensis, a flowering dogwood that opens green and transforms into pure white, hardy to -10°C, and the giant hog-fennel, Peucedanum verticillare.
- The garden can be divided into two long rectangles of land, each dedicated to large-scale perennial planting experiments, showcasing a mix of horticulture styles, including vertical and horizontal themes, as well as interior-design elements.
- Between the house and barn, a sunny gravel garden in the Beth Chatto manner can be found, displaying a vibrant and ever-changing landscape featuring plants such as Scabious, Gaura, and Verbena.
- In addition to the diverse flora, the garden boasts several other attractions, including a kitchen garden with a polytunnel for tomatoes, an apricot tree, and a greenhouse filled with succulents and aromatic pelargoniums, all contributing to the overall lifestyle and home-and-garden experience.
