Archaeologist and historian of landscape and culture Francis Pryor embeds this fascinating narrative of garden creation within the context of his beloved Fenlands. Telling the story of Limetree Farmhouse and Inley Drove Farm, he charts the challenges and rewards of working within the denuded arable landscapes to create flourishing wildlife gardens.
Working with the relics of hidden creeks, the gardens and farm gradually give life back to a soil emptied of wildlife by intensive post-war cultivation. Drawing on their experience of research and of the Bronze Age landscape around Flag Fen, Francis Pryor and his wife Maisie Taylor integrate native and modern plant varieties to create gardens that harmonise with, but also humanise, the exposed fens, with their biting winds.
Native hedgerows create design structure as well as shelter for wildlife and plants. Alongside the gardens, they develop wood and hay meadows, an orchard, a nut walk and a vegetable plot as well as rose gardens, flower borders and a small plant nursery.
As Inley Drove Farm develops, the plants take centre stage in the story, echoing the real-life development from arable field to gardened oasis. Local characters and histories provide a backdrop to the garden’s creation, while details about the changing climate give a broader context.
Pryor’s description of their inspirations, successes and occasional failures make this a book for all gardeners, while the interweaving of the ancient environment will delight historians and lovers of the Fen.
Reviewed by Twigs Way, garden writer
