GARDEN OF THE MONTH

Each month we will select an outstanding garden to be featured because it has had the most visits during the month or because we feel it is of special merit. It will be visible on our Home page and then visible with the other gardens as well.

Previous WinnersBalcony House, Ventnor, Isle of WightIsola Bella, Lake Maggiore, ItalyVentnor Towers, Ventnor, Isle of WightHarbour View Hotel, Ventnor, Isle of WightHighdown Gardens, Worthing, Sussex.Ventnor Botanic GardensChampionship Sweet Pea GardenRainbow, BonchurchFolly Cottage, Ventnor, Isle of WightSea Cottage, Ventnor, Isle of WightBeeches,Worsley, ManchesterStream Cottage CheltenhamA Whippingham GardenBonnies Garden

Balcony House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight

Perched high above the town and clinging to the hillside is the five level garden that has been lovingly created by Mai and Ken. The garden when they first moved into the house was so steep, you practically needed crampons to get up ad down it. So they called in some help and had a large balcony built on the sea side of the house, from there it goes down to the end of the property in a series of four move levels each reached by steps.

The top deck has a pergola at one side for rambling roses and clematis ‘Lady Betty Balfour’ and masses of tubs and pots of bamboo, scented geraniums, French marigold, mini fuchsia and formium. There is a seating area with table and chairs plus loungers and a small fountain. The steps down to the next level are lined with pots of formium.

This is a sub level with a small water feature, canna lilies, formium, vernbena, phygelis and lots of sea shells. The next set of steps are a gentle run edged with railway sleepers and these lead to a walk way edged with more sun loving plants sedum and ageratum, and is home to model cows. A model Buddha sits under the balcony and calmly watches over the garden surrounded by wind charms. The borders are crammed full of weigelia, fatsia, hebe, euphorbia, honey suckle, wisteria, formium, osteospernum, philadelphus, jasmine and a pot of papyrus.

Beside the steps going down is a lobster pot topped with a pot of grasses. A look out point with chairs is surrounded with pots of grasses, the fencing is intertwined with white flowered solanum. The borders contain osteospenum lavender, spirea, lavateria and there is a large model goose presiding over this area of the garden.

Down the to lowest part of the garden, that is a bit more shaded from the sun but still has a large selection of sun loving plants. An echium, bergenia, grasses, senecio, hebe, euphorbia, bamboo, more osteospernum, a variegated hibiscus, miscanthus, and the guardians of this area is a family of pigs.