Green Lady Garden Design

Green Lady Garden Design

Angie Townsend is a freelance garden designer/consultant who has written articles for magazines, featured on TV and radio.. For a number of years she has written a popular gardening column and features pages for the Teesdale Mercury, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham. She is now the regular gardening writer for Durham Town and Country magazine. Her most recent career move is to that of film maker - and has spent the last year filming her garden and surrounding landscape to feature in a gardening video, ' Spirit of Place ', which is now widely available : see details below

Angie designs for the smaller town and country garden, and covers North Yorkshire, Co. Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland. She favours and specialises in low-maintenance gardens, but does not dismiss other styles, and is happy to work in a traditional or modern style, or a combination of both.

Over the years Angie has encompassed many skills in the field of education, natural health, and currently garden design/writing. Her gardening skills developed at the early age of five years old, and where ever she has lived, she has continued her life long hobby, eventually making it her new found career. Her natural enthusiasm and love of gardens and nature is illustrated in her sensitive approach to providing her clients with a garden that they will love and use for years to come. Angie likes to build a close relationship with her clients helping them to develop and transform their ideas into a reality.

Angie is a keen plantswoman, opening her beautiful woodland garden in aid of charity throughout the spring and summer months. Plants are for sale on open days and by appointment at any other time. Sussex House, is approx one-acre, and features a moss garden/loggery, alpines, rose-walk, gravel garden and well-stocked herbaceous borders, with many projects ' on-going '.

SUSSEX HOUSE GARDEN

When I moved to Sussex House some nineteen years ago, I encountered a wilderness of weeds, rubble and brambles. In my first year a small area was cleared and laid down to vegatables with some success. In subsequent years each new clearing became the vegetable patch with the former areas taking on a cottage style garden. From that original foundation other styles have developed. In the main, planting is based on shade tolerant plants, because the sycamore wood is a dominating feature of the garden. However, the construction of an alpine rockery and a gravel garden allow more scope for sun-loving plants. The alpine rockery is divided into three planting areas to accommodate peat, sand and lime tolerant varieties. Beyond the gravel garden which features a mosaic based on the Ying/Yang principle, you enter a new long term project, a rose lined walkway, using ropes and poles as supports for climbing roses. The central feature is a rustic kissing seat constructed of coppiced willow and hazel, topped with a chamomile seat. A mosaic of welsh slate and coloured glass/tiles runs makes a pathway around this.. Fragrance will also play a part here, with plantings of lavender, thyme and catmint. The next project is the construction of a dry stream. Planting consists of large leafed and textural plants.. Beyond this is the moss garden and loggery and was made to provide another habitat for wildlife and attracts a wide variety of creatures. Here you will find ferns and woodland plants. For fun I built a cobweb screen of wire ! There is even a giant spider which children like !

One major task has been to clear the south side of the wood of brambles, rubble and debris from an old pigsty, with the intention of making a permanent vegetable plot. This has been a monumental task and is very much on-going. As a labour-saving device we adopted a ' raised bed ' system which is just as well because the soil is only a few cms deep in places ! The prevailing winds are also a major problem so we are erecting barriers this year.

The wooden raised beds built this year house a variety of decorative vegetables, herbs and salad crops., the patch continues to produce a reasonable crop lasting well into winter.

There are many more projects planned for the garden including :

prairie style planting

a scree bed for the continuation of the alpine collection

and the development of the wood - to make a ' fantasy ' wood by using sculptures; to remove elder trees, and replace them with small trees, shrubs, woodland flowers and bulbs.............................

VISITORS TO THE GARDEN

We welcome individuals, WI groups, art clubs, and gardening clubs at any time during April and early October.

There is a charge of £2.00 per person - children free.

To visit this garden consult the Red Cross booklet, or by appointment to individuals - private groups. Please contact : Tel/Fax 01833 621411 or e-mail : mailto:angie@greenlady.ndo.co.uk

Official opening dates in aid of the British Red Cross are:

Sunday 24th April - 11.00 - 4.00

29th August Bank Holiday Monday - 11.00 - 4.00

Teas and plants for sale - limited wheelchair access

ATTENTION ALL GARDENERS ...............

My gardening video ' Spirit of Place ' is now finished and is available for sale, making an excellent gift for the well seasoned or new gardener. Log on below for details.

rgardenvages.htm

Durham Town and Country...................Angie writes on a regular basis for the magazine - If you would like your gardening problems solved then contact

mailto:angie@greenlady.ndo.co.uk

For more information regarding:

Garden design - visit page2.htm

Sussex House Plant List - visit page3ima.htm

Ways with Willow - visit page4ima.htm

Gardening Video - visit page5images.htm

<a href="http://123counters.com/stats/s/selema1/" target="_top"><img border="0" alt="Free Web Page Hit Counters" src="http://one.123counters.com/counter/index.php?u=selema1&s=odw" ALIGN="middle" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="2"></a><br><a href="http://www.123counters.com/" target="_top"><font color="#666666">Web Site Counter</font></a>

!--Begin Ultimate Counter code--><center>
<a<center>
<a target="_top" href="http://www.UltimateCounter.com/link.cgi?id=555122">
<img src = "http://www.UltimateCounter.com/count/count.cgi?555122">
</center></a>

Angie is a keen plantswoman and her beautiful woodland garde is open in aid of charity for the Red Cross