Welcome to Ferns Lodge, a small Victorian lodge house nestled within 4 acres of wild gardens currently undergoing restoration. We hope you enjoy exploring this simple website and visiting us often as we slowly progress towards order (although not too much order!).
The garden, surrounding the house, is approximately half an acre and has been landscaped over the past 17 years. Our map illustrates the house and grounds to the right of the site. It features a cottage garden with brick paths that lead from the summerhouse, now a functioning office, to the cottage, and then to the gazebo, where climbing honeysuckle and jasmine abound. Additionally, there is a barn with a sedum roof, and the beds are brimming with azaleas, camellias, geraniums, agapanthus, and foxgloves. As this part of the garden develops, the beds fill out, creating a delightful scene in the summer months.
We embarked on our mission by gradually felling and drilling invasive laurel, and soon we could envision what might one day become a wildlife garden. As the area cleared, a circle of holm oaks emerged. These trees are now very mature, and two have fallen, so we planted a new circle in 2022. Additionally, we have a date palm, cork oak, and a selection of mighty hardwood trees. Surrounding three sides of the area, there is a perimeter of majestic English oaks. At the bottom of the wood, a pair of Monterey pines stand tall, their magnificent bark and bulk visible from the treehouse nestled between them. Unfortunately, a large limb from one of the pines fell in 2022, dominating that part of the garden with its sinewy form.
There are various stumps and junior stumperies, as well as habitat stumps, left around the wood. We never burn fallen trees; instead, we leave them to decay and provide a home for the plentiful wildlife that shares this special place with us.
A wildflower meadow lies to the southeast, and this area is currently in development. To the west is the bottom meadow, now cleared of laurel, providing a lovely place to walk and think.
The perimeter of the wood to the west is incredibly wild. The garden's wildlife knows it will never be disturbed here, providing a home to many.
We are assembling a small collection of 3D art within the garden to surprise our visitors. All pieces are commissioned for Ferns Lodge by working artists and carefully chosen to complement their specific locations.
A vegetable garden is located in the same spot where the Victorian gardeners before us cultivated produce for the table. Within this area, there is a vegetable cage, a lovely cedar greenhouse from Woodpecker, and a handsome and useful little barn.
The mission is far from complete, and there are still many treasures to uncover and much more work to do – what fun!
At Ferns Lodge, we do not use sprays, weed killers, or anything unnatural. We aim to preserve the habitat that the garden offers and manage this restoration with a light touch.
