Dungeness with Crambe maritima (Meerkohl) on the beach
On our garden tour from Kent through Sussex we took the coastal road to Dungeness, a long-stretched street village on the pebbled shore, with houses on one side of the road only, all facing out to the sea.
The pebble beach at Dungeness - imagine gulls' cries and a stiff loud steady wind.
We came to see Derek Jarman's garden, an open plot, quite on the beach. Although he died over twenty years ago, his garden is still looked after. It incorporates plants seen everywhere on the coast which seem to naturally grow in this difficult position with salty winds and shifting ground. I liked the extravagant leaves and flowers of Meerkohl (Crambe maritima) and lots of different Centranthus with swathes of Escholzia poppies. He seems to have called in the natural vegetation of this coastal area to find shelter and a happy community there and arrange themselves in pleasing images on his plot. The best gardens are those that look "natural" and "easy" ... Or is it the other way around and the plants on his plot have decided to move out and multiply to brighten up the vast lonely windswept areas outside of his garden?
Centranthus and Crambe on the beach - the French coast is visible in the distance
From there, we continued on to Rye (to be cont'd).
We came to see Derek Jarman's garden, an open plot, quite on the beach. Although he died over twenty years ago, his garden is still looked after. It incorporates plants seen everywhere on the coast which seem to naturally grow in this difficult position with salty winds and shifting ground. I liked the extravagant leaves and flowers of Meerkohl (Crambe maritima) and lots of different Centranthus with swathes of Escholzia poppies. He seems to have called in the natural vegetation of this coastal area to find shelter and a happy community there and arrange themselves in pleasing images on his plot. The best gardens are those that look "natural" and "easy" ... Or is it the other way around and the plants on his plot have decided to move out and multiply to brighten up the vast lonely windswept areas outside of his garden?
Derek Jarman's garden. In the background you can see the Dungeness Nuclear Power Station.
Centranthus and poppies
the back side
From there, we continued on to Rye (to be cont'd).
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