Art has long been used as a way to record or celebrate unforgettable gardens, and many artists have themselves created gardens treasured for both their horticultural heritage and artistic associations. Several County Gardens Trusts are using our unforgettable gardens campaign to highlight gardens in their area through projects featuring art or photography.
Artists’ Gardens in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust have produced reports on a number of Artists Gardens documenting the gardens of artists who lived in the county . Each entry introduces the career of the artist, describes the house and garden, looks at its influence on their work and at their legacy. The artists include famous names such as John Piper, whose home at Fawley Bottom Farmhouse is pictured above, Paul Nash and Rex Whistler. There are also lesser-known artists and people like Gilbert Cannan, who hosted artists at his home, the Windmill in Cholesbury.
Photographs of gardens
Buckinghamshire GT have also launched Gardens Begin at Home, a collection of photos of members’ gardens. They have already posted some lovely photographs on their website.
Hertfordshire GT are planning an Unforgettable Gardens calendar featuring photographs taken by members to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2022.
Essex Artist in Residence
Meanwhile, in their 25th anniversary year, Essex Gardens Trust have recently appointed their very own Artist in Residence, Jane Frederick. Her Garden Seekers Project creates work which investigates formal gardens and their relationship to art. Jane will be hosting an online illustrated talk to share the artistic inspiration behind the Garden Seekers Project on Thursday 24 June.
Over the year, Jane will be working with the teams caring for some of the treasured gardens of Essex. She will be exploring their archives and sketching on site as she develops new artworks to engage audiences with their historical, social and aesthetic legacy. During her residency, she will also be leading a series of public Tour & Draw creative workshops. The workshops will be based in some of the county’s most important gardens, and will encourage participants to engage mindfully with gardens through drawing. The first workshop will be at the wonderful Gardens of Easton Lodge, Great Dunmow, Essex on Thursday 8th July. Details and tickets for both events will be available on www.essexgardenstrust.org.uk.
Find out about other Unforgettable Gardens initiatives.
