Welcome to Yonder Hill, a beautiful garden in Colaton Raleigh, East Devon.

Open to the public for charity under the NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME  http://www.ngs.org.uk  from Mothers Day to the last Sunday in October. This is a 3.25 acre garden paradise set in the Otter Valley commanding magnificent views and containing a rich variety of rare and interesting plants. It is difficult to describe as a major part of its attraction is the atmosphere of peace and tranquility which must be experienced in order to appreciate the garden as a whole. It is not a conventional garden in terms of planting or design. Bearing in mind that no plant ever read the gardening manuals and that in the wild they prefer to grow in mixed communities, trees, shrubs and herbaceous have been used together throughout to paint an overall picture which is pleasing to the eye at any time of year. Within this picture the details ( either individual plants or beds ) stand on their own merits and, when viewed from further away, blend in and compliment the greater detail around and beyond.

Planting was started from scratch in May 1992.

 

 

 The first area to be worked was the site of my original wholesale nursery North of the drive which I had had to give up ten years  earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In May 1994 the top lawn was laid out with island beds.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                          A month earlier I had been using it as a paddock for the sheep while their lambs were born!

 

 

 

At the same time the "Letter Beds" were made. These are laid out in the form

 of our initials and planted with our favourite plants.

 

 

 

 In 1998 a miniature pinetum and holly copse were created at the eastern boundry near the entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The autumn of 1999 saw half the big vegetable garden transformed into a small woodland with a wildlife pond in the centre.

 

 

 

This was soon extended and a new vegetable garden made below it.

Beyond that, a native woodland was planted in 2002.

In 2004 the garden was once again extended into the half acre beyond the letter beds with  yet another large wildlife pond 

 

Finally in 2006 the lower half of the paddock used as a car park was made into an orchard bringing the garden to its full 3.25 acres.

 

 

 

By 2007 parts of the garden were reaching maturity and it was time to start removing trees and shrubs originally planted as fillers to protect special plants while they established. This was started early in 2008 enabling us to make a few small changes to the layout and giving me a opportunity to indulge in lots of new plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the house is a cool oasis filled with a collection of ferns.

 

The whole garden is a haven for a very rich diversity of wildlife including a large thriving population of Dormice. WILDLIFE AT YONDER HILL GARDEN

 

 Autumn in the Garden