If you had millions of dollars to build a garden, what kind of garden would you create?
Jane, Duchess of Northumberland, had an idea twelve years ago about renovating the walled garden on the family estate that had fallen into ruin since its last major renovation in the 1850s. Now the 40-acre Alnwick Garden is the third most-visited garden in England after Wisley and Kew.
Unlike public projects, which can take a decade to plan, this privately funded project progressed from an idea in 1996 to groundbreaking in 2000, and the Grand Cascade opened to the public in 2001. Now a public charity, the garden is near completion.
In a talk at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show last month, the duchess described her vision of a public garden that eschews conventional choices. Instead of a “boring” apothecary garden, for instance, she wanted to create a Poison Garden. Children, she said, want to know what plants can kill you, not what plants heal you. So she visited the Medici garden in Padua for ideas and got permission to grow strychnine, cocaine, and other restricted plants, and tour guides tell stories about the plants as they lead visitors through this area.
Her goal, she said, was a classically designed garden “with water in every possible place,” but not overwhelming the gardens. She looked to grand European water gardens for inspiration, and chose a Belgian garden designer, but wanted Alnwick Garden to use the latest technology. When the garden is completed, she wants it to have spectacular lighting as well, so that it can be enjoyed at night. Some areas of the garden already use fiberoptic lighting creatively.
An important part of the vision was to stimulate the local economy and support local organizations. Located halfway between London and Edinburgh in northeast England, Alnwick Garden has employed local labor to build the garden and has seen dozens of new businesses develop to support the 600K tourists who visit each year. Tourism is replacing agriculture in the region.
Unlike many child-centered attractions that charge hefty fees for each child, Alnwick offers free admission to four children with each adult fee. Children are encouraged to play in all the water features, from the rills in the Ornamental Garden to the physics-inspired water sculptures in the Serpent Garden. In the Quiet Garden, visitors will be able to sit at tables with their feet in a few inches of water while children play in the paddling pool. The “safely dangerous” adventure play area around the Treehouse will have special areas for under-fives and for severely disabled children.
Attentiveness to every constituency is another hallmark of this garden. Last year, the garden won the Loo of the Year Award for the facilities in the Visitors' Centre. Dogs are allowed in some areas of the garden, and shade trees and drinking areas have been provided for them. Alnwick even tries to “treat bus drivers like kings,” with their own cafe, showers, loos, and lounge area.
Alnwick also has a Rose Garden, Ornamental Garden with Venetian metal gates, Bamboo Labyrinth, solar-heated Pavilion, Garden for the Senses (which all children visit blindfolded in wheelchairs), Cherry Orchard, and Spiral Garden (where children can chase water marbles).
According to the duchess, “naming rights” to the pavilion, treehouse, and orchard are still available.
© 2008 Tanya Kucak