Half Acre Heaven
Overlooking Barnes’ fishing lake and tennis courts, Unity’s half acre garden has been a labour of love for the last 45 years. Developed by herself and her late husband John, the impressive plot features lawns, decorative beds, fruit and veg and fifty trees (six of which are listed). Her enthusiasm is writ large in the space which is both beautiful and practical.
Unity says: This has evolved so much over the years. I was always the active gardener and John avidly read gardening books and loved shopping for plants from specialist suppliers. I loved buying fruit trees, especially ones I’d loved as a child. We have several types of apple trees as well as loganberry and blackcurrant bushes. We were once almost overrun by plum trees! It was a wonderful place to bring up a family. The holly tree used to be a den and was the high point of an aerial runway.
When we moved here in 1975 there were six large trees and now we have fifty! The whole garden had to be completely cleared of stones and boulders to create all the flower beds. Everything has been grown from seeds, cuttings or very small plants. The trees range from ornamental conifers to holly, oak, hazel, sycamore and yew. Since John died in 2009, I have two friends who help me with some of the heavy work.
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