Over the years, gardens change. Gillian Vine looks at the challenges of keeping to the spirit of a centuries-old English property.
Gardens are rarely static. Trees die, some shrubs sucker and begin to choke their neighbours, while perennials may be superseded by newer, better varieties or taken out because they look tired or don't fit a colour scheme.
As Barry Grain says: ''The great challenge ... is to keep the garden evolving whilst keeping it in the spirit in which it was conceived.''
Barry is head gardener at Cholmondeley Castle, in Cheshire.
The Cholmondeley family has lived here since Norman times and - as is to be expected over some 800 years - the original buildings have long gone.
The oldest survivor, St Nicholas' chapel, dates back to 1285, but has been much changed over the centuries.
There are records of an Elizabethan hall (1571), encased in 1701 by a classical building that was surrounded by extensive formal gardens.
Then, in 1801, the 4th Earl of Cholmondeley decided to replace the house with a ''gothic villa'', the present Cholmondeley Castle, built a short distance from the old house.
Castle Hill was cleared but old oaks lower down were left and remain, while beech, sweet chestnut, lime and cedar of Lebanon were added. Some of the trees are 400 years old, others are rare or unusual specimens, like the splendid hybrid strawberry tree, Arbutus x andrachnoides, and there is an ongoing commitment to maintaining the strong botanical content, not just in trees but in all plant introductions.
''The great thing about our trees is that they have all been given the space to grow into true-to-type specimens,'' Barry says.
That comment reflects the frequency with which trees are planted then, as they grow or become distorted, are cut to fit the inadequate space or chopped down.
When he came to Cholmondeley almost three years ago, he faced some challenges, saying candidly: ''Prior to my appointment, the garden suffered from a lack of lustre for a few years, so certain areas [had become] a bit neglected.
''Sheltering laurels and Rhododendron ponticum groups that were planted historically had reached unmanageable or unsightly sizes, so we have [done] much work over the past two winters reducing these areas and garden fringes, which in turn has opened up new vistas and planting opportunities.''
In other areas, ''introducing a host of new and exciting plants and extending the season of interest'' has been important.
This is a common focus in English gardens open to the public, where until a few years ago the emphasis has tended to be on one season, often spring.
At Cholmondeley, in late summer, the salmon-toned Crocosmia Severn Sunrise was a knockout, as were the salvias in the herbaceous beds surrounding the 1950s rose gardens and the Silver Garden.
In the latter, variegated and silver-leaved plants that do not need to be flowering to have an impact have been used.
The garden as it is today has been developed over the past 65 years by Lavinia (94), widow of the 6th Marquess.
She lives in Cholmondeley Castle and still has a hands-on involvement in the garden's progress.
Her keen interest in magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons can be seen in the large-scale plantings, especially on Tower Hill.
For most visitors, though, it is the Temple Garden that is the image they will retain.
The temple, cherubs and sandstone came from the old house that preceded the castle and the main elements of water, plants and statuary come together perfectly.
Appropriately, the link between the Temple Garden and Rose Garden, planted in 2014, is named Lavinia Walk and, like the rest of Cholmondeley's beautifully laid out and perfectly maintained grounds, epitomises the ''garden of great romance'' she set out to create 65 years ago.
If you go
Cholmondeley Castle, near Malpas, Cheshire (entrance off the A49 at the Cholmondeley Arms Pub crossroads) is open on weekdays from March to September, and Sundays in October. Admission is £6 (about $15) for an adult, £3 (about $7.50) for children 5 and over. For opening hours, see: www.cholmondeleycastle.com
