Birch Copse

This little knoll borders the pond, giving one side a more relaxed feel. The birch trees were planted up in 1997, and then the area was sown with a wildflower and grass seed mix. It is actually a small space, but some clever gardening makes it look as though it goes right up the garden.

The copse is planted on a mound in a random fashion, with some multi-stemmed and some single stemmed birch. When the grass and wildflowers start growing in the spring, the gardeners mow a simple path that gently curves between the trees. The curving path means you can't quite see where it ends, and because the copse backs onto the Herbaceous Border, you can imagine that the path just goes on through the flowers.

The Birch Copse is also testiment that you don't need a big space to get such a beautiful effect. In the right setting, a simple planting scheme can make a strong statement.