One international garden designer, 14 gardeners, 1,712 days and over 2,500 roses later and Lowther Castle’s rose garden has been restored to its former glory.
Dan Pearson – who has been garden designer-in-chief at Lowther since 2012 – based his design on the profile of a rose bloom for the garden, which was originally planted in the 19th century but was lost to neglect and decay from 1939 onwards, when the entire gardens were closed.
Now, thanks to Dan’s clever design, plus a host of volunteers and groundworkers, the rose garden can be enjoyed by visitors once again.
A spokesman said: “When Lowther Castle & Gardens Trust was formed in 2008 to rescue the castle from collapse and the gardens alongside, the rose garden was almost entirely engulfed in woodland. Today’s version is a highlight for the castle’s 110,000 annual visitors.”
Dan’s inspiration was taken from William Morris’ quartet of poems written around the Sleeping Beauty myth and the garden features 29 rose varieties and hundreds of perennial plants.
Owner Jim Lowther said: “When we first commissioned Dan to come up with a masterplan for the gardens, we agreed that our mission should be based not on restoration per se but on adding layers of new design to existing history.
“The rose garden is a shining example of this – the Victorian fountain, its jets mimicking the stamens of a rose, remains in the centre – while the external ironwork and planting are very much of the 21st century.
“We could not be prouder of the results of the hard work of all those who made this come to pass, volunteers, gardeners, engineers and designers alike.”
