Celebrating the Victorian Stumpery. Blog 15. September 17th 2008.

Posted on 17 Sep, 2008 17 comments

A stumpery is a Victorian garden convention.
Huge hollow tree stumps were placed in shady garden settings, and the stumps were filled with ferns, hostas and other shade – loving plants.Often huge glades were created with doorways made from massive gnarled tree roots to form arches and canopies, so that it was possible to walk through and under them. There has recently been popular a revival.

The most modern and spectacular version of a Stumpery has been created by H.R.H The Prince of Wales in his superb gardens at his home at Highgrove in Gloucestershire.
The Prince has written a book about his gardens, and it is lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs.. The stumpery and woodland garden at Highgrove are also featured in the book:
‘The elements of Organic Gardening. H.R.H The Prince of Wales with Stephanie Donaldson’
(ISBN 978-1-407-20769-8 )

Our stumpery was created in 2007 from hollow oak stumps and twisted roots. We have planted up the stumps with ferns and hostas.The Stumpery is located in dappled light, and is uplit at night with floodlights and spotlights.The plants require very little maintenance, but the ferns are kept moist. They really thrive in the damp conditions within the tree stumps.

Pip the Hoblin guards the entrance to our woodland garden. This area continues from the stumpery and wildlife pond.

Grenville & Alan.
Bristol.U.K

Comments

Spritzhenry

17 Sep, 2008

Thanks Alan for the beautiful evocative photos - and Grenville for the interesting blog. I enjoyed it! That's why I am still looking for some twisted wood or a tree stump for my fernery! They go together so well, don't they.

Sandra

17 Sep, 2008

love the stumpery boys. i have been collecting a few myself after seeing them at picton castle in the spring. the photos are so good you'll be causing a stumpery fashion all over GOY...

1198

17 Sep, 2008

I have to say I've never heard of a "stumpery"...but am very impressed with the concept and your photos. Am I understanding this correctly - you just PLACE the stumps and roots in the garden and plant IN them?

Terratoonie

17 Sep, 2008

Just out of curiosity ~ have some parties of visitors booked to view your Yellow Book garden after dark ?

It must look amazing at that time, with the uplighting.

Grenville

17 Sep, 2008

Hi 1198... yes you plant the ferns and shade loving plants in and around the hollow stumps and roots.We have planted the ferns in hollow oak stumps filled with compost and lined them with plastic with drainage holes to keep the compost in the stumps.
Hi Terratoonie.We have opened on the evenings and served wine/soft drinks.
Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

Terratoonie

17 Sep, 2008

I've hunted through your photos and found some nice night-shots. Evening pond on current page 18, and several night garden photos on current page 14.

I can imagine the evening 'tours' are very atmospheric.

Jacque

17 Sep, 2008

Great blog Grenville&Alan &those Nite Time showings of your Gorgeous garden must be outstanding :) MMMMmmmmmm along with some Wine 2 may i add ;) XXX

Daff

17 Sep, 2008

I love pictures, keep them coming. x

Gail

Weeding

17 Sep, 2008

stumptastic!

Nariz

18 Sep, 2008

Love the Hoblin! Legends in this region are firm in the belief of "wood witches" and "mountain keepers." Your Hoblin would fit in nicely.... erm ..... when can I visit?

David

18 Sep, 2008

This is a gr8 idea for imoproving shady parts of a garden. Many Thanks for posting this lovely blog.

1198

18 Sep, 2008

Thanks for your response...sounds very interesting and I think I may have to try it!

Buzzbee

18 Sep, 2008

Hello Grenville and Alan
A fascinating blog. I have just been for a walk in a place called Glen Alva in Scotland - a narrow shady gorge with rocks and gorgeously contorted roots of trees (lookign very much like stumperies) working their ways round the rocks to survive. In amongst this is an absolutely amazing range of plants - ferns of amazing diversity, mosses, curious funghi and lichens, and a host of native plants I shall need to return to with a book to identify. So much of it chimes so well with what you say about stumperies - to be able to recreate that in your garden with additional exotics such as hostas and foreign ferns would be pretty special.

Janey

24 Sep, 2008

Wonderful! You two are real exterior designers.

Clairefifi

4 Oct, 2008

I love it guys.

Is your Hoblin a David Goode creation ?

Grenville

4 Oct, 2008

The Hoblin is by Julian Jeffrey and was cast by The Old English Bronze Company.

Clairefifi

4 Oct, 2008

I will have to look it up on the web. I have no statuary in my garden at all at the moment (oh, except for a Kermit frog - but maybe I should have kept that quiet!) and always long for something magical.