Beningbrough Hall: New Mediterranean garden launched at Yorkshire country house

And the irony of creating a Mediterranean garden in one of the wettest autumns, winters and then springs on record wasn’t lost on the team at the National Trust’s Beningbrough Hall near York.

But they’ve got there – and now a stunning new garden, designed by award-winning designer Andy Sturgeon, has been unveiled.

Formerly an underused grassed area, it now features more than 4,000 herbaceous perennials, grasses, trees and shrubs from Mediterranean climate zones around the world, including South Africa, South Korea, Chile, China, Australia and, of course, the Mediterranean itself.

Inspired by the Italian-style baroque hall, Andy selected plants from Mediterranean climates that are better able to cope with hotter, drier summers and wetter winters, ensuring the garden’s resilience in the face of climate change.

Drought-tolerant plants will need less watering, while the introduction of more free-draining soil, and additional drainage, will help manage intense rainfall.

Andy said: “In the UK we can expect warmer summers with prolonged dry periods and drought, but also an increase in very wet days, particularly in winter.

“We need to start changing the way we garden, and I have taken the opportunity to embrace this at Beningbrough.

“What we have created is in effect a vast gravel garden that sits comfortably in the historic setting – I hope that it will feel quite timeless.”

It should be far more nature-friendly; 3,500 of the new plants are on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, compared to just ten before.

Extremes in local weather over the past year have underlined the need to adapt – a large underground attenuattion tank, which holds water and gently releases it, will help reduce flash flooding.

The design is meant to give a flavour of a Mediterranean hillside, with a series of low stone walls emerging from the sloping ground, and boulders designed to look as if they spring from natural geology.

Winding pathways with increased accessible routes, reveal fresh viewpoints, hidden corners, and seating areas. All plants have been grown peat-free and the bowls, boulders and Yorkshire stone were sourced from local artisans and quarries.

Head gardener Sam Shipman said his favourite plants include Oregano Kent Beauty, which bears whorls of tubular pink flowers in the summer; Blue Flax Lily from Australia and Cork Oak which grows in Portugal and Spain, which is unique in its ability to regenerate its outer bark. Visitors will have lots to see as the autumn approaches: “If we get an Indian summer the garden should be at its absolute best then. It will be just intriguing to see how it performs through the winter and into next year.”