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About Rockcliffe Gardens
The Gardens at Rockcliffe,
Here we have a varied garden comprising of Orchard, Herbaceous, sunken garden and more. There is a team of 3 full time gardeners and 1 part time, the team is headed by Head Gardener Matthew Styles-West
 The orchard comprises of top fruit mainly apples with a few plums, greengage and cherry's but is noted for it's Dovecote and topiary yew Doves.The 30 white doves living in the Dovecote give it that special something. The fruit trees in the orchard are mainly apples such as Spartan, Coxes orange pippin. There is also the path leading up to the newly created Sorbarium with Sorburs varieties such as sargentiana, 'Joseph Rock', vilmorinii and many more. The Buxus hedging causing a break between the natural meadow and mow'n paths was only planted last year. The sunken garden with it's Iris pallida varoargentiana surround and 6 Cornus controversa var varigata around the tranquil pool has a very Oriental feel, taking the owners back to there time in Hong Kong. This is a great area to sit and relax with a cup of tea and piece of homemade cake purchased from the Orangery. In the Orangery you will find Large Stephanotis on the rear walls as well as the Jasmin sambac on the side walls.
 The terrace surrounding the main house is planted with different Geranium psilostemon, Alchemilla, Sisyrinchium and many more. On the gable ends of the wings are to  be found 2 climbing roses 'Madam Alfred Carriere' and on the side wall another rose 'Souvenier De Docktor Germaine'.The parterre on the terrace was planted last year with 1400 Lavendula sawyers in the 6 beds. The big wrought iron gate at the side of terrace leading you down and across the drive to the kitchen garden, on the way through you can see the Dovecote in the distance.
 The kitchen garden with its fruit cages, sweet peas and veg beds was created 2 years ago and now has 4 herbaceous borders running through it. The walls running almost 3/4 of the way round this area are covered in yet more climbing roses under planted with Digitalis and Alchemilla on one side and a mixed border of shrubs and herbaceous on the other.Down here you can also find the glass houses with there Orchids, Pelargoniums, Peach and Necterine.
Back on the terrace facing away from the main house, built in the mid  1800 as the Dower House for Eyford Park the neighboring estate, are uninterrupted views over the main lawn and far beyond. The view between the Beech pyramids and up to the top of the lawn goes right through to the woodland separated only by the Ha ha! with it's canter lever steps and kiss gate bridge. At the top of the lawn and turning to the right there is the short avenue of 6 Zelkova carpinifolia leading down to the pool house, covered with rose 'Kifsgate' and rose 'Zephirine Drouhin'. Following the natural flow, moving round to the pool garden with it's very Mediteranian feel planted with rose 'Balerii No2' another rose 'Kifsgate', Carpenteria californica and Cistus cyprius amongst others.
From the pool garden through the small Grey gate leads down toward the herbaceous border, but first on the left the 2 secret gardens. The first entered is the pink garden consisting of a center bed with a sundial and four corner beds. The beds contain such planting as Cotinus cogigria purperea, poppy 'Patys plum' and Rosa mundi. Through the arch in the yew hedge the blue and white garden can be seen. This part of the garden is under re-construction this year. When finished it will contain in the four corner beds Campanula's, Geranium's, Roses over rose arches. The center circular bed will be white agapanthus, with Lilly's and much more.
 From the steps leading down form the pink garden we come to the croquet lawn with its pleached lime hedging, canals of black water and rose border. The roses are all old fashioned, bourbon or musk roses. Under planting is with panseys such as 'Martin Elliott' and 'rippling Waters' as well as lillys and much more.
And finaly back through to the herbacous for which a picture will speak 1000 words, planted with Cranbes, Angelica, Geraniums, herbacous Clematis and much, much more. The path then procedes back round to the sunken garden
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