NESTLED among the gurgling streams, winding paths and rustling bamboo of RHS Bridgewater is a sanctuary which radiates peace and serenity.
It’s called the Scholars’ Garden, and in old-time – the 1600s — these were hidden within heavy city walls at the time the Ming dynasty was giving way to the Qing dynasty.
Designed by intellectuals, poets and retired government officials, these urban sanctuaries were supposed to be a spiritual utopia where scholars could withdraw from political chaos to contemplate, create art, play music and entertain friends
Now, thanks to a collaboration between the RHS, the China Flower Association, and artisans from the Yangzhou Classical Garden Construction Company, RHS Bridgewater in Salford, has created its own version.
I could wax lyrical for hours about how stunning the Scholars’ Garden is, and how you should visit. But it’s possible to recreate the peaceful vibes in your own outside space on a budget.
Scholars’ gardens find their focus in the interaction of four pillars — rocks, water, structure and .
Here are some easy swaps to get you in the mood.
Architecture: While the traditional pavilions and carved corridors are costly, you can mimic them on more humble budget.
Faux moon gates: Instead of stone, use a circular wooden trellis arch or cut a large circular window into a wooden fence panel to frame the view of a plant.
Trellis “corridors”: Line a garden path with cheap timber trellis panels to create a sense of enclosure and a winding walkway.
Paint contrasts: Coat boundary walls or fences in crisp white or soft off-white, mimicking traditional whitewashed courtyard walls, which also highlight the silhouettes of your .
Stone: Authentic, water-eroded Taihu limestone from China is ridiculously expensive, but you can replicate the look locally.
Reclamation yard hunting: Visit a local stone merchant or architectural salvage yard. Look out for single pieces of deeply weathered, jagged slate pillars, rustic limestone chunks or paddlestones with unique holes and crevices.
Focal point placement: Mount one highly textured stone vertically on a bed of fine gravel or a concrete base. Treat it like a piece of abstract sculpture representing a sacred mountain peak.
Water: Build a budget reflection mirror You don’t need a massive, professionally dug pond to ground your garden.
Use the container trick: Bury a black, heavy-duty plastic storage tub flush with the ground.
Create Stillness: Keep the water completely still (no costly pumps or fountains). The black lining will turn the water into a dark, glassy mirror that beautifully reflects the sky, moon and overhanging branches.
Plants: Select symbolic, hardy species.
Concentrate on structural foliage and deep Chinese symbolism rather than massed, colourful bedding displays. Focus on the “three friends of winter” — in Chinese culture these plants flourish during the cold months when others wither.
Plant a dwarf pine for longevity, a winter-flowering cherry (Prunus incisa) for resilience, and a clumping bamboo (Fargesia) for flexibility.
Keep the bamboo contained: Fargesia won’t run wild into your lawn, making it perfect for small plots or terracotta pots.
Textures over blooms: Fill gaps with affordable shade lovers like ferns, hostas and mosses to make the stone elements look ancient.
Also in Veronica's Column this week....
Top tips, gardening news, Plant of the Week and win a £50 voucher.
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SAVE: GET your garden bound-aries winter-ready with the Makita cordless pole hedge trimmer for £136.99 at powertoolworld.co.uk.
Or Toolstation has a Hawksmoor electric pole saw for just £62.99.
WIN! WE’VE got four £50 vouchers up for grabs, thanks to our pals at British Garden Centres.
There are 80 around the UK, brimming with gardening ideas, plus all their Christmas offerings.
To be in with a chance of winning, visit thesun.co.uk/BGCVoucher or write to Sun Gardening BGC Voucher competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP.
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SWEET TIPS FOR PEAS: TO ensure a vibrant, beautiful sweet pea display, now’s the time to start thinking about sowing.
It gives them a big advantage over spring-sown seeds, leading to stronger roots, sturdier plants and earlier blooms.
Plus, there’s less chance of slugs and snails attacking the seedlings in autumn.
Ursula Cholmeley, from Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire, renowned for its sweet pea collection, said: “If you’re going to grow from seed this autumn, the thing to pay attention to is the roots, not the top growth.
“The plants like to be quite cold. Don’t put them in the house or you’ll get masses of greenery and they’ll be exhausted come February.
“You want to keep them somewhere really cool with plenty of light and no extra heat. They’ll tolerate temperatures down to -5C.”
“For bouquets and long stems, choose modern, frilly Spencer sweet peas, which are ideal for wedding arrangements and tall cutting gardens.
“For scent and garden borders, traditional heritage or grandiflora varieties offer a shorter, highly garden-worthy habitat with an unforgettable fragrance.
“For pots and containers: stick to a heritage grandiflora or a dwarf variety. Modern show varieties can reach eight–ten feet tall, whereas shorter types are better in containers.”
TIME TO BARE ALL: OCTOBER marks the beginning of bare-root season, which lasts until around March.
It’s when dormant plants are lifted and sold without soil and it’s an eco-friendly and less expensive way to buy.
Fruit trees, roses, hedging and perennial flowers are the ones to look out for.
And when buying, aim for plants with plump, moist roots that aren’t dried out or brittle.
Steer clear of anything with mouldy stems or soft spots, and plant them immediately into frost-free ground before they wake up in spring.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: NANDINA Domestica ‘Sienna Sunrise’ is a gorgeous, compact evergreen shrub.
Its foliage turns from red to green to gold and crimson – and at this time of year, it has lots of lovely red berries coming through.
For 20 per cent off, see thompson-morgan.com/sunoffers . T&Cs apply.
THIS WEEK’S JOB: GATHER in the last pumpkins and squashes before heavy frosts rot them.
Sow broad beans and hardy peas under cloches for an early spring crop.
HALLOWEEN SPOT: ON Halloween weekend, Kew Gardens will be running Plant Horror Tours – guided walking visits highlighting plants and fungi with spooky adaptations, many of which have inspired horror films, myths and legends. For more, visit kew.org .
TIP: ISSUES with green tomatoes? They’re unlikely to turn red once the days regularly fall below 14C.
Try sealing them in a paper bag with a banana.
For large gluts, line a drawer with newspaper and spread them out in a single layer.
Or, hang the entire uprooted vine upside down in a shed.
