1. Ormeley Lodge: Large walled garden in delightful rural setting on Ham Common. Wide herbaceous borders and box hedges. Walk through to orchard with wild flowers. Vegetable garden, knot garden, aviary and chickens. Trellised tennis court with roses and climbers. A number of historic stone family dog memorials.
2. Sudbrook Lodge Built circa 1680, Sudbrook Lodge is a Grade II* listed architectural masterpiece which sits in grounds of just under half an acre. The historic walled gardens are in two sections, with the southerly part being home to a large and very prolific Apple and a Fig tree, whilst the northerly section, dominated by a large Salix Babylonia (Weeping Willow), is otherwise more formally arranged either side of a pea gravel, box-flanked path. In summer, the beds in the south garden are a riot of blues, violets, pinks and whites, framed by a Syringa (Lilac) on one side and a verdant Camellia on the other. The wisteria-clad south-facing part of the house forms a splendid backdrop to all this colour. Notable shrubs on the north side are the Pyrus Salicifolia Pendula (Weeping Pear), the Spirea, the Viburnum, Rhododendrons and the Rosa Canina trained over frames and the smaller Wisteria which drapes itself over the pergola. The main gardening project for the summer is to encourage the pleached Olives around the swimming pool in the south garden.
3. 12 Bishops Close: A Small Paved Garden, compromised of a diverse and colourful selection of potted shrubs and plants, verging on the Victorian tradition! The floral input is accompanied by an assortment of eclectic paraphernalia. Created primarily as a place to relax.”
3. 13/14 Bishops Close: With the benefit of two gardens knocked into one, the space enjoys a small lawn, lovingly tended with strict instructions from the Course Manager of Richmond Golf Club! This is surrounded by an eclectic mix of new and established plants and shrubs collected over 20 years, together with various items of garden art which have taken our fancy.
3. 19 Bishops Close: A small garden with a diverse range of flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants, featuring mainly Roses, Lillies and over 25 Clematis. Additionally, there are two arches that hold
further displays.
As the garden is predominantly paved, many of the plants are in containers as are the two water features.
3. 29 Bishops Close: A small garden in the Oriental style. Planted with a selection of acers, ferns and miniature pines. A central pond is a significant feature and complimented by an interesting array of statuary and objects of interest.
3. 31 Bishops Close: Small bee friendly garden with decking, lawn and steps!
4. 68 , Ham Common From 2007-17 this amazing garden won 10 gold medals in Richmond and London in Bloom, the London Garden Society and was awarded the Richmond and Twickenham Times Trophy. Please walk around the outside of the garden to view clearly from the pavement
5. 4, Ham Farm Road: When we moved into the house in August 2014, the garden was overshadowed by several large Leylandii. Because of this the lawn was in a very bad state and the shrubs lacked water and sunlight. Since the removal of the trees, the lawn has dramatically improved and the shrubs have in most cases thrived. We have also replaced the Leylandii with a Magnolia Grandiflora and a Portuguese laurel which are both doing well. There are TPO’s on a rare Irish Yew and two Norwegian Maples.
Perennials such as lupins, delphiniums, lavenders and grasses support the focus on whites, blues and purples. Bamboos, ferns, acers and a stone water feature establish a Japanese influence to the side of the house. The garden was clearly originally designed to have something of interest all year round and to reflect the contemporary feel of the house and we feel very lucky be its custodians.
6. Gate House Garden (Ham Common): Situated at the corner of Ham Common the garden is owned by Ham Amenities Group. It is maintained by Ham Amenities Group helped by local contractor Martin Russell-Jones.
7. The Cassel Hospital, Ham Common: Originally a late 18th Century house
known as Morgan House with 10 acres of grounds and wonderful mature trees. The building was bought by the Cassel Foundation in 1947 and is a psychotherapeutic community. The Sanctuary garden designed by Tom Massey was exhibited at the Hampton Flower 2017. Intriguing spiral paths lead into the centre of this garden as they intersect beds of colourful planting that create appealing plant combinations between grasses and perennials. A central area behind a bamboo screen creates a sense of calm from the turmoil of the world outside
8. Flax Cottage, Ham Common The garden has changed substantially over the 20 years I have been here but is still very much work in progress! It’s at its best in the middle of the summer when all the hydrangeas are flourishing. The house is called Flax Cottage because the back garden was once a field of Flax I believe. It’s a great haven to me!
9. Bench House, Ham Street: “Often the sun is in our garden when it seems dark outside. Then, when you open the gate it seems as if you are coming into another world. People have thought of it as a place of magic-a secret garden”.
10. Stokes House, Ham Street: Open the doors to find a large walled garden with mature trees, ancient mulberries, and wisteria. There are abundant herbaceous borders, roses, clematis and unusual perennials with box and yew hedging, a formal brick garden and a wild garden. A happy hedgehog has lived in this garden keeping slugs and snails under control for 6 years.
11. Eveleyn Road: You can read the interesting history of Evelyn Road and visit the superb smaller gardens at Number 9 and 12 and the mystery garden belonging to School Cottage the elevated box hedge and balls.
12. Ham Library Bird and Butterfly Garden, Ham Street: The Bird & Butterfly Garden was established by Ham United Group in 2008 and later extended to include a mini-orchard of apple trees, a tree seat, and stag beetle logger. It was extended again to reference Ham House with the topiary and planter, and Richmond Park with an ornamental loggery. It is also regarded as a great feature in the” In Bloom” campaigns and is cared for by volunteers.
13. Grey Court School Allotment, Ham Street: The Community Allotment at Grey Court is now well established with excellent raised beds, a fruit cage and recycled lorry tires. It has been the starting point for judging Ham and Petersham in London in Bloom 2017 and 18 and the RHS Britain in Bloom 2018. The allotment was an essential part of the campaigns and rated by the RHS as inspirational.
The allotment is cared for by SEN students at the school and volunteers from the community. Volunteers are always welcome.
14. The Gatehouse This 17th century cottage, once a gate house to Ham House is our now our family home.
Here we are committed to gardening with nature. We strive to achieve the perfect balance between our garden and nature. To help us achieve this goal we are in the process of creating a wildflower meadow together with a natural pond. The pond and meadow provide a home for countless animals and insects. We have an ethos of not harming living creatures, we never use insecticides or pesticides.
We try to make the garden as colourful as possible and grow a great variety of flowers in the charming cottage garden, located at the front of the house. In the much larger back garden, we try and make it as colourful as the cottage garden. Unfortunately, we find this challenging; the garden is surrounded by a number amazing but colossal trees. The trees cast shade over most of the garden.
Thank you for visiting our garden. I hope you can see the amount of effort that has gone into rewilding this enchanting corner of Ham Common. Please take time to explore every nook and cranny.