East Ruston Old Vicarage

Our View

East Ruston Gardens lie a mile and a half from the Norfolk coast and promise an improbable horticultural tour. They are protected from the strong wind by belts of trees and dense hedges, and have all the ambience of the Mediterranean, the luxuriance of the tropics, the aridity of the Arizona desert and, in a field spattered with cornflowers and poppies, the nostalgia of childhood. Alan Gray bought the property in 1973 when the former vicarage had a look of desolation and the surrounding two acres were waist-high in weeds. He saw this as a blank canvas on which to create an oasis-like cordon around the Arts and Crafts brick-and-tile house. Today, the gardens extend over 32 acres. Part of Alan Gray’s vision was to maintain a high level of colour and interest, and to give the garden a sense of place by harnessing nearby landmarks; a porthole in a hedge neatly frames the Happisburgh lighthouse. The extended season of colour is nowhere better exemplified than in a field and woodland garden, which is criss-crossed by meandering paths. Several thousand bulbs are planted each year to reinforce the already glorious display of snowdrops and aconites in February. Special areas include the Fern Garden and the Exotic Garden, which is awash with bedding plants, many no longer available commercially. Bananas and Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’ add structure with their large imposing foliage, and a tall fountain adds drama. To protect the tender, rare and unusual plants the owners planted large shelterbelts of Monterey pine, Italian alder, the Mediterranean oak and many eucalypts which, as they have developed, have improved the micro-climate. These gardens are a delight. Regular garden events are held here, and Alan Gray gives demonstrations and tours.