Garden of the Year 2013
The Garden of the Year award, sponsored by the Historic Houses Association (HHA) has been announced for 2013. This year’s winner is Dalemain Mansion and Gardens in Cumbria.
Dating back to the reign of Henry II, Dalemain was originally a fortified tower. Owner, Jane Hassel-Mcosh has known about the prize since shortly after christmas, and has had to sit on the secret since then;
“It was exciting, but we were sworn to secrecy. Even now its quite hard to believe, because the garden is still asleep.I feel very humbled that people came and voted for it.”
Dalemain has been in the family since 1679, but the gardening tradition even predates even then. Renowned for it’s fruit growing tradition, Dalemian has over 30 varieties of apple tree, fruits from which are utilised in the Mansion’s tea room. Dalemain also houses a stumpery – a collection of 200 year old tree stumps and hosts the prestigious Dalemain Marmalade Awards.
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