‘Like a complex puzzle’: Country's oldest stumpery – the inspiration for a royal garden feature – reinstated after major renovation project

A stumpery is a type of garden feature particularly popular in the Victorian era, where upturned tree stumps make an atmospheric setting for collections of plants, especially shade-lovers. Created in 1856, Biddulph Grange’s Stumpery is the country’s earliest, and has inspired many others, including the one at Highgrove Gardens, the private home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

The National Trust partially restored the Stumpery when it took the Grade-I listed garden into its care in 1988, with further sections restored in phases. Now, the team has completed the restoration and returned the Stumpery back to its original larger size.

The work, led by Head Gardener Paul Walton, was challenging because of the garden’s complex layout.

Paul said: “The Stumpery is not an easy place to get to, with narrow tunnels and steps at every entry point. We weren’t able to get any machinery into the area so the team used scaffold platforms, small winches and hand tools to move the stumps into place.

“Every stump is different and it is like a complex puzzle getting the stumps to fit together, but the rewards are amazing!”

Thirty-seven oak stumps, each weighing between 100kg and 750kg, and measuring up to 8ft in diameter, have been added to the feature. These had been felled by storms and were sourced from a private estate in Wales.

The natural ‘pockets’ within and between the stumps have been planted with shade-loving plants such as hellebores, ferns, dwarf irises, snowdrops, anemones, cyclamen, pulmonaria and willow gentian.

Paul continued: “The garden’s creator, James Bateman, believed in visitors admiring the whole of a tree from root to tip. He chose oak stumps for their interesting structure and longevity.

“Not all trees, once the smaller roots have rotted away, leave the stump shape we look for. Sweet chestnut is another tree which will produce a similar stump, but oak does seem to be the best tree to use and it’s long lasting as well.”

Paul and his team joined up the main Stumpery with a large area of stumps in ‘China’, a nearby area of the garden, to reinstate the feature’s original size.

The Stumpery and China are just two parts of Biddulph Grange Garden, which was designed by horticulturist James Bateman and his wife Maria to display rare and exotic plant specimens collected from around the world. Today, a visit is an extraordinary global journey, taking in Egypt, Italy, China and the Himalayas – all just a few miles from Stoke-on-Trent.

Work continues to restore the wider garden as closely as possible to James Bateman’s original vision, using historic descriptions, plans and archaeological evidence.

The project was part-funded by Blue Diamond Garden Centres, which is one of the biggest financial contributors to the National Trust’s gardens and parklands, having committed to giving the conservation charity £1 million over three years [1].

Paul said: “Although a stumpery is a Victorian idea, it can earn a place in the modern garden – making an intriguing home for cherished plants, especially shade-lovers, and wildlife.

“One or two stumps can make a lovely feature in any garden. Over time, natural colonies of moss, lichen and fungi will begin to establish, as well as creating a nice habitat for small mammals and insects. Add some plants around or in between the stumps but don’t overplant as the stumps are the main feature.”

Jill Kerr, Group Relationship Manager for Blue Diamond Garden Centres, said: "Blue Diamond Garden Centres are proud to be able to play such an important role in the Trust's gardens and parklands conservation projects. Biddulph Grange Garden’s Stumpery is one of many projects Blue Diamond are helping the Trust to fund. This unique garden is one I have visited many times with my own family and so I am personally delighted to have worked on such a project with the National Trust.

“The funding has been put to good use, not only in preserving the heritage of the Stumpery but also enabling the team to now increase its size which I am sure will attract more visitors to Biddulph Grange for many years to come."

For more about Biddulph Grange Garden, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/biddulph-grange-garden