The English Garden

Blown AWAY

THERE CAN BE FEW LESS HOSPITABLE PLACES to establish a garden than the Orkney Islands, which are so often lashed by salt-laden winds that scorch foliage, stunt growth and uproot newly established plants. “Alan Titchmarsh advises that you plant trees first, creating the bones of the garden and a shelterbelt, but you can’t do that here,” says Caroline Critchlow, who has nonetheless created a remarkable garden overlooking the waters of Scapa Flow. “When I am told something is impossible, it just makes me all the more determined to have a go,” she adds. Fortunately Caroline’s husband, Kevin, not only agreed with her, but brought his skills as a dry stone wall craftsman to bear on creating a permanent structure for additional resilience.

The couple make a formidable team. “Neither of us could have created this garden without the other,” Caroline insists. It was 2008 when they moved

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