January 15th 2021
Chatsworth has been handed down by 16 generations of the Cavendish family. It is a family home, a working farm and a living landscape. It also contains a world-famous 105-acre garden, itself the product of nearly 500 years of careful cultivation.
To create a sustainable future for its garden, Chatsworth undertook an ambitious three year transformation project.
Last Autumn (2020), more than 40,000 perennial plants and over 30,000 bulbs were planted. Overall, 95% of the current planting is peat free and has either been grown in the open ground and transported bare root, or in biodegradable pots that have been made from remoulded husks that are a by-product of the rice industry. Only a few specialist trees and shrubs have been grown using peat.
The principal changes to the garden will be implemented by award-winning landscape designers; Tom Stuart-Smith and Dan Pearson and supported by Gucci.
The Duke of Devonshire said: “Tom Stuart-Smith and Dan Pearson have the vision and talent to continue Chatsworth’s radical tradition. We’re going to create an exciting, beautiful, contemporary garden that stands on the shoulders of those earlier giants.”
Source: Chatsworth Press Release