Gardener: Molly Hendry
Great Dixter's Influence on North American Gardeners
“I saw the value in taking what I had learned at Dixter, the posture it takes towards gardening, and translating it to gardens in Alabama. Dixter also really showed me what it looks like for a garden to be a relationship that grows deeper and deeper with time. That is something I hope to create as I play a small part in creating gardens in Alabama.”
🌿 Molly Hendry on Great Dixter
Editor’s Note: Welcome to our fourth interview of North American gardeners, each of whom have been deeply influenced by the work of the famed British garden, Great Dixter. This past month, I have been sharing the stories of students, designers, horticultural professionals, and home gardeners as we chat about the practices and qualities of Dixter that have changed them.
Read a bit about the history and generosity of Great Dixter in the first post of this series:
Garden designer & speaker
Today we will hear from gardener Molly Hendry. Molly is a garden designer and speaker based in Alabama. I’m glad to invite Molly here to tell us about her experience working on the team at Great Dixter.
Welcome Molly!
Julie: How did you find Great Dixter?
Molly: I don't know when I first found Dixter… when you enter the garden world it doesn’t take long for you to begin to hear reverent murmurs about Great Dixter. It is plant heaven! But I do remember the moment I knew I had to go there. It was when I was in grad school and would often procrastinate studio projects by reading Garden Design Magazine. There was this magical picture of the orchard meadow wheelbarrow path at Great Dixter on the front cover. And as I read the feature article on the garden and its gardeners, I remember being so struck by the creativity the flowed from the pages and the quotes. I got the sense that it was a place in motion instead of a place that felt like it had arrived. It was so dynamic, so exciting. I ripped the pages out of the magazine (I only reserve that act for very prized pages) and pinned it over my desk in studio as I was finishing my thesis that year. I would often look up and stare at those pictures and remind myself during those late hours in studio, this is why I am doing this!
Julie: Do you have a favorite part of the garden or planting at Great Dixter?
Molly: This is such a hard question! The magic of Dixter is that as you move through each room there is a spirit to the planting that binds it all together, while each area also has its own personality. If I absolutely HAD to pick one part of the garden, I would say the Barn Garden. There are two big reasons for me that it holds a special place in my heart. First, each side of the barn garden is a masterclass in successional planting. Even in winter this garden sings. There are intricate perennial combinations that pop off against shrubs and ramblings vines. It pulls you around its edges into the heart of the garden down to the reflecting pool (filled with newts!). And if you have ever laid eyes on the fig that is espaliered against the far end of the Barn Garden, you know there are masters at work here. But I also love this garden because the tea break room is nestled into the side of the Barn Garden. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon, all the gardeners pause like clockwork and gather here to sip tea, eat biscuits, talk about anything and everything from exciting plant combinations to how to make yogurt. That is the heart of Dixter, the people you garden next to and spend tea breaks with!
Julie: How has Great Dixter inspired you?
Molly: Oddly enough, it was at Great Dixter that I decided I was going to return to Alabama. Dixter is a garden that is about the place and of the people that have created it. After spending such a formative amount of time there it really made me wrestle with what I bring to the conversation in the garden world. At Dixter I was often introduced as "Molly from Alabama," and I absolutely loved it. That was what set me apart! I saw the value in taking what I had learned at Dixter, the posture it takes towards gardening, and translating it to gardens in Alabama. Dixter also really showed me what it looks like for a garden to be a relationship that grows deeper and deeper with time. That is something I hope to create as I play a small part in creating gardens in Alabama.
Julie: What three words best describe Great Dixter to you?
Molly: Dynamic, abundant, generous
Julie: How have you applied what you have learned at/from Dixter to your gardening (or designing) in North America?
Molly: There have been little parts of Dixter that have made their way into my work in client’s gardens and in my work at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I am always trying to get more layers in, more bulbs, more color, more texture. I also try to push clients to see a garden not as something to maintain but as something to continually develop! Maintenance sounds so dull, so static. But gardening is so thrilling, so dynamic!
There is one project that stands out in my mind, and it is a perennial border I had the opportunity to redesign and develop over 4 years during my time at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It was the first time I had been calling the shots on combinations, having ideas and translating them to the ground. I remember being terrified to place the first order for plants, second guessing all my plant choices, the quantities, the colors… but I knew I had to just go for it, and see what worked and what didn’t. I learned so much that first year, I also moved and changed so much that next year. Each year we got closer, we added, we subtracted. That is the spirit of Dixter. Take a whack at it, observe what happens, and have another go! How fun is that!!
“That is the spirit of Dixter. Take a whack at it, observe what happens, and have another go! How fun is that!!” —Molly Hendry
Julie: Where can we find out more about your work in North America?
Molly: You can follow my work at www.rootsandramblings.com or on Instagram as MollsHendry and RootsandRamblings!
Thank you, Molly, for sharing your Great Dixter story today!
