A West Yorkshire Garden Tour
In this week’s feature, we’ll travel to the United Kingdom to take a very special West Yorkshire garden tour. The video we’ll watch of this astounding, award-winning English garden is hosted by the amazingly talented and hardworking master gardener who’s created most of it (and who’s in the process of restoring the rest). The Renaissance Garden Guy is pleased and honored to present Sam Preston, and one of the most glorious garden spaces ever to be featured on this site.
It’s time to meet Sam, and take a West Yorkshire garden tour…
The gardening community on Twitter, aka “X,” is as welcoming as it is extensive. Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people who share their passion for gardening over this remarkable global network. Here, among this far-flung, yet collegial cadre of garden growers, questions, thoughts, opinions, ideas, encouragement, compliments, and photos – amazing photos – are shared, and are made available for anyone with a smartphone, and an interest, anywhere on the planet, to enjoy. It was here, in the midst of the green-thumbed throng that comprises the Twitter gardening community, that I first met Sam Preston.
In terms of gardening expertise, Sam walked the walk, and she talked the talk. Her expertise was conveyed in comprehensible, cogent fashion in each of her tweets (Sam is also an amazingly accomplished writer), and her garden – her breathtakingly glorious English garden – spoke entirely for itself. When it came to getting things with roots, leaves, and flowers to not only grow, but to grow in all the right places, Sam Preston, I realized in no time at all, was the real deal.
After admiring the hell out of Sam’s garden, and the lady herself, for almost two years from the vantage point of Twitter’s limitless reach, I finally broached the topic of featuring her garden in an RGG garden tour with her. As you might imagine, I was beyond delighted when Sam enthusiastically agreed to host a tour.
Sam Preston’s garden is located in Liversedge, West Yorkshire, in the UK. Gardening here is unlike gardening anywhere else in the world. Those who engage in the activity of growing green, leafy things in this global gardening epicenter do so informed by an ancient gardening wisdom that’s almost atavistic in its profundity. We American gardeners refer (only half-jokingly) to the fact that UK gardeners have horticulture in their DNA. Master gardener Sam Preston is a sterling example of this ostensible genetic phenomenon.
Sam’s been growing her own gardens for over 34 years, but reveals that “…I’ve been gardening since I was a wee girl, my parents were amazing gardeners!” Her current garden, which occupies just over 3/4 of an acre in West Yorkshire’s hardiness zone 8B, has been under her masterful aegis for five years. In that time, she’s implemented, and arranged her overall garden space into, a number of different “zones” encompassing varying styles, character, and purposes. Sam has brilliantly – and in a way that only those amazing UK gardeners can – blended these distinct zones into a cohesive masterpiece which somehow manages to feature simultaneously distinct and unified beauty and functionality. This is the gardening magic that Sam Preston practices, and this is the gardening magic that has earned this fertile paradise the 2023 Yorkshire Trust Wildlife Gardening Award.
And how does Sam Preston’s award-winning English garden grow? What is its design and compositional essence? How does she wield her magic wand?
Her garden grows according to those amazing, aforementioned, separate-but-blended zones – zones carefully and painstakingly designed and implemented by Sam herself. There is no magic wand. Over the course of 5 years, she’s worked incredibly hard to create her woodland/cottage walled garden, her fabulous art deco formal garden, replete with amazing plantings, architecture, and pond (this feature, Sam explains, dates from 1930, and was sorely neglected when she took ownership of the property 5 years ago – it now exists as an extensive and exhaustive restoration project), 8 growing areas for medicinal plants and vegetables, and a wildflower and fruit orchard. Sam’s garden is the growing and flowering fruit of her labors and manifestation of her creativity and passion.
When it comes to tending this extensive, multifaceted, multi-textured garden space, Sam Preston does not go it alone. By her side, almost constantly, is her canine gardening assistant, Ted. Together, they tend this luxuriant ground, and reap its glorious rewards. Among the ornamental treasures that grow in Sam and Ted’s West Yorkshire garden paradise are some of Sam’s all-time favorites: roses, lupins, liatris, verbascums, and of course, her treasured dahlias and amazing wisteria. These last two, Sam concedes (as a result of being put on the spot by yours truly), are the two ornamental varieties she considers her specialty – you’ll understand why after one look at her wisteria walkway and her radiant dahlias. Sam also grows produce – lots of it – including a wide variety of tomatoes represented by approximately 80 different plants every year. And of course, the only way that Sam and Ted garden is organically, naturally, and pesticide and peat-free. Sam’s planting scheme is designed to perpetually build upon and maintain the garden’s extensive ecosystem. As an example of Sam’s thoughtful and well-considered paradigm, she leaves many of her stunning dahlias to overwinter in the ground, and, by adding generous layers of mulch over the substrate in which they grow, she also ensures that the colonies of ground-nesting bees that call her garden home remain healthy and protected throughout the winter.
By this point, dear readers, viewers, and subscribers, I’m fairly sure I’ve provided ample introduction to Sam, Ted, and their glorious garden. The love and care that they’ve lavished upon this beautiful space is more than apparent – in a moment, I believe you’ll agree that it’s positively palpable. At this point, I can say no more. The best I can do is pass the baton to Sam and Ted themselves, and allow them to take you on a truly wondrous West Yorkshire garden tour. The subject of the image link directly below (and of this feature’s main image, as well) is Sam’s fabulous Rosa rugosa ‘Rubra’ in majestic bloom, and set with shining, healthy hips. Please click on it to take this glorious video tour.
Palpable, indeed. Did I not tell you? This incredible growing, flowering, fruiting, leafing, nurturing, evolving labor of love has revealed its secrets in all of their verdant glory especially for you, my dear readers, viewers, and subscribers, courtesy of a most gracious master gardener and her faithful four-legged companion. My heartfelt thanks go to Sam Preston and Ted for allowing us into their West Yorkshire Eden. It is truly Paradise.
For more of Sam and Ted, and their amazing garden, please make sure to follow Sam on Twitter (X) at @Sam_SSSLearning
And one final mention… You’ll be seeing more of Sam, Ted, and their garden in the coming spring and summer. If you enjoyed this wonderful late season tour, wait until Sam and Ted take you for a walk through the garden while it’s adorned in all of its vernal and high summer glory. Spring and summer in Sam Preston’s garden? West Yorkshire, here we come!
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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John, thank you for introducing us to Sam and Ted. Sam, thank you for sharing your lovely garden with all of us. I took the tour for the first time this morning…a perfect way to begin my day! I felt like I was walking along with you and your faithful assistant, Ted. ❤️ I am looking forward to seeing your garden as it awakens in the Spring. Again, thank you for sharing with us, your RGG fans.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Sam and Ted’s lovely garden, Tina – thank you for watching their wonderful tour. Isn’t the garden absolutely incredible? I’ve watched this video tour several times, and each time I see more things than the time before. Sam has done a remarkable job. Thank you once again for taking the tour, Tina, and for leaving your kind thoughts here.
Thank you Tina, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Ted & I are looking forward to Spring!
It was a pleasure to see this wonderful garden. A true work of passion, hard work and love. Thanks for sharing.
It truly is, Rick. Sam has done an incredible job of bringing her design and plan to green, luxuriant life. Her garden is absolutely exquisite. Thank you for taking the tour, Rick, and for leaving your thoughts here. I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed this amazing tour of a true UK paradise.
Thank you for your kind comments Rick. You are absolutely right, it is hard work but all worth it as I see the garden restored and developing.
Sam, thank you so so much for sharing your garden with us RGG readers. It was truly a privilege to experience a real English cottage garden. It was incredible to see so many different plants and features in one place. I can also see that Ted is a great help!
Sam and Ted have done a remarkable job, haven’t they? Such a beautifully considered garden plan and so perfectly implemented – gorgeous! I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Kevin. Thank you!
Thank you Kevin. It has been an absolute pleasure to have been asked to share the garden even though there is still much to do. Ted is a fantastic companion and is out with me in all weathers- which here can be very changeable! Thanks again.
What an exquisite garden! Everything looks so peaceful,
healthy and happy…, Heavenly garden … Love to be there… Took the tour a few times, each time discovering new delightful things. Thank you for bringing this magical experience to us! Beautifully written article 🙏🌹
Thank you for checking out the feature and taking Sam’s video tour, Roxxy. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it. And I’ve done exactly as you have – I’ve watched the video several times. Her garden is so lush and so textured… there are literally thousands of details to take in and appreciate. Again, I’m glad you enjoyed it, Roxxy, and thank you once more!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments Roxxy. I am so glad you enjoyed the Autumn tour.
What a wonderful article and video of a Yorkshire garden. I know the effort it takes to rehabilitate a garden that has fallen into an overgrown state. My garden was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr but many previous owners neglected to maintain the original design. Thankfully, I was able to find the original designs and worked from there. Thanks, John, for this interesting story.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this tour of Sam’s amazing garden, Colleen. She’s put a great deal of effort into it, as you are particularly qualified to understand. It was truly an honor for me to host her lovely tour, and I’m truly looking forward to hosting her spring and summer versions. Your own garden sounds incredible, Colleen. I do hope you’ll consider participating in next year’s readers’ gardens feature. (Perhaps a garden tour, as well?) In any case, I thank you for your kind interest and excellent input, and, again, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed touring Sam’s extraordinary garden. Thanks again, Colleen.
Thank you Colleen. Unfortunately, I have no design plan for the original garden so have been guided by uncovering the existing planting & researching the era. I am hopeful that I am being true to the original concept whilst adding my take on it.
I will watch your garden video again and again, Sam, and taking notes! Thank you for the walk through those fabulous archways, admiring all the beautiful flowers & vegetables among the gorgeous trees & shrubs – that peaceful pond setting. And, of course, sweet Ted! I also appreciated you showing your compost set up. The formal garden is breathtaking, too. Eagerly awaiting (with my notepad) to see your Spring video. Thank you Sam for sharing, and thank you John for bringing Sam’s wonderful video to your site.
Thank you, Jill, for your lovely thoughts on Sam’s amazing efforts. She’s done an absolutely incredible job. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed her tour. Thanks once again!
Sam, You are an inspiration, and your garden is a magical wonder. Truly. Thank you for sharing your wilderness.
Don’t mind me butting in, Eva. I just had to second your thoughts. Sam is absolutely amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour, Eva. Thank you so much.