Goodwood Sculpture Park

We had been meaning to visit Goodwood Sculpture Park for years. I had already made two attempts but each time our plans had been blighted. The first was with the dog. Goodwood, to our sorrow, doesn’t welcome dogs (and it would be embarrassing to see him cocking his leg on an Anthony Gormley!).The second was during half term when we had 7 very young children with us. Having now visited GSP, I realise that explaining that the huge red Philip King ‘Sun and Moon’ sculpture is only ‘to look at’, or that you couldn’t actually bounce on Marcus Kleinfeld’s ‘antibodies’ (that looked like concrete space hoppers) would have been nigh on impossible!

We finally made it through the beautiful gates, which are happily, precursors to the magic within! We could not have picked a better time; the late afternoon golden sunshine, was dappled through the autumnal forest leaves and the glades where awash with shafts of light.

The first thing that strikes you about the park (as long as you don’t have 7 maurding kids with you!) is the tranquility of the woodland setting; the second is the enormity of sculptures within the park! We passed three or four before we had even parked the car.
Once placed on the winding pathway, with guide in hand, we embarked on the circular route that ensures you meander past every sculpture within the woodland setting.

We went as a family. I can’t remember many places we have been that allowed us to discuss our differing views in such an informal way. We strolled, we chatted and we imagined what it would be like to own some of the larger pieces within our own garden. Colour and texture were in abundance and inspiring to the younger eye. My seven year old, more interested in running down the hills, would dash past us calling ‘great red one ahead and it’s only £100 mum’, closely followed by one of his older brothers scolding that it was actually £100,000!

Apart from the pieces that I just loved (‘Tongue in Cheek’ by Tony Cragg and ’Peregrine’ by Stephen Fox) it was also great to explore the use of light either within the work or within the setting that it was placed.

detail of 'Vein' by Tim Morgan

The reflections distorted through the glass rods of ‘Vein’ by Tim Morgan or the rough cut granite next to the smooth polished surfaces of Jon Isherwoods ‘Passages, Origins and Circumstances’ were appealing to us all.

The wooden cinema built deep inside the woodland, offers visitors a cosy rest and a chance to learn more about the Cass Foundation that set up the sculpture park back in 1992. As well as promoting British Sculpture world wide, the Foundation has worked hard to build up a reputation as one of the founders of twenty-first century British sculpture.

Every year the Foundation commissions approximately 20 monumental sculptures, from emerging and established contemporary British artists and designers. These are exhibited at Goodwood until placed in a national or international public or private collection.

Through funding the sculptures, the Foundation frees artists from the monetary constraints that hinder their creative ambition. Pioneering and experimental work is encouraged, in order to further the artist’s careers and the development of British sculpture. When the finished piece is placed within a collection, the Foundation splits all profit between the artist and the Foundation’s next commission.

I have put a note in my diary to return to Goodwood in the spring, when I am told that the park is carpeted with bluebells. As a landscape designer, the idea of contemporary sculpture set in a dazzling setting, is almost too much for me to wait for!

Stephen Cox - Peregrine

Sempervivums, the humble houseleek you might think, but at this time of year I think they still have a lot to offer, with their lovely form and colour.

Being a hardy, evergreen, perennial they are of course around all year. Having looked beautiful in the early summer, with their small, starry flowers, with a little autumn tidy-up and a new top dressing of grit they still look beautiful, and elegant and wonderfully textured, at this time of the year.

Placed together in formal or informal groups and sheltered from the winter wet, (something sempervivums hate) they will give a long, interesting, evergreen display, when many other plants have lost their fresh, green appearance.
Grow in gritty soil and feed with ‘Tomatorite’, twice weekly during the spring (keeping an eye out for those pesky Vine Weevil larvae) and your sempervivums will reward you with years of hassle-free beauty!

I’ve just come back from our local farm shop ‘Durleigh Marsh’; the range of colours in their pumpkins is incredible this year! I know my kids are going to take ages choosing ‘the right one’!

While choosing plants for the autumn you can mix and match much brighter colours, that will stand out against the reduced lighting levels, beautiful misty mornings and golden evenings. I plant colours I wouldn’t consider in the spring; strong oranges against warm purples are my favourites. Try the oranges and yellows of helenium and helianthus, alongside the purples and blues of salivas and penstemon; add some golden grasses and you have a fabulous autumn palette.  The remaining seed heads of the Iris sibirica, the spires of verbascum coupled with the delicate winter skeleton of fennel, complete your autumn materpiece!

Don’t forget this is a busy time for plants! Now is the time they need to spread their seeds and make themselves as irresistible as possible to wildlife. Make the most of the fantastic berries, fruits and seed heads, many of them will last all the way to early spring. (They also provide a welcome home for beneficial insects like ladybirds and lacewing.)

Hopefully we will be lucky enough to have a ‘haw frost’ this winter, which will turn your garden into a mini Narnia!

We are out and about this week watching the leaves beginning to change colour. For us as garden designers it is an interesting time; during the rest of the year our planting designs will make a great provision for planting interesting colour combinations, that strike a different tone in the autumn. We are now at a time where we should reap the rewards of all our hard work!

This year we have spent sometime designing in autumn colours displayed against a contrasting colour. There is such a wide range of outdoor stains available; it is ‘colour heaven’ to plop in a dramatic autumn changing shrub, against a fabulously stained fence panel, or summerhouse.

This Cotinus grace is going to change to a very bright orange in just a few weeks. I can’t wait to see the contrast, against the blue fence.

If you are thinking about having a go at creating an autumn palette, and adding a colour to your garden, the key to success is to keep it natural. Look for your inspiration within nature, don’t be tempted with some of the brighter more synthetic colours, as it rarely works and you will probably get bored of it anyway!

Cuprinol produce some fantastic colours http://www.cuprinol.co.uk/products/garden_shades_overview.jsp but make sure you buy a tester pot to test out the colour first; the opacity of the shades seems to vary and may not suit the situation you have in mind. Dont be put off, just try another colour!

If your house is painted a bright colour, you have an instant chance to add some dynamism. Look at this red wall, dosesnt this hydrangea look amazing next to the rusty paint work?

It is interesting to look at the fashion world at this time of year, http://www.howtolookgood.com/catwalk_hist_0907/catsect_3.html there are some fabulous colour combinations that inspire me to be a bit more daring with my combinations for next season! If you see any amazing autumnal colour combinations, I’d love to see them!