Interview with Jenny Williams

This month we had the pleasure of speaking with Jenny Williams - owner of a truly unique private garden “The Laundry Garden” - a hidden gem located at the foot of the Clwydian Hills, within the breathtaking landscape of North East Wales, in the U.K.

Created within and around the old bones of a 1 acre Georgian Walled Garden, set within 3 acres - Jenny and her husband have been developing the garden at the Laundry since 2008 - with their on going progress documented on Jenny’s @thelaundrygarden Instagram account and ‘life at the Laundry garden’ Youtube channel.

The Story of The Laundry Garden

The Laundry Garden has been in Tom’s family for four generations and came into his possession when he inherited it forty years ago. When we decided to move here eighteen years ago, there was no garden to speak of within the old walls—just a bare one-acre field surrounded by 11-foot-high brick walls, with a single, rather lonely mulberry tree in the middle.

We decided to keep the name The Laundry as our family home because we believe it was once the laundry, dairy, and servants’ quarters to the main house next door. The surrounding walls of our home and garden are around 250 years old, and much of the ground near the house was originally cobbled, forming the drying area for the washing.

The walled kitchen garden would once have been filled with espaliered fruit trees, while the internal beds would have been bursting with vegetables and flowers to feed the household, what a sight that must have been!

When we moved here in 2008, there were no grand plans or high expectations. Our main aim was simply to create a beautiful garden surrounding the house—one with depth, structure, year-round interest, and, above all, a feeling of love and happiness.

It wasn’t until 2013 that we began planning and creating the bones of a garden within the walled garden itself. This was spurred on by my dream to open the garden for the National Garden Scheme. As the garden was still young and maturing, the agreement with the NGS coordinators was that visitors could also satisfy their curiosity and see inside the walled garden.

From that day forward, we set about the daunting task of developing the empty space within the walled garden, beginning with pathways and a central lawn. After our first NGS opening, we were on a roll and began planting over 350 small yew hedging plants around the outside of the lawn area. We then filled two borders along the west wall with young trees and shrubs, reusing and recycling whatever we had to hand to create features, like the pillars!

As the years went by and the garden began to mature and fill out, that daunting feeling eased.. 

Now.. almost ten years on, there’s a real sense of backbone and structure, with a strong feel about it. There are plenty more projects in the pipeline to further enhance the beauty of what we call our forever garden.

How the Gardening Journey Began

Gardening never featured in my life as a child. I have a few vague memories of my paternal grandparents’ small garden and allotment, but my mum’s side weren’t gardeners at all, nor were my parents! There’s a part of me that wishes I’d grown up in a green-fingered family, but then I see how our sons react when we mention gardening and wonder if we may have put them off by doing too much of it, if there is such a thing!

Every garden is different, its aspect, soil, and environment all play a part, and I really learned that when we moved here. Our previous garden was up in the hills, in a valley prone to strong winds, which dictated much of what we could plant. At that time, our boys were little, so we wanted a garden that was fun for them to enjoy as well as beautiful for us to look out onto.

By the time we moved to The Laundry, it was flat with some high walls and daunting empty open spaces - that was a complete contrast to our previous garden!

We felt ready to experiment in this new and exciting environment. I couldn’t wait to start filling the borders and playing with early-summer flowers; including the typical cottage style plants like towering foxgloves, delicate peonies, star shaped Astrantia's and of course - an abundance of scented roses!

As the garden matured, I realised I needed to extend the season with later-flowering plants such as asters, salvias, and dahlias. Now, as the summers grow hotter, I’m developing a new dry garden, which is very exciting!

Favourite Corners, Inspirations, and Advice

My favourite parts of the garden change with the seasons.

In winter, when the sun rises lower in the sky, I find myself drawn to the woodland on the edge of the walled garden, in anticipation for the first emerging snowdrops, that gradually carpet the ground beneath the trees during late January and February, a truly magnificent sight that we are lucky to have inherited.

To help continue the show into March, I have planted many different hellebores, and other early spring plants that extend the joy, signalling a new season has begun. I also love to see the bare bones of the rest of the garden, as there’s something calming about wandering through it all on a frosty morning, mug of tea in hand.

I’m a bit of a romantic gardener at heart. I love borders that are full and overflowing, softening hard lines to help blur and lead the eye to a focal point, while weaving a narrative along the way. For me, a garden without a story has no soul.

Our new Gothic-style gazebo absolutely ticked all the boxes, its height and structure fit perfectly within the cutting garden. I wanted something romantic and bold, with wide uprights for climbing roses and enough height to create impact.

I’ve already chosen repeat-flowering roses to train over it, and there will be spring bulbs at its base to bring life before the roses bloom.

Structure plays an important role in our garden, whether it’s metal, wood, living plants, or simply a pot. These elements add an extra dimension and can create a focal point or even a distraction. We love using structures to add height and drama throughout.

A very exciting project on the horizon is the arrival and installation of an Alitex glasshouse, due to be completed in early 2026!

If I could share one piece of advice from my early days of gardening, it would be to learn what plants grow well locally.

The easiest way to do that is by visiting National Garden Scheme open gardens in your area and chatting with the owners, if something thrives in their garden, there’s a good chance it will thrive in yours too.

Winter is also the perfect time to visit gardens for inspiration. Keep clearing fallen leaves from lawns and save them to make leaf mould, which you can reuse in a few years’ time. And most importantly, start making plans, those little lists of jobs or even big projects for the year ahead.

My very first gardening hero was the late Geoff Hamilton. I loved his approachable style and his belief that gardening should be accessible and rewarding for everyone. These days, I find myself in awe of the many head gardeners who care for both private and well-known estates across the world. To me, they are the unsung heroes of real gardens.