History
The most famous stumpery of modern times is Prince Charles’ garden at Highgrove. It has used hostas and other plants with rich and interesting foliage to offset the wood. Without doubt Prince Charles’ reference came from Victorian times.
A Victorian horticultural oddity, the planting of the new botany ferns and alpines mosses, within and around stumps and rude wood. This was possibly made popular by the Romantic Movement, which emphasised the beauty of nature.
Edward Cooke built the first Victorian stumpery at Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire in 1856.
Prior to Victorian times, in the 18th century, landowners would often build a hermitage of stumps and rude wood on their estate. The idea came from their love of Gothic architecture. By using stumps and rude wood they believed they were improving and refining this. In their eyes a hermit would have lived in this spikey, damp atmosphere. Hermits were often paid to live in these hermitages and ordered not to talk, wash, shave or cut their hair and nails. After a number of years the landowner would then “save” this person with long hair and beard and turn him into a gentleman.
Reference
Country Gardener - Highgrove Gardens
