Light the touch paper

SOMETIMES, a garden catches you unawares. Mostly, in such cases, this is because of its situation or the extraordinary views it affords. Rarer—but more rewarding—is when you happen upon a garden that has been planted in a way that is entirely different to any other. Such is the experience as you walk into the Stumpery at Arundel Castle, designed and constructed by head gardener Martin Duncan with the castle’s garden team.

The upended roots of ancient yew, sweet chestnut and oak stumps—harvested on the estate mostly from casualties of the October 1987 storms—explode with colour. Species tulips sparkle in spring (Turkestanica, Linifolia, Sylvestris, Persian Pearl and Peppermintstick). Later, there are acid-yellow lupins, dierama and, then, the real fireworks