Annual Report 2024

Gardener Andrew Wain in the middle of a row of topiary trees in the shape of a cone. In his right hand he carries a pruner, in his left hand a battery pack

In Top Form

Your wedding, they say, is the most beautiful day of your life. If you look at the photos of the bridal couples who say “I do” at Euridge Manor, it seems to be true. Head gardener Andrew Wain makes sure that the estate’s gardens are in top form for the wedding photos.

Euridge Manor is just under half an hour’s drive from Bath, in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds in southwestern England. John Robinson, founder of a fashion chain, bought the manor house in 1980 and made it his family home. In 2001, he commissioned the renowned landscape architects Isobel and Julian Bannerman to redesign the gardens. The project took almost ten years to complete.

Aerial view of Euridge Manor, which is nestled in a landscape of fields and hedgerows.

The estate’s boating lake, with the manor house in the background. — GREEN OASIS
The gardens around Euridge Manor have been lavishly landscaped.

Head gardener Andy Wain stands in front of a green hedge. — A PASSION FOR GARDENING
For Andy Wain, there’s nothing better than looking after the manor’s gardens.

Andrew Wain has been head gardener at Euridge Manor for over 13 years. The Brit with the winning smile takes care of the more than two hectares of gardens that surround the main house of the estate. If necessary, he also takes on tasks in the forests and on the agricultural land, 182 hectares of which belongs to Euridge Manor.

»What makes my work at Euridge Manor special is the good relationship with everyone involved – the people who own the estate and those who designed its gardens.«
Andrew Wain Head gardener at Euridge Manor

ABOUT EURIDGE MANOR

Euridge Manor is a 17th-century manor house, located on the former site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s hunting lodge in southwest England. The estate is surrounded by two hectares of gardens and 182 hectares of agricultural land and woodland.

The estate has been owned by the Robinson family since 1980. The process of redesigning the gardens began in 2001 and lasted almost ten years. The gardens also include a castle ruin and a boat pond. Bridal couples have been able to celebrate their wedding at Euridge Manor since 2016.

A PASSION FOR GARDENING

Andy, as most people call him, is a passionate gardener. At the age of 17, when he was in sixth form, he did a two-week internship at a nursery. “It didn’t rain a single day, I rode a lawn mower a lot and got a nice tan,” he recalls with a laugh. “I thought: Wow, what a great job.” After two years at college, he got his first job as head gardener at the age of just 19 – the youngest in the country. After further positions as head gardener in smaller gardens, he came to Euridge Manor.

»There’s a lot going on in the two hectares of gardens around the house.”«
Andrew Wain Head gardener at Euridge Manor

“What makes my work here special is the good relationship with everyone involved in the garden – the people who own the estate and the people who designed its gardens,” explains Andy. That also allows him to contribute creatively. “The gardens may not be particularly large, but there’s a lot going on across the two hectares.”

Andy Wain cuts a yew tree into shape with a cordless hedge trimmer. — IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Andy shapes woody plants with battery-powered tools from STIHL.

LOTS GOING ON ACROSS TWO HECTARES

In the center of the complex is a newly built “ruined” castle with a gatehouse. There are walls overgrown with wisteria and roses, flowerbeds full of peonies and with lush herbaceous borders, a kitchen garden, and an orchard with peach, apricot, fig, plum, apple, pear, and cherry trees . The estate also includes a picturesque pond with a boathouse, a “forgotten” orangery, terraces, a roof garden, and a small grassy hill.

View over the boxwood-bordered beds of the monastery garden. — GREEN DIVERSITY
The manor house is surrounded by ornamental and kitchen gardens. There is also a boating pond.

An elongated, square water basin, framed by strips of lawn and espaliered lime trees.

A front of the manor house, in front of it a trellis of lime trees along a square water basin.

View of the lime tree trellis and the manor house from afar.

Andy loves seeing how the estate is developing over time. “There are hedges that were about a meter high when I arrived here,” he recalls. “Today they form waves more than six meters high.” Andy particularly enjoys pruning hedges and shrubs, which he uses to create large-scale sculptures. Another creative field of activity has become something of a trademark for him: “The heart of the monastery garden is a large lawn. I like to draw patterns on the grass with the lawn mower.”

Andy Wain uses a telescopic hedge trimmer to cut a yew tree about four metres high into a chess piece.

A TREND TOWARD LAWN PATTERNS

It all started when Euridge became a venue for weddings. In Andy’s first years as head gardener, the estate was exclusively a family residence. The owner has had a license to hold weddings there for more than six years. “I wanted to do something special for the guests,” Andy recalls. One of his ideas was mowing unique patterns into the lawn. This has now become something of a tradition. “Couples are already asking me what patterns I will be creating on the lawn for their wedding in a year or two.”

Andy draws inspiration for his topiary and lawn pictures from the architecture of the estate. When designing his sculptures, it is important to him that they fit into the scale of the garden and are nice and tall so that they themselves become part of the structure and do not get lost in the garden. The stained-glass window in the main garden once inspired him to create a lawn design that, as it were, reflected the pattern of the window.

ANDY’S TOPIARY TIP

One great plant for topiary is the common yew. It grows between six centimeters and one meter per year and is a deep dark green. You have to invest five to ten years to create a shape. The good thing about it is that you can slowly develop the shape over time. In the garden, a yew l has a powerful presence, almost like a statue.

QUIETER MOWING THANKS TO BATTERY POWER

Even though weddings play an important role in Andy’s work, the needs of the Robinson family remained his priority: “They spend a lot of time here and the garden is ultimately theirs. So everything I do here is mainly geared towards them.” In this way, he ensures that the facilities look their best all year round: “The family should be proud of the garden when visitors come.”

Noise is an important factor when doing tasks such as gardening, mowing grass, or cutting hedges. “You have to remember that this is someone’s home and not just a workspace,” Andy says. “The more I can do to reduce the impact on the family, the better.” That’s where STIHL’s battery-powered tools come in. “With them I can start work early in the morning and work close to the house without disturbing the family or guests.”

182

HECTARES of agricultural land and woodland surround Euridge Manor.

Andy Wain pushes a lawnmower across a green area. In the background are the chess pieces made from yew trees.

FUN WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

When Andy switched to cordless products, he was initially worried about their battery life. However, that worry proved to be completely unfounded for the STIHL products – and they offer many other advantages too: “There’s less noise, fewer vibrations, and no emissions. You feel less tired at the end of the day. It’s fantastic.”

Andy also shares his enthusiasm for battery-powered devices online. Under the name “The Fully Charged Gardener,” he publishes videos and photos from his everyday life. He now has more than 13,000 gardening fans following him on YouTube alone. “I never took my social media too seriously. For me, it’s just a good way to have a bit of fun and share experiences.”

LAWN CARE WITH GOOGLY EYES

At some point, the STIHL team became aware of him. “We’ve built up a great relationship,” explains Andy, who now also receives new tools to test before they are launched on the market. “It’s fantastic to be involved in product development,” he adds proudly. “I find it fascinating to see how much work and attention to detail goes into a device like this.”

Andy has even given one of his current favorite tools a name: Bob is an iMow robotic mower that automatically trims the lawn in front of the castle ruins while adorned with two glued-on googly eyes. “This little colleague has something of a personality,” Andy explains with a wink. However, he does not think the robot will ever replace him: “I remain responsible for creativity and coming up with the patterns.”

Andy Wain pulls a battery pack out of the charging station in the tool shed. — ALWAYS RUNNING
Andy always has enough charged batteries in stock.

Andy Wain stands smiling in front of a rose bed, a pole pruner in his right hand

CLIMBING HIGH

When Andy is not working in the garden, he likes to fire up the barbecue and relax with friends and family. His daughter was nine months old when he came to Euridge. “It’s great for a child to grow up here. The gardens were a big playground for her.” The gardener also loves trekking and climbing mountains. One experience in particular has stuck with him: “I was born in Zimbabwe, and my parents had to leave the country for political reasons when I was five years old.” In 2014, he fulfilled a dream and returned to the continent of his birth for the first time. He also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro: “That was a fantastic experience. I can only recommend everyone to do that once in their lifetime.”

ANDY’S GARDENING TIPS

The garden should not only be a place of work, but also a place of joy. Instead of worrying about what still needs to be done, it’s worth enjoying the moment. Enjoying a coffee amongst the plants and a peaceful view of the surroundings creates a completely different emotional connection.

ANDY’S GARDENING TIPS

It is better to work little but often in the garden. It should not be seen as a huge project, but rather divided into small subtasks. Walk slowly through the garden with a bucket and pull out weeds if there are any. Just half an hour of gardening a day is enough to achieve a surprising amount over time.

ANDY’S GARDENING TIPS

The garden should be a personal retreat. It doesn’t matter what the neighbors are growing or what the professionals grow on TV. Plants should be selected according to what you like and what suits the soil. The garden is an extension of your own home, and its only purpose is to please the residents.