Stump up for a stumpery! Follow the King’s example and make your own natural woodland habitat

The Victorians loved them, Charles III has one and the oldest in Britain has just been renovated. It’s official: stumperies are coming back into fashion.

And if you want to make your own at home, all you need is an old tree stump to plant around, and you’ll have a feature that adds interest to any border. 

The practice of planting upturned tree stumps first became popular in the 19th century when it provided the perfect damp, shady habitat for the fern craze then sweeping the country. 

The UK’s earliest stumpery was created in 1856 by horticulturist James Bateman at Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire, and was recently restored by the National Trust. 

They added 37 oak stumps, each weighing between 16 st and 120 st measuring up to 8ft in diameter, sourced from a private estate in Wales where they were felled by storms. 

They create an intricate jigsaw of shapes, with snowdrops, hellebores, dwarf irises and little blue willow gentians in the planting pockets made by the stumps. 

Head gardener at Biddulph Grange, Paul Walton, believes a tree stump can be a great feature in any garden. He says: ‘A stump on its own is a beautiful thing, but if you do want to add some plants in between don’t overplant, just add some delicate things.’ 

CHOOSING YOUR STUMP 

Try asking local tree surgeons whether they have any stumps you can use – but make sure to leave them for a few months before planting around them to make sure they are not carrying any nasty fungi. 

If you have recently removed a tree from your own garden, this is a great way to recycle and make the most of its gnarled beauty. 

It is best to choose a hard wood such as oak or sweet chestnut as these are more likely to keep their shape. 

Stumps should be buried deep to make them look as natural as possible. Look for the best angle and fill gaps in the trunk with soil, or mound earth around them and plant with ferns and other woodland plants. 

They can be very heavy, so make sure they are stable when putting them in place. 

Felled tree stumps also make a great habitat for small animals and insects such as mice, frogs, and stag beetles. Over time, colonies of moss and lichen will grow on the old wood. 

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

At Arundel Castle in West Sussex, they have just added a new stumpery looking up at the battlements, which gardeners are planting with bluebells and foxgloves. 

There is already one in the walled garden, made from trees that fell in the great storm of 1987, which unusually is in full sun for much of the day. It is planted with toad lilies, lupins, delphiniums, and tall ‘Tower of Jewels’ echiums. 

‘My biggest tip is you want to make the stumps look as though they’ve grown out of the earth, like a rockery where you put the stones in deep,’ says head gardener Martin Duncan. 

The largest stumpery in Britain is in the King’s garden at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. Inspired by Biddulph Grange and designed by Julian and Isabel Bannerman, it comes into its own in mid-summer when the lush vegetation fills out, including ferns and giant rhubarb. 

Take inspiration from the National Collection of shade-loving hostas, as well as antipodean tree ferns such as Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis.