THE FUSTIC HOUSE, BARBADOS

 

 

The Fustic House is one of the most exclusive properties in which to stay on the island. I managed to track down the current owners, William and Usha Gordon,who were incredibly accommodating after having just arrived from France and invited me round.  Going from my home in St Lucy and heading towards Half Moon Fort, a rutted road felt an unpromising start but, once through Fustic Village, I came to the gates and was ushered through where I found Usha with gardening tools in hand.  With a brief introduction to William, Usha was keen to show me around. 

 

Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer beauty and mystery of the gardens at the Fustic House.  Every small journey leads to somewhere more magical.  Nothing can be seen all at once and every view is a special one whether it is of the various houses within the grounds, the sea or a focal point. It’s probably one of the most beautiful and atmospheric gardens I have ever been in.

The design of the house and gardens at the Fustic House is attributed to Britain’s leading theatre designer from the 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel, who was brought up at Nymans in Sussex (now a National Trust property).Due to ill health, Messel moved to Barbados in 1966 and soon carved out a new career as an architect and designer in Barbados. The original Great House at Fustic dates from 1740 and was transformed in the 1970s by Messel. His unique style was to create a series of indoor and outdoor spaces that flowed seamlessly together and the distinctive Messel green is one of the trademarks of his work and is evident on all the separate wings of the house discreetly dotted through the gardens. He designed many homes in Barbados and Mustique including Princess Margaret’s Les Jolies Eaux. He died at his home, Maddox, in Barbados in 1978.



 

But the soul of any garden often hinges on the passion of the gardener and despite Fustic having had a couple of previous owners, I was delighted to find that Usha Gordon was a woman who knew every inch of the 11 acres of the garden.  She told me that she had loved gardening since she was a child and had been hooked since she grew her first plant, a Doronicum, from seed.  With a garden in Provence too, gardening in the tropics was, at first, a challenge, but since they purchased the property in 2004 she had gradually learned what plants worked where.

When they first arrived she explained that everything was dark; the tree canopy was closed, the ground beneath bare, the sea views had been lost and the gardens felt stark and masculine – more like a park.  Despite some recent design work by Todd Langstaffe-Gowan the gardens simply ‘weren’t magical enough’.

 

The Gordons set about lifting the canopy of the trees which brought back light into the garden and instantly restored the sea views.  In the mahogany grove at the entrance to the property Usha underplanted the trees with plants like the white Begonia with the result that the starkness of the trees has now gone.  Light bounces off the graceful shape of the trunks and onto the glossy leaves of the Begonia allowing the small white flowers to sparkle in the dappled shade. 

 

 

Cleverly placed large pots draw the eye towards and through the grove making this area less of a park and more of a designed space. The whole garden is too vast and on so many different levels to describe each part individually but walking through the myriad of paths always leads to a destination and each one is a delight. 

 

One destination is the pond – the water clear and sparkling, water lilies and lotus covering the surface and Papyrus and Philodendron planted on the margins. 

 

 

 

Going further away from the house, a path leads to a gazebo and day bed complete with chandelier and from here a flight of steps leads downwards and the ‘lagoon’ is revealed which is as far from clinical and chlorine as you can get. 

 

Blasted out of the coral stone by Oliver Messel the bottom of the pool is lined with a dark grey slate-like colour with the result that the water is almost navy blue in colour. The walls of the pool are lushly planted with overhanging vegetation -ferns and Philodrendrons - and shaded by palms. Going back up from the pool a large deck with a sea view projects out over the gully beneath. 

 

 

But it’s the clever use of plants that adds to the gardens unique atmosphere.  Usha has been faithful to her philosophy to grow what works.  Philodendrons are ‘instant gardening’ to her and these have been used extensively throughout the garden.  Any available light bounces off their big glossy leaves and, planted along margins of paths, they lead you seamlessly through informal jungle pathways to open courtyards.

 

 

Red and white ginger lilies en masse give satellites of colour along with bright orange Heliconias.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thunbergia is another favourite that continues to flower most of the year despite regular pruning.

 

This limited palette of plants gives the garden coherence, leads you round through the various areas of the garden whether open and formal or enclosed and jungle-like and make the gardens at the Fustic House relaxing, magical and unique. It's by far the best tropical garden I have ever seen.



The gardens are occasionally open to the public and when I was on the island they opened for one day for the Barbados National Trust Open House programme. http://trust.funbarbados.com

You can stay at The Fustic House (it's exclusive and wonderful and you may never want to leave!) and you can get more details from their own website:  www.fustichouse.com