The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden St Ives
Head Gardener at the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden, Cornwall
Juniper Gardens has worked as Head Gardener at the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives, Cornwall for over a decade, collaborating closely with the Hepworth Estate and Tate St Ives to provide specialist horticultural expertise.
The garden has been open to the public for more than 40 years and attracts thousands of visitors annually, making it one of Cornwall’s most culturally significant historic gardens.
Barbara Hepworth’s Home and Garden
During Barbara Hepworth’s lifetime, the garden was both a private sanctuary and a working sculptural space. Hepworth expressed a clear wish that the garden should be preserved and opened to the public after her death. Today, sculptures remain positioned where she sited them, embedded within the trees, shrubs and planting she designed.
A central part of my work is maintaining this historical authenticity, using archival photographs and the memories of those who knew the garden during Hepworth’s lifetime. The aim is to preserve the original harmonies of form, foliage and atmosphere that she so carefully curated.
“The continuity of life contains a tremendous and impelling force…”
— Barbara Hepworth, 1959
This long-term public garden management informs my work in commercial gardening and grounds maintenance across Cornwall, where resilience, presentation, and ecological performance are essential.
“[The continuity of life] contains a tremendous and impelling force. In autumn all the dynamics are laid for spring…. Spring is the manifestation of all that is laid down in the autumn. The artist who understands this is feeling his way to an understanding of the structures underlying these impulses”
Hepworth’s Ethos: Sustainability, Sense of Place and Climate Resilience
As an additional safeguard, discreet under-soil irrigation has been introduced in key areas to protect historic planting during prolonged drought.
Hepworth was deeply concerned about the environment and the legacy left to future generations. Her garden reflects these values, with a rich structural diversity that creates a mosaic of habitats. Mature trees provide nesting sites for birds, flowering plants support pollinators, and dense shrubs offer refuge for smaller species. In line with Hepworth’s ethos, the garden is managed with biodiversity and sustainability as core priorities.
This living landscape also demonstrates many of the benefits of horticulture, from supporting mental wellbeing to enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience.
Today’s changing climate brings hotter, drier summers and increasing pressure from pests and diseases. To preserve the garden’s genius loci (sense of place), the planting and trees must be actively supported through ecological horticultural practices.
Regular additions of organic matter are used to build soil health, support soil ecology, and improve water-holding capacity. Soil organisms such as nematodes, springtails and earthworms underpin plant health and form the foundation for above-ground biodiversity. These wildlife-friendly gardening practices strengthen the resilience of the garden and reduce vulnerability to pests and disease.
Barbara Hepworth’s planting palette
Hepworth worked with a restrained and contemplative planting palette, favouring muted tones with subtle accents in pink, purple and blue, often balanced with white. Texture and form—particularly evergreen structure—were central to creating the garden’s calm, reflective atmosphere.
Many of these principles also underpin my approach to garden and planting design for private landscapes.
Reintroducing Lost Hepworth Plants
Over time, several original species disappeared from the garden. Archival photographs from the 1970s revealed the importance of cineraria as a key colour and compositional element. Unfortunately, the original species was no longer commercially available.
Through local horticultural networks in St Ives, I located a surviving population in a private garden, collected seed with permission, and successfully reintroduced the plant to the museum garden. Today, cineraria self-seeds throughout the garden, restoring Hepworth’s original colour harmonies with shades of white, pink, purple, magenta and blue.
Cineraria: A Signature Species
The cineraria is ideally suited to the woodland setting and maritime climate of St Ives and is now once again a defining feature of the sculpture garden. Alongside the cherry trees, it is a signature plant that strongly evokes Hepworth’s original vision.
The Barbara Hepworth Greenhouse
As Head Gardener, I also care for the plants in the Barbara Hepworth greenhouse, where Hepworth cultivated tender species such as plumbago, angel’s trumpet, and a collection of cacti and succulents. Many of these plants remain direct descendants of Hepworth’s original specimens, forming a living horticultural legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden?
The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden is located in St Ives, Cornwall, and is managed by Tate St Ives. The garden surrounds Hepworth’s former home and studio and is open to the public year-round.
Who maintains the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden?
Juniper Gardens has worked as Head Gardener at the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden for over a decade, collaborating with the Hepworth Estate and Tate St Ives to preserve the historic planting and garden structure.
What plants did Barbara Hepworth use in her garden?
Barbara Hepworth favoured a restrained planting palette with muted tones, evergreen structure, and subtle colour accents in pink, purple, blue and white. Signature species include cherry trees and cineraria, which have been reintroduced using archival research.
Is the Barbara Hepworth Garden wildlife friendly?
Yes. The garden has a diverse structure of trees, shrubs and flowering plants that provide habitats for birds, insects and other wildlife. Current management prioritises soil health, biodiversity and ecological resilience.