THE
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GARDEN APRIL 2022
For everyone who loves beautiful gardens
Celebrate
SPRING Colourful tulips in sensational gardens
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LAWNS SPECIAL Top designers share their ideas
Dixter-inspired planting at
THE OAST
BE CREATIVE WITH BULBS
How to make the prettiest kokedama SPRING greenhouse projects Top 10 trees for BLOSSOM Vegetables to SOW NOW COTSWOLD gardens to visit
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Inspiration for April
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Opulent magnolias at Caerhays
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CONTRIBUTORS
Bunny Guinness Bunny is an awardwinning landscape and garden designer who regularly appears on Gardeners’ Question Time on BBC Radio 4. In her new column on page 15, she shares timely reminders and excellent advice.
Val Bourne Hands-on gardener Val is a committed plantaholic who manages her windswept Cotswold garden organically. She is also an ambassador for the Hardy Plant Society. She visits Stockton Bury on p32.
Welcome I
’m sure I’m not the only one impatient for spring to arrive, those feelings exacerbated by a burst of lovely sunny weather as we finished working on this issue. I really must resist getting carried away – it’s most likely a ‘fool’s spring’, but I can definitely see the difference it’s made to the plants outside. This year, in a new garden, spring’s subtle daily advances seem all the more exciting because of the surprises the garden is throwing up, including lots of bulbs I didn’t know were there, perhaps encouraged to push upwards thanks to my efforts at clearing brambles and thickets of white snowberry – a shrub I’d frankly be quite happy to never see again. One particularly welcome discovery is some sizeable clumps of cyclamen: my order of in-the-green snowdrops to plant alongside them has been quickly placed. I’ve been shredding the large pile of woody prunings produced by cutting back the snowberry and other overgrown shrubs, so I was delighted to discover that not only do the resulting chippings have a name – ramial – but also they can be used as a soil-improving mulch, something I had thought was a no-no. This new knowledge comes courtesy of our brand new columnist, Bunny Guinness, who’s going to be sharing nuggets of wisdom with us each month. I can’t wait to read more.
IMAGES NEIL HEPWORTH; LYNN KEDDIE; VANESSA FINNEMORE
CLARE FOGGETT, EDITOR
Kathy Brown
Kathy is an author, garden designer and lecturer who opens her four-acre garden in north Bedfordshire (kathybrownsgarden. com) regularly and for the NGS. She shares her creative kokedama technique on page 93.
ON THE COVER Tulips on a misty morning at The Oast in East Sussex. Photograph by Bennet Smith for Marianne Majerus Garden Images.
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APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 5
April 2022
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Gardens 22 Pashley Manor This East Sussex garden hosts a dazzling tulip display that peaks in April with star varieties marching through the colour-themed rooms of its 11 acres. 32 Stockton Bury Forty years in the making, this Herefordshire garden has been filled with choice plants and fascinating design touches by its expert owners, making it a place of pilgrimage for gardeners of all levels. 42 Wemyss Castle These formerly neglected gardens on the coast of Fife revealed a big surprise when trees were thinned and the woodland canopy opened – a breathtaking carpet of dazzling spring flowers. 52 The Oast Editing is key to Tessa and Mike Crowe’s dramatic displays of tulips in East Sussex, as they work with 4,000 bulbs and 30 varieties to create a spring masterpiece.
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Design 71 Lawn Ideas Leading garden designers on how they apply an environmentally friendly approach to using grass in their designs, with an eye on biodiversity and sustainability.
Plants 79 Top 10 Plants David Bouch, head gardener at the Cotehele and Antony estates, suggests trees and shrubs for spring blossom to banish the winter blues. 85 Plant Focus At Caerhays Castle in Cornwall, the estate’s outstanding National Collection of magnolias is in full bloom.
19 42 6 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
93 Kokedamas Kathy Brown explains how to go about making Japanese kokedama using dainty spring bulbs and other early flowers. 101 Spring in the Greenhouse A greenhouse gives you valuable extra growing space, while its warmth and shelter will offer you a chance to try something just a little bit different. 109 The Kitchen Garden at Thyme Spring blossom lights up the garden, promising an abundant harvest of fruits, while the gardening team plan successional sowing.
IMAGES NICOLA STOCKEN; RAY COX; JANE GIFFORD; HEATHER EDWARDS; CLIVE NICHOLS; GARDEN WORLD IMAGES
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62 Greencombe Hidden away on an Exmoor hillside and merging with its surrounding woodland, this garden of tantalising promise has paths leading to hidden areas and massed plantings of delicate erythroniums.
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79 117 The Cotswolds On the launch of her new illustrated map and guide, A Cotswold Garden Companion, we talk to Natasha Goodfellow about why this beautiful area offers such rich bounty for garden lovers.
Regulars 9 This Month Plants, people, news and events, books and beautiful things to buy, plus designer Bunny Guinness’s diary. 19 Shopping Homeware, gifts and treats to ensure a stylish Easter celebration. 130 To Conclude Non Morris recommends cherry trees for different garden situations.
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FURNITURE
This Month Our guide to plants, people, gardens and events, tasks and shopping in April
IN FLOWER NOW
IMAGE GAP/EVGENIYA VLASOVA
Clematis ‘Frances Rivis’ M
ove aside, unruly montanas, and make room for a spring-flowering clematis of a more refined nature. Clematis ‘Frances Rivis’, named after the Suffolk gardener who raised it in 1900, reliably produces its nodding violet-blue flowers from April to May. And while those slightly twisted
petals may look delicate, the flowers will appear whatever the weather – a trait that no doubt helped this lovely variety win its RHS Award of Garden Merit. Happy in most soils as long as they’re free-draining, and not requiring regular pruning, this climber is a simple spring delight. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 9
People to Meet Introducing the gardeners and public figures we most admire in British horticulture
The passionate grower, educator and author on how sustainability is the driving force that inspires her Norfolk-based cut-flower farm, Forever Green Flower Company Cut flowers should celebrate the natural world, rather than be produced to its detriment. Seasonality is key and it’s the first step to sustainability, which is the focus of my flower farm and the courses I offer. My mum grew up on the 12th floor of a tower block with no connection to nature. At school I was encouraged in an academic direction, 10 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
yet I ended up running away from my history of art degree to join a group of organic growers with a local vegetable delivery box scheme. Their ethos of providing seasonal food for local people stuck with me and has been a huge influence on my flower farm. I went back to college to learn garden design, met my husband and set up a
RECOMMENDED
Celestina’s favourite gardens The Nuttery, Sissinghurst Castle Garden Kent We made a trip to Sissinghurst one May. On walking into the Nuttery, I saw hazel trees casting dappled light over the ferns unfurling beneath them. It took my breath away. Tel: 01580 710700; nationaltrust.org.uk
The Walled Garden, Holkham Hall Norfolk This six-acre walled garden with a vineyard, cutting garden and herbaceous borders is currently being restored. It’s fascinating to see it being brought back to life and I love the architectural Victorian glasshouses. Tel: 01328 713111; holkham.co.uk
INTERVIEW PHOEBE JAYES IMAGES ANDREW CROWLEY; HOLKAM ESTATE; NATIONAL TRUST/ANDREW BUTLER
Celestina Robertson
landscape design business with him in London. Once we had children, we moved to Norfolk for a better quality of life, and in 2013 I chose to start a flower farm. I discovered Flowers from the Farm, an association aiming to unify a network of UK growers. I rented an acre of land and began trading the next spring. Selling flowers is the loveliest job. Handing them over is a joyful act that makes the graft worthwhile. It is hard work though. At peak season, I’ll be on the field for 12-hour days. The biggest challenge is the reason I started a business rooted in sustainability: climate change. It’s causing the weather to be increasingly unpredictable. We don’t often get mid-season hail here, but last year we got it in late May. I don’t grow under cover, so it ruined all the plants coming into leaf or flower. I’m hoping to expand and, in the meantime, I’ve developed consultation services and workshops centred around the business and planning aspects of sustainable flower farming. Having trained in garden design, I am no stranger to meticulous spreadsheets. A formal education in floriculture does not currently exist and many growers require guidance – this is where I help. My book, Cut Flowers, had quite the turnaround, as I started writing it in March for a September deadline while navigating the busiest year on the farm! It explains how to grow cut flowers in your garden and champions sustainable, joyful growing. forevergreenflowerco.co.uk
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Out & About Unmissable events, news and the very best gardens to visit this month
Dunvegan Castle accepted into RHS partner gardens Scotland
Dunvegan Castle & Gardens on the Isle of Skye has been accepted into the Royal Horticultural Society’s Partner Gardens, allowing RHS members free access to the gardens during the open season. The formal and semi-formal gardens are spread across five acres and feature a memorial gazebo, a Victorian-style glasshouse, a garden museum and a children’s woodland play area. The gardens have undergone extensive re-landscaping and planting since 1978, and are now under the direction of Hugh MacLeod and his dedicated gardening team. dunvegancastle.com
Visit Kew for £1
WORDS PHOEBE JAYES IMAGES RBG KEW; SHUTTERSTOCK; NGS/CAROLE DRAKE
London & West Sussex A new £1 entry fee has been introduced for those in receipt of Universal or Pension Credit to visit Kew Gardens and its sister site, Wakehurst in West Sussex. The new pricing aims to make both gardens accessible to people of all ages and incomes who want to enjoy a day out in nature. RBG Kew has also introduced a new Young Person’s ticket for 16–24-year-olds, which costs £9, while for families or groups there is now a reduced price of £15 per adult for early bookings. Finally, anyone visiting after 4pm in summer will receive a significant discount. kew.org
Spring Plant Fair at Arundel Castle Gardens 24 April, West Sussex This year, the Plant Fairs Roadshow will tour the UK to offer interesting and rare Britishgrown plants. A fair will be held at Arundel Castle in April at the peak of its annual Tulip Festival: one of the largest displays of tulips in the country. Nurseries in attendance will include Daisy Roots, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants and Pineview Plants, among many others. Tickets: £5 fair only; extra for Tulip Festival & Castle. Visit plant-fairs.co.uk
NGS Garden Maenan Hall
Wales A four-hectare garden on the slopes of the Conwy Valley, with sweeping lawns, ornamental ponds and a bluebell-carpeted woodland dell with specimen shrubs and trees. Admire cherries, magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias, among many others. Maenan Hall, Maenan, Llanrwst, Conwy LL26 0UL. Open 24 April & 24 July, 10.30am to 4.30pm. Admission: Adults £5; children free. ngs.org.uk APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 13
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Bunny’s Diary This month, Bunny Guinness is pruning hedges, mulching and making a difference with paint
IMAGES NEIL HEPWORTH; GAP
M
any people say yew hedges are slow, but I disagree. For impatient clients I use Instant Hedges from Elveden (elvedenhedges.com), which look as though they have been there forever and transplant like a dream. Otherwise, 60-90cm high plants are more economical and do well if they’re grown in ordinary soil, kept weed free, mulched and given drip irrigation. Water weekly when dry, in decent quantities so the roots chase the water down. With any young hedge though, don’t forget to clip the insides: remember, ‘growth follows the knife’. By clipping the insides of adjacent plants you’ll get the desired solid wall of foliage far faster.
I recently coppiced my hazels and shredded them into ramial (woodchips made from branches less than 7.5cm in diameter). Higher in nutrient content than older wood, it’s brilliant for mulching and improving the soil microbiome and structure. Let it compost for three months before applying, since some woods have initially toxic tannin levels. Originally the belief was that applying green or woody matter to your borders depleted them of nitrogen, but now soil scientists say as long as it is not dug in there is no problem. My local tree surgeon always has too much and drops me off free loads when passing. But I only use it from deciduous trees. I feel like I have moved house! I have had all the external windows, doors,
greenhouses, plant containers and water butts repainted in a shade of French greyblue. Choosing the colour was excruciating – too much choice and shades vary with light and situation. We lived with all the doors painted in many possible shades for months. Colour adds personality, helps elements recede or punch out, and affects the mood. I went for a Zinsser paint, which has a repaint interval of 15 years (more than twice that of most ‘historic’ paints) and can be closely matched to many colour charts. ■ Visit Bunny’s YouTube channel for videos such as ‘Using Paint to Colour Your House & Garden’ and a tour of her own garden, ‘A Garden for My Family & Other Animals’ youtube.com/bunnyguinness APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 15
Beautiful & Useful New plants, books, tools and creative designs, plus shopping inspiration
Nouvelle Vase “I love surface and pattern and form. I wanted something I could decorate that was functional and easy to make and so I thought of a flower brick,” explains London ceramicist Francesca Kaye. In a riff on Dutch tulipieres, themselves, enjoying currency, Kaye’s flower bricks are hollow within and have a varying number of holes on top. Glazes reflect her love of colour, the simplest being blue (below) with more complex ones involving gold lustre and wax relief. “Each one is different,” she says. From £190. francescakaye.com; @francescakayeceramics
Paper Gains Annie Sloane’s collection of chalk paints has won fans around the world for its range of colours and ease of use. Now the doyenne of furniture upcycling has turned her creative eye to the treasures of the RHS Lindley Collections to design a range of decoupage papers featuring botanical motifs. Among them find variegated tulips painted by Peter van Kouwenhoorn in Haarlem and Leiden in 1620s and 1630s. From the work of Flemish artist Pierre François Ledoulx, Annie has reproduced water colours of mint (above) which provide a wonderfully fresh look. £11.95 for two 700mm papers. anniesloan.com
Noel Kingsbury with Claire Takacs, Phaidon, £39.95 A champion of naturalistic planting, Noel Kingsbury travels the world in search of the most beautiful gardens in the genre. There is plenty to look at here, thanks to Claire Takacs’ exquisite photography, and fans of the natural style will find this book an inspiring and informative resource. A list of key plants is particularly useful. 16 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
From Seed to Bloom Milli Proust with Éva Németh, Quadrille, £20 Milli Proust’s popular Instagram presence is turned into a book to savour. This is a beautiful, tender account of how she came to live in a Sussex cottage and develop a flowergrowing business with a sustainable ethic. Sensitive photography augments insightful practical advice paced through the seasons of the year. A must for those aspiring to grow cut flowers.
The Modern Gardener Frances Tophill, Kyle Books, £22 In The Modern Gardener, RBGEtrained Francis Tophill points out the revolution quietly taking place in domestic gardening. A guide to gardening with thrift, good sense, seasonality and environmentally friendly approaches, this detailed, clearly written and well-photographed work offers both novice and experienced gardeners alike plenty to chew over.
WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY IMAGES EMMA BURNS
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22 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
The wisteria-clad Georgian exterior of Pashley Manor overlooks a shimmering wave of tulips on the terrace.
Trooping the
COLOUR
Pashley Manor Gardens in East Sussex host a dazzling tulip display that peaks from mid-April with star varieties marching through the colour-themed rooms of its 11 acres WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLA STOCKEN APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 23
P
over quickly,” Angela notes. ‘Angélique’ is one of a ashley Manor’s Tulip Festival is now handful of superb performers that return each year, in its 27th year and, for the sheer along with ‘Ballerina’, ‘Spring Green’ and ‘White brilliance of its massed plantings, it is Triumphator’ – often planted in the Elizabethan hard to beat. Among the cast are tulips Garden. Failure is rare because tulips are robust, in myriad hues, masterfully blended to adapting to being planted between October and line pathways, fill box-hedged beds or simply bloom even, in one especially hard winter, at the end of for the sheer joy of it. It is a breathtaking sight and February. So, too, are mistakes, although on one one of which James and Angela Sellick, the garden’s occasion the pink tulips chosen to blend with the owners, never tire. “Planning for next year’s display pink forget-me-nots for the Rose Walk turned out to starts in September when we choose the tulips and be orange. “They clashed dreadfully, but James liked colour schemes,” Angela explains. it, as did a number of visitors,” recalls Angela. This starts with a leisurely tour of the garden, The display has developed as a series of colouraccompanied by head and assistant head gardeners, themed rooms. The Elizabethan Garden focuses on Greg Ovenden and Fiona Gilman, with Chris white; pinks rule in the Rose Garden and potager; Blom, of supplier Bloms Bulbs. “We discuss what and the back borders blend a sweep of pinks and has worked well in previous years, and ideas for whites that shimmer beneath the terrace. “The new colour schemes,” explains Angela. “Chris Pool Garden is planted in blues, pale pinks and then suggests bulbs to achieve a particular effect purples, while in the herbaceous borders the colours or, if a bulb is not available that season, possible complement reds, oranges and golds,” says Angela. alternatives.” It is not only colour that plays a major Planning a festival on such a scale is a huge role in the decision-making process. So too do shape logistical exercise, starting when Greg and his team and form, with lily-flowered contrasting with peonyof eight gardeners clear flowered, or sugar-coated the borders in October, with fringed edges. “And lifting tender dahlia and we always check heights canna tubers, to overwinter to ensure taller tulips are in a barn. For this year’s planted at the back of beds festival, the bedding was with shorter varieties to the planted before some 48,440 fore,” Angela adds. tulip bulbs were added. To try to ensure the “Last year, we did it the tulips peak over the 15-day other way round, but festival, almost every some tulips pushed up the variety chosen flowers mid bedding,” Greg recalls. to late season. “There are Bedding includes forgetsome delightful earlyme-nots in white, blue or flowering varieties, but the pink, a combination that trouble is that they would worked well last year. Greg be over by April,” points is trialling ornamental out Angela. “Flowering grasses such as Carex times are already so tenuissima, the ponytail dependent on weather and grass, with white tulips in position, and we don’t the Elizabethan Garden, want to introduce yet and, in the Rose Walk, another variable.” Position with violet-edged ivory has considerable influence, tulip ‘Affaire’ and purple so those in shady spots are ‘Negrita’. “It will create planted first, while those in a more natural look,” full sun go in last. “Tulips he notes. Around the planted in a north-facing swimming pool, Festuca bed always bloom later glauca combines with than those in the sunny ‘Blue Diamond’ tulips. back borders,” she adds. Above James and In the Rose Garden, the central boxWhen it comes to resilience, peonyAngela Sellick in Pashley edged beds are being planted to give flowered varieties such as ‘Angélique’ Manor’s Walled Garden. Right A view over white an impression of a chequerboard, with and ‘Blue Diamond’ last well, whereas T. ‘Signature’ and ‘Secret purple-and-white ‘Rem’s Favourite’ those that open up quickly in the sun Parrot’, with rich purple contrasting with ‘White Dream’. and close at night do not. “If there’s ‘Blue Diamond’, to the Areas such as the Elizabethan Garden a hot spell in early April, these go surrounding parkland.
“Planning for next year starts in September when we choose tulips and colour schemes”
24 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 25
Vivid magenta ‘Mariette’ and ‘White Triumphator’ tulips fill box-edged beds.
26 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
feature rectangular beds that are simple to plant with two varieties, but the massed displays in the back borders require carefully drawn-up plans. “We have to balance heights and make sure colours blend and do not clash,” Greg points out. The well-protected walled areas are planted first, leaving the exposed back and hot borders until later. “These areas are open, and need to be protected from rabbits, while potted tulips are topped with chicken wire hats to keep squirrels and pheasants at bay,” says Greg. In late January, when the roses are pruned, chicken manure pellets are scattered on the ground. “And we apply tomato feed to the pots, once the leaves show,” he adds. Once flowering is over, all the tulips are dug up and the majority are given away to local schools and charitable organisations. “Not only do we need the space for the dahlias, but the bulbs are more prone to tulip fire if left in the ground, and planting afresh each year guarantees strong flowering.” It is hard to imagine the garden devoid of tulips, but 40 years ago when the Sellicks moved to
Top An avenue of blossoming, pleached pear trees, underplanted with pink forget-me-nots and two-tone pink tulip ‘Synaeda Amor’. Above T. ‘Ballade’ and violas in a large urn. Right Flamboyant double T. ‘Red Princess’ with elegant classic ‘Ballerina’ behind.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 27
Tulip Varieties at PASHLEY MANOR The festival’s star performers are selected for shape, form, colour and height
‘DOUBLE SHIRLEY’
‘BLUE DIAMOND’
‘SLAWA’
These gorgeous, semi-double flowers have loose, ivory petals that are flushed with lilac and pink at the edges.
The name is somewhat misleading, since these large double flowers are more purple than blue, with a silvery lustre.
Deep maroon petals are trimmed with a soft apricot that fades to silvery white on this exciting new Triumph variety.
‘MARIETTE’
‘WHITE TRIUMPHATOR’
‘ORANGE PRINCESS’
A lily-flowered tulip with rose-pink, satin, slightly reflexed petals that contrast with the flower’s white base.
Pristine white, goblet-shaped blooms with long, elegant petals that arch outwards gracefully. Long, strong stems.
A double tulip featuring many petals in rich orange, with red and green feathering on the outer petals.
‘MOUNT TACOMA’
‘FLY AWAY’
‘BLEU AIMABLE’
An old variety with pink and green buds that open to reveal long-lasting, creamy white, ruffled blooms.
This variety has the pointed silhouette of a lily-flowered tulip, with bold red, fragranced petals edged in gold.
An heirloom tulip dating back to 1910, with lilac blue flowers that soften in tone with age.
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16th-century Pashley Manor, the garden was neglected, and the wisteria adorning the back of the house was a low-growing tangle. “We pruned it back to the root base and then trained it up the house,” says James. The garden was a jungle, and the walled garden, dating from 1720, was overrun with nettles. “It’s hard to imagine how out of control it had become,” he adds. The Sellicks asked the late Anthony du Gard Pasley, an old friend and landscape architect, to plan the layout. “He had great vision, and was good at opening up long-lost views,” Angela recalls. It was 1995 when the first tulip festival was held; a very muted affair. “Originally we planted a few – I didn’t like them, but came to love them over time,” she says. The festival was a success and has since been combined with an exhibition of contemporary sculpture that remains in the garden until autumn. Left The potager grass path in the Walled Garden is edged with pretty, pink, peonyflowered T. ‘Angélique’. Below To the right of the path are Tulipa ‘West Point’, ‘Caribbean Parrot’ and creamy ‘Francoise’; on the left is Tulipa ‘Strong Gold’.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 29
“Each season, there comes this high point when you stand back and appreciate how fantastic it all looks” However magnificent the festival, it would be a mistake to think of Pashley Manor as a singleseason garden. In autumn, many fine trees come into their own. Before the tulip buds are formed, daffodils abound and it’s not long before bluebells bring the woodland to life, blossom opens and wisteria cascades down the Georgian brickwork. Rhododendrons follow on from the tulips, filling the gap before the arrival of summer’s roses. Alongside the roses, the kitchen garden brims with produce and flowers for the café, and by August the first dahlias are in flower. “We work tremendously hard towards the tulips, then the roses and finally the dahlias,” says Angela. “But each season, there comes this high point when you go out in the morning and, instead of being overwhelmed by all that still needs doing, you can stand back and appreciate how fantastic it all looks.” ■ Pashley Manor Gardens, Ticehurst, East Sussex TN5 7HE. Opens from 1 April to 30 September. The Tulip Festival runs from 20 April to 4 May, 10am to 5pm. Tickets, £13.50. Tel: 01580 200888; pashleymanorgardens.com 30 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Top Tulips in rich hues of orange and red in the Hot Garden include ‘Queen of Night’, ‘Annie Schilder’, ‘Doll’s Minuet’, and ‘Avignon’. Above A sculpture called Vita strides through intense fuchsia Tulipa ‘Barcelona’ and pink and white ‘Dreamland’. Left Tulipa ‘Bella Blush’.
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Yellow marsh marigolds and other moisturelovers surround the wildlife-rich pond in The Dingle at Stockton Bury.
32 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Knowledge BASE
In the fertile farmland of Herefordshire, Stockton Bury, 40 years in the making, has been filled with choice plants and fascinating design touches by its expert owners, making it a place of pilgrimage for gardeners of all levels WORDS VAL BOURNE PHOTOGRAPHS HEATHER EDWARDS APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 33
B
“It’s this unique combination of rural idyll and family home that brings visitors back” Clockwise from top
y the time Stockton Bury Garden opens in early April, spring has already arrived in this lush corner of northern Herefordshire. As Tamsin Westhorpe, the owners’ niece, explains: “It’s down to the well-worked, rich soil and sheltered position, which make it a brilliant growing environment.” The four-acre plot is the creation of Raymond Treasure and his partner Gordon Fenn, and it’s been 40 years in the making. “Gordon is the plantsman and Uncle Raymond is the designer, creator and inventor,” says Tamsin. “He even has his own forge! It’s wonderful to work with both of them here.” There is also a working farm here, and when the garden closes at the end of September, the farmyard takes centre stage. The apples grown for Bulmers Cider are harvested and cattle are brought into the barns for winter. It’s this unique combination of rural idyll and family home that brings visitors back again and again. Tamsin’s sister, Connie, runs the popular café, set in the historic tithe barn, and some of its produce is grown by Raymond in one of the best vegetable plots I’ve ever seen. “My uncle started growing vegetables aged eight, and he has his own in-built calendar,” notes Tamsin. “He always sows broad beans on 15 November, which is his birthday.” Raymond, who was born here, is a second cousin of the late clematis expert John Treasure, who gardened at Burford House near Tenbury Wells. Many clematis scramble through shrubs or attempt to climb trees, a technique that was widely employed by John Treasure. Clematis montana ‘Elizabeth’, a vigorous and highly fragrant pale pink variety,
Lush new growth in The Dingle; Tamsin Westhorpe; the front of the house is covered in carefully trained wisteria; red cowslips, Primula veris.
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A view of the Pigeon House peeping over packed borders and trees illuminated by new spring foliage, including Staphylea colchica. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 35
Above Bold foliage of
gunnera and lysichiton beside the water. Right Wisteria scales the ‘ruins’ – an artful construction by Raymond Treasure. This image The Pigeon House dates back to the time of Henry VIII.
36 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Spring SPECIALISTS A selection of choice shrubs brings structure and seasonal blooms to Stockton Bury
VIBURNUM PLICATUM ‘ROSACE’ The perky flower buds of Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum ‘Rosace’ will open into pink snowballs in a few weeks’ time.
CORNUS KOUSA ‘MISS SATOMI’ is one of many to be found at Stockton Bury. And Wisteria x valderi ‘Burford’, a hybrid found in John Treasure’s Burford House, spans the stable wall. Wisteria also climbs over the romantic ruins in the Secret Garden. Many visitors assume these ruins are ancient remains, but they’re actually a clever addition constructed by Raymond – you can also find hidden cheeky gargoyles and a recessed wall with bee skeps. “These are for artistic effect, although there are some real beehives further down, so the garden’s full of honeybees in spring and summer,” Tamsin explains. There are also several quirky sculptures by local artists. Collections of old watering cans add a rustic touch, along with the Wellington boots, cast off by the back door. Stockton Bury has some ancient buildings too. The Pigeon House, a listed Medieval monument, is now a focal point within the garden. In May there’s a swathe of coppery red Tulipa sprengeri, one of the
An Award of Garden Meritwinning cornus, with pinkflushed flower bracts.
SYRINGA ‘MISS KIM’ This compact 1.5m tall lilac produces heavy panicles of sweetly scented, mauve-pink flowers in late spring.
VIBURNUM PLICATUM ‘STERILE’ Large, apple green, spherical flower clusters turn white on this deciduous shrub.
PAEONIA DELAVAYI It’s the bronze-flushed young leaves and nodding maroon flowers that really make this shrubby peony stand out.
CHOISYA ‘AZTEC PEARL’ Known for its slender, fingerlike leaves, compact growth and fragrant white flowers.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 37
Above Decorative skeps are a charming feature in the Secret Garden. Right Vibrant Smyrnium perfoliatum makes a bold foil for bright pink bleeding heart flowers. Below Columns add grandeur to this border in the Pillar Garden, the yew hedge behind cut to the same height.
many plants allowed to self-seed here, along with aquilegias and Geranium phaeum. Self-seeders add flow, and there’s a sprinkling of hardy orchids by midsummer. Raymond commissioned three church bells, which hang in the barn wall. They chime on the hour, adding to the air of stepping back in time. The Dingle, formerly an old quarry, is the most peaceful part of this garden. A series of pumps, engineered by Raymond, circulate spring water and feed a pond that brings in wildlife. Dragonflies skim through the air once temperatures rise. By April, the large leaves of Gunnera manicata begin to expand and open from tightly folded fans. Last year a wasps’ nest was found hidden among the stems! In autumn, the gunnera’s foliage is cut and used as protective mulch. There are skunk cabbages (Lysichiton americanus) too, displaying their yellow spathes and abundant bright-green leaves. They flower alongside marsh marigolds (Caltha polypetala), and these lacquered buttercups appear just as the deciduous trees begin to leaf up. Rodgersias also thrive here on a diet of moist but well-drained soil. Wild bluebells display graceful arches of cobaltblue, their colour heightened by spring-zing plants with lime-green and acid-yellow flowers or foliage. The self-seeding biennial umbellifer Smyrnium perfoliatum is allowed full rein here,
Bluebells display graceful arches of cobalt-blue, their colour heightened by spring-zing plants its butter-yellow upper leaves and flowers lasting until early summer, before shedding its shiny black seeds. The showy pink and white bleeding heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, is backlit by this blaze of vibrant yellow, and the same golden haze is echoed in the fresh foliage of the golden full moon maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’) and an unnamed sweet chestnut with five-fingered, pale-yellow leaves. You can almost hear the sticky buds popping. Spring is all about exuberance and energy and, in recent years, Tamsin and her uncles have added some fresh direction: “We love coming up with new ideas together so visitors have something different to admire every year,” she says. Raymond and Gordon enjoy their garden and both have a creative sense of fun. “In recent years we’ve fallen in love with Whichford Pottery’s terracotta pots, so there are more of those, and we’ve also added an auricula theatre, which Raymond designed. He used materials from the old house, which was demolished in the 1970s.” The new house, although smaller, was built in the same position and benefits from a large
38 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Practical advice from Tamsin The no-dig method is used to maintain the flower borders here. The less the soil is turned, the fewer weeds you will get. To support our plants in spring, we use metal supports that have been made by Raymond in his forge. Climbers such as sweet peas and clematis are trained up hazel supports harvested from the garden in winter. We never water the garden, no matter how dry it gets. Only container plants are watered. The majority of plants are hardy, so we avoid the huge task of lifting and protecting plants in winter. Any tender plants are planted at the foot of our south-facing kitchen garden wall, to protect them from the ravages of winter.
lawn and a monkey puzzle tree that was planted in 1884. “The original cellar remains and stays at a constant 6°C all year long. It’s airy, with a door that lets the light in, so we store our fuchsias and dahlias there, along with our apples and potatoes.” The north-facing house wall provides shelter and cool shade for choice woodlanders. Gordon is a particular fan of shade-loving plants because he doesn’t like working in the sun! This is the perfect spot for trilliums and ferns, and you’ll also find a double-white wood anemone named ‘Vestal’ in the Spring Garden. Gordon has planted some handsome shrubs and two are much admired for their pink inflorescences. Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum ‘Rosace’ is a pink snowball tree, and there’s a showy cornus with pink starry bracts named ‘Miss Satomi’.
Top Clumps of blue camassia next to Viburnum burkwoodii in dry stone terraced beds. Above right White Trillium grandiflorum, a star for shaded areas. Above left Self-seeders, such as this double purple aquilegia, spread themselves about.
A big challenge in any mature garden is making decisions about whether to remove older trees and shrubs that have outgrown their space. It’s also difficult for this small team to get things done when the garden is open, so most of the gardening has to be done once it has closed. “Although we want our garden to be viable, we still want it to retain the charm of a hidden gem.” says Tamsin. This is a careful balancing act, but Raymond and Gordon are delighted that their two nieces adore Stockton Bury as much as they do. You’ll love it too. ■ Stockton Bury Gardens, Kimbolton, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0HA. Open from 1 April to 30 September, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4.30pm. Tel: 07880 712649; stocktonbury.co.uk APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 39
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Let There BE LIGHT
The neglected gardens of Wemyss Castle on the coast of Fife revealed a big surprise when trees were thinned and the woodland canopy opened – a breathtaking carpet of dazzling spring flowers WORDS AGNES STEVENSON PHOTOGRAPHS RAY COX
42 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
This image Clouds of
amelanchier flowers float above topiarised yew. Opposite Thinning the woods has allowed a carpet of small flowers to flourish each spring.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 43
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pring is the season for magic carpets, when small and insignificant flowers emerge from the earth and knit themselves into breathtaking sheets of colour. It is always a thrilling sight to come across a woodland floor that has been transformed in this way, but it happens only where deciduous trees shed their leaves, allowing light to penetrate to the ground in winter, before gently unfurling a green canopy of foliage to keep their small companions beneath sheltered from the drying heat of the summer months. Some woodlanders are fussier than others about the specific combination of light and shade they require, but get that combination right and wonderful things can occur. And that’s what has happened in the gardens of Wemyss Castle, which sits above sea cliffs that bear signs of occupation from the Bronze Age to the Pictish era, on the east coast of Fife. The estate has been occupied by generations of the same family since the 13th century, wealth accrued from their success in the coal and salt industries being used to lay out
Above In the wilder part of the garden, additional spring colour is provided by a number of flowering shrubs, including viburnum and forsythia. Right Two large Italian Terrace pots are planted with acers and sit either side of a white bench in the formal garden.
It is always a thrilling sight to come across a wood and oor that has been transformed in this way
44 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
A gorgeous tapestry of pale purple Erythronium revolutum and white pheasant’s eye narcissus is rolled out each spring.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 45
the garden and build the castle around the frame of an original defensive keep. The gardens had previously been extensively cultivated but, during the 20th century, had fallen into a state of neglect until, by the time Michael and Charlotte Wemyss took up residence in 1993, they were little more than a tangle of brambles and weeds. The most pressing task when the couple first took up the reins here was to breathe new life into the six-acre walled garden. All that remained from its long and productive glory days were gnarled apple trees, overgrown rhubarb patches, barbed wire and a few resident geese. Before embarking on what would turn out to be a lengthy endeavour of creating borders, planting hedges and laying new paths, Michael and Charlotte had the surrounding woodlands thinned in order to remove dead and congested trees. And it was then that something unexpected happened. During the 1960s, Michael’s grandfather had seeded the ground here with Erythronium revolutum, also known as the mahogany fawn lily, a native of the damp woodlands of America’s Pacific Northwest. Despite much encouragement, over the subsequent 30 years the flowers had refused to spread, stubbornly persisting in flowering only in isolated clumps. And then the trees came down and it was as if the fuse of a long-delayed firework had suddenly caught light because the erythroniums romped away, seeding themselves with abandonment and colonising every available scrap of earth. Today, the pale purple flowers form a dense carpet spread over three acres, and their appearance is a signal that spring has arrived. Scattered among them
The erythroniums romped away, seeding themselves with abandonment and colonising every available scrap of earth are the white flowers of pheasant’s eye daffodils, Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus, and close on their heels come the bluebells, perfuming the woodlands with their wild hyacinth scent. For Charlotte, who has devoted the past 30 years to restoring these gardens, the erythroniums are one of many rewards for her efforts to turn around decades of neglect. Within the walled garden, where hornbeam allées, yew hedges and box topiary now impose a gentle formality, ribbons of tulips and muscari mingle with fritillaries, more daffodils and the intense tones of blue hyacinths, whose colour is later picked up by the Iris sibirica that grow among them. 46 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Above The walls’ double skin used to house stoves so grapes and peaches could be grown. Right Charlotte Wemyss, who has run the garden here with her husband Michael since 1993. Below A sweetshop colour combination of lemon yellow daffodils alongside vivid Primula ‘Crescendo Wine’.
Wildflowers and Above Only in the past 30 years have the pale species trees, which are purple blooms of a particular passion mahogany fawn lily of Michael’s, grow come to colonise the at the western end of woodland floor. Left A rose-covered the garden, and here loggia sits against the tulips and camassias walls, repeating the rise up from the grass. garden’s circle motif. This year Charlotte has added some pink camassias to the mix and these should soon proliferate, unlike the tulips, which need to be replenished regularly. “The tulips are ephemeral, so I replant every two years,” she explains. “I use a lot of T. kaufmanniana varieties because they are more perennial, but we have other varieties, including single late-flowering ‘Esther’.” Trilliums are another favourite and Charlotte grows these in the borders in the formal part of the walled garden alongside lamiums, lungworts and hellebores. Later in spring, the walls behind these will be smothered in the huge collection of Clematis montana that Charlotte has amassed, followed by climbing roses, but, for the moment, the flowers in APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 47
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Stars of SPRING Gorgeous flowers in pastel shades illuminate the walled garden and woods at Wemyss
CAMELLIAS Camellias thrive in the mild coastal climate here. Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ has similar double flowers.
ERYTHRONIUM REVOLUTUM The mahogany fawn lily thrives and spreads in moist soil in dappled shade.
NARCISSUS POETICUS
FRITILLARIA MELEAGRIS
Fragrant pheasant’s eye daffodils are perfect for naturalising in grass or woods.
The chequered flowers of snake’s head fritillary glow like Tiffany lamps in the sun.
HYACINTHOIDES NON-SCRIPTA
TULIPA ‘ESTHER’
Quick to spread in the shade of trees, our native bluebell is an intense violet-blue.
A scented, sugar-pink tulip with satin petals and greengrey foliage, late-flowering ‘Esther’ grows to 50cm tall.
the borders provide a Above ‘Burford’ the stone pig wades through bright contrast to the a mass of pink satin bare stone walls. Tulipa ‘Fashion’ and Structure within the Narcissus ‘Silver Chimes’ walled garden comes in the Walled Garden. from the repeated use of circles, both in the high beech roundel that lies at its centre and in the circular flower beds, and from the rose-covered loggia that stands against one of the walls. Statues, passed down through the generations, preside over flower beds or crouch among the grass. A more recent addition is the large stone pig named ‘Burford’, who resides at the wild end of the walled garden, so named, according to Charlotte, “because I found him on Burford High Street”. In the formal garden, a pair of large Italian Terrace pots sit either side of a smart white-painted bench planted with acers. Soon new foliage will start to emerge along the stems of these small trees, but for the moment the pots provide a solid note amid a spangled tapestry of Primula denticulata and Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’. In April, clouds of cherry blossom float among topiarised yews and the bare stems of standard roses, while in the wilder part of the garden the colour is provided by shrubs such as viburnums and forsythias. Wemyss is the sort of garden where if a wooden clothes peg were to fall to the ground a tree would most likely sprout. “Because the garden has been cultivated for centuries, we are blessed with APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 49
Charlotte’s advice on growing E. revolutum
T
his lovely erythronium produces wiry stems of pink flowers over mottled leaves. In order to thrive it needs humusrich soil that won’t dry out in summer, and it should be positioned in light shade – either beneath trees or at the fringes of shrubs and hedges that lose their leaves in winter. If you’re not growing E. revolutum in woodland, the plants should be given a thick mulch of leafmould every year. It can be a slow plant to establish, as was initially experienced at Wemyss. The best way to encourage it to spread over a wide area is by seed. Charlotte explains: “I collect the seed and scatter handfuls of it everywhere in autumn. It can be very difficult to move by division because its roots run incredibly deep and are all too easy to sever if you try to lift the plants.” The mahogany trout lily is one of the most sought-after members of the erythronium family, which includes E. dens-canis, the dog’s tooth violet, so-called because its bulbs resemble incisors, and E. tuolumnense, among the best varieties of which is yellow-flowered ‘Pagoda’.
50 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
“The high walls do a fine job of protecting the garden from the winds that come racing in off the Forth”
excellent soil,” says Charlotte. “Although if I had realised that it was infested with couch grass, I would have killed that off before starting any restoration. But it helps that we are so close to the sea that we seldom experience frost, and the high walls do a fine job of protecting the garden from the winds that come racing in off the Forth.” Those walls were originally built with double skins, allowing them to be heated by stoves that were set into the bricks, for the production of peaches and grapes, but this proved to be ruinously expensive, even for a family that had made its money from coal. Such labour-intensive gardening is now a thing of the past at Wemyss, and even now Charlotte is developing ways to make this large garden easier to manage. “I recently removed all the flowers from one border and replaced them with alstroemerias. The effect has been stunning – and much simpler to care for,” she notes. But perhaps the real magic of Wemyss is that spring arrives in such a seemingly effortlessly wave, unhindered by its owners who choreograph it so carefully behind the scenes. ■ Wemyss Castle Gardens, Fife KY1 4TE. The gardens open by appointment through April until 31 July. Tel: 01592 652 181; wemysscastlegardens.com
Above The walled garden is more structural at its centre, with beech roundels, circular rose beds and weathered statuary passed down through the generations.
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SPECIAL EDITION
Editing is key to Tessa and Mike Crowe’s dramatic displays of tulips at The Oast in East Sussex, as they work with 4,000 bulbs and 30 varieties to create a spring masterpiece WORDS STEPHANIE DONALDSON PHOTOGRAPHS MMGI/BENNET SMITH
52 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Tulips ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Negrita’, ‘Lasting Love’ and ‘Prinses Irene’ are inspected by a pheasant at dawn. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 53
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pring starts quietly in Tessa and Mike Crowe’s garden at The Oast, on the edge of Mayfield in East Sussex. The winter silhouettes of the willows disappear under a haze of new foliage, while beneath them, naturalised narcissi emerge from the long grass. The silken purses of magnolia buds fall to the ground as the flowers unfurl, golden marsh marigolds open to fringe the pond, and acid-green euphorbia flowers draw the eye. And then the tulips arrive. There’s something gloriously disruptive about these gorgeous flowers flaunting their hot high-summer colours and exotic shapes among their gentler companions. They are the catwalk models of the spring garden, strutting their stuff and demanding that, for a brief season, they become the centre of attention in this lovely garden. When Tessa and Mike moved to The Oast twelve years ago, the garden was neglected and overgrown with horsetail, bindweed and a pink, fibrousrooted hardy geranium that rampaged through the borders. The geranium had to be mattocked out, and although they still have an ongoing problem with horsetail and bindweed they have got on top of it by digging them out regularly. Fortunately, because the 54 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Above Tulips ‘Chato’,
‘Queen of Night’ and ‘Pink Star’, set off by blue forget-me-nots. Right Tulipa ‘Chato’ is a gorgeously ruffled, deep pink variety that closely resembles a peony. Below The delicately bruised shades of Helleborus x hybridus, glowing Lunaria annua, and crinkled, patterned arum foliage.
Tulips ‘Merlot’, ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘Attila Graffiti’ are planted close to the house, with drifts of daffodils in the lawn.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 55
Above A luminous land had probably been combination of orange the hop garden to the Tulipa ‘Beauty of oast, the soil was not Apeldoorn’ and Lunaria solid Wealden clay. annua ‘Corfu Blue’. Right Daffodils that have “Someone had naturalised in the lawn obviously loved this stand out against the garden 50 or more blue light and mists years ago,” says Tessa. of early morning. “There’s some good yew topiary, mature hedges, rhododendrons, magnolias, an enormous berberis and a winter-flowering viburnum. There was a lot at the boundaries, but not much in the middle!” Initially the couple had no idea what they wanted to achieve. “It was our first visit to Great Dixter in 2008 that inspired me,” explains Tessa. “Since then it has evolved organically.” Great Dixter continues to inform everything that Tessa does in the garden. “I’ve done practically every course there; I’m just finishing the ‘Art & Craft of Gardening’, which has been amazing and really, really useful. The main lessons I take from Great Dixter are: don’t be afraid to experiment; really look at plants and combinations to evaluate their gardenworthiness; and ensure a good amount of ‘froth’ and ephemerals through the borders.”
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Above The glowing, golden goblets of tulip ‘Beauty of Apeldoorn’ are tinged with fiery red. Left Intensely fragrant dwarf daffodil ‘Hawera’. Below New varieties are trialled in pots and here include deep red tulip ‘Lasting Love’, crimson and apricot ‘Slawa’ and Narcissus ‘Albatross’.
The garden is the couple’s main hobby since they retired, and during lockdown it has been a huge source of solace, as it has been for many other people. “I’ve always liked gardening,” says Tessa. “I had a good grounding, at a very early age, from my father. Previously Mike and I had a small town garden that wasn’t very exciting or challenging, so this is the first garden we have been able to get our teeth into. Mike is chief seed sower, pricker-outer and potter-on-er. We have animated discussions about the composition of the compost used, but in the end we are here for the same thing – to enjoy our garden and share it with other people from time to time.” Recently the couple have also had the help of a part-time gardener for two days a week. Tessa and Mike have been opening The Oast in aid of the National Garden Scheme since 2015 in June, and sometimes in August, but it wasn’t until the first lockdown that they decided to host a spring opening. “The weather was wonderful and our tulips looked so amazing; we felt it was sad that we couldn’t share them with everybody,” says Tessa. “It was the first year they had looked like that – maybe it was the weather. We had been building our tulip collection up over the years and it was the moment they all came together, so we decided to do a pop-up opening for the NGS at the end of April last year. We had to limit numbers and it was by booking only. We sold out three days before we were due to open and everyone who came was so pleased to be there and loved the tulips. It was a really good day. This year there are many more tulips, including some in borders where we hadn’t planted tulips previously.” To find space for the tulips among the herbaceous perennials in the borders, Tessa uses the Dixter ‘stakes’ method. When the borders are cleared in autumn, groups of perennials are marked out by laying stakes around them on the ground, revealing gaps – ‘No Man’s Land’ in Dixter vernacular – where bulbs, hardy annuals and later, annuals, can be planted. Inevitably a few tulips from earlier years are dug up, but most will have worked their way deeper down or have disappeared altogether. A layer of mulch is then added. The Crowes have used a variety of mulches over the years, including basic soil improver and mushroom compost, but now they use composted bark together with their own home-made compost and leafmould. “We buy our tulips from Sarah Raven and Peter Nyssen,” says Tessa. “Sarah Raven’s catalogue is phenomenal and full of inspiration: it’s like being in a sweetshop, and she has tulips you can’t get elsewhere. The Peter Nyssen catalogue is quite plain,
“ We are here for the same thing – to enjoy our garden and share it with other people”
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 57
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“We have planted around 1,500 tulips over this year and last, and there are around 4,000 overall” so you really need to know your tulips, or know what you want to order from him. “We trial new varieties and combinations in pots before letting them loose in the garden,” she continues, “and we choose perennial tulips that last for more than one season where possible. I’ve found Darwin hybrids including ‘Beauty of Apeldoorn’ and the viridifloras return reliably. ‘Negrita’ (a Triumph tulip) has been coming up for six or seven years, and ‘Brown Sugar’ (a Darwin) seems to get stronger and the bulbs just get bigger. I’m not looking for particularly early or late tulips, and I find that Top Hot pink ‘Mariette’ most earlies and lates and orange ‘Ballerina’ coincide in late April tulips make a wonderful when we open. We have contrast with lime-green Euphorbia characias planted around 1,500 subsp. wulfenii. tulips over this year Left Textural fountains and last, and there are of Stipa tenuissima with probably around 4,000 T. ‘Beauty of Apeldoorn’. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 59
Tessa’s Tulip Timeline Browse the catalogues as soon as they arrive, make your selection and place orders immediately before anything runs out. Have a dedicated notebook to record what you buy and what you plant together. Tessa grades them with stars, and if a combination is really good she may repeat it. Pots provide an opportunity to try something new. Store bulbs in an unheated outdoor room (preferably in the dark) in open boxes to allow moisture out and to prevent them from going mouldy until you are ready to plant them out. Plant from November to Christmas and plant the bulbs as deep as possible, ideally 15cm or more. Snap off seedheads once the petals have fallen. Leave border-grown tulips to die back naturally: emerging perennials will soon take over and hide their foliage. Lift pot-grown tulips and hang them by the stem to dry in a dark, airy place. Clean and sort them in November, keeping plump healthy bulbs to plant in the borders and discard the others.
60 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
in the garden overall with some 30 different varieties. We might reach ‘peak tulip’ next year but, like Great Dixter, I will keep topping them up. I’ve no great desire to experiment with different combinations. I would just like to get the picture better by editing.” Asked if she ever picks her tulips, Tessa is adamant: “I can’t pick my tulips, I don’t pick much of anything from the garden. You are either a picker or you’re not. People find it extraordinary, especially since I like cut flowers, but it seems such a waste to me. It’s a waste of a good tulip.” ■ The Oast, Fletching Street, Mayfield, East Sussex TN20 6TN. The garden opens for tulip season in aid of the National Garden Scheme on 23-24 April, 11am to 5pm, and as part of the Mayfield Trail on 11-12 June. Visit ngs.org.uk and follow Tessa on Instagram @tessamcrowe
Top left Tulips ‘Brown
Sugar’, ‘Negrita’, and ‘Purissima’ fringe a path leading towards a flowering magnolia. Top right Sunshineyellow, lily-flowered ‘West Point’ with rich plum ‘Queen of Night’. Above Topiary and smart hedging shelter pots on the terrace.
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This image Colourful
planting shelters a lush, hidden lawn. Opposite Erythronium ‘Joanna’ has large yellow flowers that fade to pink.
Keeping SECRETS
Hidden away on an Exmoor hillside and merging with its surrounding woodland, Greencombe is a garden of tantalising promise, its wooded paths leading to hidden areas and massed plantings of delicate erythroniums WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS JANE GIFFORD
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G
reencombe Gardens near Porlock in Somerset celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021. The house was built in 1934, although it is not certain whether it was occupied until it was purchased in 1946 by Horace Stroud, a successful businessman from nearby Minehead. Stroud had long dreamed of having a garden and began by creating the layout, terracing and much of the stonework that form the structure of the garden today. Named after the streamless combe above it, Greencombe blends unobtrusively into the surrounding woodland of oak, holly and chestnut that descends the hillsides of Exmoor National Park. The garden overlooks the blue-grey waters of Porlock Bay in the Bristol Channel, across which you can see the mountains of Wales. Joan Loraine took over Greencombe in September 1966 and found there was much work to do in the garden. She plotted out and named each area, keeping meticulous records, including details of when, where and from whom she had acquired each plant and where 64 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Above The wooded
terraces at Greencombe merge seamlessly with the surrounding woodland of the Exmoor National Park. Below Owners Rob Schmidt and Kim-Nora Moses, who moved here from New York in 2016.
it was to be found at Greencombe. She lived here for 50 years, opening the garden to the public each spring for four months a year. Current owners Rob Schmidt and his wife Kim-Nora Moses inherited Greencombe on Joan’s passing in 2016 and chose to move from New York City to bucolic Somerset. “Everything we wanted but didn’t have in New York we have here… and vice versa,” says Rob. “The overwhelming tranquillity of the place is captivating.” This is a mature garden with large established trees and shrubs occupying beds named after them. Although the gardens are sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds, occasional northerlies can fell trees, and the newly available spaces have offered opportunities for fresh and original plantings. “We strive to retain a sense of the natural while delighting in the unexpected,” Rob explains. The garden continues to be run to organic principles, as it has been for over 50 years, with no pesticides or synthetic fertilisers used. Compost and leafmould are all made here in copious quantities, and nothing goes to waste.
Left Stone steps lead up
to the hidden garden behind the house. Above Terracing close to the house was created by the first owner, Horace Stroud, and is now studded with maroon hellebores. Right Bright lemon blooms of sunny Erythronium ‘Citronella’. Below A peaceful spot to sit, by a lily-covered pool with views out to the sea.
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Greencombe faces north and is in shadow from mid-November to early February. With glasses of sherry in hand, Kim-Nora and Rob continue a tradition of welcoming the sun on its return to the lawn below the house. This is also the time of year when the earliest species in the erythronium collection, E. dens-canis pokes up through the soil, followed by the flowers of hellebores, azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons as the season progresses. Birdsong and the hum of insects fill the air. “I enjoy finding the little surprises that pop up every spring around the garden,” says Kim-Nora. The National Collection of erythroniums at Greencombe Gardens began in the 1990s when Joan Loraine visited her friend and neighbour, Norman Hadden VMH. She was taken by a groundcovering plant with unusual, double, mottled leaves. Norman agreed that the foliage was lovely but admitted he couldn’t get the plants to flower. He offered one to Joan, an Erythronium americanum. Not only did she succeed in getting her plant to flower, but it launched her passion for the genus and led her to take expeditions around the world to find various species growing in their native habitats. Rob and Kim-Nora accompanied her on one such trip to the Pacific Northwest in 2004, where they found vast meadows of E. montanum and E. grandiflorum. Erythroniums are perennials belonging to the lily family. They are native to the temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia and are known locally by a wide variety of common names: dog’stooth violet, fawn lily, trout lily, avalanche lily and
Top left Rhododendrons and azaleas line the woodland paths. Top right Elegant Erythronium ‘Jeanette Brickell’ emerges from a mound of glowing white wood anemones. Above Camellias provide splashes of colour in spring, thriving in the woodland’s acid soil.
adder’s tongue – among many others. The erythroniums in the gardens here take care of themselves, as long as their beds are kept free of competing plants to give the bulbs room to grow and spread underground. The collection beds have been created as small terraces; their placement along paths in the sloping woodland garden and in drifts along moss-covered banks offers the opportunity to view the plants at eye level as well as from above and below. The erythroniums at Greencombe bloom until midMay, alongside rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and camellias, all colouring the woodland. The erythroniums take between five and seven years to produce flowers, however, whether they’re planted as young bulbs or from seed. They are raised in small pots that produce bulb offsets, providing stock both for sale and future planting. Kim-Nora empties the pots each spring, separating the new bulbs into fresh containers. Some erythroniums that are native to high altitudes are difficult to cultivate in a garden setting, but Erythronium dens-canis is a straightforward species to try. Flowering from late February with a solitary nodding flower that has sharply reflexed petals, its colour varies from bright pink to white, with a wavy band of lines above a yellow or brownish area at the petal base. The leaves are strongly mottled with dark brown, which fades as the plant matures. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 67
Erythronium growing advice
The trilliums at Greencombe also impress. With a single flower above three distinctive leaves, they form clumps bearing masses of flowers. A fragrant Trillium albidum grows in the garden near the house, while further out in the woodland gardens, hundreds of Trillium grandiflorum cluster around a maple. Joan Loraine recorded 145 flowers here in 2010. She also built the small, circular Chapel of Our Lady of the Secret in the far reaches of the woods, the interior of which now contains a fitting memorial to her. Jon Grant has gardened at Greencombe since 1980, witnessing many changes. “Visitors ask how we can control the weeds without using chemicals. I am the weed killer!” he says, laughing as he digs a dandelion from one of the lawns. “Local wildlife like slugs, mice, squirrels, pigeons and pheasants may be a nuisance, but the garden does not use any toxic or lethal control methods,” adds Kim-Nora. Situated up a hill at the end of a long drive and barely visible from the road, this hidden place of woodland wonders and natural beauty really does make the perfect secret garden. ■ Greencombe Gardens, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8NU. Open from April to 31 July, 2-6pm daily. Tel: 01643 862363; greencombe.org 68 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Top left The shocking pink of a bank of azalea blooms is softened by lilac erythroniums in the mossy grass opposite. Top right Nodding flowers of choice species Erythronium revolutum. Above A sculpture in The Chapel of Our Lady of the Secret is a tribute to Joan Loraine.
Erythroniums are not fussy about soil pH, which is fortunate since Greencombe’s is very acidic. They grow well in deep, fertile soils beneath a canopy of deciduous trees. A good water supply is necessary during the growing season, which starts well before the foliage becomes visible above ground. The soil should be capable of retaining some moisture throughout the year, so the bulbs don’t completely dry out, but it mustn’t become waterlogged as this may cause the bulbs to rot. Good drainage is essential. Plant bulbs in autumn, about 10-15cm deep, pointed end up. Weeding in autumn removes more aggressive competition. Collect erythronium seed in summer just as the capsules mature and the foliage begins to die back. Keep seeds warm and dry in small paper bags until you’re ready to sow them in late summer or early autumn. Soak seed overnight, then scatter it across the surface of trays filled with a deep mixture of soil and compost. Cover with a thin layer of pea gravel and leave this in the open to germinate. This may happen the following year, although some can take until the second or third year. Grass-like shoots will eventually come up, bent over with the seed coat still attached. As the seedlings straighten, place a protective cover over the tray that allows airflow.
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Planting bulbs through grass is a good way to increase a lawn’s biodiversity, and it can be mown for summer.
Green in Every Sense Monocultural lawns have been in the firing line recently as our interest in biodiverse,, sustainable gardens increases. We talk to leading garden designers about how they apply an environmentally friendly approach to using grass in their designs
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Above At Malverleys in
Hampshire, an expanse of green grass is the perfect calm foil to an exuberant border.
I
s the smartly striped, immaculate bowling green lawn a thing of the past? Certainly with the drive to make our gardens and gardening more sustainable, more of us are questioning the eco-credentials of a perfect lawn. But equally, many feel there’s still a time and a place for a carpeting expanse of soft green. The best approach is probably one of compromise: a smart lawn where required as part of the garden’s design and rougher grass in informal areas where it’s better suited. One belief that unites many garden designers, however – especially in the city – is that in the tiniest of gardens a lawn the size of a postage stamp can be a mistake, particularly for owners pressed for time. “Lawns are high maintenance since they require weekly mowing,” explains Sara Jane Rothwell of London Garden
72 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Designer (londongardendesigner.com), “whereas a herbaceous border might just need a monthly tidy and weed, and it will support a higher diversity of flora and fauna.” To maximise wildlife appeal in the smallest gardens, floriferous planting can be a better choice than a little patch of grass barely a few feet across, although a small expanse of clover or camomile lawn might appeal where there’s unlikely to be much foot traffic. It’s the lawn’s lack of biodiversity that has caused some to frown upon it in recent years. “There’s little doubt that a monocrop of grass species forming a finely scalped lawn falls short,” says designer and presenter Chris Beardshaw (chrisbeardshaw.com). “But imagine the archetypal English garden of bountiful blooms and generous borders without a verdant lawn. The jigsaw is incomplete – the
IMAGES CLIVE NICHOLS; GAP/NICOLA STOCKEN; RACHEL WARNE; JONATHAN SNOW
aesthetic of this abundant style relies on the temperance of a lawn as the calming, contrasting foil to the border. So perhaps a more considered approach is not to banish this essential pigment from our palette, but to target its application with deliberate effect.” Garden designer Sam Westcott (samwestcott gardendesign.co.uk) agrees there are occasions when a lawn is the best option. “I think there’s still a place for that English rolling lawn,” she says, pointing to several gardens she’s designed recently that feature circular ‘vicarage tea party’ lawns. “The circular shape is always a winner, and you can do various things to bound them, such as a steel edge, setts, a hoggin path, or sometimes an ilex or euonymus hedge.” And for designer Jonathan Snow (jonathansnowdesign.co.uk), lawns have
an important role to play in crisp, contemporary gardens, offsetting smooth paving. “Our clients still like a lawn,” says Andrew Fisher Tomlin, of Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer (andrewfishertomlin.com), “but we’re increasingly using them as an integral part of the planting design, not a separate element. It means we aim for a better balance between a traditional lawn and planting, with the latter gaining ground.” “Where we include a lawn in larger gardens, we try to place it near the house, and then the rest of it can be rough grass – although not necessarily a proper meadow because they are more high maintenance than people think,” says designer Charlotte Rowe (charlotterowe.com). “And at certain times of year it does look a mess – you wouldn’t want it right outside your front door, but
Top left Circular formal
lawns make a pleasing design motif. Top right A charmingly informal clover lawn in a small garden designed by Miria Harris. Above Smart stripes work in this formal, symmetrical garden by Jonathan Snow.
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over in the distance is fine.” Sam Westcott adds that there’s creativity to be found in the way rougher grass is maintained. Change the mower height to create shorter and longer areas, she suggests, and mow paths through it – each year these can be mown in different directions to ring the changes. Rather than a wildflower meadow, which can be hard to establish, many designers advocate a meadow of spring bulbs. “Grass with naturalised bulbs can be cut sooner than wildflower meadows, so they look less scruffy,” says Sam Westcott. “Winter and early spring bulbs emerge when we least need access to the lawn, the flowers provide early nectar and they help alleviate soil compaction and improve drainage,” adds Chris Beardshaw. Andrew Fisher Tomlin’s favourites include Muscari latifolium, Crocus ‘Flower Record’ and Tulipa saxatilis ‘Lilac Wonder’. “These let us cut the lawn from late May, when we want to use it, whether that’s for play or entertaining,” he notes. Turf can be useful for forming paths, whether that’s with stepping stones set through it or on its own in areas where there is lower foot traffic. “It’s softer, cheaper and better for the environment,” says Jonathan Snow. Both Jonathan and Charlotte Rowe use grass to cover sculpted landforms, often employed as an ingenious way to use spoil from elsewhere in the garden. Jonathan recently
transformed a garden’s disused pond into a helterskelter earthwork, and Charlotte used landforms to hide a house and garden from passers-by while maintaining the garden’s views of the Chilterns. Let the grass grow long on these mounds and banks or plug them with naturalised bulbs such as dwarf narcissus, as recommended by Sam Westcott.
Top Rough grass and mown lawn at John Brookes’ Denmans. Above A grass-covered earthwork in a garden recently created by Jonathan Snow adds a strong visual element.
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LAWNS: A Spring Care Guide Mowing As temperatures rise and grass starts growing strongly again, it’s time to begin mowing the lawn regularly. Keep the mower blades high at first, lowering them gradually as spring progresses. Keeping the grass at 30-40mm high is a good length for it to stay smart, while retaining enough leaf for it to continue growing healthily and be better able to resist periods of drought. To boost the lawn’s appeal to insects, leave some of it unmown from late spring and let the grass and any resident flowers grow. Decorative effects can be achieved by allowing areas to develop into ‘mini-meadows’ this way. For lawn areas you want to keep short, expect to mow once a week when the grass is growing strongly. Use a mulching mower, or a mower with a collecting box, to avoid leaving unsightly clumps of clippings behind, which will need to be raked up.
Aerating and scarifying If grass isn’t growing well, these two spring tasks can make a huge difference to the appearance of a lawn. Aerating involves removing plugs of soil
from across the grass with a hollowtine aerator (manually or by machine). This lets air in at the grass roots and relieves compaction, so it’s particularly useful for high-traffic areas. Scarifying removes the layer of thatch and debris that can build up at the base of the grass over time. A mechanised scarifier is the best tool to use; rakes tend to thin the grass out rather than encouraging it to tiller and thicken.
Moss treatments and fertilisers Where moss has become problematic, look at addressing underlying causes, such as compaction, surrounding plants casting shade over the lawn, or poor drainage. There are treatments available that combine lawn weed- and mosskilling chemicals, but there is a growing range of non-chemical, bacteria-based products that may be preferred, such as MO Bacter, Westland’s new Moss Master, or MiracleGro Evergreen No Rake. Once the moss has died off, it will need to be raked out. If lawns need a boost, spring is the right time to start feeding them. Garden centre fertiliser shelves bulge with choice, many combined with lawn weed
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to keep lawns thick and growing healthily.
treatments. Other options are available, such as Envii Greenkeeper’s Secret which uses biostimulants, or Maxicrop’s seaweed-based Moss Killer and Lawn Tonic. Alternatively, opt for a lawn-care service that offers seasonal treatment programmes to keep your grass in good health: with GreenThumb’s NutraGreen Summer Ready programme, offered from April to June, a slow-release fertiliser is applied that supplies the required nutrition for ten weeks, taking care of this aspect of lawn care for you.
Treating moss Apply a treatment then rake out the moss once it has turned black.
76 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Over-seeding Thicken up the sward by sowing more grass seed in spring.
Lawn seed germinates readily once the weather warms up, so this is also the ideal time to fix any bare patches that have formed in areas of heavy foottraffic, or through damage. Rough up the underlying soil, and scatter grass seed over the hole before raking in and watering. If the grass is looking a little thin, over-seed the entire lawn, but choose seed that will blend with the existing grass. If the lawn is comprised of fine fescue, patches of broad-leaved rye grass will stand out. Lastly, a little time spent smartening up edges with a half-moon cutter or edging shears always transforms the look of the lawn.
IMAGES GAP/HOWARD RICE/JONATHAN BUCKLEY/MICHAEL HOWES
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Keukenhof Gardens Stroll through 80 acres of parkland at the yearly spectacle of Keukenhof Gardens, wandering amongst stunning floral displays dotted with pretty ponds and even a working windmill. Around seven million tulips are planted here each year, but there are also marvellous displays of orchids, daffodils and crocuses. Amsterdam Built on a myriad of canals, interwoven by atmospheric, narrow streets, Amsterdam’s crooked buildings and traditional gabled façades house a multitude of enticing bakeries, vintage shops and relaxed bistros. There’s also a number of world-famous museums and art galleries, adding to its alure. Expert talks Enjoy cultural insights as guest speakers share their knowledge. From Charlie Dimmock, who regales us with her enthusiasm for horticulture, to Colonel Piers Storie-Pugh, one of the most experienced battlefield historians in the field today, get a richer understanding of the places we visit.
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Herald of Spring
T
Blossom is a sign of brighter times to come, and David Bouch, head gardener at the Cotehele and Antony estates, has suggestions to banish winter blues
WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY IMAGE GARDEN WORLD IMAGES
he joy of April lies in its flurries of blossom and the assurance that warmer months are on their way. For 33 years David Bouch has worked in gardens across the South West. Now he is head gardener at the National Trust-owned Cotehele and Antony estates, among the first in the UK to fill with shades of pink and white. “Managing two distinct gardens is exciting: from the
orchards and flower gardens at Cotehele to the Repton landscape at Antony,” says Dave. Here he picks ten plants for spring blossom. ■ Cotehele, St Dominick, Cornwall PL17 6TA. Tel: 0344 800 2070. Antony, Ferry Lane, Torpoint, Devon PL11 2QA. Tel: 01752 812191; nationaltrust.org.uk. The National Trust celebrates Blossom Watch Day on 23 April. Follow #blossomwatch
1 Chaenomeles japonica Japanese quince is hard to miss. Its blossom is borne on bare stems in shades of cerise, apricot and pale pink, making it a superb source of colour from March to May. “Although it is more of a shrub, it is a remarkable plant,” remarks Dave. “The flowers stand out so well on its bare, thorny stems.”
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2 Crataegus monogyna
3 Malus domestica ‘Pendragon’
The native hawthorn produces its sprays of delicate, honeyscented, white flowers toward the end of spring. “At Cotehele we even have a few with double flowers,” says Dave. “Hawthorn will of course produce ‘haws’ in late summer if they have been pollinated, which results in a wonderful splash of autumn colour.”
All apples offer a splash of traditional blossom, and in the historic orchard at Cotehele 125 varieties bloom in spring. ‘Pendragon’, a heritage variety from Cornwall and Devon, stands out. “The flower is much darker – almost red,” notes Dave. “Its new leaves are red, and in September the flesh of the apples is also bright red.”
4 Prunus domestica ‘Victoria’
5 Prunus x subhirtella
“A plum tree not only makes for wonderful blossom in spring, but you get to enjoy the fruit in autumn,” says Dave. Choose a variety that will offer a reliable crop, such as self-fertile ‘Victoria’, which fruits heavily from early August and even more so if another compatible tree is also grown nearby. The blossom is pure white.
Winter-flowering cherries bloom so early that they are often wrongly believed to be flowering out of season, but these elegant small trees customarily produce blossom in warmer spells from November to March. ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ is a small, deciduous, flowering cherry that will reach 4m tall when mature.
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IMAGES GAP/ZARA NAPIER; JAMES EVANS; SHUTTERSTOCK; GARDEN WORLD IMAGES
6 Cercis siliquastrum Also known as the Judas tree, deciduous Cercis siliquastrum is notable for its proliferation of deep pink flowers from late April to early May. “It brings a splash of strong colour and interest to any garden,” observes Dave. Slow growing, it reaches 12m in 20 to 25 years, spreading 8m. It is hardy and suits all aspects.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 81
7 Pyrus communis
8 Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’
Pears make an excellent dessert fruit in autumn, but the tree can offer interest all year round. “Pyrus communis is best grown and trained against a wall,” advises Dave, who appreciates the show of its white blossom in mid-spring. Try this as a fan, cordon or espalier, all of which are good treatments in small gardens.
A foil to the paler-coloured blossoms is ‘Beni-chidori’, which bears deep pink to near-red blossom from late February to mid-March. “A real showstopper, this relatively small tree reaches 2.5m by 2.5m in about 20 years. It can also be grown in a pot, making it suitable for most gardens,” explains Dave.
9 Prunus glandulosa ‘Alba Plena’
10 Prunus spinosa
A wonderful small tree flowering in early spring with clusters of tiny, almond-scented flowers. “One tree can fill your garden with a strong sweet almond or vanilla-like fragrance,” says Dave. Reaching 1.5m tall in five years, it’s a good candidate for containers. It’s hardy and tolerant, but needs a spot with some sun.
“As the name suggests, blackthorn is a spiny plant, so it’s not one for a small garden, but makes a perfect boundary hedge,” says Dave. Often found on roadsides and woodland fringes, it’s one of the first trees to flower and a sure sign that winter is ending. “The pure white blossom on bare stems is a lovely sight,” he adds.
82 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; GAP/RICHARD BLOOM
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P L A N T FO C U S
Bred on the Caerhays estate, at 8m tall Magnolia ‘Caerhays Surprise’ is a good choice for gardens.
Bold & Beautiful Jane Gifford visits Caerhays Castle in Cornwall to marvel at the opulent blooms of the estate’s National Collection of magnolias PHOTOGRAPHS JANE GIFFORD
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 85
P L A N T FO C U S
W
hen Caerhays’ renowned collection of magnolias begins to bloom, you know that spring has arrived in Cornwall. A froth of pale pink rises above the castle and tumbles over its battlements. This glorious sight is the massed flowers of ‘Caerhays Belle’, a Champion Tree bred in 1951 by Caerhays’ then head gardener, Charles Michael. It’s one of many remarkable magnolias on the estate, the planting of which began at the turn of the 19th century. Now Caerhays is run by the Williams family and the estate cares for a National Collection of magnolias. Anyone planning to add 86 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Above Deep pink flowers
of Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ tumble from the Cornish castle’s battlements each spring.
one of these trees to their own garden cannot do better than to come here in spring to see which one will best suit their requirements. Bursting with colour from the first days of spring to early summer, magnolias range from purest white to ivory-cream, through gentle pink to deepest crimson and purple. Some even appear in shades of yellow and delicate pale green. Their exuberant, often scented flowers begin life as close-knit hairy buds, which slowly unfurl to become glorious blooms that look as though a flock of exotic birds has landed in the tree. They’re among the earliest plants known to us. The genus was named by French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704), who first described a flowering magnolia from Martinique, naming it after fellow botanist and countryman, Pierre Magnol. At 95 million years old, plants identifiable as belonging to Magnoliaceae have survived ice ages and the movement of continents. They even pre-date the evolution of bees and are believed to have originally been pollinated by beetles. Magnolias can be evergreen like M. grandiflora, which is native to the Southeastern United States, or deciduous like M. campbellii, which is native to Asia. Generally, their large flowers are bowl- or starshaped, and in deciduous species they mostly appear before the leaves, looking glorious against a blue spring sky. At first held upright, magnolia flowers relax and droop before falling. Large pine cone-like fruits follow in autumn, packed with bright orange or scarlet seeds. When selecting a specimen, be sure to check how large it will grow when mature, since many achieve huge proportions: pale pink-flowered Magnolia veitchii will grow beyond 30m tall if left unchecked, while some magnolias from Caerhays’ original plantings are now well over 100 feet. Species magnolias can take from 14 to 40 years to flower, so any prospective buyer must have great patience. There are plenty of manageably sized magnolias for gardens, though, including some that were bred on the Caerhays estate: ‘Philip Tregunna’, also named after a former Caerhays head gardener, is 6-8m tall with deep purple-pink flowers; the specimen at Caerhays is another Champion Tree.
Top left ‘Felix Jury’ is an excellent hybrid, from the Felix Jury Nursery in New Zealand. Top right Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta grows into a large tree, reaching 11m tall. Below right Ring the changes with yellowflowered ‘Sundance’. Below left ‘Betty Jessel’ is late to produce its deep red-pink flowers, and needs space.
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 87
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P L A N T FO C U S
Above left Magnolia ‘Pickard’s Garnet’ is a more compact variety, ideal for small gardens. Above right For those with lots of space, 15m tall Magnolia campbellii puts on a flamboyant show each springtime. Below The opulent white goblet flowers of Magnolia ‘Sayonara’.
‘Caerhays Surprise’ also reaches 8m and is one of the best for a small garden. Being somewhat out on a limb in Cornwall, Caerhays does not specialise in selling plants, but if you find one here that takes your fancy, Burncoose Nursery stocks many of Caerhays’ named hybrids and can supply them by mail order. There are over 200 species from East and Southeast Asia to the West Indies, and also from South, Central and North America, plus hundreds of additional registered hybrids to choose from. Confused, many simply plump for the hybrid Magnolia x soulangeana. Bred by a retired cavalry officer from Napoleon’s army, this is the most popular of all the garden hybrids. Reliable, easy to grow and lovely, its goblet-shaped ivory flowers, flushed with pink, grace gardens across England. The flowers open into saucer shapes before they drop, hence the common name of ‘saucer magnolia’. Magnolia stellata, the star magnolia, is also popular. Unlike M. x soulangeana, it is more of a shrub than a tree, bearing star-shaped white flowers. Adventurous gardeners could try M. ‘Sundance’, a smallish tree with creamy-yellow saucer-shaped flowers that appear just as the foliage emerges. It will reach around 4m in ten years. Or choose M. ‘Pickard’s Garnet’ for unusual, goblet-shaped, winecoloured flowers. After 40 years, the tree at Caerhays has reached only around 2m tall but is twice as wide. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 89
P L A N T FO C U S
Left Another good choice for small spaces, ‘Philip Tregunna’.
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Hybrid magnolias are smaller, hardier and flower earlier in their lives – some after only a few years. M. ‘Iolanthe’ is a star performer from New Zealand’s Felix Jury Nursery, with fragrant, pink, tulip-shaped flowers. It blooms earlier than most, reaching a maximum of 6m tall in 20 years, making it ideal for smaller gardens. It will even grow in a pot and tolerates alkaline soils, although it prefers neutral to acid soil as do most magnolias. Just don’t let it dry out: it likes well-drained, moist conditions. Also from New Zealand, ‘Felix Jury’ has huge, wine-red flowers and reaches just 3m tall. ‘Sayonara’ has white, goblet-shaped flowers and grows to 6m. If space permits a larger tree, Magnolia campbellii is a deciduous species from the Himalayas that reaches 15m tall. The cultivar M. campbellii ‘Darjeeling’, with dark rose flowers, is very hardy. M. campbellii ‘Betty Jessel’ is a late flowerer with crimson blooms, growing well in colder gardens. At 11m tall, M. sargentiana var. robusta beguiles with blowsy, cup-shaped flowers in white or pink. The pale pink form shows off the flowers’ dusky red, spiked centres to great effect. And smothered in dark pink flowers, ‘Mr. Julian’, a M. sargentiana hybrid, is now a substantial tree at Caerhays. ■ Caerhays Estate, Gorran, St. Austell, Cornwall PL26 6LY. Tel: 01872 501310; visit.caerhays.co.uk
GROWING ADVICE
How to grow magnificent magnolias Jaimie Parsons, head gardener and estate manager at Caerhays, shares his tips on growing and caring for magnolias to get the best from these splendid trees Frost is the magnolia’s main enemy, spoiling the show by burning the buds and flowers with sad brown patches, but magnolias can otherwise be relied upon to usher in each spring with a joyous display of flowers when most else is drab and grey. Plant in a sunny position and protect from cold winds. “They will not fare well in a windy or exposed position,” says Jaimie. Magnolias like moist well-drained soil and generally do not like alkaline ground, preferring loamy neutral to acid soils. “Add well-rotted manure, compost or a small amount of fertiliser or fish, blood and bone to the soil at planting time,” Jaimie advises.
90 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Rabbits will ring bark newly planted magnolias. “At Caerhays we surround new magnolias with chicken wire two feet from the plant, to keep rabbits and deer at bay,” Jaimie explains. “Slugs and snails can also strip young plants of their leaves.” Ensure plenty of nutrients during the growing season by mulching trees with well-rotted manure or compost, or working a handful of Vitax Q4 or blood, fish and bone into soil. “Opinions differ on when to prune, but at Caerhays we prune in late summer or early winter,” says Jaimie. “We prune out any double leaders and dead and damaged branches,
removing lower branches to uplift the tree, unless it’s a small, shrubby one.” Species magnolias will come true from seed. “Collect their seed pods in autumn,” Jaimie advises. “Remove the orange-red outer covering, and sow the blackish brown seeds contained within immediately, about an inch deep in pots, using a 50:50 mix of coconut coir compost and sharp grit. Water and place in a frost-free glasshouse, with the tops of the pots covered with a small piece of glass – mice go for the seeds like kids in a sweet shop. Then cover with newspaper. They should start to germinate in March to April.”
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KO K E DA M A Snowdrops, narcissus, crocus and leucojum all get the kokedama treatment in Kathy Brown’s garden.
On the Ball Kathy Brown explains how to go about making Japanese kokedama using dainty spring bulbs and other early flowers PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 93
KO K E DA M A
interiors, especially where access to outdoor garden space is nonexistent. The plant choice is usually evergreen indoor houseplants. With the moss surround, the result is delightfully fresh and verdant. I first saw this technique used in the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, where, deep underground, in a gleaming white room, was a display of kokedamas, each plant beautifully lit and appearing to be suspended in mid-air. The effect was spellbinding. In fact, they were probably hung with a type of invisible fishing line. This was November 2012. Eight years later I learnt how to make them myself, and I’ve been hooked ever since. And during lockdown, I experimented with the idea of ‘outdoor’ moss balls using winterand spring-flowering bulbs.
A
lthough it’s now famous worldwide, the art of kokedama originated in Japan. Its origins lie in bonsai, another ancient form of gardening, where, over time, very small, incredibly old trees become totally rootbound in their pots. By removing the pot, the nearai style was created, showing off roots so bound together that they held their shape even without a container. The contemporary method is to encase the plant’s roots in moss, strung together by twine. These moss ball plants became known as a kokedama: ‘koke’ meaning ‘moss’ and ‘dama’ meaning ‘ball’. This modern art form is much freer and suits modern
94 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
Above Crocus chalices
emerge from balls of compost bound with moss, to form a quirky spring display.
Plant choice Compact, shallow-rooted plants are ideal. Some of my subjects were dug up as emerging bulbs from the garden, and they don’t seem to mind being moved if you take care not to damage the young roots. This was the case with snowdrops, winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) and Anemone blanda. Deeper planted bulbs, such as snake’s head fritillary, were more difficult to dig up intact. Other specimens I used included crocus, white and blue muscari, iris and dwarf daffodils, which I bought as small potted bulbs because they were relatively cheap and I wanted to try something different. Those grown in 8cm pots or smaller were a good size to use. Bellis daisies, native and coloured primroses, cowslips and violas made perfect subjects too. After they’ve finished flowering, I simply remove the string and moss, and plant them out in the garden. Moss and equipment The moss I used to begin with in January and February came from the garden, and I used a hand fork to lift it from the damp shady places where it grew in profusion. The hand fork was useful because I wanted chunks – not wispy pieces. Warmer drier weather put an end to my home supply so I bought bags of Welsh wreath moss from the florist, or sometimes flat sheet moss from Scandinavia. The
bigger the wedges, the easier the moss was to use. If you are buying it in, just remember to keep it damp. You will also need strong jute string, scissors, a large bowl, a supply of water and compost. Specialist kokedama compost is available, but really there is no reason to use anything other than a normal peat-free compost for this outdoor work. Remember, this is short-term planting to enjoy for the duration of the flowering period, which could be just a few weeks. To keep your kokedama looking fresh, simply place it on a saucer and water every two to three days from the base. The moss wall will retain quite a lot of moisture, but you will quickly be able tell if the plant is thirsty because it will look droopy. Other than that, there are no rules: this is a modern style of container gardening that can easily be adapted to your particular garden and style, with a wide choice of plants, for outdoors or indoors, across the season. My spring kokedamas were such a success that when we were allowed to open our garden again in summer, I gave weekly demonstrations to visitors using hostas, evergreen grasses, ferns, silvery cineraria and Begonia semperflorens. These are all good choices since they have lower water requirements than some, especially if kept out of
Above left A rusted
plant stand is the ideal way to display a simple kokedama of elegant snowdrops. Top right Anemone blanda tolerated being dug up from Kathy’s garden to create this pretty kokedama. Above right Garden centre primroses are an ideal plant to try.
full sun. I added a little water-retaining gel and a long-term pelleted feed to the compost to keep them vibrant throughout summer. My advice is just experiment and see what suits you best. You can hang your kokedamas from the branch of a tree, or from a hanging basket bracket or any metal hook. Alternatively, place them on a table, windowsill or any kind of support. Display them solo or grouped together, using several of the same plant or a lovely mixture of bulbs and spring bedding plants. They will look super as a table display, nestling together in an old wooden trough, or on a metal plant support for a simple, minimalistic, and more contemporary look. For a rustic scene choose wood, stone and moss, which will echo the Japanese love of mountain scenery. Turn over the page for a step-by-step guide to making your own spring kokedama. Visit Kathy’s Brown’s Garden at The Manor House, Church Road, Stevington, Bedfordshire MK43 7QB. Open on Tuesdays, 5 April to 27 September. Book a kokedama workshop on Friday 6 May or 20 May by emailing info@kathybrownsgarden.com. Tel: 01234 822064; kathybrownsgarden.com APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 95
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KO K E DA M A
How to make kokedama Choose a large flat surface to work on – an outdoor table is ideal. But be warned, this will get messy! Waterproof gloves will offer you some protection. Before you start, make sure the soil around the plant’s roots is very damp. This will be simple if you’re using an already potted plant, but it also applies to any bulbs you have lifted from the garden. Damp soil makes the next stage so much easier. The extra compost needs to be very moist as well. Place two generous scoops in a bowl,
1
2
3
4
and gradually add enough water to make it so wet you can squeeze the water out. STEP 1 Measure out a piece of jute twine about 6 metres long. Cut and roll this length into a small ball, and lay about 60cm of it on top of the table. Place a flat circle of moss, approximately 45cm in diameter, over the string leaving about 15cm of string free on one side. STEP 2 Remove the pot from the plant and gently mould the top and bottom of
the rootball to create a rounded shape. Add small amounts of wet compost by moulding it to the wet sides of the rootball. Add it evenly and shape to ensure the sides and bottom are completely covered, and allow it to drip as you mould. When it stops dripping, you are ready for next step. STEP 3 Place the plant in the centre of the
moss circle. STEP 4 Bring up the moss up on the far side so that it reaches the base of the leaves. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 97
KO K E DA M A
STEP 5 Bring the string over from the top
right to bottom left and tie it securely. STEP 6 Now gather up the moss sides to make a complete wall around the plant, removing any excess moss. Secure with string as you go, aiming to create a string net to hold the moss in place by always taking it in the same direction, over the right shoulder, an inch to the right each time, to bottom left. Twist the plant in your hands as you continue all the way round, creating an even pattern of string. Just 98 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
5
6
7
8
remember to leave the centre of the plant free of string so that it can grow freely. STEP 7 On the second round, pull the
string more securely, shaping as you go. When you run out of string, stop at the base and cut, leaving 25cm to weave back and forth through the base and knot. Put it on a table or lift and mould to perfect the shape. STEP 8 Display your kokedama sitting or
hanging. To make a string handle, take 6 metres of string, then double up either
twice or, for a chunkier look, four times. Find the centre and tie a double knot. Thread this handle through several passes of string at the base of the kokedama until you reach the knot. Cut any looped ends to create the four strings that will form the handle, bringing them equally up the sides of the moss ball so the plant is balanced. Think how low you want it to hang and judge where to knot the ends. Or, take four equal lengths of string and attach them to the sides of the kokedama spaced equally around its middle. Then knot at the top. ■
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GREENHOUSES UK
WALL GARDENS
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GREENHOUSES GARDEN ROOMS ORANGERIES
For more information on Vitavia or Janssens Greenhouses, contact your nearest retailer or visit vitavia.co.uk @VitaviaLtd
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GREENHOUSES
A New Leaf
WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY IMAGE MARK SPENCER
A greenhouse gives you valuable extra growing space, while its warmth and shelter will offer you a chance to try something just a little bit different
Greenhouses quickly fill up with plants and even a little seating. Buy the largest you can manage. Victorian Grand Lodge greenhouse, £POA, Hartley Botanic. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 101
GREENHOUSES
Above A well-arranged greenhouse, such as the six-bay Deco by White Cottage, will open up a world of growing opportunities.
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s spring comes round the corner and the growing season gathers pace, greenhouses come into their own. In a greenhouse, seeds can be sown and potted on early in the year, a supply of winter salad leaves can be maintained beyond autumn, and a host of warm-climate plants can be nurtured in special collections. If, until now, your greenhouse has mainly been used for growing in the conventional way, consider expanding its remit and trying something a little bit different in it this year. GROW A RAINBOW OF TOMATOES
Although many tomato varieties will grow well outdoors, nurturing them in a greenhouse delivers much stronger results. Consummate vegetable gardener Lucy Hutchings of She Grows Veg started
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growing tomatoes in a greenhouse two years ago and hasn’t looked back. “As soon as I took them under cover it was a different story,” she explains. “The yields and performance were massively increased.” Lucy’s crop is a long way from the uniform taste and appearance of ‘Gardener’s Delight’, however. She is a “massive advocate” of heirloom tomatoes and grows these unusual varieties exclusively. “You get every colour of the rainbow with heirlooms. There are jet blacks, purples, pinks, stripes and tie-dye effects. Tomatoes were originally grown as ornamentals because their fruits were so beautiful, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with growing them to look at,” she adds. Lucy is keen on the various flavours and health benefits of colourful tomatoes, with the darker-toned varieties being richer in antioxidants, much like blueberries. Her top
IMAGES WHITE COTTAGE; SHUTTERSTOCK; GAP/MARTIN HUGHES-JONES
tip is to support plants using bungee Top left Sweet, tapered cord instead of stakes and twine: “Clip ‘Jersey Devil’ is good for sauces and is one of the cord on at the bottom and the top, Lucy’s favourite varieties. and wrap the tomato plant around the Top right Remove the cord as it grows.” lower leaves of tomato plants to improve For unusual seed, try Pennard ventilation and fruiting. Plants (pennardplants.com), Real Above left Create Seeds (realseeds.co.uk) and Tomato new tomato plants by Revolution (tomatorevolution.co.uk), rooting lateral shoots. Above right Heirloom, which only stock heirlooms. “But get tomatoes grow in a creative online. Lots of people produce range of colours. tomato seed on a small scale. You can even buy it on Etsy,” Lucy suggests. Her picks are ‘Brad’s Atomic Grape’, ‘Jersey Devil’ and ‘Blue Beauty’. If sowing space is at a premium in the greenhouse, sow just a few seeds of each variety. Once these are established, pinch out the lateral shoots in the usual way and create new plants by letting the shoots root in water or potting soil, and then plant them on. Shegrowsveg.com WAT E R I N G W I S D O M Every greenhouse should have at least one water butt attached to it. Rainwater is ideal for mature plants, and the proximity of a butt saves time on fetching water from the nearest tap. Automated watering systems will give you peace of mind when you go on holiday. Try the Hozelock Classic Micro Irrigation drip system (hozelock.com) or the Gardena Micro-Drip-System Starter Set (gardena.com), both of which attach to taps. The Irrigatia Sol-C24 Solar Automatic Watering System, is solarpowered and will draw from a water butt (irrigatia.com).
BUILD UP A COLLECTION
Starting a collection of greenhouse plants can be a diverting way to make use of the space. For inspiration, visit the glasshouses at the major botanic gardens, where cacti and succulents jostle with palms and ferns from around the world. More achievable, however, might be a pelargonium collection. Fibrex Nurseries has been growing pelargoniums for the past 64 years and now has the largest commercial collection in the world. “The first thing you need for pelargoniums is really good natural daylight, which a greenhouse should provide,” explains Fibrex’s Heather Goddard-Key. “They need some heat – anything above 5°C is ideal – and plenty of ventilation. There is a constant battle between maintaining temperature and good air flow.” Consider your conditions before you start shopping. For unheated greenhouses or novice growers, Heather recommends hardy, scented-leaf and zonal varieties, “because they’re easy going and tough. Regals, decoratives, angels and some of the species can be temperamental because many need more warmth.” There are many, many varieties from which to choose, “and we all have APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 103
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GREENHOUSES
M A N AG E V E N T I L AT I O N Good air flow is essential in greenhouses for moderating temperatures and preventing fungal infections. Most greenhouses are fitted with roof vents to allow rising air to escape and encourage cross-flow from an open door. Highspec greenhouses have automated vents that can be set to open and close when a specified temperatures is reached.
IMAGES CLIVE NICHOLS; SHUTTERSTOCK
LEFT-FIELD LOVELIES
our favourites,” she adds. She suggests Top Consider staging to really set off a collection, beginning with ‘Pink Capricorn’, like this one at Arundel which will “flower its socks off”, Castle in West Sussex. popular ‘Attar of Roses’, Above Rose-scented P. tomentosum, ‘Alex Kitson’, Pelargonium ‘Pink Capricorn’ will fill ‘Cramden Red’ and ‘Aurore’. a greenhouse with In the greenhouse, keep soil well fragrance on a hot day. drained. Heather suggests John Innes No 2 compost or Melcourt AllPurpose Peat-Free Compost, which is what they use in the nursery. Pelargoniums need watering only every five or six days. “Leave the compost to dry out in between, but also get to know your plant and what it needs,” says Heather. Pelargoniums flower best when they are slightly pot-bound, which also means they need feeding, ideally weekly, at the same time as watering. “Start them off with a general-purpose feed, but use a high-potash feed on mature plants,” she advises. To improve ventilation in winter, remove most of the plant’s leaves, cut it back hard and reduce watering. “The last thing it wants is to be in a frozen pot.” Fibrex.co.uk
Luffa isn’t normally associated with the UK climate, but this subtropical vine can thrive in a greenhouse. So too can gourds, padron peppers – and even pineapples. Gardener, occasional lecturer and co-author of The Little Growers Cookbook (Lettuce Publishing) Julia Parker is a dab hand when it comes to unusual greenhouse projects. “Overall, the luffa and the gourds have been the most successful,” she says. “The pineapple that I tried to grow to push the boundaries worked less well, but I think that was perhaps because I started it slightly too late on in the year.” Julia grows everything in her garden from seed but is always keen to experiment. “You can buy a fresh pineapple and remove the top and some of the lower leaves to expose the white stem, then stick it in water and roots will develop,” she explains. “Pot it on and then keep it in a greenhouse or conservatory, somewhere that provides constant warmth, and you should eventually grow another pineapple.” Julia has also bought young pineapple plants and grown them directly, but she cautions that whatever you do, you need a good hot summer for them to thrive. Padron peppers are ideal candidates for a greenhouse. “They are so easy,” Julia enthuses. “In April, sow seed in a seed tray with general compost. Transplant them – I put mine into raised beds – APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 105
GREENHOUSES
GOO D R ESO U RC ES
The Cosy Shed Company Luxury garden sheds that can also double as growing spaces. Tel: 01623 861364; thecosyshedco.co.uk Cultivar Accoya-framed greenhouses. Tel: 01978 810718; cultivargreenhouses.co.uk Dovetail Greenhouses Robust greenhouses with leanto options. Tel: 0121 6731508; dovetailgreenhouses.co.uk
and once they get going they will be prolific. They produce fruits all summer long.” Padron peppers are typically mild, although by the end of the season their heat will have intensified. Julia grows hers next to her tomatoes and waters both each evening during summer. Luffas (Luffa cylindrica) or ‘loofahs’ are used as an exfoliating plastic sponge alternative in the UK and little could be more sustainable than growing your own. “Luffas are more challenging and have to be started early in the season,” cautions Julia. A vigorous cucurbit, this plant needs a good-sized pot and a teepee support, or you can train it on overhead vine supports if you have them. Start the seed in a propagator or part-covered in a sunny spot that will reach around 25°C. Once the leaves have developed, transplant and treat the plant as you would a cucumber. The young fruits are edible, but for sponges let them dry on the plant and pick in August or September. Find seed at Suttons (suttons.co.uk) or Thompson & Morgan (thompson-morgan.com), but save seed from a successful crop for the following year. parkers-patch.com
Gabriel Ash Classic wooden greenhouses with an RHS licence. Tel: 01242 662926; gabrielash.com
T U R N U P T H E H E AT Heating a greenhouse can be crucial to the survival of treasured plants. In winter, a cost-effective way of improving insulation and raising the temperature is to tape bubble wrap to the greenhouse. A leanto greenhouse with one side attached to the house will sacrifice light for helpful additional heat. If a greenhouse is connected to the mains, consider using a thermostatically controlled fan heater. Alternatively, look to gas- or paraffin-powered heaters, although be aware that both present a degree of fire risk. ■
Hartley Botanic Supplier of aluminium-frame greenhouses established in 1938. Tel: 01457 819155; hartley-botanic.co.uk
Above Maximise space by training vines along the roof or wrap them around a teepee. This greenhouse with staging is by Alitex.
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The Greenhouse People Purveyors of a wide range of greenhouse brands and styles. Tel: 01782 385400; greenhousepeople.co.uk Green Retreats Luxury garden rooms with a contemporary feel. Tel: 01296 325777; greenretreats.co.uk Griffin Glasshouses Greenhouses in modern and Victorian styles. Tel: 01962 772512; griffinglasshouses.com Haddonstone Elegant cast stone garden buildings for an established look. Tel: 01604 770711; haddonstone.com
Juliana Greenhouses Danish designs, contemporary and classic. Tel: 01242 676625; julianagreenhouses.co.uk
Keder Greenhouse Functional greenhouses and polytunnels. Tel: 01386 49094; kedergreenhouse.co.uk Malvern Garden Buildings A selection of premium garden buildings including traditional greenhouses. Tel: 01932 783999; malverngardenbuildings.co.uk Marston & Langinger Alitex-owned brand specialising in large, bespoke buildings. Tel: 01730 826900; marstonandlanginger.com Pure Greenhouse Frameless glass greenhouses for a sleek, modern look. Tel: 0333 200 5833; puregreenhouse.co.uk Rhino Greenhouses Direct A range of simple aluminium greenhouses and accessories. Tel: 0808 2714163; greenhousesdirect.co.uk Stan Fairbrother Wood-framed garden buildings that can double as potting sheds. Tel: 01772 814274; stanfairbrother.co.uk Vitavia Greenhouses, wall gardens and distributor of Belgian brand Janssens greenhouses. 01473 218100; vitavia.co.uk WG Grace & Son Traditional-style timber greenhouses. Tel: 01647 252995; wggrace.co.uk White Cottage Traditional greenhouses in Victorian and Edwardian styles. Tel: 01270 753826; whitecottage.co.uk Woodpecker Joinery Hand-crafted cedar- and acoya-framed greenhouses in bespoke and traditional designs. Tel: 01889 562610; woodpecker-joinery.co.uk
IMAGE ALITEX
Alitex Aluminium-framed greenhouses in a range of styles. Tel: 01730 826900; alitex.co.uk
Long established as the leader in all matters horticultural and based at the historic Chelsea Physic Garden
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Based at the Chelsea Physic Garden January – March 2016and led by Rosemary Alexander and architect Catriona Rowbotham, the course is anall overview Garden to Design, covering the elements neededsubject, to rethink anincluding average garden. Taking Covers youofneed know inallthis diverse studentsreal step bydesign step through site surveying, using CAD the grid,tuition. horizontal and features, garden in layouts and TWO projects and (3vertical days a week school, planting plans, costing and specification, plushomework) drawing tuition and homework on design and plant portfolios. Tutors 10am-3.15pm, plus 2 days are well respected in the industry and will guide students on how to succeed in this diverse profession. (2 days a week (WedMAKERS & Thur) 10.30am-3.15pm, plus 2 days homework) GARDEN DAY October 2015 GARDENING
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Distance Learning Courses studyhorticulturalist anytime,Ben anywhere world. One of our most popular courses, led by- master Pope, which in aimsthe to take each student through 1-3 years complete. all the practicaltoelements of caring for a garden from soil, tools, maintenance, seed sowing and propagating, weed control and pests and diseases. The first 3 days will be spent at the Chelsea Physic Garden and the final day will GARDEN DESIGN CARING FOR YOUR be spent gaining practical experience in& Rosemary Alexander’s much praised garden nearGARDEN Petersfield and the nearby, is in charge. Participants will beyour given a chance prune, plant,drawing sow seeds andup regular Agarden step by where stepBen guide to designing owntogarden: maintenance tasks landscaping, will be discussed. A light lunchanalysis, and refreshments will be provided daily. plans, hard site planting etc. Taught through a comprehensive course book, with projects submitted by post.
GARDEN DESIGN & CARING FOR YOUR GARDEN Distance Learning Courses study anytime, anywhere in the world
A stepping stone to a new career. These two correspondence courses are a step by step guide to either designing your and maintain an existing garden: drawing up plans, hard landscaping, site analysis, planting, month by month tasks etc. Taught through a comprehensive course book, with projects submitted to us. 1-3 years to complete and individual assessment.
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Garden of Medicinal Plants – Chelsea Physic Garden
Photo: R Alexander
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Not sure which Diploma course is for you? We prefer potential students to attend an Information Session when Rosemary explains the Not sure which course is for you? Come along whole course content and you can seeto ourfi facilities to an Information Session nd out more. at the historic Chelsea Physic Garden. For CONTACT full details,US dates, prices visit our website JUST TO SET UP A DATE/TIME www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk Email: info@englishgardeningschool.co.uk Email: info@englishgardeningschool.co.uk Tel: 020 7352 4347 Tel: 020 7352 4347
Garden of Rosemary Alexander, Principal EGS Sandhill Farmhouse, Hampshire
Long established as the leader in all design and gardening tuition and based at the unique and historic Chelsea Physic Garden
APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 107
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G R OW YO U R OW N
Thyme in Bloom Spring blossom lights up the pathways, gardens and orchard at Thyme in Southrop, promising an abundant harvest of fruits as the season matures. Meanwhile, the gardening team are hard at work planning a successional sowing of crops to provide the chefs with a year of home-grown produce WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY PHOTOGRAPHS SUSSIE BELL
The central path in the kitchen garden is lined with lavender and crab apple trees in pots. APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 109
G R OW YO U R OW N
Above Perennials
emerge from the flower beds in April. The crab apples grow in pots that have had their bottoms removed, rooting the trees in the soil beneath.
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ain clouds may scud across the sky in April, but when the sun comes out and shadows dapple the lane leading down to the kitchen garden at Thyme in Southrop, all is well. This is the month for unfolding beech leaves, bobbly oak catkins and lambs capering in green pastures. Returning chiffchaffs join wrens, robins and tits in song from blackthorn and hawthorn hedgerows covered in creamy blossom. “In creating Thyme, I wanted to tell the story of the land and the seasons in everything we do,” explains owner Caryn Hibbert, “and the kitchen garden has always been central to this.” Caryn approached designer Bunny Guinness to help lay out the gardens around the main buildings as well as the kitchen garden. At around three acres, there is enough scope for both decorative and practical spaces here: a central gravel path runs the length of
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the kitchen garden, with rectangular beds laid out on either side of this. Vegetable beds occupy one half of the kitchen garden, with herbs, flowers for cutting and soft fruit filling the other half. “Bunny ensured we kept the clear views to the water meadows and really saw to it that the basics were right for us to build on,” Caryn explains.
Blossom and Planting in April With their green shoots growing sturdier by the day, seedlings raised in the greenhouse wait to be transplanted outside. Thyme’s head gardener Victoria Bowsher and her colleagues devise plans for successional sowing to ensure the kitchens receive a steady supply of produce as the season progresses. Out in the herb and cutting garden, crab apple trees ring the changes with a shower of pale confetti, while in the orchard, apple blossom opens in delicate shades of pink and white.
Left Apple blossom opens from deep pink buds in the orchard. Below left Delicate white pear blossom announces the arrival of spring with a cheery hurrah. Bottom Espaliered pear trees line the courtyards surrounding the main buildings at Thyme.
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Top left Two of more than 100 apple trees growing in the orchard. Top right Take care to label trees when you acquire them, so the varieties will be known for decades to come. Above right The canes of summer-fruiting raspberries are artfully trained into spirals. Above left Clusters of young currants.
The Fruits of Their Labour The orchard at Thyme was created in 2016 when it was planted with 135 trees, many of which are heritage varieties. Apples, pears, cherries and plums, including damsons, mirabelles and gages, feature here. Like all fruit trees and bushes, these are decorative in spring but also in autumn when their branches are heavily laden with ripe fruits. Although mature fruit trees need little care, spring is the time to feed trees, younger ones in particular. A potassium-rich fertiliser is helpful because trees need this to set fruit – try dried chicken manure pellets if you prefer not to use a chemical fertiliser, and spread it over an area corresponding to the size of the branch canopy. Trees up to around three years old will also benefit from a mulch to prevent root competition and keep the soil moist. For this,
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manure is ideal. While the roots of young trees are establishing, be sure to water them during dry spells. Fruit also features strongly in the kitchen garden itself. “There are several different varieties of crab apple here,” says Victoria of the trees in pots lining the central path. Although the trees appear to be growing in containers, the terracotta pots are decorative. “The bottoms of the pots have been cut away so the roots grow directly in the ground,” Victoria explains. “This was one of Bunny’s ideas.” Soft fruit is also abundant, with various currants, gooseberries and raspberries all growing happily here with support. Raspberry varieties can be either summer or autumn fruiting. Autumn-fruiting raspberries are cut down to the ground in late winter, but summer-fruiting varieties are trained against their supports in decorative spiral shapes.
TECHNIQUE
Sowing in Stages Succession planting, where only small quantities of seeds are sown and then planted out at a time is the Holy Grail of vegetable gardening. It requires attentiveness but means a steady supply of vegetables through the season, as opposed to a glut that can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Succession planting also makes best use of the garden, ensuring there are no empty patches between plantings. All seed has a sowing window of a few months. Take advantage of this by sowing little and often during this window. For faster crops, such as lettuces, sow new seed when a batch of seedlings is planted out. For slower crops, sow new seed roughly every two to three weeks. This helps reduce gluts and extends the season of plants that eventually tire, like courgettes. Similarly, look for vegetable varieties that may be sown sooner or later and will complement each other. Sowing different cabbages at slightly different times in the season will deliver a steady supply, as opposed to an entire crop in two weeks.
Indoors and Out In the kitchen garden, trays of hardy seedlings raised in the greenhouses are ready to be planted out after a spell of hardening off. These were sown in late February and early March as the weather started to warm up and the days grew longer. If you haven’t managed to sow seed yet, buying a few trays of plugs is a handy shortcut. Plant only the hardiest vegetables for now, including spinach, traditional broccoli or calabrese, summer-ripening cauliflowers, and chard such as ‘Fordhook Giant’ and ‘Bright Yellow’. Although the wide range of brassicas means there is something to sow almost all year round, they can take a long time to mature, so give them a bed of their own and don’t miss the window of opportunity for your chosen variety. Lettuces are one of the great pleasures of this time of year, being eager to shoot in cooler seasons and happy to grow outside before more tender crops are able. For ready-made salads, sow a selection under cover, harden off, then plant out. Try ‘Red Saxo’, ‘Red Salad Bowl’, ‘Tom Thumb’ and ‘All the Year Round’. “We like to have chicory and endive in spring, too,” says Victoria of the leaves they started last autumn. Cool-season rocket, both salad and wild, as well as lamb’s lettuce, also known as mâche or corn salad, are also suitable. Sow lamb’s lettuce in situ and leave it to flower so it can self-seed. This is also the moment for putting in potatoes. They may take up a lot of space, but the tender sweetness of a homegrown potato is incomparable. Consider less common varieties such as ‘Pink Fir Apple’ or ‘Purple Majesty’ for an exciting mash.
Above left A host of seedlings raised in the greenhouse and ready to be planted out in beds. Above middle In the fruit and flower beds, the red shoots of peonies emerge early in the year. Above right Chard seedlings can be planted near the end of April.
Seeds to Sow Now Beetroot of all colours: try ‘Chioggia’, ‘Boltardy’ and ‘Boldor’. Chilli peppers, which need a warm spot. Cucumbers and gherkins for pickles. Celeriac, swede and celery, the first of the winter staples.
Harvesting Now Purple sprouting broccoli Asparagus Spring onions
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G R OW YO U R OW N
SEASONAL RECIPE
Wild Garlic Butter Tender wild garlic is a woodland treasure at Thyme. Head chef Charlie Hibbert suggests this melting accompaniment to a wide range of tempting dishes
METHOD Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the wild garlic and parsley for 20 seconds before refreshing it in cold water. Squeeze out the water and then finely chop the wild garlic and parsley. Beat the chopped leaves together with the lemon zest and butter, then season with salt and pepper. Roll the butter into a log shape using greaseproof paper and then leave it to set in the fridge. ■
Woodland Forage April is a key month for early foraging in the woods and hedgerows surrounding Thyme. Hawthorn, blackthorn and dandelions are in bloom, providing vital nectar for emerging insects. But the hero at this time is arguably wild garlic, which occurs in damp, wooded areas. It is noticeable for its elliptical leaves, white star-like flowers and powerful garlicky fragrance, and it will quickly colonise a woodland floor. During the hungry gap of early spring in the kitchen garden, chefs at Thyme gather wild garlic to turn into a range of dishes, including pesto and flavoured butter.
IMAGE SHUTTERSTOCK
“There are many different dishes wild garlic can be used for, but I think that making something simple like this butter gives you a useful tool for your fridge,” says Charlie Hibbert, Thyme’s chef. “It can be taken out and used in multiple ways, on a steak or a whole grilled fish, or left to slowly melt over spring vegetables and early potatoes, which is when I think it really shines.”
1 large handful of wild garlic leaves 1 large handful of parsley 250g butter, room temperature Maldon salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper Zest of 1 lemon
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T H E COT S WO L D S Quaint former weavers’ cottages in Bibury, “the most beautiful village in England” according to William Morris.
IMAGE SHUTTERSTOCK
DISCOVER The Cotswolds On the launch of her new illustrated map and guide, A Cotswold Garden Companion, we talk to Natasha Goodfellow about why the area offers such rich bounty for garden lovers
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T H E C OT S WO L D S
Above It was the Cotswolds’ sheep farming that brought wealth to the area. Below Quirky yew at The Courts Garden in Holt, now cared for by The National Trust, nationaltrust.org.uk.
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F
ollowing the success of her guide to London’s floral hotspots (A London Floral, illustrated by Clover Robin), Natasha Goodfellow knew which area of the country she would turn her discerning attention to next: the Cotswolds. “It’s a beautiful area and a fabulous place to visit, with so many good gardens to see,” she says. There are several reasons why this area has so many renowned gardens, Natasha explains, not least of which is its varied geography. “From the water meadows along the Thames through Cricklade and Lechlade, the land rises up to the Cotswold Edge in the north and west where there are high points with superb views. And then there’s the area’s geology – the creamy, honey-coloured oolitic limestone. Many of the area’s houses are built from this stone, which makes a wonderful backdrop for gardens,” she adds. The area also has a rich history. “The Cotswolds became wealthy because of the wool trade, first developed by the Romans around Cirencester, and from the Middle Ages sheep farming really took off,” Natasha explains. Superior Cotswold wool was regarded as the finest in England. Sheared from the curly fleeced Cotswold sheep, also known as the ‘Cotswold lion’, it fetched high prices when it was traded on the continent. “Churches were built on the riches of the trade, but that wealth also trickled down to the merchants. And, of course, they built
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; NATIONAL TRUST/ANDREW BUTLER; CLIVE NICHOLS
Sezincote, with its Mughal-style architecture of bulbous domes and minarets, sits in grounds designed by Humphry Repton National Trust.” Number 39 of the 55 gardens listed in Natasha’s their manor houses using the beautiful local stone, set in the guide, visit The Courts Garden for its ‘bulging, teetering yew beautiful landscape.” trees’ and ‘impressive borders massed with roses and geraniums’, On the back of the area’s wool farming, a strong weaving while soaking up the region’s history. industry developed from the 17th century, at first on a small Other old estates feature in the guide. “Berkeley Castle has scale in villages like Burford and Bibury, and later, as the process been in the same family since the 12th century. After the Tower became mechanised, on areas of steeper ground near the fastof London and Windsor Castle, it’s the oldest castle in England flowing rivers required for the mills. “Stroud had 125 mills at to be continuously owned by the same family,” Natasha points one point,” says Natasha. “Stroud scarlet was the fabric used for out. Beautiful gardens now line its terraced battlements. Stanway soldiers’ red coats, and the yellow cloth on Wimbledon’s tennis House, famous for its 300ft single-jet fountain, has been in the balls is still woven there today.” But as the industrial revolution same family since the 1500s. “Despite the impressive fountain, it progressed, manufacturing shifted to towns and cities and activity feels timeless,” says Natasha. “The canal and cascade that form in the Cotswolds declined. “This decline, this lack of heavy its backdrop were built in the 1720s, most likely by landscape industry, is one of the reasons why the area is still so scenic today,” designer Charles Bridgeman, and to get there you walk up through says Natasha, adding that it is now the largest Area of Natural wildflower meadows dotted with orchids.” Beauty (AONB) in England and Wales. Surrounding Rousham House, built in 1635, is one of the least The Courts, in Holt, epitomises the Cotswolds’ story. “It was changed landscape gardens in England, remodelled by William the home of a cloth merchant from 1720 before it changed hands,” Kent in the early 18th century and building on an Natasha explains. “A mill was built around the Above The ornate earlier design by Charles Bridgeman. Later came turn of the century and flourished for a few years, curved orangery at huge estates like Blenheim Palace, famous for its but by 1888 it was demolished because the weaving Sezincote House; the ‘Capability’ Brown landscape, while Sezincote, with industry had declined and moved elsewhere. An gardens were neglected its Mughal-style architecture of bulbous domes and architect bought the house in 1900 and laid out a during World War II, but restored from the 1960s. minarets, sits in grounds designed by Humphry garden on the site, which today is managed by the APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 119
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T H E COT S WO L D S
Left At Rousham House, idyllic glades and perfectly positioned sculpture make it a must for students of landscape history. Below The astonishing fountain at Stanway House, the tallest gravity fountain in the world.
IMAGES CLIVE NICHOLS; SHUTTERSTOCK
Rousham House has one of the least changed landscape gardens in England, remodelled by William Kent in the early 18th century Repton. Alongside these famous estates are lesser-known gems to seek out, as Natasha did when she discovered the garden at Westonbirt House, now Westonbirt School. Its owner, Robert Holford, remodelled the house and established the results of plantcollecting expeditions he’d financed across the surrounding acres – much of which now forms Westonbirt Arboretum. But the gardens by the house are full of hidden treasures. “He was the archetypal Victorian: he wanted everything,” says Natasha. “The house had all the mod-cons – gas lighting, central heating – and it was the same in the garden. Pulhamite rockwork laced with ferns sits by the lake, there are panels of Minton tiles in one of the walks, and there’s an Italianate garden with pavilions and mosaic floors.” Another big influence in the Cotswolds was the Arts & Crafts movement. “William Morris and his followers turned away from the noise and pollution of the cities looking for a rural idyll and
the Cotswolds answered that,” explains Natasha. Morris moved to Kelmscott in 1871 and in 1902, 50 craftsmen from the Guild of Handicraft and their families moved from London to Chipping Campden, cementing the area’s Arts & Crafts reputation. “Not surprisingly, gardens echoing that ethos – such as Rodmarton Manor, the entire house built in Arts & Crafts style by local artisans – started to develop,” she adds. The gardens here display neatly clipped hedges, rooms and ordered geometry, and move away from the vast ostentation that had gone before, becoming smaller and more intimate, for enjoyment and comfort. The guide also includes more recently created gardens, like Rosemary Verey’s at Barnsley House. HRH Prince Charles has famously created his garden at Highgrove from scratch, and for contemporary design look no further than Broughton Grange with its Tom Stuart-Smith-designed garden and unusual, sinuous APRIL 2022 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 121
T H E C OT S WO L D S
Natasha’s favourite places to eat and stay in the Cotswolds
A Cotswold Garden Companion by Natasha Goodfellow, illustrated by Jo Parry. Finch Publishing, £8.50; finchpublishing.co.uk 122 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
The Kingham Plough Even though Covid meant we were eating in the car park in the rain (although under cover and with heaters), this was still a memorable meal. Rooms are available from £110 per night. thekinghamplough.co.uk
Wild Herb at the Field Kitchen, Glove Factory Studios, Holt A lovely, relaxed place with delicious food. Do the short walk from Great Chalfield Manor to The Courts Garden, or vice versa, and this is en route. glovefactorystudios.com
The Potting Shed Pub, Crudwell A local pub with great food and a lively atmosphere near the beautiful gardens at Rodmarton Manor. thepottingshedpub.com
Broughton Grange A warm welcome and a great ploughman’s, eaten on the tea lawn overlooking Fatty’s Paddock. Go on a sunny day and it feels like the quintessential English summer experience. broughtongrange.com
IMAGES CLIVE NICHOLS
Top Broughton Grange’s unusual parterre, which is currently undergoing renovation, was modelled on the pattern of a leaf’s cells as seen under a microscope. Above At Aston Pottery, borders bulge with late-summer perennials.
parterre. Visit the American Museum for prairie planting and swathes of perennials in landscape architect Oehme, van Sweden’s only European commission to date. Or for joyous colour, admire the colourful borders at Aston Pottery, where owner Stephen Baughan grows every plant from seed each year. “He just mustn’t sleep!” Natasha exclaims. Several nurseries – with gardens attached – are included, such as Derry Watkins’ Special Plants Nursery, Jekka McVicar’s herb farm, Jekka’s, and The Botanic Nursery. “The Botanic Nursery is perhaps best known for its foxgloves,” says Natasha, “but it also has a small, captivating woodland garden that’s full of interesting plants.” Illustrated by Jo Parry, the map and guide take the hard work out of planning a Cotswolds garden break. Folding down to a handy pocket size, it’s an essential to pack in your overnight bag or stash in the car door. “I like trying to capture the essence of a garden in a way that hopefully makes people want to visit it,” says Natasha. “That’s been the challenge: trying to compress the enchantment and joy I felt in these gardens and put that on the page so other people would feel inspired to discover them too.” ■
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IMAGES MARIANNE MAJERUS; RACHEL WARNE; CLIVE NICHOLS; ANNAÏCK GUITTENY
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SAON 23 M L A RC E
Small gardens with masses of style • Country meets city in a garden designed by Jane Brockbank • Designer Miles Raybould creates a leafy London plot • Nostalgic planting in a Worcestershire thatched cottage’s garden • Award-winning designer Ann-Marie Powell’s own garden • Beautiful planting in a remodelled urban garden by Declan Buckley PLUS Arthur Parkinson shares his container gardening know-how; plant an alpine trough; muscari for pretty spring flowers; sowing tender crops in Thyme’s kitchen garden
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BETH CHATTO’S NURSERY With an eye for the unusual and a vast range of plants of all sizes, the team at Langthorns Plantery are on hand to help you choose the right plants for your gardens. Our collection of more than 5,000 varieties includes ornamental and fruit trees, shrubs, perennials, roses, climbers, bamboos, grasses, herbs and wildflowers. View online or visit our Plantery and enjoy some fresh air in the beautiful Essex countryside. OPEN: Every Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm. Closed Mondays.
Established in the 1960s by Beth Chatto OBE VMH, the home of sustainable and ecological planting. Our plants are propagated using the traditional methods of cuttings, seed, and division, and are grown on outside, ensuring garden-readiness for our customers. More than 2,000 plant varieties, many propagated from plants in Beth’s 7.5 acre garden and 3 acres of stock beds are organised by soil condition, dry, shade, general and damp. Please visit our website to browse the nursery. Delivery to mainland UK destinations.
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TWELVE NUNNS At Twelve Nunns we are well known for our Harvington Hellebores® and have many beautiful colours and forms to choose from. They are available to order from our website now, so why not brighten up your winter garden.
Hedging UK are specialist growers of quality hedging plants. Plants are available to purchase at wholesale prices across the UK through our mail order service. Buy direct from the grower, delivered direct to your door. Readers of The English Garden get a 5% discount (quote TEG2022).
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© Clive Nichols
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We also specialise in Trilliums, Erythroniums and Roscoea – all plants that enjoy dappled shade in the garden. Our plants are bred and grown by us in rural Lincolnshire and come carefully packed in our ecofriendly packaging. Visit our website to find out more.
SPRING REACH NURSERY
CERNEY HOUSE GARDENS A plant fanatic’s paradise on the edge of the beautiful Surrey Hills, just 10 minutes from the A3/M25. Brilliant homegrown Shrubs, Climbers, Grasses, Perennials, Roses, Ferns, Trees, Hedging and Fruit, plus April starlets such as magnolias, Chaenomeles ‘Moerloosei’, Ribes ‘Elkington’s White’, Loropetalum ‘Black Pearl’, Osmanthus delavayi and Sophora ‘Sun King’. New season roses, fruit and trees also now in stock.
Cerney House gardens is a romantic English garden for all seasons. There is a beautiful secluded Victorian walled garden which features herbaceous borders overflowing with colour. The informal planting in combination with a beautiful setting creates a unique and charming atmosphere. In late March and April there’s a wonderful display of tulips in the knot garden and throughout the garden. They provide a stunning festival of spring colour. Enjoy our woodland walk and our extended nature trail. Tea, coffee and homemade cake. Dogs welcome.
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HEVER CASTLE & GARDENS
FORDE ABBEY AND GARDENS Feel uplifted by more than 40,000 tulips proudly standing to attention and providing a visual feast of spring colour. Tulip Celebrations at Hever Castle & Gardens will see the gardeners lead visitors on daily tours of the Castle grounds which will be ablaze with tulips in every conceivable colour, from 19 to 24 April 2022. OPEN: See website for details
Home to the highest-powered fountain in the country, these awardwinning gardens include acres of naturalised crocus on the lawns, topiary-lined vistas, colourful herbaceous borders, an arboretum, bog garden, and walled kitchen garden. Straight lines give way to meandering pathways, with plenty of benches and seating to admire the views along the way. A Gift Shop, Plant Nursery, Pottery and vaulted Coffee Shop make it a full day out. OPEN: Gardens open 1 Mar - 31 Oct, 10.30am – 5pm (last admission 4pm). House open 1 Apr – 31 Oct, 12pm onwards (last admission 3.30pm) Tue to Fri, Sun, and Bank Holiday Mon. Tel: 01460 221290 info@fordeabbey.co.uk | www.fordeabbey.co.uk Chard, Somerset TA20 4LU
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CAERHAYS CASTLE SPRING GARDEN Open throughout the year, Sledmere Gardens are renowned for their seasonal interest and inspired planting. Within the 18th Century Walled Garden are a succession of stunning individual smaller gardens that have an emphasis on form and colour, each with a different feel from the last. From our ornamental Potager and contemporary Fruit Garden to our vibrant Double Exotic Borders, the gardens are continually evolving, always offering something new and eye-catching. OPEN: All year round, Tuesday to Sunday 10am until 5pm.
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Nestled in a sheltered valley on the south coast of Cornwall near Mevagissey you’ll find the world class, magnificent 140acre woodland garden at Caerhays Castle, often described as a spring-time wonderland for visitors. Home to a National Magnolia Collection, the gardens are also famous for their camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Caerhays is a member of the Great Gardens of Cornwall. OPEN: The gardens are open daily from 14 February – 12 June. The Castle is open for guided tours from the 14 March – 10 June. Tel: 01872 501310 www.caerhays.co.uk | enquiries@caerhays.co.uk Gorran Churchtown, Saint Austell PL26 6LY
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TO C O N C LU D E
Think Pink A froth of cherry blossom against a clear blue sky is one of the great delights of spring, and Non Morris suggests cherry trees to suit different garden situations
C
herry blossom never fails to tug at our heartstrings. We are moved by the fragile mosaic of fallen petals on the grass and exhilarated by the sight of pale blooms against a brilliant blue sky. For a few weeks in April, the looming invitations to watch ‘England vs. Denmark’ at a nearby pub are masked by the blooming of a pair of cherry trees, one pink and one white. Turn onto many a suburban street on the gloomiest spring day and your view will be softened by a haze of blossom as far as the eye can see. In Japan, viewing the cherry blossom – hanami – has developed into a slightly frenzied cult, but its origins are powerful and important: to celebrate the transient beauty of the flowers and, of course, to mark the beginning of spring. At its loveliest, elegant blossom-laden branches dip down towards the canals of Kyoto’s Historic District and are reflected among the pale petals that float on the water. At its most extreme, picnicking under cherry blossom in city parks has become tacky big business. The dreamiest use of cherry trees I can think of is at Ninfa near Rome, agreed by many to be the most romantic garden in the world. Here, in a garden created among picturesque medieval ruins, the Caetani family planted swathes of Japanese cherry trees in the 1970s. The cherries have had space to stretch out, and every spring they produce a sensational rainbow of pinks among the velvety green uprights of cypress trees. Cherry blossom against dark green foliage is a sure-footed way to success. If you are choosing a flowering cherry for your own garden, it is worth taking time to get it right. Please don’t get carried away by the exuberance of a tree like Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’. ‘Pissardii’ creates a lovely pale pink canopy at the end of March, but when the blossoms float away, the brownish-purple leaves give the whole tree a heavy, rather sulky look.
Choose a well-drained open position – cherries dislike wet ground – and, if possible, select the specimen yourself. Ornamental cherries are often grafted in an awkward way at the top of the trunk. I tend to prefer the more relaxed multistem form, which avoids the risk of a tree with the angular look of a rotary washing line. One of the most covetable Japanese cherries is Prunus x yedoensis, the Yoshino cherry. It will eventually grow into a generous tree with an elegant arching habit and deep pink buds that open into glorious, pale, almondscented blossom. There is a breathtaking avenue of Yoshino cherries near the Palm House at Kew, but perhaps it is even more extraordinary as a gorgeous single specimen? If you want to amp up the colour and spectacle, try Prunus ‘Accolade’, always smothered in semi-double bright pink flowers in early spring. I have seen a multistem ‘Accolade’ used as the chic focus of an elegant city courtyard, and I have seen a dazzling group of three well-spaced trees in a large country garden, emerging from a sea of pale blue camassia. A recent discovery is Prunus ‘Fugenzo’ (also known as ‘Shirofugen’), which I saw in the brilliantly restrained Cloister Garden at Malverleys in Hampshire. ‘Fugenzo’ is a majestic, wide-spreading Japanese cherry introduced in the UK around 1910 by plant hunter Ernest Wilson and is the latest of all cherries to flower. It has large, double, fragrant, white flowers that fade to palest pink against new bronze foliage. My final recommendation for a smaller garden is Prunus ‘Pink Shell’, a small tree (reaching up to 3m in ten years), with a naturally spreading form and delicate, pink, bell-like flowers. If you would like a neat, exuberantly top-heavy tree with exquisite blossom to make you smile every spring, this is the one. ■
130 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2022
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