The English Garden July 2021

THE

english

GARDEN JULY 2021

For everyone who loves beautiful gardens

Summer FINERY

www.theenglishgarden.co.uk

Gardens and planting at their brightest How to choose and display garden art

Quirky crops

Plants to cheer up shady spots

Grow characterful heritage vegetables

Joyous July gardening l

Delicious homegrown CHERRIES

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LAVENDER for scent & colour

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A guide to outdoor KITCHENS

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The craft of DRYING flowers

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CONTRIBUTORS

Kat Weatherill Photographer Kat has a background in garden design and horticulture. She lives on the LancashireYorkshire border and loves to capture beautiful Northern gardens such as Susan Dobson’s on page 30.

Heather Edwards

IMAGE NEIL HEPWORTH; PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHANTEL

Heather is a Somerset-based photographer and garden designer with a passion for plants.

She was privileged to photograph Champion National Hunt Trainer Paul Nicholls’ garden, featured on page 56.

Francine Raymond After a lifetime gardening on an acre in Suffolk, Francine now gardens a small town plot by the sea with a tiny orchard and a couple of bantams. She samples Terry’s cherries in Kent on page 103.

Welcome W

riting this, looking out of the window at thunderclouds and torrential rain one minute, rainbows and glorious sunshine the next, I know the unpredictable weather hasn’t made it easy to plan garden get-togethers or al fresco dining. But we British gardeners are a hardy lot, and in the spirit of not letting the weather defeat us, this issue has inspiration for those of us who love growing our own food, as well as cooking and enjoying it in the garden: cherries grown in bucolic Kent, the fascinating world of characterful heritage vegetables, a guide to outdoor kitchens, plus summery recipes.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates!

For when you’re dodging the rain showers, there’s plenty more inside to give you ideas and remind you of sunnier days – including six gorgeous gardens reaching their midsummer peak.

Enjoy the issue, and your gardens, rain or shine.

CLARE FOGGETT, EDITOR

PS. We forgot to mention in our June issue’s article about growing and making your own herbal teas and tisanes that you shouldn’t dry or grind whole rose hips, because of the irritant hairs they contain. Better to infuse a rosehip syrup, or be sure to scoop out their middles!

ON THE COVER Bright borders with a mix of cheerful perennials in the walled garden at historic Hoveton Hall in Norfolk.

Photographed by Nicola Stocken.

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July 2021

CONTENTS SAVE 28% 30

The English Garden subscription PAGE 37

Gardens 20 The Newt Koos Bekker and Karen Roos have conceived a breath-taking, feature-filled garden to sit alongside their Somerset hotel.

30 Yorkshire Dales Flower Company Susan Dobson’s garden gave her inspiration for a change of career to floristry – and the lovely materials she needed to pursue her calling.

38 Hoveton Hall This Norfolk estate has woods, lakes and parkland giving way to carefully laid out gardens, pulled together by the Spider Garden at its heart.

48 Tyninghame House The wonderful gardens of this superb East Lothian estate are the combined creation of two talented women who worked two centuries apart.

56 Highbridge House Acclaimed racehorse trainer Paul Nicholls OBE has created a beautiful, relaxing, rose-filled garden at his Somerset home in just five years.

65 Wormistoune The gardens of this 17th-century property near Fife extend its fairy-tale theme with romantic roses, willow thrones and a recurring serpent motif.

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74 The Nation’s Favourite Gardens Nominate the gardens you love that open for the National Garden Scheme.

Design 111 Outdoor Kitchens These truly luxurious garden additions will help you make the most of dreamy days and long summer nights.

129 Craftspeople Bex Partridge has a range of special techniques for drying home-grown flowers to make incredible everlasting art.

Plants

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87 Top 10 Plants Phil Cormie, head gardener at North Yorkshire’s Newby Hall picks ten shade-loving plants for summer interest.

93 Plant Focus Hazel Sillver visits Norfolk Lavender to breathe in these shrubs’ aroma.

101 Garden Classics With a huge variety of attractive foliage and bee-friendly flowers, there’s a hebe for every garden.

103 Terry’s Cherries Enjoy a traditional English harvest at its finest in Kent.

IMAGES KAT WEATHERILL; SHEILA SIM; RAY COX; ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK; ANNAÏCK GUITTENY

79 Outdoor sculpture A well-chosen piece can bring focus and structure to any garden.

Assignment submitted by Barbara Dokshina for Design & Create Your Dream Country Garden

65 Upgrade your gardening skills Choose from over 30 online courses and learn under the watchful eye of some of the world's biggest names in gardening.

87 121 Seeds At the Heritage Seed Library in Coventry, some 800 historic vegetable varieties are preserved for posterity.

Regulars 9 This Month Our regular guide to people, gardens, events, news, tasks and nature.

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Taught in our friendly online classroom, where you get to enjoy inspirational lessons and easy to follow assignments you will learn the full range of skills needed to become the complete gardener.

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17 Shopping The best garden gear for perfect roses, plus lavender-themed treats.

137 The Reviewer This month’s literary digest, plus a chat with Stephen A. Harris.

146 Last Word New columnist Non Morris explores the legacy of Constance Spry.

Offers

Michael Marriott

Chris Beardshaw

Roses

Container Gardening

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JULY

People to Meet

Introducing the gardeners and public figures we most admire in British horticulture

Michael Marriott

RECOMMENDED

Michael’s favourite gardens

INTERVIEW PHOEBE JAYES IMAGES MARGOT JAKOBSEN; SHUTTERSTOCK; CLIVE NICHOLS

The former senior rosarian at David Austin Roses is also a garden designer and writer, who now runs his own garden tours Roses have a fascinating history. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, they featured in ceremonies and orgies alike, while the French grew acres of Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’ for culinary, cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes, right up to the 19th century.

I began gardening at an early age and studied agricultural botany at university, before landing a job working on oil palm, rubber and cocoa plantations on the South Pacific Islands. It wasn’t until 1985 that I joined David Austin Roses in Shropshire and developed my specialism.

Back then, it was a small team since English Roses weren’t as well known, but when varieties such as ‘Mary Rose’ and ‘Graham Thomas’ captured the public imagination, the nursery really took off.

Since then, I have written, lectured, designed and travelled, but I’m happiest working with plants outside. A design project I’m particularly proud of is the rose garden at Kew, while travelling has shown me the ways roses behave in different climates.

I’ve seen them in the tropics and in Siberia, where they’re stored in cellars over winter.

In my career I’ve had the pleasure of visiting beautiful gardens in special ways. I’ve

Wollerton Old Hall Shropshire The owners have a true eye for plants and colour association. Every evening they walk around with a glass of wine and look at new ways to improve the garden. Tel: 01630 685760; wollertonoldhall garden.com

Wynyard Hall

had guided tours from head gardeners, and once I had the whole of Sissinghurst to myself. Not being able to visit gardens over the past year has been tough for so many.

Recently my partner Rosie had the brilliant idea of starting our own tours: six one-day visits to gardens we know well across the country. Participants will hear from the head gardeners and owners, as well as me and Rosie, whose expertise is in design. It’s a wonderful chance to look round gardens again, many of which are

private spaces that you can’t usually visit.

For me, the allure of a plant is in its beauty, rather than its novelty. I recommend orange shrub rose ‘Lady of Shalott’ and rambler ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’, which has beautiful cascades of white flowers.

I am also passionate about fragrance. Aside from orchids, no other plant has such a range of fragrance types and Rosa ‘Buttercup’ has a truly incomparable scent. michaelmarriottrosarian.org/ tod-garden-tours

North Yorkshire The walled garden at this historic hotel was restored six years ago and I helped with the roses there. It’s beautifully laid out with a lovely mix of roses and perennials, so it’s a good place for ideas on planting combinations. Tel: 01740 644811; wynyardhall.co.uk

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 9

JULY

Out & About

Unmissable events, news and the very best gardens to visit this month

RHS summer flower shows return 5-11 July, Surrey; 21-25 July, Cheshire

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and RHS Flower Show Tatton Park are set to return this summer, packed with inspiration and advice for those growing plants, flowers and food in their outdoor spaces. Visitors can discover innovative show gardens and beautiful plants alongside a shopper’s paradise of plants, tools and accessories. This year, Tatton Park will see the return of the popular Young Designer of the Year Competition, while a new Flower Market will feature at Hampton Court. Tel: 0344 3387501; rhs.org.uk

‘The Nature of Thyme’ exhibition 15 June-12 September, Gloucestershire Floral design studio JamJar Flowers will exhibit a range of botanical pressings, including largescale artworks that push the boundaries of this craft, at Thyme, a hotel in Southrop. The show celebrates the meadows surrounding Thyme.

Meadow walks led by Plantlife, pressed flower workshops and a botanical inspired lunch also feature. Tel: 01367 850174; thyme.co.uk

NGS Garden

5 June-18 July, Devon Rosemoor will be celebrating roses throughout June and July by providing guided walks and talks through its Rose Gardens, which are the largest of their kind in the South West of England. Visitors can admire over 2,000 plants and 200 varieties spread over The Queen Mother’s Rose Garden and the Shrub Rose Garden.

Additionally, ‘Rose Weekend’ runs from 25 to 27 June, when visitors can explore a floral-themed craft market hosted by this RHS garden.

Tel: 01805 624067; rhs.org.uk

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Aberclwyd Manor

Denbighshire, Wales A gorgeous four-acre garden on a sloping hillside overlooking the Upper Clwyd Valley. Below the house lies an Italianate garden with box hedging, and other features of the cleverly designed space include ponds and an orchard. Pre-booking available for 7 & 21 July and further dates in August and September. Adults £3.50; children free. Aberclwyd Manor, Derwen, Corwen, Denbighshire LL21 9SF

WORDS PHOEBE JAYES IMAGES RHS/JASON INGRAM; JOE WAINWRIGHT; HELEN CATHCART

Rose Festival at RHS Rosemoor

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JULY

Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks from Troy Scott Smith, head gardener at Iford Manor

WISTERIA maintenance What a great pleasure it is to take a stroll in the garden here at Iford immediately after a shower of summer rain.

Flowers become speckled with myriad tiny beads of

12 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

moisture and every detail seems more apparent. The low cloud seals in the available light which takes on a special luminous quality. A warm mist rises from the River Frome and

the garden itself is rendered through a silvery haze.

At Iford, one of the most important tasks to undertake now is summer pruning our many wisteria. Harold Peto

(Iford’s owner from 1899 to 1933) created his own vision of a snapshot of the world. His approach was unconventional, starting with an idea then focusing on the detail before applying it to a grand plan.

At the garden entrance, the buttress wall Peto built to provide enclosure, intimacy and a sense of arrival was conceived as a consequence of the large wisteria he found already growing there. The wall had to be built with ‘portholes’ for the wisteria to grow through, the mellow ochre tones of the local stone used here providing the perfect partner for the mid-lilac wisteria blooms.

This wisteria is Wisteria sinensis, which came to the UK from China in 1815. The date of ours is unknown, but it was already very mature when Peto moved here in 1899 and his notes mention that it was reportedly one of the oldest in the country.

Summer pruning, in around July or August, involves cutting back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth, which can sometimes reach a few metres in length, to five or six leaves. This not only controls the size of the wisteria, but also allows sun and heat to reach the wood, encouraging it to form flower buds for next year rather than growth shoots.

Iford Manor, Iford, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 2BA. Tel: 01225 863146; ifordmanor. co.uk. Follow Troy on Instagram: @troyscottsmith1

July checklist Tidy up in the greenhouse and feed old roses after flowering Don’t forget

Spruce up the greenhouse

l Harvest early vegetables

I aim to empty the glasshouse of all plant material by midJuly. Not only is it far too hot for plants to still be under glass, but there is a natural pause in propagation. The biennials sown in late June have moved out and taking cuttings from sub-shrubs has not quite begun. I use this time to thoroughly clean and disinfect all parts of the glasshouse and repair staging and heated benches ready for the surge in activity come early September.

such as peas, courgettes, garlic and potatoes as they grow and ripen. l Divide congested clumps

of bearded iris after they have finished flowering. l Water containers, especially

if the weather is warm and dry, using collected rainwater where possible. l Remove sideshoots from

cordon tomatoes.

Pace your harvests

Give old roses a boost Despite being native to the Middle East, no plant can evoke a quintessential British garden more so than the old-fashioned rose. For three weeks in June the air hangs heavy with their lovely perfume.

After flowering it is important to encourage strong healthy shoots for next year by feeding these old rose types. I use a dressing of two parts kieserite to one part potash sprinkled around the root zone.

IMAGES ALUN CALLENDER; SHUTTERSTOCK; GAP/CAROLE DRAKE

Start planning for next year

The productive qualities of kitchen gardening set it apart from the rest of the garden and make it such a rewarding form of gardening. I aim to be as organic as possible, leaving rough areas with sticks and nettles so that ladybirds and lacewings, important predators of aphids, can hibernate. Vegetables are notorious for producing glut or famine, so pacing is important. I grow only small quantities of each type, aiming to have something to harvest at all times.

The success of the garden depends on many variables, but one of the most important is good planning. Throughout the year I make notes about all kinds of things, such as what flowered when, good plant combinations, plants that require dividing and plants I saw elsewhere that I’d like to try. In July I look through my notes to prepare for the start of the natural gardening year, which for me is in September.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 13

JULY

Nature to Note

The wonder of wildlife in the garden and countryside this month

Stars with STRIPES European badgers are widespread across the UK, apart from the far north and some islands. Their heavyset bodies and striped faces make them easy to spot. Wait downwind of an active sett at dusk when they come out to forage – or you may be lucky enough to enjoy their nighttime visits to your garden.

Badger cubs are born in February and by July will be venturing out of their setts, having reached around 6kg – half their adult weight. They are very playful and you may spot them play-fighting or enjoying games like leap-frog and king-of-the-castle.

Badgers mostly live off earthworms, but will also eat berries and fallen fruit. When worms are scarce they will eat small mammals such as voles and rabbits. They can also kill and eat hedgehogs.

How to identify it London planes grow up to 35m and their scaly grey and olive bark peels off in large plates to reveal creamy white wood beneath, giving a camouflage-style effect. Like sycamore, the leathery leaves have five triangular lobes. Male and female catkins are spherical and hang off the tree on long stems.

Where to find it The capital’s most common tree, the London plane is pollutionresistant and therefore lines the streets and populates parks of large cities. The tree is thought to be a cross

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between the Oriental plane and the American sycamore, which met in the London nursery garden of John Tradescant the younger in the 17th century. The new hybrid was planted across London from the 18th century.

Value to wildlife Relatively little wildlife is associated with it, although seeds are eaten by squirrels, while birds use it for nesting.

Did you know? The tree copes with pollution by breaking away flakes of bark to dispel pollutants. Its wood used to be used for veneers since it is a smart shade of goldenbrown with dark flecks.

WILDLIFE NEWS

For peat’s sake

Peat-compost sales banned from 2024 A government ban on the sale of peat compost to gardeners from 2024 aims to help tackle climate change and support UK wildlife. Peatlands across the UK are the most efficient land-based store of carbon and are home to many rare species of wildlife. The plan to preserve peatland for the benefit of the natural world includes funding to restore areas of degraded peatland across England.

WORDS PHOEBE JAYES IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK

LONDON PLANE (Platanus x hispanica)

‘Eustacia Vye’ English Shrub Rose

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BEAUTY & Usefulness Koos Bekker and Karen Roos have conceived a breathtaking, feature-filled new garden to sit alongside their world-class hotel, The Newt in Somerset, which builds on the Hobhouse legacy and strives to meet the famous maxim of William Morris WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS

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Garden features reflect past influences and current tastes at The Newt. The Cascade flows from Margaret Hobhouse’s Victorian terraces.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 21

I

t was with some fanfare that The Newt in Somerset opened in 2019. The brand-new hotel and garden presented a wonderful story: a historic property that had fallen into disrepair had been returned to life and made available for the enjoyment of many. Two years on, the garden has had time to settle into itself – yet this is a continually evolving space and even in this short interval new elements have been included here.

Koos Bekker, a South African telecoms magnate, and his wife, Karen Roos, a former magazine editor, had big shoes to fill when they bought the property in 2013. With a Grade II* listing, Hadspen House, as it was known then, was established in the late 17th century when owner William Player created formal gardens and courts with planted avenues and fountains. In the 18th century it became the seat of the Hobhouse family when Bristol merchant Henry Hobhouse and his brother Isaac amassed great wealth through their interests in tobacco, sugar and the slave trade.

The property passed down through successive generations, one notable owner being Sir Arthur Hobhouse, who is credited with devising Britain’s national parks scheme in the early 20th century. In the gardens, Margaret Hobhouse established a Victorian ideal and the baton was later picked up by Penelope Hobhouse, who installed an Arts & Crafts-style garden to great acclaim in the 1970s.

When the property was let out to Canadians Nori and Sandra Pope in the mid-1980s, the must-see garden beguiled visitors with its masterful show of colour. The Popes were creative and in the curved brick-walled garden, they designed borders and potager schemes – according to Noel Kingsbury, Nori would have loved to have planted out the Mahler Second Symphony in the garden.

In 2005 the couple returned to Canada, and Niall Hobhouse, seeking a fresh start, removed the planting the Popes had established. A competition was to be held for the redesign of the garden but little came of it. Eventually the property was sold, and when Koos Bekker and Karen Roos conceived a hotel and outdoor visitor attraction here, some 2,000 newts had to be protected before construction could begin. From this, a new name was born, providing perhaps, the fresh start that was needed.

“We’re trying to showcase a history of the garden but we have our own style,” says current head gardener Stephen Herrington, who heads a team of 36 staff working in departments across the

grounds. Stephen is referring to the confident new designs established here by Italo-French designer Patrice Taravella. Taravella has worked with the owners on Babylonstoren, their property in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and both these spaces are underpinned by William Morris’s maxim of beauty and usefulness. In Somerset, this means an imaginative combination of productive and decorative spaces, and with even the ostensibly decorative spaces possessing a function, the garden is hugely successful – triumphant even.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the brick-walled garden that so inspired both the Popes and Hobhouses. In a nod to the history of the site, and to tie in with what has been called ‘The Newt Experience’, the theme of ‘The History of Gardening’ is sown across all 30 acres here. But it is the walled garden, now named the Parabola, that is at the heart of the design here. To reference its 17th-century origins, Taravella researched French Baroque planting styles and implemented them here. The result is an extraordinary assembly of 460 apple trees of 296 varieties, representing most of the counties in England as well as Wales and Scotland. All the trees are impressively trained in fans, diagonal cordons, Belgian fences and espaliers. “It’s really a celebration of apples,” enthuses Stephen, noting the wider estate’s focus on cyder production. Responsible for this aspect is Andy Lewis – “We call him Andy Apples,” adds Stephen.

Stairs and paths that follow the contours of the Parabola, provide the effect of a maze. There are some 3,000 square metres of garden in this space alone: The Newt works on a grand scale. Karen Roos is reported to have said that she would be happy with just a courtyard; it is her husband who has the larger vision. The couple have a home on the estate and both can be seen pottering in the garden when they have time.

“The bones of the garden were already here and we built on that,” explains Stephen. Beyond the Parabola, a native wildflower meadow points to the sustainability ethic of the estate.

This element appears, too, in the formal Kitchen Garden, which supplies the garden café. Around 60 per cent of all the produce consumed is grown on the estate and crops from the Kitchen Garden are supplemented with a somewhat less romantic, but even more productive, market garden on the edge of the estate. “The vegetable garden is mostly run according to no-dig organic principles, which works very well for us,” notes Stephen.

It is the walled garden, now named the Parabola, that is at the heart of the design here

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Above The Cascade channels water through Victorian rills and out of a quirky stone newt that reflects the hotel’s name.

Above The former Victorian bathing pool overlooked by the hotel.

Right Interlinking colour gardens are a nod to previous occupants Nori and Sandra Pope. In the Blue Garden is Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’.

Below The contoured Parabola sits at the garden’s heart and has the feel of a maze.

Left No detail has been left to chance.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 23

Lythrum virgatum ‘Dropmore Purple’, Ligularia przewalskii, Primula florindae, Cephalaria gigantea and Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’ bring life to the Cascade’s planting.

24 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

“We’re not constrained by a certain aspect of history here. We’re constantly editing the gardens, making new ones, or changing and tweaking things”

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 25

­

Above The garden makes use of expansive views of the estate, with formal terraces giving way to the wider, wilder grounds.

Left Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’.

In a nod to Margaret Hobhouse, a large fountain echoes the Victorian bathing ponds that once existed here and guests have been known to take an informal splash. Such is the relaxed, embracing ethos of the estate, although it belies the absolute attention to detail that is employed in all spheres. Nothing is left to chance. The estate’s former kennels, now refurbished, house some of the most fortunate free-range chickens in the world.

From the fountain, a view up the Long Walk affords sight of the original home, now housing hotel guests, and from there it is up stone steps to the Colour Gardens where the influence of the Popes is

clear. There are three rooms here, each separated by hazel screens woven with direction from local master weaver Jay Davey. Planting colours are red, blue and white, and offer interest from Spring to November.

“We do a lot of bulbs, then annuals, roses and some grasses so it isn’t too bright,” says Stephen.

A highlight here is the Cascade which channels water from Margaret’s upper Victorian terraces down through a series of rills. At the bottom, a toad and a newt spout water: it’s a warm, witty accent to the formal fountain down below. Cobbles were designed in-house, with direction from Patrice.

Given the strong focus on sustainability, it would be remiss not to note William Robinson, the Victorian gardener whose desire for naturalistic planting is currently in favour. His influence, along with that of Gertrude Jeykll, is alluded to in the Victorian garden close to a thatched cottage that was once the head gardener’s bothy. Jekyll’s work with colourful planting schemes and colour theory is referenced in a colour wheel: hot colours in the sunny spots, cooler colours in the shade.

In the Lost Garden, the fallen of World War I are remembered with wilder planting, “and quite a lot of exotics growing through it,” according to Stephen.

There is a shrub garden and bedding schemes, meanwhile, out on the Victorian terraces.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 27

Recent visitors to The Newt will be familiar with the attached museum called ‘The Story of Gardening’. It ties in with Penelope Hobhouse’s 2004 book of the same name, which was updated with contributions from journalist Ambra Edwards and re-published in 2019. Both point to the great horticultural ambitions here. A new Japanese garden is planned to open this July, headed by Maiko Ishida, with staff waiting “for the bonsais to come in”. There is to be an exhibition of bees called Beezantium and a Grotto Garden is in the making.

As Stephen says, there’s nothing else like this in the country, and the garden hopes to match properties such as RBG Kew and RHS Wisley as a showcase of excellence. It also has ambitions as a training ground and some apprenticeships are in the pipeline.

Inspired by the fresh start, horticultural staff here have associations with some of country’s finest training grounds, including the National Trust, RBG Kew, RBG Edinburgh and RHS Wisley.

28 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Top Eryngium planum,

Penstemon ‘Stapleford Gem’ and Salvia nemorosa combine to striking effect in the Blue Garden.

Inset Delicate aquatic Anemopsis californica ‘Apache Beads’.

Above A meadow sown with native wildflowers emphasises sustainability.

“We’re not constrained by a certain aspect of history here,” says Stephen. “We’re constantly editing the gardens, making new ones, or changing and tweaking things. It’s great fun but it’s also really interesting. As a new garden, we might have come in for some criticism, but it’s something different. If you change it, it’s not the end of the world.”

The Newt in Somerset, Bruton, Somerset BA7 7NG. Tel: 01963 577777; thenewtinsomerset.com

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Susan Dobson’s abundant and colourful Yorkshire garden provided her first with the inspiration for a change of career to floristry, and then with the lovely materials she needed to pursue her calling WORDS LOUISE CURLEY PHOTOGRAPHS KAT WEATHERILL

30 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Behind Susan’s cottage, long beds separated by grass paths are filled with perennials and shrubs jostling for space.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 31

G

“We’re nearly 600ft above sea level but thanks to the hedges and trees we’ve got a lovely microclimate here now”

Clockwise from top

ardens can be places of tranquillity: somewhere to mindfully potter, escape the strains of modern life and connect with nature. And, in some cases, they can be the inspiration to start a business. When Susan Dobson set up The Yorkshire Dales Flower Company in 2014 she’d been gardening the one-acre patch around her home near the North Yorkshire market town of Skipton for over 20 years. “I’d always taken flowers into the house, then I heard about Flowers from the Farm which was set up by Gill Hodgson to promote British cut flower growers, and it sowed a seed in my mind that I could become a florist and grow my own flowers. So I did floristry training at a local college and at Tallulah Rose Flower School in Bath,” explains Susan.

Fortunately, Susan, with her husband Brian, had already created a garden brimming with beautiful plants from which she could pick. “One of the first things we did when we moved in was to plant hornbeam, beech and hawthorn hedges together with native trees that provide shelter from the wind when it blows down the valley. We’re nearly 600ft above sea level but the main garden is south-facing and thanks to the hedges and trees we’ve got a lovely microclimate here now.”

The ever-so-pretty stone-built house, which dates back to around 1780, and the characterful outbuildings, which would once have been home to livestock, provide the perfect backdrop to Susan’s planting. “I love a bit of formality in a garden. When I mentioned to my father, a keen gardener himself, that I’d like to create a box herb garden he took over

Vivid magenta Lychnis coronaria; Susan Dobson of The Yorkshire Dales Flower Company; Susan has gardened here for 20 years; one of the garden’s peacocks.

32 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

A shelterbelt of trees and hedges protects the garden from winds that blow down the valley, creating a microclimate in which plants thrive.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 33

FLOWERS OF Distinction Choice blooms from Susan Dobson’s garden that work wonderfully in floral arrangements

CLEMATIS ‘THE PRESIDENT’

FRANCOA SONCHIFOLIA

ROSA ‘PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT’

This large-flowered clematis produces its handsome blooms from late spring.

Upright spikes of pink flowers emerge from mounds of crinkled leaves on this summer-flowering perennial.

HYPERICUM X INODORUM

DIANTHUS BARBATUS

ECHINOPS RITRO

St John’s wort is a super shrub to grow for floristry; its sprays of peach berries are classic bouquet components.

Choose a sweet William variety such as ‘Sooty’ for magenta flowers that contrast with dark foliage.

Beloved by bees and statuesque both in borders and flower arrangements.

Grow it in a sunny spot and light soil.

ROSA GALLICA ‘VERSICOLOR’

SCABIOSA ‘FATA MORGANA’

CIRSIUM RIVULARE ‘ATROPURPUREUM’

Rippled pink summer flowers are the eye-catching feature of this old rose.

34 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

This annual scabious bears creamy apricot flowers that are superb for cutting grown from a spring sowing.

Sumptuous, tea-scented, pink blooms are produced throughout summer.

Bee-attracting flowers in a rich shade of claret on a spiny leaved perennial.

400 box cuttings for me from his own box hedge.

But I also adore billowy planting and wanted to create a cottage garden feel.”

Susan’s garden has evolved over the years and she hasn’t been afraid to make changes. “The area in front of the house has been reinvented several times because the land slopes across the front of the house, which makes it incredibly difficult to make the garden ‘sit’ well in relation to the house. A number of years ago we dug up the existing lawn because it accentuated the slope, and now we’ve got grass paths dividing huge borders that are packed with shrubs and perennials – a design and planting scheme I really love, so I won’t be changing it again!”

The biggest challenge Susan has faced is the soil.

“We have heavy clay, which makes for backbreaking digging, and in summer it sets like concrete. I avoid walking on it in winter so that it doesn’t get compacted, and over the years we’ve incorporated farmyard manure, compost and a bit more topsoil – although they haven’t made that much difference to the clay. However, the plants don’t seem to mind and the plus side is I don’t need to water a great deal.”

With hardy geraniums tumbling onto York stone paths, potentillas spilling over stone walls, roses trained against walls and perennials jostling with shrubs, it’s no surprise that the exuberant cottage

“I still pick from the garden, but annuals and dahlias perform better in a designated space”

Above Characterful outbuildings make a charming backdrop for cottage-style planting.

Left One of Susan’s gorgeous arrangements, featuring garden-grown flowers and foliage.

Below Quirky items of gardenalia line up against one of the garden’s stone walls.

garden feel of Susan’s planting has influenced her natural, rustic style of flower arranging.

When Susan first started her floristry business she was picking from all over the garden, but to provide enough flowers for weddings and the workshops she runs in her onsite studio she created a dedicated cutting garden too. “I still pick from the garden, but I’ve found the annuals and dahlias perform better when they’re grown in a designated space rather than trying to compete with the perennials and shrubs in the borders. I’ve also moved some clumps of my favourite perennials that I use for cutting into there.” Susan’s cut flower beds are home to the fashionable blush tones of Dahlia ‘Café au Lait’ and the peachy Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Fata Morgana’, which intermingle with sweet peas scrambling up plant supports and swathes of sweet Williams.

Being a florist has also changed her ideas on what to grow. “When I’m choosing flowering plants I always think about stem length and whether something might be suitable for cutting,” she notes.

“I’m also looking for plants that offer something as JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 35

well as a pretty flower, such as alliums, which have gorgeous flowers and fabulous seedheads.”

Susan is a self-confessed plantaholic, so picking favourites is tricky. “I love salvias such as ‘Amethyst’, ‘Ostfriesland’ and ‘Caradonna’ and campanulas, particularly C. lactiflora. The slender stems of thalictrums make good cut flowers, then there are astilbes and astrantias. I also adore roses. I grow old-fashioned cultivars and some David Austin English roses. The old-fashioned ones don’t tend to last that long once picked, but some of the David Austin English roses are fine. ‘Queen of Sweden’, ‘Princess Alexandra of Kent’, ‘A Shropshire Lad’ and ‘Munstead Wood’ are my favourites, provided they’re cut at the right time, which is the late bud stage when the outer petals have just opened.”

Everywhere you look, Susan has created interest in her garden, whether it’s displays of succulents in terracotta pots, colourful pelargoniums adorning stone steps, traditional glass cloches tucked among hardy geraniums or artfully arranged quirky finds.

“I’ve always collected unusual pieces – we’ve got a stone head in the garden, which was a wedding present, so even back then these were the kind of things Brian and I liked.” A couple of years ago Susan set up The Yorkshire Dales Gardenalia

“We’re completely organic – we don’t spray or use slug pellets – we rely on natural pest control” Company with her business partner Carolynne, seeking out vintage containers, galvanised watering cans, aged terracotta pots and decorative items from here in Britain and further afield to sell online and at horticultural shows. “Gardenalia is difficult to find at most garden centres, so it proves very popular with our customers. I also find gardenalia useful for floristry as I often use them as props.”

Susan’s garden is nurtured with a deep respect for nature, a far cry from mass-produced, imported flowers. “We’re completely organic – we don’t spray or use slug pellets – instead we rely on natural pest control such as frogs, hedgehogs, birds and beneficial insects.” Her arrangements – a seasonal snapshot of her garden – are also imbued with her infectious passion for plants, a passion that shows no signs of diminishing. “I’ve recently become interested in ferns,” she says with a grin.

For dates and information about upcoming workshops and for wedding consultations visit yorkshiredalesflowers.co.uk and to buy gardenalia see theyorkshiredalesgardenaliacompany.co.uk 36 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Much of the planting is cottage garden in style, masses of perennials such as hardy geraniums and Alchemilla mollis rubbing shoulders with each other in large borders.

Right Near the house, displays of succulents in terracotta pots add interest at every turn.

COMPANION Pieces Susan Dobson recommends her favourite shrubs to add home-grown foliage to flower arrangements Herbs such as rosemary, mint, sage and lemon balm introduce scent and texture into bouquets and arrangements.

Pheasant berry, Leycesteria formosa ‘Purple Rain’, is quick growing and has great foliage and unusual dangling flowers, which are followed by berries.

Brachyglottis Dunedin Group produces mounds of attractive silver foliage and Eucalyptus gunnii has gorgeous blue-grey leaves. It can ultimately grow very tall but if

you’re picking from it regularly you can control its height.

For dark foliage both Physocarpus ‘Diabolo’ and ‘Lady in Red’ are fabulous, as is Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’, which has twisted stems, reddish-purple foliage and red catkins in spring.

Good all-rounders include Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, which has striking red stems, and summer flowers followed by berries, and Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ for evergreen foliage, blooms and berries.

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An old cottage overlooks the walled Spider Garden at Hoveton Hall, where grassy paths and box hedges separate herbaceous borders.

38 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Threads THAT BIND

Harry Buxton sees himself as the custodian of Hoveton Hall in Norfolk, which has been passed down through the generations, with woods, lakes and parkland giving way to carefully laid out gardens, pulled together by the Spider Garden at its heart WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLA STOCKEN

Above Border plants include peonies, achillea, lysimachia, euphorbia and Stipa gigantea.

Right Regency period Hoveton Hall was built by architect and landscape designer Humphry Repton in the early 1800s.

T

here is a fairy-tale quality about the walled garden at Hoveton Hall, from the moment the latticed Spider Gate swings open to reveal a flinted cobweb motif held captive by borders spun from gossamer-like flowers, ready to entrap dewdrops. “Walking through in early morning, you are hit by the colours of roses and peonies, dew on neatly mown grass and, more importantly, the stillness of early summer punctuated by bird song.

For a short while, all your worries melt away,” says Harry Buxton who, with his wife Rachel and their four children, represents the latest generation to care for this 620-acre Norfolk estate.

The walled gardens are woven into a tapestry of woodland and farmland, lakes and parkland, a magical place where Harry and his sisters spent their childhood. “It was rather like a chapter out of an 18th-century novel, but to us quite normal,”

40 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

he observes. At the heart of the estate stands the family home, Hoveton Hall, a fine Regency house built by Humphry Repton in the early 1800s. “At the time, scores of oaks were planted, dubbed ‘Nelson’s Navy’, in response to the shortage of wood for ship building,” explains Harry.

It wasn’t until a century or so later that the estate passed into the Buxton family, and successive generations have since added an arboretum and a rhododendron collection and developed the gardens.

It was Harry’s parents who redesigned much of the kitchen garden by creating knot and herb gardens,

lawns and flower Above Hemerocallis, Trifolium rubens and borders. “They also echinops bloom in one opened to the public of the Spider Garden’s – my father hugely herbaceous borders. enjoys sharing the Left The Spider Garden’s name comes from the garden, and his ethos unusual circular gate lives on,” adds Harry. made by Eric Stevenson His parents also of Wroxham in the 1930s. developed the adjacent, walled Spider Garden, which was originally laid out in the 1930s when the ornamental, wrought iron gate was crafted by Eric Stevenson of Wroxham. “The flower beds were all different sizes – there was no concept of design until the mid-nineties when my mother created uniform beds,” Harry explains. Mrs Buxton planned the colours, placing paler hues in the areas nearer the gate, which are partly overshadowed by mature trees. In addition, a landscape designer, James Smith, designed an octagonal flint cobweb motif, setting it in the centre of a long, grassy path, and enclosing it in box hedges.

For almost two decades now, Stewart Wright, head horticulturist, has worked in the walled gardens, continuing the shift from edibles to a lower maintenance, largely ornamental scheme.

“It was originally a Victorian kitchen garden, so the soil is very good,” he notes. A circular knot garden had been laid out in 1998 by designer Tessa Hobbs, enclosed by yew hedges, and connected to JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 41

Nectar-rich planting includes Trifolium pannonicum, Salvia forsskaolii, achillea, cardoons and Anthemis ‘Sauce Hollandaise’.

42 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

the Spider Garden via a laburnum tunnel. “When I arrived the yew hedges were just knee-high, but there was dreadful box blight. From a distance, the brown leaves made it look as if the box was on fire,” Stewart recalls.

Since then, to each side of the laburnum tunnel, almost half of the box in the Knot Garden’s six decorative beds has been replaced by evergreen wall germander, Teucrium chamaedrys, which bears pretty pink flowers in summer. “It’s very popular with the bees, so it isn’t until after flowering in August that we trim it back,” says Stewart. Each of the six, square decorative beds is set diagonally

Top Mature woodland

forms the backdrop to the Spider Garden’s ornamental planting.

Above right The Knot Garden is punctuated with square beds of box topiary, surrounded by Teucrium chamaedrys.

Above left Stewart Wright, Hoveton’s head horticulturist.

into lawn, with the outermost hedge clipped from greenish grey germander. Within, there is a smaller square of hedging clipped from either common or golden box which creates a lovely frame around box topiary balls or domes at the centre.

All that remains of the original kitchen garden is soft fruit, asparagus, and pumpkins for Hallowe’en.

Some original fruit trees are espalier-trained on the old brick walls – figs, peaches and nectarines on sunny walls, while apples, pears, greengages and kiwis flourish on cooler ones. The walled garden is situated on a north-facing slope and is 1.5 metres higher at the top end. As a result, in the JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 43

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depths of winter, the southernmost wall casts a long shadow. “It creates quite a contrast in conditions and has meant learning the garden’s limitations as to what plants will thrive,” notes Stewart.

A border below the south-facing wall is dedicated to nectar-rich plants that are given free rein to intermingle. Included in the mix are both ruddy and Hungarian clovers – Trifolium rubens and Trifolium pannonicum – that form large clumps of bold flowers. “I started with just the one plant and, although it proved tricky to split, once it settled, it bulked up well,” says Stewart. Nearby stands a lanky fleabane, Erigeron ‘Quakeress’, as well as the common variety, Erigeron karvinskianus. There are also salvias, Anthemis ‘Sauce Hollandaise’ and two varieties of evening primrose – the yellow species Oenothera stricta, plus Oenothera ‘Apricot Delight’, the perfect name for a flower that opens in shades of creamy yellow before fading to salmon pink. “If you allow them to self-seed, they grow together in a manner that is lovelier than any planned planting scheme,” enthuses Stewart. “They mingle, but aren’t thugs. Once planted, you’ll never be without it.”

Beyond the walled gardens lies woodland, a water garden, a lake dug by hand in the 18th century, an ice well, a 19th-century iron glasshouse and an arboretum. Planted over the past four decades, the arboretum is established in the parkland with more than 200 specimen trees to provide interest throughout the year. Spring brings blossom on Japanese crab apples, whitebeams and cherries, followed closely by dogwoods and treasures such as the golden rain tree, tulip tree and Indian bean tree.

Above Apothecary’s rose Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’, golden rue, thyme and lavender in the hedged circular herb garden.

OENOTHERA ‘APRICOT DELIGHT’

TRIFOLIUM RUBENS

A fragrant perennial that self-seeds; its flowers open cream and darken with age.

Hairy, greenish-blue leaves contrast with clusters of pinkish-purple flowers.

ERIGERON ‘DIGNITY’

OENOTHERA STRICTA

A 50cm tall mound-forming perennial with clusters of violet, daisy-like flowers.

This annual or short-lived perennial sports fragrant, lemon-yellow flowers.

TRIFOLIUM PANNONICUM

KNAUTIA MACEDONICA

A clump-forming, spreading perennial with dark green foliage and creamy flowers.

This airy perennial bears masses of pin-cushion crimson flowers on slender stems.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 45

NOTEBOOK

Classic design Historic features including a rare greenhouse are enhanced by sensitively chosen, well-designed modern additions that create a timeless mood

1

Nearby, the wood at Ashmanhaugh dates back several centuries at least, and is planted with chestnuts, pines and birches, their canopy protecting a fine collection of some 250 varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons.

“In 1924, Geoffrey Buxton visited the famous Waterer’s Nursery, and spent a staggering £8,000 on their rhododendron hybrids,” notes Harry. This special place provides a habitat for the elusive white admiral butterfly to breed, as well as the purple hairstreak and speckled wood. There is also a hide for watching some of the 150 species of birds that frequent the estate, which is managed under the Higher Level Stewardship scheme. “We are very involved with wildlife conservation and increasing biodiversity,” Harry points out. More than 3,500 species of animals, plants and fungi have been recorded on the estate to date.

Being so familiar with a place, it would be easy for Harry to take things for granted, but as each season unfolds, he sees the gardens afresh. “I love the spring gardens, when daffodils flower and bluebells carpet the woods, touched by light diffusing through the tree canopy.” Come summer, the blend of beauty and tranquillity in the walled gardens is compelling, while in autumn, the woodland is secluded once again. “We’re lucky to have inherited a wonderful framework of plants,” says Harry, “and see ourselves as custodians, playing our part in cherishing this beautiful landscape for future generations.”

Above A view to the lake and the wider grounds outside the walled gardens; the lake was dug in the 19th century.

The gardens open until 30 September 2021, 10.30am to 5pm, Sunday to Friday. To pre-book garden entry and for details of accommodation and weddings, visit hovetonhallestate.co.uk 46 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

2

3

4

1 Constructed in the early 19th century, this glasshouse is one of only three or four that demonstrate the early use of iron in garden buildings.

2 An abstract wooden sculpture by Peter Leadbeater creates a focus amid a froth of Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’ and catmint. peterleadbeater. com 3 The tunnel and arches are supplied by local company, Harrod Horticultural. harrodhorticultural.com 4 The flint spider’s web was designed by Suffolk-based James Smith. jamessmithlandscapes.co.uk

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Tyninghame House, formerly the seat of the Earls of Haddington, is now private apartments set in beautiful grounds.

WOMEN’S WORK The wonderful gardens at East Lothian’s Tyninghame House are the combined creation of two women, who worked two centuries apart WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS SHEILA SIM

I

magine coming home after a hard day at work. You turn off the road into your driveway: it leads you through an allée of mature cherry trees before meandering through an idyllic pastoral scene of grazing cattle, then on into dappled woodland. Finally it emerges at the northern side of your home, where neatly mown lawns merge into a landscape of meadow and parkland, with extensive views across the rolling countryside. Imagine how the worries of the day would float away into the faint salt tang of the breeze. Welcome to Tyninghame House.

Situated on the estuary of the River Tyne in East Lothian, half a mile from the sea, this imposing red sandstone building was for centuries the seat of the Earls of Haddington. The central part of the house dates back to the early 15th century, but it was extended several times before being completely remodelled by architect William Burn in 1829 in the JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 49

Above Soft colours in

the Secret Garden, which was originally laid out by Lady Sarah Haddington in the 1960s.

Right Chas Lowe, head gardener at Tyninghame House for 15 years.

Scottish Baronial style, with fairy-tale turrets and crow-stepped gables. At the same time the gardens and terrace to the south of the house were laid out with paths and flower beds. Along the southern retaining wall lies a long herbaceous border; perpendicular to this is a path and lime allée leading to the picturesque ruins of St Baldred’s Kirk. On the western side is a rose parterre and Secret Garden.

Rumour has it that when death duties forced the 13th Earl of Haddington to sell the estate in 1987, Jack Nicklaus wanted to turn it into a golf course.

In the end, though, the house was converted into nine self-contained apartments; separate properties, including the stables and the enormous walled garden (not featured here), were also sold.

Retired landscape architect Judy Riley is one of the lucky people who purchased an apartment within the old house. A keen garden historian, Judy is writing a book about the history of the

50 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Hydrangeas are

a colourful part of the Wilderness Garden’s woodland planting.

Below Mounds of Hebe rakaiensis add symmetry in the Secret Garden, while Rosa ‘New Dawn’ clambers up an arbour in the background.

Tyninghame estate. Judy explains that two women, separated by more than two centuries, played a significant role in the development of the gardens here. The first, Helen Hope, had not long been married to the 6th Earl of Haddington when the couple moved here in 1700. At the tender age of 22, she immediately and instinctively set to work on the grounds, planting trees to form a Wilderness Garden and the nearby Binning Wood. Later, her husband created the shelterbelts that still protect the grounds today from the harsh and salt-laden east coast winds. He always acknowledged the work that Helen did on the planting, and their joint contribution was later commemorated by an obelisk erected in the grounds in 1856, but her name has not been as widely credited as it should. Judy hopes to remedy that in her book.

The second woman to devote herself to the gardens was the artistic Lady Sarah, wife of the 12th Earl of Haddington. To the west of the house, beyond the rose parterre and on the site of an old tennis court, she created in the 1960s what is still known as Lady Haddington’s Secret Garden – a romantic enclosed space planted in soft colours.

Her hand can also be seen in the herbaceous border and elsewhere: she poured her love, and her not inconsiderable finances, into these gardens.

Every element of the Tyninghame landscape – artistic, historical, scenic, horticultural and more – has been ranked as ‘outstanding’

by Historic Environment Scotland, its highest accolade.

Head gardener Chas Lowe, assisted by two part-time gardeners, Richard Gregory and Steven Banks, face the challenge of maintaining the horticultural standard for the 40 acres of garden and Wilderness. Chas has been here for 15 years, and clearly loves the place. While a management committee sets the overall budget, he liaises with a garden committee comprising four of the residents.

They meet to discuss short- and long-term plans, consider colour schemes and exchange ideas. Chas may veto suggestions for practical or horticultural reasons, while the committee has the edge where aesthetics are concerned. Everyone agrees that they are ‘blessed’ to have Chas.

One of their projects has been the rejuvenation of the Secret Garden. Over the years, plants had spilled out over the original grass paths, resulting in the gardeners mowing the paths to accommodate the plants; completely new lines had resulted and the original formality had been lost. Judy tracked down Lady Sarah’s source for the original design (the 1709 book La Théorie et la Pratique du Jardinage

At the tender age of 22, Helen Hope immediately and instinctively set to work on the grounds

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 51

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by Dezallier d’Argenville, should you be interested) and the gardeners recreated it. In the centre of the Secret Garden is a white-painted wooden gazebo, providing shelter to a stone statue that represents either the goddess Flora, or Summer, depending on your source. This is certainly a summer garden.

Roses wind sensuously around the gazebo, there are lupins and lavender in abundance, and the campanulas grow to six feet in height; there is an overall sense of being enveloped in a scented haze of pastel pinks and blues.

The herbaceous border runs for a hundred yards along the length of the lawn, its colour scheme merging from pale blues and yellows at one end into vibrant pinks and reds at the other. One current preoccupation for Chas is a patch of bindweed that has reappeared from under the wall: its thick roots convince him that it was planted deliberately, as an

Above left Cosmos,

sedum, hemerocallis and santolina in a brimming herbaceous border.

Top right A path through rose arches leads the way to the Secret Garden’s central white-painted gazebo.

Above right Stately yew columns create an imposing entrance.

ornamental plant to be trained against the wall, in the days before its thuggish tendencies were known.

Reluctant to resort to chemicals, his latest attempt to quell it involves planting Mexican marigold (Tagetes minuta), which apparently exudes chemicals from its roots that repel pernicious weeds. Anyone who’s ever had to tackle bindweed themselves will raise an eyebrow and wish him luck.

On the lawn in front of the herbaceous border are two enormous stone planters that are filled with tulips in the spring and annuals in the summer, with rosemary cascading over each corner. There is something slightly odd about them: they are designed for bedding plants, yet they are too high for the planting to be fully admired. If Chas had his way he says he would turn them into reflecting pools; this sounds like the perfect way to use them, although the residents may not agree.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 53

Above A vivid clump of Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’.

Right An ancient cedar in the estate’s parkland dates from the 1700s.

Below Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, ‘The Chatelaine’ and ‘Noble Maiden’ lupins, and lavender in the Secret Garden.

Left The remains of St Baldred’s Kirk.

“We want to keep it simple, by encouraging plants that will naturalise and spread”

On the subject of water, Chas notes that there are no water features in any part of the garden – nor are there standpipes or any other source of water for dry areas. This has an impact on his planting, particularly in the Wilderness Garden, far from the nearest hose. “Everything we plant has to be capable of surviving,” he says. The Wilderness Garden, though requiring less intensive intervention than the formal gardens, is nonetheless managed. “We also want to keep it simple, by encouraging plants that will naturalise and spread.”

Wood tulips (Tulipa sylvestris) have been growing here since long before he arrived, as have primroses and swathes of narcissus; he has extended their range and added fritillaries. In summer the trees give welcome shade, while hydrangeas provide the colour.

On selling Tyninghame, the 13th Earl was keen for his mother’s garden legacy to be preserved. While meaning no disrespect to golfers, we can only be thankful that Jack Nicklaus didn’t get his way.

Tyninghame House, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1XW. The gardens open to the public for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme on 4 July 2021. Check scotlandsgardens.org for details and updates. Judy’s book about the history of the Tyninghame estate will be published next year.

54 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

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Winning FORM At Highbridge House in Somerset, acclaimed racehorse trainer Paul Nicholls OBE has created a beautiful rose-filled garden in just five years – and it’s now the perfect place to unwind after a day at the races WORDS CLARE FOGGETT PHOTOGRAPHS HEATHER EDWARDS

56 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

This image Roses ‘L.D.

Braithwaite’, ‘Darcey Bussell’, ‘Munstead Wood’ and pink ‘Strawberry Hill’.

Opposite The more informal ‘wild’ garden.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 57

O

Top Looking towards

the house from the wild garden’s large beds of grasses and perennials.

Above A statue of Gold Cup winner Kauto Star, surrounded by a beech hedge and Betula utilis ‘Jacquemontii’.

Right Racehorse trainer and garden owner, Paul Nicholls OBE.

58 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

n the face of it, horse racing and gardening couldn’t be more different. Racing is glamorous, full of adrenaline-fuelled action, speed and high stakes; gardening, in comparison, is a more sedate and relaxing way to spend your time. That contrast is perhaps why Paul Nicholls finds such enjoyment in tending his garden at Highbridge House in Ditcheat, Somerset.

Paul is renowned in the racing world: a twelve-time champion National Hunt trainer, he operates from the two stable yards in Ditcheat that form his base, where he and his team train around 150 horses.

Over the past 30 years he’s trained more than 3,000 winners, including some horses that even nonracing folk have heard of – Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Kauto Star and Denman, for example – and in 2020 he was awarded an OBE for his services to horse racing. A typical season sees him constantly travelling to racecourses the length and breadth of the country, so when he does come home, taking a few moments to unwind in his garden is the perfect antidote to such busy working days. “Racing takes up a lot of your time, but you also need something to give you some focus away from it,” he observes.

Actually, the hectic racing season meshes surprisingly well with the gardening year. “We’re

‘Emily Brontë’, ‘Roald Dahl’ and ‘Claire Austin’ roses in shades of pale peach and pink, with silver-leaved santolina.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 59

flat-out with racing from the start of October to the end of April,” Paul explains, “but after that the horses have a bit of a holiday and I have more time to spare. Now I get to walk around the garden two or three times a day, and if I’ve got people to phone, I might sit in the gazebo with a gin and tonic and make my calls,” he adds. It’s perfect timing for a break from the racecourse, for in the garden masses of roses are hitting their stride.

“I’ve always had a passion for roses,” notes Paul, explaining that his appreciation of gardening stemmed from wanting his working spaces to look as good as possible.

“It’s always nice to have the yard looking presentable, with roses and hanging baskets, so that when owners come it looks smart,” he says. But it was when Paul built his house at his Highbridge yard that he was really able to indulge

“When we did the roses, Nicholas showed me all the different types and left it to me to choose the actual varieties” his passion by creating a garden of his own to fill with these favourite plants.

Paul bought this property after a Gold Cup win with See More Business in 1999 allowed him to expand the stables. There was previously a small farmhouse on the site, but ten years ago this summer, work began on a new house for Paul and his family. Highbridge House took three years to build, after which Paul turned his attention to its setting. “It’s a lovely house and it really lends itself to having a proper garden to set it off,” he enthuses.

60 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Top The house is now set

off by the lawns, mature shrubs and trees that flank its driveway.

Above Gorgeous deep crimson flowers of Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’.

The first part to be tackled was at the front of the house, where the curving drive and gateway is flanked by gently landscaped lawns with hedging, specimen trees and shrubs. But the main garden is to the south of the house, a long slice of former paddock that’s divided roughly in two: the half closest to the house is more formal and features roses and standard trees in a framework of quite geometric beds; the second half is a ‘wild’ garden of mixed perennials and grasses, with that all-important gin-andtonic gazebo at its heart.

While Paul always knew he wanted to create a garden when the house was finished, he turned to his friend Nicholas Pearson, a landscape architect based in Bath, to help him realise his vision. “Nicholas helped me with the ideas for it,” he explains, “and Dan Weaver comes twice a week and helps me maintain it. It’s because of Nicholas and Dan that we’ve got it to where it is today.”

The rose garden is just five years old, but already has an air of timelessness about it. “When we did the roses, Nicholas showed me all the different types and left it to me to choose the actual varieties. He pointed me in the right direction and now we’ve got some lovely beds with beautiful roses in place – working together we get it right.” It’s no longer listed in the RHS Plant Finder, but one of the roses in the garden is ‘Denman’, a must-have for Paul since it shares its name with the famous racehorse he trained. Others are more readily available, like the beautiful David Austin rose ‘Dame Judi Dench’ (Paul has trained racehorses for Dame Judi in the past), with its apricot-orange blooms, crimson ‘Darcey Bussell’ and ‘Munstead Wood’, pink ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ and ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ and palest shell pink ‘Emily Brontë’.

The wild garden is informal, with grassy paths leading through a layout of large curving beds packed with grasses and perennials. It’s actually younger than the rose garden, and it seems incredible that this space is so recently completed.

Specimens of small-leaved lime, Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’, give the planting a permanence that belies its age – they’ll also look a treat in winter

Above Roses ‘L.D.

Braithwaite’, ‘Darcey Bussell’ and ‘Munstead Wood’ form a block of wonderfully bold colour.

Right The soft apricotpink flowers of Rosa ‘Emily Brontë’.

Below Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ bears bright pink flowers all summer long.

Left Rosa ‘Dame Judi Dench’; Paul has trained horses for the actress.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 61

when their bark will glow orangered above the biscuity skeletons of grasses and seedheads. Grasses include upright Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, airy Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ and Stipa tenuissima, silkily draping itself through mounds of catmint, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’.

Achillea, gaura, perovskia and Stachys ‘Hummelo’ are among the other robust perennials that play a role here, the latter a selection named by plantsman Piet Oudolf, whose style this garden draws upon. It has all matured miraculously quickly, helped in part by bringing in good-quality topsoil, but also planting decent-sized plants and attentive watering by Paul and Dan while it all got established.

Beyond the wild garden, Paul has just this spring developed a new orchard area against the backdrop of the River Alham, which runs along the bottom of the garden. “I think we’ve done enough now though,” he says. “Nicholas has always got ideas to improve things and we’ll obviously change a few plants, but it takes a lot of maintenance and a lot of time, so we’ll probably leave it as it is now.”

Top left Stipa tenuissima and Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, with Verbena bonariensis and Gaura lindheimeri ‘The Bride’.

Top right Malus ‘Evereste’ with an underplanting of Stachys ‘Hummelo’.

Above A path leads through beds with Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ and Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’.

Just like at the races, in the garden you need the right weather, good going and a little bit of luck 62 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

After five years spent turning empty paddock into fully planted garden, things have reached that delightful tipping point when the hard labour is over, and keeping on top of things is all that’s needed.

“This summer is the first time we haven’t had so much to do, and I can just enjoy it,” says Paul. His three daughters are “more interested in horses than they are roses” he observes, but owners enjoy a wander around the garden after they’ve been to the yard. Perhaps horse racing and gardening aren’t so different. Both depend on proper preparation, then patient training is needed to draw the best performance from horses just as good gardening coaxes the best out of plants. And just like at the races, in the garden you need the right weather, good going and a little bit of luck. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Paul does so well at both.

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The central herbaceous border is Wormistoune’s most spectacular feature, running the length of the garden.

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There is a distinct fairy-tale quality to 17th-century Wormistoune House near Fife, with its towers and gables and fabled ‘wyrm’. The gardens extend this theme with romantic roses, willow thrones and a recurring serpent motif to fit the legend WORDS JULIA WATSON PHOTOGRAPHS RAY COX JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 65

S

tanding tall on the east coast of Fife, near the picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk, Wormistoune House has panoramic views of sea and sky. Much altered over the centuries, this historic Scottish tower house has been meticulously restored by owners James and Gemma McCallum, Baron and Lady Wormistoune, to the way it would have looked in its 17th-century heyday.

Wormistoune’s towers and crow-stepped gables have a fairy-tale quality that is reflected in the garden the McCallums have created around it, sheltered by high walls from the worst of the North Sea gales. The one-acre walled garden is divided into classic ‘rooms’ by yew hedges, and the McCallums are grateful to Wormistoune’s previous owner, Bella Gardiner-Hill, who not only began the restoration of the house but rebuilt the garden walls using stone from the demolished Edwardian wings. She laid out the garden, too, though it looked very different when James and Gemma bought the house more than 25 years ago. “It was quite beautiful, actually,” says Gemma. “It was a bit like a magical secret garden, full of wild poppies.”

Romantic though the garden was, the McCallums felt it could do with more structure. “We extended and widened the herbaceous border that goes down the middle of the garden, and put in extra hedging,” says Gemma. They also created a box parterre in the form of two interlocking thistles. Suited to the period of the house and designed to be seen from its windows, the sinuous green curves, dotted with

Wormistoune’s ‘wyrm’, or serpent is said to have been killed here by a valiant local in days of yore alliums in spring, make a pleasing contrast to the ochre-washed walls.

James and Gemma brought up their three children at Wormistoune, and as a family they relished the myth of Wormistoune’s ‘wyrm’, or serpent, said to have been killed here by a valiant local in days of yore. The monstrous wyrm has become something of a motif in both house and garden, and it can now be seen in topiary form carved into the hedge bordering the parterre.

Nearby, lurking in the dappled shade of four old Griselinia littoralis trees – unusual on this scale, since they are more commonly used in hedging – there is another representation of the fabled beast as part of a wall fountain, with an intriguing pebble tail that curls across a path into the adjoining Bella’s 66 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Right The lawn in Bella’s Garden is encircled with perennials in a pink, blue and mauve palette.

Bottom right Geranium psilostemon, Geranium x magnificum and peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’.

Bottom left Euphorbia, salvias and phlomis sunbathe in front of a wall clad with an apple and ‘Victoria’ plum.

Below Vibrant magenta Geranium psilostemon.

Garden. “When the children were growing up, the griselinia garden was where the worm slept at night,” says Gemma, “and that’s why his tail creeps out under the trees.”

Bella’s Garden, which is named in honour of Wormistoune’s previous owner, is traditional in style, featuring an open, circular lawn and a gentle colour palette of pinks, blues, mauves and silvers, sparked into life with touches of scarlet. There are roses here such as ‘Mortimer Sackler’, ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ and ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, and border stalwarts like salvia, persicaria and sanguisorba.

Beyond Bella’s Garden, and in complete contrast, is an area that adds to the fairy-tale quality of Wormistoune, where two living willow thrones preside over a wildflower meadow among old orchard trees. Carpeted in spring with cowslips, primroses and snake’s head fritillaries, it is taken JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 67

The ‘female’ pavilion, seen from the wildflower meadow with its willow thrones and purpleleaved hazel on the right.

68 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

The central herbaceous border is a floral tour de force, at its peak in the height of summer Top Above the

courtyard’s thistle parterre, a serpent juts its head from the turret of the tower house.

Middle The spiky flowers of Eryngium bourgatii.

Bottom Soft pink flower spikes of Salvia pratensis.

over in summer by marsh orchids, ox-eye daisies and nodding martagon lilies.

Undoubtedly, though, it is the central herbaceous border that is Wormistoune’s most spectacular feature. Running the entire length of the walled garden and culminating in the moon gate leading out to the rest of the estate, this floral tour de force is at its peak in the height of summer, with injections of strong colour from magenta Geranium psilostemon, lime green Alchemilla mollis, blue Geranium x magnificum and yellow Lysimachia punctata, and sculptural impact in the form of echinops and eryngium.

In restoring Wormistoune, the McCallums have worked for many years with Edinburgh conservation architects Simpson & Brown, and it was they who built the two ogee-roofed pavilions that grace the two far corners of the garden and are part of the accommodation for guests. The design was inspired by similar 17th-century buildings in nearby Cupar, and there are subtle differences in the stonework and mouldings that mark them out as ‘male’ and JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 69

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‘female’ – all part of the McCallums’ sense of the garden as a kind of mini-Eden. “They each have a reflecting pond in front of them, and the idea is that on a sunny day the reflections meet in the middle at the moon gate,” says Gemma.

A late summer border leads away from the female pavilion along the north wall of the garden and is home to the hot colours of sun-lovers including eremurus, kniphofia, helenium and hemerocallis, and grasses like molinia, deschampsia, calamagrostis and stipa. To the south, in keeping with the paradise theme, in which a garden provides everything you need for both pleasure and subsistence, there is an extensive kitchen garden for vegetables, soft fruit and herbs. The adjoining converted coach house, run as part of a wedding and holiday business, has beds in the shape of a patriotic saltire in its courtyard, appropriately planted with flowers in white and blue.

In caring for the walled garden and wider estate, which extends to some 11 acres, the McCallums have the help of head gardener Joshua Barclay, assisted

by Duncan Hogg and part-timer Karen Wilkieson.

Further out in the grounds there is a small loch, or lochan, for wildlife – which is also good for the odd dip when it is warm enough – and an unusual

Top The neat vegetable

garden with brassicas under netting and herbs in box-edged beds.

Above Mexican fleabane, Erigeron karvinskianus, grows in paving cracks around the pavilions.

Left Head gardener Joshua Barclay and Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 71

Right Looking from the wildflower meadow and orchard towards the house, over cow parsley and ox-eye daisies.

Below Sidalcea ‘Elsie Heugh’ in the herbaceous border.

double ‘doocot’, or dovecote, which has two cells in its lower storey. In the 16th century, Wormistoune was home to the Spens family, Constables of nearby Crail, and, spookily, these would probably once have held criminals awaiting trial.

One of the main tasks on the estate at the moment is rejuvenating the woodland that surrounds the house. “We’ve lost a lot of lime trees, which is really sad,” says Gemma, “and we also had Dutch elm disease, so we had to get rid of the elm trees as well.

We have been planting again and trying to create a more varied woodland.”

There are other changes in the pipeline. Gemma and Joshua Barclay are planning a revamp of Bella’s Garden that will make it more of a rose garden, focusing on heritage and scented tea roses in muted peachy tones, and the coach house saltire may be replanted, perhaps solely with lavender and alliums.

As Gemma explains, over the years tastes change, and she and James have visited and been inspired by many different gardens: “But the basic structure of the garden I think we got right quite early on, which was good, and we’ve got a fantastic team.”

Wormistoune House, Crail, by Anstruther, Fife KY10 3XH. Opens for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme most years, but because of building work is open this year only by arrangement. Email Joshua Barclay at gardens@wormistoune.com. For weddings or stays at Wormistoune, see wormistoune.com 72 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

BEHIND THE Scenes Head gardener Joshua Barclay shares clever tips for effective and colourful herbaceous borders Our main border has hidden support, with 10cm2 nylon netting held up by notched wooden posts, 4ft tall at the back and 1.5ft at the front. The posts go in every 4-6 feet along the border. The plants grow through the netting so things like lysimachia and peony don’t flop over.

Frothy plants such as Alchemilla mollis and nepeta grow up at the front to hide the netting. In addition to the netting, we give delphiniums the extra support of bamboo canes.

In November we take off the netting and go in with a sickle blade and cut back all of it, covering the bed with composted bark mulch to a depth of two inches (it could be more, but

our soil level is quite high at the moment). This feeds the soil, which is a neutral clay, protects plants from the frost and is a weed suppressant. We may put pieces of cardboard on first where there are persistent weeds like horsetail.

It’s the minimalist planting that gives the herbaceous border here such strength: we repeatedly use a limited number of plants, such as echinops, sidalcea, astrantia and geranium all the way along.

Wormistoune’s herbaceous border is at its peak in high summer, but we grow yellow tulips here in spring, which look good with the fresh green growth. The netting goes on just after the heads are formed so we don’t damage them as they flower.

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To claim your free 28 day Turmeric+ subscription trial pack worth £16.80, visit FutureYouOffers.co.uk or freephone 0800 808 5740 quoting code TF635 If it’s not for you, simply cancel your subscription at any time, without obligation.

Discount valid until 31st July 2021. Turmeric+ contains vitamin C which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones. New UK customers only. One free trial per household. Your first box is free (Just pay £1.50 postage) and you will be enrolled into a flexible subscription (£16.80 every 28 days). We regret but we cannot take payment for this offer by cheque. You can stop deliveries at any time without obligation. See website for more information on our subscription service. Turmeric+ from FutureYou Cambridge should be consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle. If you are taking any prescribed medication or have any medical conditions always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking vitamins or supplements. Trial pack promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotions.

NGS COMPETITION GARDENS COMPETITION

The Nation’s Favourite Gardens Last year proved the immense benefits gardens have on our wellbeing. So this year, nominate the ones you love that open for the National Garden Scheme, to identify the nation’s favourite

B

ack in 2016 the National Garden Scheme commissioned the King’s Fund to investigate the benefits of gardens and gardening on health. The report collated masses of evidence for the positive impact gardens have on our wellbeing, but it wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year that huge numbers of us – old gardeners, new gardeners, non-gardeners alike – inadvertently proved the report’s findings in real life.

During last year’s lockdowns and all the unsettling uncertainty they brought, millions of people instinctively turned to their gardens for solace in all its forms. Researchers probably couldn’t have devised a better experiment – it might not have been deliberate, and we were all unwitting participants, but the coronavirus outbreak has helped prove what many have known anecdotally for some time: gardens are definitely good for us!

74 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

In association with

In fact, the National Garden Scheme produced another report last year, Gardens and Coronavirus 2020: The importance of gardens and outdoor spaces during lockdown, having quizzed 2,400 people about their gardening during the pandemic. A huge majority (92%) said their gardens and outdoor spaces were ‘extremely important’; 87% of the respondents said that gardens and being outdoors reduced stress and anxiety; 86% used their gardens more during lockdown; and 69% said gardening had helped them stay physically fit and well. What’s more, many of the respondents found the Scheme’s virtual garden visits (video tours of gardens forced to remain closed during April to June) were just as beneficial as real ones. So whether you’re busy in your own garden, visiting someone else’s online or in real life, or simply enjoying local parks or outdoor spaces, gardens make a huge contribution to our wellbeing – and if they can do that during

How you can take part

the stress and strain of a pandemic, imagine what they can do for us in ‘normal’ times.

It’s prompted the National Garden Scheme to release a new booklet: Gardens Are Good For You, which showcases the wonderful work and gardens within the Scheme.

“It’s designed to raise awareness of, and celebrate, the myriad ways in which gardens are good for you and how the National Garden Scheme’s fundraising supports the nurturing benefits of gardens,” explains George Plumptre, the Scheme’s chief executive. With contributions from psychotherapist Sue Stuart-Smith and garden designer Arit Anderson, plus case studies and stories from garden owners, garden visitors and beneficiaries who’ve improved their health and wellbeing through gardens, there’s inspiration for everybody. Find it at bit.ly/GardensAreGoodForYou As more and more gardens open to the public this summer, there’s no better way to celebrate how vital gardens and gardening are to our health and wellbeing than by treating yourself to a visit to a National Garden Scheme garden. You’ll raise funds for the Scheme’s nursing and health charities in the process, and, after your visit, why not nominate the garden in our Nation’s Favourite Gardens competition? You have until 13 July to nominate National Garden Scheme gardens in our lighthearted search for the nation’s favourites. After that we’ll draw up a shortlist so you can vote for the regional winners, who are featured in the magazine while we make a donation to the Scheme.

IMAGES NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME/MARCUS HARPUR/VAL CORBETT

Left Yorkshire’s Scampston Walled Garden with its waves of perennial planting.

Above The vegetable garden at Wretham Lodge in Norfolk.

F

irst, we need you to nominate your favourite National Garden Scheme garden to visit. It can be any one of the gardens opening for the Scheme this year and you can be its owner, or simply an admiring visitor.

Next, a panel of judges will review all the nominations and select a shortlist of gardens for each of the six National Garden Scheme regions: Wales and the Marches; North; Midlands; East; South East; and South West.

You will then be asked to vote on

the shortlist to produce the winners – one for each region and one overall ‘champion’, as well as one overall winner from those gardens that are usually open to the public but agree to donate their takings from a particular day to the National Garden Scheme.

Every garden that opens for the National Garden Scheme can be found online at ngs.org.uk and they are all listed by county in The Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2021, also known as ‘the yellow book’. Order a copy online at ngs.org.uk/shop

HOW TO NOMINATE AND VOTE l From now until 13 July, nominate your favourite National Garden Scheme garden at theenglishgarden.co.uk/ngs l A panel of judges will choose a shortlist of gardens for each of the six National Garden Scheme regions. l From 1 August to 30 September, the public will be asked to vote for their favourite shortlisted gardens to produce the winners – one for each region and one overall winner. l

The winning gardens will be revealed in late autumn 2021.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 75

PARTNER FEATURE

Arches of Triumph Agriframes, sponsor of our Nation’s Favourite Gardens competition, has a range of versatile steel pergolas, arches and gazebos that will add the perfect finishing touch to your garden

O

ne of the most romantic and coveted of all garden features has to be a pergola, gazebo or arch, dripping with flowers and enveloping anyone who passes through it in wonderful scent. Some are so spectacular that they become famous in their own right – think of Bodnant’s Laburnum Arch, the long tunnel dripping with golden racemes of laburnum each June. But a garden needn’t be world famous to benefit from one of these structures. It’s impossible to resist the lure of a well-positioned gazebo, to not walk below a beautiful arch, or stroll through a flower-smothered pergola.

Once the structure is in place, it can take a year or two for climbers to get established, but before too long they’ll create the display you envisaged. Once 76 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Agriframes’ Round Gazebo forms

a striking focal point in the centre of this walled garden, drawing you through the space towards the statement greenhouse.

they’re fully grown and flowering, the last thing you want is to have to replace the supporting structure and start again, which is why so many gardeners opt for metal over wood with its potential to rot.

Agriframes’ range of durable galvanised steel pergolas, arches and gazebos come with a ten-year guarantee, so if you install one of these features you’ll have peace of mind knowing it is of long-lasting quality. The company’s pergola range has something for every style of garden.

The Round Pergola is a simple, elegant classic that would fit in contemporary and traditional gardens alike, its curving arches the ideal support for roses or wisteria, or

to train fruit around. It comes in varying widths and heights and can be as long or as short as you like. The option to add a lattice-work infill creates a more enclosed feel, and can make it easier to train climbers. Try positioning it to mark the transition between garden ‘rooms’ or as a focal point in a kitchen garden.

With its Victorian-style finials, the Gothic Pergola is a super choice for period gardens. Use it to train old-fashioned roses, honeysuckle or clematis for a display reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. The Monet Pergola, meanwhile, has a lower profile and is ideal for recreating the famous Giverny scene: nasturtiums lapping at the feet of wide arches bearing roses and scented jasmine.

The Monet Pergola also has a wallmounted option, so an expanse of ordinary

Used to frame a doorway, the Elegance Door Arch can transform an entrance from ordinary to breath-taking. Other arches in the Agriframes’ range are ideally suited for fruit or vines – perfect for kitchen gardens.

The ultimate focal point, though, has to be a gazebo. Whether you use Agriframes’ Round Gazebo or Gothic Gazebo as a focal point, to mark a junction of paths, or as a flower-enclosed space for a table and chairs, these structures provide a beautiful finishing touch. Plant them with scented roses, honeysuckle or jasmine and add lavender at the base to create a heavenly aromatic bower.

As part of an ongoing partnership, from this summer Agriframes will donate 5% of its sales on selected products to the National Garden Scheme. For details and to order, visit agriframes.co.uk

Clockwise from above The Gothic Gazebo

IMAGES NGS/ALISON BUCHANAN/JOHN GLOVER; SHUTTERSTOCK; AGRIFRAMES/ZINNIA DESIGN

has a Victorian feel and is perfect for creating a flowery bower; the Elegance Round Arch has a wirework lattice infill, ideal for supporting climbers; divide space and create transitions with the Gothic Arch.

wall can become a floral walkway.

All of Agriframes’ pergolas are selfassembled, but they are easy to install with full instructions supplied, along with an easy-to-use hole maker to ensure the posts are installed at the correct depth. Concrete fixings aren’t usually required, unless your garden is exceptionally windy.

If you don’t have enough room for a fulllength pergola, an archway can still provide the same sense of transition between different areas, to straddle a path or simply add height or structure to a garden scene.

The shapes available in Agriframes’ range mimic the pergolas: there’s the classic Round Arch, the Gothic Arch with its pointed finial, and the wide, low-profile Monet Arch. In addition, the Elegance range of fine, sage-green wirework includes a selection of arches that will suit a range of settings. With its lattice infill, the Elegance Round Arch makes a beautiful addition to a cottage-style garden, its wirework supporting the twisting tendrils of fragrant sweet peas, while the Elegance Fine Arch and Elegance King Arch would make ideal supports for a summer-flowering clematis.

Arch and arbour inspiration Visit a National Garden Scheme garden this summer There’s no better way to glean ideas for your own garden than by visiting a garden that opens for the National Garden Scheme. Many of the Scheme’s gardens feature roses so if you need inspiration for arches and arbours, now’s the time to pay them a visit.

You’ll find dates and information at ngs.org.uk or in the ‘yellow book’, The Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2021.

a beautiful rambling rose arbour and pergola, both dripping with flowers.

In the Rose Garden at Clinton Lodge, East Sussex (open 21 June and 2 August) a large gazebo is smothered with the blush-pink and cream flowers of Rosa ‘The Garland’, with tall obelisks supporting old roses on either side.

Head to kathybrownsgarden.com to book a visit to The Manor House, Stevington – one of our Nation’s Favourite Gardens winners in 2019 – where you’ll find a beautiful pergola that’s covered in wisteria, laburnum, pink robinia and purple Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’.

Also in East Sussex, Hoopers Farm (open 31 July and 1 August) features

In North Yorkshire, the garden at Havoc Hall (open 27 June and 13 July) features shrub and flower gardens with arches and pergolas, while at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire (open 6 July), there are masses of beautiful roses as well as a vine-clothed arbour in the formal knot garden.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 77

H A MISH MACKIE SCULPTURE L I FE I N B R O N ZE

Catalogue available, get in touch if you would like to be sent one.

Sculptures shipped worldwide directly from my UK studio. www.hamishmackie.com • hamish@hamishmackie.com • + 44 (0) 7971 028 098

SCULPTURE

The Perfect Piece

WORDS CLARE FOGGETT IMAGE CLIVE NICHOLS

Three curators of outdoor sculpture share their expertise on choosing garden art and displaying it to its best advantage

C A marble sculpture by Anthony Turner called OK Bean, on display at Asthall Manor’s On Form exhibition.

hoosing and positioning sculpture can be daunting, with numerous materials to consider, so many talented sculptors to tempt you with their work, and then the question of how to make sure it looks its best in your garden. Before you take the plunge, three curators of outdoor sculpture exhibitions offer their expert advice and ideas on choosing and displaying sculpture in a garden setting.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 79

SCULPTURE

CHOOSING MATERIALS There are lots of materials that work well in an outdoor setting, according to Rachel Bebb, garden designer and founder of The Garden Gallery. But she notes that stone is consistently popular with clients.

“I think they like the idea that they’re getting a unique piece,” Rachel explains, “and there is such a broad range of beautiful English stones – Purbeck, Portland, Hopton Wood – that lend themselves to English gardens. Purbeck in particular is a beautiful stone for gardens that works well in our light.”

“Having said that, bronze is a fantastic, classic material if you can stretch to it,” she adds. “Just bear in mind that bronze and stone will change over time.

80 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Top left This stone

sculpture by David Wynne at Highgrove reveals the material’s intrinsic beauty.

Top right A bronze figure by sculptor Anne Curry.

Above right Neil Wilkins’ reflective glass dewdrops give a ‘camera obscura’ effect.

Above left A ceramic piece by Peter Beard.

They’ll weather – in a good way.” Bronze pieces can be expensive, the majority of the cost coming from the material and its casting in the foundry, Rachel explains, the artist adding a percentage of the casting costs as their share. Bronze resin can be more affordable, but Rachel counsels to make sure it is good quality. “Some bronze resin is better quality than others; some can be plasticky and won’t stand the test of time.” Likewise, stone resin can bring the cost of a stone sculpture down, but it has to be good quality, heavy and solid, so it will last.

Glass can work well in gardens, Rachel says. “It doesn’t change like bronze and stone do, and it’s easy to maintain. It might just need an occasional wash.”

Glass can of course break, but, as Rachel points out, so can stone. “Glass is really good in winter, when it sparkles and catches the light on frosty mornings, and it looks good with water as well. You can have fun placing it where it can pick up reflections.”

Ceramic sculptures can be a little more fragile, and you need to make sure they have been fired at a high temperature to ensure they are frost-proof. For sculpture in steel, remember that unlike stainless steel, mild steel will rust. “It needs to be treated,” says Rachel, “unless you want it to rust, of course.”

One art form currently enjoying a resurgence is letter cutting, which enables clients to take home very personal pieces, if a plaque or standing stone is inscribed with a meaningful quote, poem, or an inscription. Find artists who practise letter carving at The Lettering Arts Trust; Rachel particularly admires Edinburgh-based Jackie Perkins.

View available sculpture at gardengallery.uk.com

IMAGES GAP/HIGHGROVE/A BUTLER; GAP/ZARA NAPIER/RICHARD BLOOM; CLIVE NICHOLS

Top left Walter Bailey’s

FINDING AN ARTIST Victoria Leedham is co-curator and gallery manager at The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden in Surrey, which holds outdoor exhibitions of sculpture by both established and emerging artists. “Established artists know their material like the back of their hand, so their work never fails to disappoint,” she observes. Sculptors such as Paul Vanstone will be displaying his work in the gardens this year. “His skill is twofold,” says Victoria. “He has an incredible eye for sourcing his material, so his work is often in the most extraordinary stone. His work celebrates the stone, it’s nothing too fancy or too fiddly, often figurative silhouettes, but the way he carves the ribbons and the veins through the stone, it’s like he has x-ray vision.”

Holding Together, made from Sussex redwood.

Top right Paul Vanstone sources unusual stone from across the globe; this is Ribbon Profiles in carrara marble.

Above right Hannah Bennett’s Bee Drinker.

Above left The colourful forms of Helen TwiggeMolecey’s fungi-like glass installation.

“Nature herself is such an incredible artist, you know any artwork that’s drawing on and celebrating that is going to be wonderful,” she adds.

Walter Bailey works with hardwood – primarily oak and sustainably sourced English redwood – creating incredible lattice effects. “He has an amazing collection of different sized chainsaws, which are like his paintbrushes,” she says. After carving, Walter often scorches the wood, which adds colour, depth and acts as a preservative, although Victoria points out the importance of raising wooden pieces off the ground to guard against the wood rotting and disintegrating. “We use slate or pieces of tile to create an air gap,” she explains.

Helen Twigge-Molecey will be exhibiting at the Sculpture Garden for the first time this year, with an installation of glass fungi-like forms. “They’re quite abstract but you know instantly that they’re fungi.

We’ve worked with Helen to install them through an area of woodland, nestled in groups between trees.

What’s really exciting is that she’s included lighting, a really calm, gentle light going on and coming back off again, and it looks like the whole installation is breathing, so it’s quite surreal.”

Another of the Sculpture Garden’s newer artists is Hannah Bennett, whose works double as seats.

“They’re beautiful as a piece of sculpture with a natural form, and you can sit on them,” says Victoria, “which just goes to show that outdoor sculpture can also be practical as well.”

Prebook tickets to visit the garden from ThursdaySunday at hannahpescharsculpture.com JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 81

Exhibiting sculpture by over 20 of the UK’s top sculptors at Sculpture by the Lakes this summer, a beautiful oasis for art lovers and gardeners alike nestled in 26 acres of Dorset’s glorious countryside.

Gallery by the Lakes is the largest gallery sapce in Dorset and will be exhibiting sculpture and paintings by international artists.

Dorset Arts Festival, 30th June - 4th July An amazing five-day festival showcasing over 60 of the the best artists and makers in Dorset. www.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk gallery@sculpturebythelakes.co.uk

Sculpture by the Lakes, Dorset DT2 8QU

English Garden FORM.indd 1

24/05/2021 10:58:10

‘Diving re’ ulptu Girl Sc play on dis in RHS Wisley

An award winning international figurative bronze sculptor based in the Chiltern hills, just outside Henley-on-Thames. Dawn creates sculptures to enchant gardeners through beauty, curiosity and joy.

Visit www.dawnconn.com

to see more @dawnconnsculpture on Facebook and Instagram.

Alternatively, email: hello@dawnconn.com or call 07534 055813 82 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

SCULPTURE

IMAGES SIMON GUDGEON

POSTIONING SCULPTURE Monique Gudgeon and her sculptor husband Simon hadn’t intended to create a sculpture park when they moved into their new home in Pallington, Dorset, back in 2007. But the willow-studded watery landscape of this former fishery sparked the idea for an ambitious project.

Now Sculpture by the Lakes is home not just to a collection of around 30 of Simon’s sculptures, but also pieces by 30 other international sculptors.

With its gardens, gallery, artisan shop and café, it makes a great day out, particularly if you’re seeking inspiration when it comes to garden art.

True, the setting is on a grander scale than most people’s gardens, but there are plenty of lessons to take from the way sculpture is displayed here. One is the way the couple landscape the garden to suit a particular sculpture. “We have an abstract piece called Embrace with planting around it, and we designed the shape of the bed to reflect the shape of the sculpture,” says Simon. Two curved ‘wings’ rise from low swathes of magenta sea thrift that echo their shape. It’s a principle that would be easy to emulate on a smaller scale with other abstract work.

As is often the case with sculpture, it’s all about the backdrop, which changes outdoors, at different times of day and in different seasons. Some of Simon’s pieces lend themselves to a ‘busy’ backdrop, such as Leaf Spirit, a bronze face composed of leaves.

“I like it coming out of plants and bushes: I want it to merge with the landscape,” he says.

Whatever the sculpture, don’t be afraid to move it around until you’ve found the perfect place.

“Each piece of sculpture will work differently with its environment. When it’s in the right place, the sculpture enhances the landscape and the landscape enhances the sculpture,” says Simon. “If it doesn’t work, just try it somewhere else.”

Simon also takes advantage of the opportunities afforded by water, often positioning pieces at the water’s edge or in the water itself so their shape and form is reflected. “It’s one of the things with water: with the reflection, you get twice the sculpture for your money.” All that said, “if you buy a piece you love, it will look right,” Simon affirms. “If you’ve got a personal connection with it, it will work.”

Prebook tickets at sculpturebythelakes.co.uk; view Simon’s work at simongudgeon.com

Top left Sea thrift sets

off the shape and colour of Simon Gudgeon’s bronze Embrace.

Top right The ethereal form of Simon’s Athena merges with the garden.

Above Leaf Spirit emerges from the surrounding greenery.

Above middle Let water reflect the artwork, as with Simon’s Pelicans.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 83

SCULPTURE

DIRECTORY A PLACE IN THE GARDEN

CHILSTONE

A range of lead figurative sculptures and decorative objects. Tel: 01403 864866; aplaceinthegarden.co.uk

Cast stone sculptures in a wide range of classical and contemporary styles. Tel: 01892 740866; chilstone.com

ALISON CROWTHER

DAVID HARBER

Large pieces and benches in oak. alisoncrowther.com

Elegant outdoor pieces that never fail to make arresting focal points, including new work, Sentinel (below right). Tel: 01235 859300; davidharber.co.uk

ANDREW KAY SCULPTURE

Sculptures in the forms of animals native to Britain such as steel herons.

Tel: 01524 271575; andrewkaysculpture.co.uk ANTHONY TURNER

Abstract stone sculptures, many inspired by the forms of fruit or seedpods such as beans. Tel: 01647 252285; anthonyturner.net

EMMA STOTHARD

Lifelike animal forms sculpted from willow and wire bring intrigue to outdoor spaces. Tel: 01947 605706; emmastothard.com GILES RAYNER

Large resin or bronze pieces, inspired by natural forms.

Tel: 01799 550368; annecurry-sculpture.co.uk

From his rural studio in the Cotswolds, Giles Rayner crafts water sculptures that often take inspiration from plants. Tel: 07989 320335; gilesrayner.com

BORDER SUNDIALS

HADDONSTONE

Elegant and timeless armillary spheres and sundials, handcrafted in Abergavenny, Wales.

Tel: 01873 840297; bordersundials.co.uk

A wide range of cast stone pieces includes reproductions of historic designs, statuary and ornaments. Tel: 01604 770711; haddonstone.com

ANNE CURRY

HAMISH MACKIE

Large bronze pieces, often of wildlife such as roe or fallow deer and owls. Tel: 01608 737859; hamishmackie.com JAMES PARKER SCULPTURE

Glass sculpture with beautiful reflecting qualities, as well as pieces in slate and a limited-edition series of bronze apples (above) and pears. Tel: 07729 705257; jamesparkersculpture.co.uk JOE AND JENNY SMITH

Father and daughter sculptors working together in

stone and slate: urns (below left), pears and globes a speciality. Tel: 01556 690632; joe-smith.co.uk LUKE DICKINSON

Smooth and sleek abstract sculptures in Portland stone, ceramic glazes and marble from a trained stonemason. lukedickinson.co.uk NEIL WILKIN

A master of glass sculpture, Neil uses solid glass to create beautiful dew drops that reflect their surroundings with the effect of a camera obscura. neilwilkin.com PETER BEARD

ROBERT JAMES WORKSHOP

Whimsical characters from children’s stories made using bronze or bronze resin. Tel: 07515 126119; robertjamesworkshop.com RUPERT TILL

Rupert Till’s distinctive animal and bird sculptures are crafted from malleable wire. Tel: 07921 771284; ruperttill.com

84 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

IMAGES EWEN WEATHERSPOON; RUSSELL SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

Simple shapes are artfully glazed with layers of ceramics to create a strong textural effect. Tel: 01926 428481; peterbeard.co.uk

DAVID MURPHY SCULPTURE

Brass - Steel - Corten Steel Made to Commission. www.DavidMurphySculpture.com David@DavidMurphySculpture.com | 07791792615 Exhibiting at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 September 20th - 27th | Stand PW245

By John Moss

Award winning Sculptor

A Collection of stunning water features, Carvings and sculptures

50 Years

Celebrating of fine quality designs, hand crafted by Haddonstone Call 01604 770711 Visit haddonstone.com

For full details visit MOSSART.CO.UK JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 85

Cavendish Stone

LIFE SIZE ANIMAL SCULPTURE LIFE SIZE ANIMAL SCULPTURE Free UK delivery Free UK delivery

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www.cavendishstone.com 86 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Contemporary Sculpture for the Garden T

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TOP 10 PLANTS

Shady Characters

I

The Woodland Garden at North Yorkshire’s Newby Hall inspires head gardener Phil Cormie to picks ten shade-loving plants for summer interest

WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY IMAGE SHUTTERSTOCK

n 2020 Phil Cormie was appointed head gardener at Newby Hall in North Yorkshire, tasked specifically with overhauling the overgrown Rock Garden conceived by Ellen Willmott and built just before World War I. Yet there are more than a dozen gardens here, not least of which is the Woodland Garden, with trees and shrubs collected by plant hunter E.H. Wilson, including a fine specimen of Davidia

involucrata. From the Woodland Garden, Phil draws inspiration to select ten exceptional shade-loving plants for summer flowers.

Newby Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5AE. The gardens are now open and booking is essential. Newby Hall hosts the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show from 17-19 September. See flowershow.org.uk. Tel 01423 322 583; newbyhall.com

1 Geranium phaeum var. phaeum ‘Samobor’ “‘Samobor’ is a wonderful upright geranium with lobed leaves bearing a deep purple band and slightly pendulous maroon flowers in early summer,” says Phil.

Like many geraniums, it responds well to cutting back after flowering for more blooms later in the season.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 87

TOP 10 PLANTS

2 Gillenia trifoliata

3 Polemonium ‘Heaven Scent’

A beautiful, Award of Garden Merit-winning plant that Phil suggests growing at the front of a semi-shaded border. White, star-shaped flowers appear in June and July, followed by berries and distinctive foliage in autumn. Deciduous and growing up to a metre in height, it is a valuable plant for any shaded border.

Dissected, dark purple foliage emerges in spring followed by intensely fragrant, bluish-purple flowers in early summer. “It’s a lovely little clump-forming perennial with foliage that continues to give interest once the flowers have faded,” explains Phil. This deciduous plant will thrive in most soils.

4 Rodgersia podophylla

5 Kirengeshoma palmata

“Architectural and dramatic foliage with stunning plumes of white flowers in early summer,” are what make rodgersia so appealing, says Phil. “They’re great for foliar contrast with grasses and irises,” he adds. The deeply divided palmate leaves can reach up to 40cm long and the shrub grows to 1.5m tall with a spread of around 2m.

Flowering from July to September, this interesting perennial throws out rods of pale yellow, shuttlecock-shaped flowers above pale green, acer-like foliage on purple stems. Flowering stems can bow under the weight, so it’s best planted tightly alongside other perennials that can help to support it.

88 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

IMAGES GAP/DAVE ZUBRASKI/HEATHER EDWARDS/PERNILLA BERGDAHL; GARDEN WORLD IMAGES

6 Digitalis lutea “This small foxglove reaches only 60cm in height so it’s ideal for the front of the border,” says Phil. Many foxglove species are biennial, but D. lutea is perennial and self-seeding, so from a first planting more plants will follow if soil is kept moist. Spires of yellow-tinged ivory flowers appear in early- to mid-summer.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 89

7Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’

8 Arisaema ringens

“Very dark, purple-black foliage and stems appear in mid spring and act as a great foil and backdrop to early summer-flowering perennials such as kirengeshoma,” says Phil. Commonly known as bugbane, its slender spires of white, scented flowers appear in late autumn and are a useful source of nectar for bees.

By early summer, grey-green foliage will have unfolded alongside the dramatic chocolate-brown hooded spathe that gives this plant the common name of cobra lily. Arisaema begin life as male but become female upon maturity, bearing red autumnal fruits. Under stress the plants can become male again.

9

10 Thalictrum delavayi

e o e ulti da

“One of my favourite anemones in the woodland border,” says Phil. Small buttery yellow flowers appear from May through to June above mounds of silver-coloured, heavily dissected leaves.

Woolly seedheads develop after the flowers and persist until autumn, giving added interest.

90 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

From June to September, this delicate meadow rue produces airy clouds of pale flowers with prominent stamens and lilac sepals that look like petals. Foliage is glaucous and heavily divided and the plant will reach an ultimate height of 1.5m in around five years.

It can be an irritant, so wear gloves when handling it.

IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; GARDEN WORLD IMAGES; ALAMY

TOP 10 PLANTS

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er temb p e S y 9th turda s a S o d ay t eeken W y a d li 30pm n - 5.

Former winner of ‘HHA/Christies Garden of the Year’ Award

COTON MANOR GARDEN

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PLANT FOCUS

Aroma Therapy Hazel Sillver visits Norfolk Lavender to breathe in these shrubs’ fragrant flowers and foliage, which lure butterflies and bees and fill the summer garden with scent PHOTOGRAPHS ANNAÏCK GUITTENY

A taste of Provence in Britain, Norfolk Lavender’s aromatic crop grows on part of the Sandringham estate.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 93

PLANT FOCUS

F

or many of us, the summer garden is incomplete without lavender. This ancient herb blooms for months on end, producing a mass of purple that murmurs with the mellow hum of bees and perfumes the air with that unmistakable odour, which is somehow both relaxing and revitalising. As the late, great garden designer Rosemary Verey put it: “You can never have too much of it in your garden.”

In the right spot – well-drained, sun-baked soil – lavender is a doddle to grow. As a wildlife plant it is hard to beat, drawing a variety of butterflies, hoverflies and bees, who feed on its nectar-rich flowers. Rosemary Verey was fond of cultivating 94 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Rows of lavenders

such as ‘Princess Blue’, ‘Miss Katherine’, ‘Little Lady’, ‘Royal Purple’ and ‘Imperial Gem’ form part of a National Collection.

lavender as a low hedge – beside a path, legs brushing the aromatic foliage and flowers will release the wonderful fragrance.

When referring to the scented garden lavenders that are so irresistible to wildlife, we are talking primarily about Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender) and L. x intermedia (lavandin), which is the offspring of the English and Portuguese species. Although the common name for L. angustifolia is English lavender, it is actually native to the Mediterranean and was probably brought here by the Romans. They used it lavishly in their public baths, and it’s thought that the word lavender comes from either the Latin lividus (bluish) or lavare (to wash).

Lavender certainly has antiseptic properties, and in the Middle Ages, it was employed as a herb to ward off diseases, including the plague.

It was strewn on floors, hung among clothes, and stuffed under mattresses. Believed to deter evil, it was also placed by the front door and burnt on the summer solstice ritual fire. Nicholas Culpeper recommended it as a medicine for headaches, as well as, “the tremblings and passions of the heart, and faintings and swoonings”.

But, of course, lavender’s main ancient use was scent, and that continues to be its primary function today. Cultivated on the stony slopes of the French alps, where it grows in iconic amethyst stripes that scent Provence for months, the oil it yields is used worldwide by aromatherapists and perfumers alike. But lavender is also farmed here. Surrey was the original home of British lavender production from the 16th century, and – for a period of time during the 19th century – supplied the world’s perfumers with high-quality oil. Over time, the home counties’ industry dwindled; then in 1932, Norfolk Lavender was founded and began cultivation on the east coast. Almost 90 years later, Norfolk Lavender still distils the purple crop to make lavender products. It also holds a National Collection of Lavender, and sells a wide range of varieties, which are displayed in the gardens.

“Lavender is a great garden plant,” says Julie Winter, retail manager and buyer at Norfolk

Top left Try growing

soft pink Lavandula angustifolia ‘Loddon Pink’ at the feet of roses.

Top right Lavandula x chaytoriae ‘Richard Gray’ is a compact and lowgrowing cultivar.

Right Lavandula angustifolia ‘Peter Pan’, another compact form.

Above L. angustifolia ‘Cedar Blue’ has pale but strongly scented flowers.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 95

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Above Lavandula x

chaytoriae ‘Silver Sands’ has silver foliage that contrasts with its deep purple flowers.

Left Classic Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is a wonderful choice for borders or hedges.

Below Lavandula angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’ is one of the best for pink flowers.

Lavender, “because it is easy to care for, and it gives a real hit of flower colour along with that marvellous scent. I love it because the bees love it. Even one plant in a pot is an easy way to attract them.”

A study by the University of Sussex found that nectar-rich lavender is one of the favoured garden flowers of bees – along with borage and marjoram.

Forms of L. x intermedia, such as ‘Grosso’ and ‘Hidcote Giant’ are the most attractive to them, but they are partial to a wide range of lavender and will flock to the most common forms of L. angustifolia such as ‘Hidcote’. Neither are they fussy about flower colour and they adore white lavenders such as ‘Edelweiss’ and enjoy pink forms as much as blue.

Research has also revealed that bumblebees are more fond of lavender than honeybees are because their long tongues make them better able to access the nectar in the tubular flowers.

Because bees tend to forage on one flower type at once, a lavender hedge or a large planting of lavenders dotted through a border is ideal, if you have room. Rosemary Verey favoured ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munstead’ for cultivating into low hedges; and also loved the pink ‘Rosea’ as a border lavender.

Julie Winter likewise recommends ‘Hidcote’ for an informal hedge, along with ‘Imperial Gem’ or the pink ‘Miss Katherine’. Maintenance is easy – and fragrant! As your shears cut, the aroma of the leaves is released. Give the hedge a good haircut immediately after flowering in late summer; then perform a light trim in spring. Without this regular pruning, the lavender will become leggy and woody, making the hedge look a mess.

In sunny, well-drained borders, mounds of wellmaintained lavenders provide weighty structure that combines well with the softness of perennials, such as scabious, nepeta, cranesbill, salvia, and achillea.

“Lavenders can be used anywhere in a border,” says Julie, “from a soft edging at the front to providing a ribbon of colour and structure throughout the summer border. They also look good in the winter: their silvery leaves giving form and contrast. For growing near roses, I love the soft pink of ‘Miss Katherine’ or ‘Loddon Pink’. To give some zing to a border of hot colours, go for the intense purple of ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Silver Sands’,” she adds.

Other border gems include striking ‘Folgate’, which has intense blue flowers that look stunning in the evening light. Then there’s ‘Havana’, a purple form said to withstand wet summers well, and the charming ‘Melissa Lilac’, which has gorgeous palemauve blooms above silvery-grey leaves.

In a drought-tolerant, aromatic border, or a gravel garden with a Mediterranean mood, grow lavender with cistus, rosemary, artemisia, helichrysum, and salvia, all of which like sun-baked, well-drained soil and will fill the air with scent on warm days. In a contemporary garden, a mass of evergreens that JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 97

PLANT FOCUS

respond well to clipping – such as santolina and lavender – can be trimmed into boules, creating an attractive sea of cloud forms.

Where space is tight, compact lavenders can be grown in welldrained pots. “Try ‘Little Lady’, ‘Twickel Purple’, or ‘Thumbelina Leigh’ for a good show of lasting flowers,” suggests Julie. White lavender looks elegant in smart containers flanking an urban front door. And soft pink ‘Little Lottie’ works well in the windowsill planters of a cottage garden.

Versatile, useful, easy, and heavenly scented, it’s no surprise that lavender has been loved for centuries and continues to be a garden gem.

Above Lavandula angustifolia ‘Thumbelina Leigh’ is a good option for container growing.

Top right Lavandula angustifolia ‘Folgate’ is superb, with glowing blue-purple flowers that come into their own at dawn and dusk.

Above right Lavandula angustifolia ‘Little Lottie’ is low-growing, making it ideal for pots or pretty window boxes.

Norfolk Lavender, Caley Mill, Lynn Rd, Heacham PE31 7JE. Open daily, 10am to 5pm. Tel: 01485 570384; norfolk-lavender.co.uk 98 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

GROWING ADVICE

Looking after lavender Julie Winter, retail manager and buyer at Norfolk Lavender, on how to get the best out of this plant Choose a site in full sun, whether you’re planting in a pot or in the ground. Lavenders love the sun.

They won’t grow or flower very well in dappled shade.

Don’t worry if your soil is poor.

People are often too kind to their lavender. Once the plants are established, they do not need any extra food. If you give them too much plant food or the soil is too rich, they tend to grow a lot of floppy leaves and produce fewer flowers.

Lavenders love good drainage so don’t worry if your soil is stony and make sure drainage is good.

A handful of grit at the bottom of the planting hole can help. Once the plants are established, extra watering won’t be necessary.

Cut back the lavender flower stems in either late autumn or spring to keep a nice compact shape, but don’t cut back too hard or the plant may not regrow. Check for the new green leaves and cut just above them.

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GARDEN CLASSICS

Mix & Match With a huge variety of attractive foliage and bee-friendly flowers, there’s a hebe for every garden

WORDS CLARE FOGGETT IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; ALAMY; GAP/RICHARD BLOOM/MARTIN HUGHES-JONES

G

o to any garden centre and you’re almost guaranteed to find at least one hebe on offer. These shrubs are a staple of the nursery trade and sell in huge volumes, yet are rarely celebrated. Is it because they are so familiar we take them for granted? Or is it because quite a few of the hebes lined up on the garden centre’s benches are, shall we say, ‘tricky’ to integrate – a shrub with lurid pink leaves will inevitably divide opinion!

But it would be a mistake to tar all hebes with the same brush. This is a diverse genus that includes those familiar garden centre shrubs as well as distinctive species not easily identifiable as hebes.

There’s even a dedicated Hebe Society, championing their finer attributes to the wider world. You may recall the Society’s exhibit at the Hampton Court flower show in 2019, which showcased all the fascinating diversity hebes have to offer. Their website, hebesoc.org, is a mine of information, too.

Many hebes hail from New Zealand, where they grow on both North and South Islands. In 1880, New Zealand botanist Joseph Armstrong published a catalogue of his homeland’s native plants and described several hebes, although others had been discovered and named as early as the 1830s. Joseph Hooker also recorded the hebes he found on the islands during the 1939 Ross expedition. Hooker was just 23 and filled a six-volume epic, Flora Antarctica, with his findings during the voyage.

HOW TO GROW Between 30cm and 1.2m tall, hebes are great for small gardens.

Most are compact and don’t need pruning.

They like warm, sunny spots and well-drained soil; most will turn up their toes in heavy soil that gets waterlogged.

Some varieties need protection from frost.

Quite often the same hebe would be named by a different botanist or plant hunter, leading to much confusion over species and precisely which similar-looking hebe is which. It’s a problem that plant taxonomists are still trying to get to grips with – synonyms abound, and some hebes have been moved into Parahebe. Still, there are some distinctive groups that help make sense of the genus, such as the whipcord hebes – those with scale-like leaves that give the plants the look of a conifer. Hebes with large leaves and showy flowers are often the most tender; small-leaved hebes with white flowers tend to be the most hardy.

Hebe: Four hebes ideal for creating interesting foliage effects

Hebe rakaiensis A good alternative

to troublesome box for creating round hummocks of green foliage.

H. pinguifolia ‘Pagei’ Silver-blue

leaves on low-growing plants, great for gravel gardens.

H. ochracea ‘James Stirling’ A neat

cushion of conifer-like golden foliage, good for groundcover.

Hebe ‘Red Edge’ This cultivar’s

shoot tips are flushed with an attractive, not lurid, pink.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 101

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CHERRIES

Ripe for the Picking Francine Raymond visits Terry’s Cherries in Faversham, Kent, to enjoy a home-grown traditional English harvest at its finest PHOTOGRAPHS SARAH CUTTLE

Terry collects delicious fruit from his traditional Kent cherry orchard, harvesting by hand.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 103

CHERRIES

Above Terry harvests fruit from his towering trees using traditional cherry-picking ladders, but is now starting to replace his older trees with dwarf varieties.

I

t’s a sunny day, the Kentish air is sweet and the roadside sign says ‘Terry’s Cherries First Right’. Turning off, a track leads through apple and pear orchards until suddenly, we’re back in H.E. Bates’ country (the author lived just a cherry stone’s throw away) with towering standard cherry trees buttressed by 50ft fruit-picking ladders next to a jaunty red and white sales booth exclaiming ‘Sound Horn for Service’.

The cherries are ripe and summer is here.

From this 1950s wonderland, Terry sells nine varieties of cherries that will ripen one after another over the eight-week season during June and July,

104 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

depending on the weather: from ‘Early Rivers’ to ‘Noble’, with ‘Merton Bigarreau’ and ‘Merton Glory’, ‘Noir de Guben’ (known locally as Nardy Gordons), ‘Van’ (Terry’s favourite), plus ‘Stella’, ‘Bigarreau Napoléon’ and ‘Gaucher’, each following the other in juicy succession. ‘Perfick’ as Ma and Pa Larkin would say.

Terry sets up his camping stove and kettle in the orchard in late May and, to keep the starlings and blackbirds off his precious crop as it grows and ripens, he constructs various homemade bird scarers that set off football rattles, making an unholy racket when he pulls ropes from the base. All his life, Terry has battled endlessly against the wildlife that love his crop as much as he does. “I started ‘birding’ as a lad on a two-stroke motorbike, accelerating noisily up and down the rows of trees, and scaring the flocks of starlings from their early morning breakfast,” he recalls.

Cherries have flourished in Kent since Roman times, when legions spat out cherry stones as they marched along, creating roadside orchards. The trees’ cultivation was continued first by monks, then, after the dissolution of the monasteries, by large estates, encouraged by Henry VIII who ordered orchards to be planted in this part of Kent and delivered to the rest of the country, sailed slowly up the river by barge to London’s Borough Market.

Cherry orchards still cluster hereabouts, enjoying the fertile well-drained soil and sheltered climate of this fruitful county.

London families began to abandon traditional fruit-picking holidays in favour of holidays abroad in the 1960s and this, combined with the grubbing up of ancient orchards over the past few decades, has resulted in expensive imports taking over the market. Production hit rock-bottom in 2000, but British growers have started to fight back and, over the past few years, some supermarkets have increasingly stocked only home-grown cherries.

Terry still climbs his trees to harvest the crop – “But it’s getting harder as I grow older, so as these big beauties die off we’re replacing them with dwarf varieties that can be picked with your feet on the ground,” he explains. It’s the magnificent standards’ height, with their precious fruit usually accessible only by steeplejack pickers, that has led to their decline. On all the local cherry farms, standards

have been replaced by uniform rows of dwarf bushes on G5 rootstocks grown under netted polytunnels to keep the birds at bay and pickers safe.

Of course this all makes sense for commercial growers, but if you’re prepared to harvest from a great height and fancy a soaring standard grown on an F12 rootstock, then get in touch with nearby Brogdale, home of the National Fruit Collection, which is just down the road from Terry’s orchard.

They will graft one for you if you give them a couple of years’ notice, and can offer any advice you might need on variety and cultivation (brogdaleonline. co.uk). And traditional cherry-picking ladders

Top from left Bunches of dark fruit on cherry ‘Bradbourne Black’; Terry scares birds from his trees with a football rattle; July-cropping ‘Merton Reward’.

Above from left Look out for the sign that shows the season’s begun; Terry’s sales booth; a bucket full of juicy Kent-grown fruit.

can often be found in the junk shops and antique markets of nearby Whitstable and Faversham (see favershammarket.org), usually cut down to size.

The English cherry season is short and often further shortened by bad weather – Terry lost a whole season’s harvest to an unseasonal hailstorm a few years back – so enjoy these delicacies while you can and support old orchards while they still exist.

Cherries are best eaten fresh from the tree, but if they make it home, keep them cool and serve them in a bowl of ice. They will last for a week in the fridge.

Chocolate and cherries go together like peaches and cream. Dip cherries in melted dark or white JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 105

CHERRIES

chocolate and serve with stalks on or, better still, try them dipped in caramel. If they’re past their best, poach them slowly, then mash and sieve to make a coulis to pour over vanilla ice cream, or cook them dotted in a deep-batter pancake dusted with icing sugar. Alternatively, use them in an Eton mess with thick cream and meringue, or try stoned poached cherries with a crumble topping of crushed amaretti biscuits mixed with almond oil and ground almonds.

If you have a glut, you can freeze cherries, but use a cherry pitter to stone them first, since the stones can taint the fruit with a bitter flavour. You can also make an easy jam, using sour Morello cherries, sugar, kirsch and lemon, but keep it in the fridge and eat it as quickly as possible. Make your own cherry cordial by simmering a pan of 350ml water with the juice and zest of a couple of lemons and 450g of stoned cherries, cooked until the fruit bursts. Strain and cool, then store the cordial in the fridge and use it to flavour yoghurt, or top a cherry drizzle cake – or add it to sparkling wine for a summer cocktail. Make the most of the cherry season while it lasts!

Above left ‘Bigarreau

Napoléon’ is ready to pick in July, with pale yellow, red-flushed fruit.

It needs a pollinating partner such as ‘Stella’.

Above right Enjoy cherries in a deep sugar-dusted pancake or clafoutis served warm.

Terry’s cherry orchard at School Farm can be visited during the season when the signs are up on the Graveney Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8UP. 106 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Grow Your Own Cherries

F

rom delicate blossom in early spring that gives succour to early bumblebees, through their bright crimson and dark-red fruit harvest, on to vibrant autumn colour with attractive bark, cherries make excellent garden trees with year-round interest. If you have a small plot, dwarf varieties do well in containers or fan-trained against a wall or fence, and the sharper tasting Morellos will even grow against a north-facing wall.

Position in well-drained, fertile soil in a sunny, frost-free spot – the conditions most fruit do best in.

Some varieties need a partner for pollination, so check when buying.

Choose a variety: Prunus avium ‘Sweetheart’ is dark red and late to fruit and flower; ‘Sylvia’ grows well in containers and is self-fertile; ‘Kordia’ has black fruits and is disease resistant; and ‘Early Rivers’ is ready early in mid June.

Buy from specialist fruit nurseries such as Pomona (pomonafruits. co.uk) Ken Muir (kenmuir.co.uk) or Keepers (keepers-nursery.co.uk).

Plant bare-rooted trees when the trees are dormant from autumn until early spring in a big hole and water well. Mulch annually in February with well-rotted

compost or manure and feed with a general fertiliser before they start to flower.

Protect blossom from early frosts with fleece, but give access to bees on sunny days. You may need to protect fruit from birds too (try harrodhorticultural.com for nets and sleeves or Agralan’s Enviromesh, available by the metre from enviromesh.co.uk). I find growing a pale-coloured cherry such as ‘Bigarreau Napoléon’ foxes the birds while they wait for them to turn red.

Prune young trees in spring and older trees in summer if necessary to shape or remove dead, diseased and dying branches.

Never prune in winter as this puts the tree at risk of disease.

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JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 107

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e all love the idea of cooking and eating outdoors, but sadly the reality often fails to live up to the dream. Barbecues can be hard to light, not to mention difficult to cook on, with little you can do to regulate their heat or cook with finesse. Burnt, dried-out food can often be the result, or worse, food that’s riskily undercooked in the middle. Charcoal barbecues come with environmental concerns, too, since they emit polluting carbon particulates and, afterwards, the host is left with the soul-destroying task of having to clean the barbecue’s grill. It’s no wonder that so many people have switched to gas-fired barbecues for outdoor cooking, but even when you’re cooking on gas, there’s still room for improvement.

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standards. Previously available only to the professional catering trade, and found in some 3,000 restaurants across the UK and worldwide, the Synergy technology in a Natural Grill is loved by chefs for the superior taste and texture it imparts to their food. Not only that, the grills are selfcleaning so you need never struggle to clean your barbecue again.

While a Natural Grill looks quite similar to a high-end barbecue from the outside, on the inside, patented technology and sophisticated engineering make all the difference. “You are really comparing a push bike to a motorbike, or a glider to an aeroplane,” says Natural Grill’s chairman and chief executive, Justin Cadbury.

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Left Seating around eight, the Natural Grill Boma table guarantees convivial outdoor dining. Below Whatever you choose to cook, food stays succulent thanks to the grill’s patented technology.

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Seating up to eight or nine people, the Boma table lets your friends and family individually grill their own food exactly how they like it – all you have to do is keep their glasses refreshed. Especially useful is the Boma’s versatility: one side can be folded down so you can stand and do the cooking at it, or both sides can be folded flat for compact storage.

Separate drop-in and stand-alone grills are also available, should you want to create a bespoke outdoor cooking area.

However you want to equip and use your outdoor kitchen, the Natural Grill’s range of cook stations and grills will ensure your al fresco dining is always impressively delicious, healthy and hassle-free.

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How does the Natural Grill work?

Advanced technology ensures professional results The Synergy technology is multipatented in the UK and in 30 other countries. The essential difference between it and other barbecues is that rather than cooking on a direct flame that burns upwards towards the food, the gas is premixed with forced air through electronic controls and a Vortex airflow system. This patented gas-burner system ensures the natural ceramic heat bed underneath the grill reaches exceptionally high temperatures, upwards of 500°C. Fat and oils turn to steam at 310°C, and the water vapour that is released during cooking is absorbed back into

the food, keeping everything you cook juicy, succulent and healthier. You’ll also still get the caramelised branding lines caused by the Maillard reaction, which makes barbecued food look so appetising and taste even better.

The grill’s fat-atomising technology means that there’s no fat tray to clean.

By eliminating fat, there’s also no need to worry about how to dispose of it, and you won’t need to use any aggressive cleaning chemicals.

The gas burner technology delivers an impressive 59% energy saving, which means the amount of gas you need is halved. Not only does it save money, its efficiency also makes the Natural Grill a more environmentally responsible way to cook. Just turn on the grill using its simple on/off button 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. and use the variable heat settings for total control.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 109

Paul Upward Photgraphy

GAZE BURVILL www.gazeburvill.com

OUTDOOR KITCHENS Butter Wakefield designed this outdoor kitchen for supplier Gaze Burvill at the Chelsea Flower Show.

IMAGE CLIVE NICHOLS

All Fired Up Daniel Pembrey explores the possibilities of outdoor kitchens, a truly luxurious garden addition to make the most of long summer nights and dreamy days JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 111

OUTDOOR KITCHENS

S

Above A wood-fired

Valoriani pizza oven at the heart of a verdant garden.

This image A timber gazebo keeps showers off this Humphrey Munson kitchen in iroko and stainless steel.

112 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

ince time immemorial, we have gathered around open fires. The Ancient Greeks situated their kitchens in the central courtyards of their homes. Britain may have less clement weather, but we’re equally accustomed to the idea of the kitchen as a central hearth – a gathering place where we prepare and receive nourishment, share news and stories and create new memories. The pandemic has more than ever enhanced the appeal of outdoor space, while prompting us to be more adventurous with home cooking. Now Britons are discovering the full potential of outdoor kitchens.

“Last summer, during lockdown, we tried to use our outdoor kitchen pretty much every day that the weather permitted,” says Sarah Bester, a geneticist living in Surrey. Originally from South Africa, where outdoor living and grilling prove popular, Bester and her husband spent five years methodically renovating their house and 1.5-acre garden, working with garden designer Selina Botham. They orientated an open-plan kitchen to the south and arranged a wide patio into an outdoor cooking and eating zone with a separate area for relaxation centred on a fire pit. Bi-folding doors enable the indoor and outdoor spaces to merge.

“We find the patio area’s proximity to the house is the key to high levels of use,” says Sarah, but another simple addition proved transformative: a 3m x 3m cantilevered TUUCI canopy. The infrared heaters on its stem enable the Besters to extend their evenings spent outdoors and the season overall, while the canvas canopy lends protection from bright sun and sudden showers. TUUCI canopies are designed for use on yachts, hence they can withstand strong crosswinds, although the Besters took care to ensure their cooking and eating zone was not exposed to prevailing south-westerly winds. A rising set of garden walls on the western side of the property shields the patio while accommodating a wide herb planter behind the grill – close at hand come cocktail hour or food prep time.

Integral to the Besters’ journey was Gaze Burvill, known as the Rolls-Royce of outdoor kitchen and furniture makers. Gaze Burvill’s kitchens range from around £30,000 to upwards of £100,000. They are made from solid oak machined to fine tolerances that ensure they can remain outdoors year-round and utilise marine-grade stainless steels and stone surfaces resistant to UV light and frost.

“A lot of people get obsessed with the kit, and it’s not hard to see why – selecting Big Green Eggs or Valoriani pizza ovens can become a journey in itself,” says Sarah. “Most important to us, though, was how we’d actually use the space.” The Besters visited Gaze Burvill’s offices in Hampshire, where various kitchen configurations are on display; the company also supplied oak furniture to surround

IMAGES DAVID COTTER; PAUL CRAIG

the fire pit (a Kadai firebowl) – which is a big draw both before and after meals.

As for the grill itself, the Besters chose a gaspowered Wolf with three cooking sections. “It’s sufficiently versatile to deal with roasts, all the elements of a good breakfast and traditional barbecue fare, plus it’s roomy enough to enable meat and vegetarian dishes to be cooked separately at the same time,” says Sarah. “And it runs off mains gas so there’s no messing around with canisters.”

In addition to installing gas and electricity, the Besters arranged for a cold water tap to be plumbed in. They gave careful consideration to outdoor lighting throughout the patio area as well. “We wanted it to be like an indoor kitchen that is ready to use rather than having a situation where things need moving around and setting up. Again, the convenience factor has proved key to how much use we’ve got from it. We don’t hesitate to go out there.”

Each outdoor arrangement will reflect its owner’s particular circumstances. When Charlie Alexander

Top left Big Green Egg barbecues have won legions of fans.

Top right Make your outdoor kitchen homely, with furniture and colour; this kitchen is painted with Tuscan Red by Little Greene (tel: 0845 880 5855; littlegreene.com).

Above right This Kadai firebowl is made in India from recycled oil drums.

Above left Gaze Burvill’s handcrafted A La Carte outdoor kitchen can be configured to your requirements with a range of accessories.

swapped his London life as a corporate lawyer for a less stressful existence at his family’s home in Wiltshire, he couldn’t find the outdoor furniture that he wanted to buy. “The garden has structural planting of mature trees but it also has a flowing design and is sizeable at 1.5 acres, so it needed anchoring,” says Charlie. “What I wanted was a long, very solid table for the terrace. I ended up designing my own.”

Out of this was born Oxenwood, Charlie’s furniture company. He created a 5.5-metre long ‘Lucius’ table fashioned from solid oak and Belgian bluestone, designed to last for decades. “I’ve had fifteen 17-year-olds dancing on it at a party; it passed the test.” Oxenwood creates outdoor kitchens too, using modular metre-width units, again made from solid oak and Belgian bluestone. They start at £18,500 plus VAT. Charlie happens to be the son of Rosemary Alexander, founder of The English Gardening School. One of the school’s precepts is ‘right plant, JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 113

114 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

OUTDOOR KITCHENS

Good Resources Big Green Egg Kamado-style ceramic charcoal barbecues. Tel: 01962 793800; biggreenegg.co.uk

Right A WWOO outdoor

kitchen by Garden House Design with concrete shelves and options to personalise including a sink (garden housedesign.co.uk).

Below right Oxenwood’s outdoor kitchen has onemetre wide modules.

Below left The Lucius table from Oxenwood has a hardwearing top.

Gaze Burvill Luxury outdoor kitchens in the finest oak. Tel: 01420 588444; gazeburvill.com Humphrey Munson The Markham outdoor kitchen in iroko was designed by founder Peter Humphrey. Prices start from £25,000. Tel: 01371 821300; humphreymunson.co.uk Kadai A range of firebowls that can be used for cooking or simply to gather around. Tel: 01694 771800; kadai.co.uk Lundhs Real Stone Stone from Norway, ideal for outdoor countertops and work surfaces. lundhsrealstone.com The Natural Grill Patented grill technology that simplifies outdoor cookery and eliminates the need to clean up afterwards. Tel: 01480 811000; naturalgrill.co.uk

right place’, and this mantra was taken to heart by Butter Wakefield (tel: 07973 516149; butterwakefield.co.uk), an alumnus of the school who created a garden for Gaze Burvill at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2018. It won the Best Trade Stand Award. “‘Right plant, right place’ can mean Tellima grandiflora or Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Night’ selected for more shady spots near an outdoor kitchen, as we did at Chelsea,” says Butter. “It could also mean glazed pots of herbs dotted about on a sunny countertop, which featured there as well. We put an antique mirror behind our kitchen as a ‘splash back’ to create a sense of depth and interest at the back of the stand. This is a nifty trick that works well for limited spaces and helps to augment the sense of roominess and light.”

Butter is keen on people growing their own fruit and vegetables – “it’s just as suited to an urban courtyard as to a large country garden,” she insists. “Good quality organic soil and south-facing aspects are a must.

Vegetables are easiest grown in deep raised beds, ideally at least 350mm high – for lovely straight carrots – with good irrigation,” she recommends. “Easy crops include tomatoes and salad and radish plants.”

So that everything doesn’t arrive at the same time, Wakefield suggests staggering sowing. “Productive gardens are very rewarding because results come quickly and easily,” she explains. “Many people have sought to reconnect with nature during the pandemic, and growing fruit and veg to serve your family and friends is a delightfully traditional way of doing just this.”

Perhaps we are indeed destined to ‘return to the land’. Back in Surrey, the Besters are settling in beside their fire pit to admire the view as rosemary-infused lamb cooks on the grill. “There’s something about both naked flames and natural views that never ceases to hold our attention,” says Sarah. “Perhaps it was always so. I couldn’t imagine not having these things in our lives now.”

Oxenwood Modular kitchens made in oak with bluestone worktops and Wolf grills. Tel: 01264 730801; oxenwood.co.uk Tuuci Parasols and canopies with counter-windforce engineering to help make the most of outdoor spaces. tuuci.com Valoriani Wood or gas-fired pizza ovens available as free-standing models, ready-to-use, or for installing as part of a permanent feature. Tel: 01772 250000; valorianiuk.com WWOO Dutch-designed modular concrete outdoor kitchens in a range of layouts.

Tel: 01727 850148; wwoo.nl

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 115

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OUTDOOR KITCHENS

From Plot to Plate Put an outdoor kitchen – and a glut of beans and courgettes – to good use with fresh summer recipes

by Kathy Slack, author of From the Veg Patch

Salmon, Bean and Bulgur Wheat Salad with Quick Pickled Radishes A feast of all the beans. Sling some Helda beans and peas in too if you like – the more the better. This salad is content without the salmon, but it would be lonely without the pickles; and as this pickle is the work of moments, it’s no bother to keep them happily united.

SERVES 4 FOR THE SALAD 100g bulgur wheat ½ lemon, zest and juice 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 500g fresh broad beans (unpodded weight) 100g French beans 100g runner beans ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 tbsp finely chopped green herbs (a mixture of parsley, mint, chervil, fennel and dill would be perfect) FOR THE SALMON 4 salmon fillets, about 500g total weight 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil A few sprigs of fennel or dill 2 spring onions, sliced 4 slices of lemon

IMAGES KATHY SLACK

FOR THE QUICK PICKLED RADISHES 75g caster sugar 100ml cider vinegar 12 radishes, thinly sliced l For the salad, bring a pan full of salted water to the boil. Add the bulgur wheat and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water, then transfer to a big bowl and stir in the lemon zest and juice, olive oil and a big pinch of salt. l Pod the broad beans. Top and tail the French beans and cut into 1cm pieces. De-string the runner beans then top and tail and cut into 1cm pieces. l Boil another pan of salted water. Add the runner

beans and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the French beans and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the broad beans and cook for 2 more minutes, by which time all the beans should be just cooked through. Drain, rinse in cold water, then pat or shake dry and stir into the bulgur wheat. l In a small bowl, mix the red onion with the red wine vinegar. Allow the onion to sit for at least 10 minutes. Once softened, drain and add to the bulgur wheat bowl with the green herbs. l Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

Place the salmon on a sheet of baking parchment, big enough to wrap over the top of the fillets. Drizzle over olive oil, top each fillet with fronds of fennel or dill, along with the spring onions, salt, pepper and lemon. Make a tightly sealed parcel with the paper, place on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. l For the pickled radishes, dissolve the sugar in the cider vinegar in a small pan over a low heat. Let it cool then add the radishes and leave for 5 minutes. l Pile the bulgur wheat into a serving bowl, spoon over the pickled radishes and serve with the salmon.

Extracted from From the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack. Photography

by Kathy Slack.

Ebury Press, £25.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 117

OUTDOOR KITCHENS

Courgette, Cumin and Lime Fritters For a tasty, fuss-free supper, you can’t beat a fritter. Here, cumin, coriander and lime embellish an otherwise straightforward batter good for any grated vegetables. Our heroes are courgettes this time, but could just as easily be grated carrot, beetroot, parsnips or cauliflower another day.

MAKES 8–10 FRITTERS 60g self-raising flour 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp flaky sea salt 1 egg 40ml whole milk 250g courgettes, trimmed 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves 1 lime, zest and juice 200ml sunflower oil, for frying 200g natural yogurt

Preheat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/ gas mark ½. l Whisk together the flour, ground cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl. l

l Beat the egg and milk together in a jug, then pour it gradually into the dry mix, whisking as you go, to create a batter. l Grate the courgettes onto a chopping board using the coarse side of a box grater, then squeeze them between your hands to get rid of any excess liquid. Stir the gratings into the batter with 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander and the lime zest. l Pour the sunflower oil into a large, nonstick frying pan so it is 2cm deep. Warm over a medium-high heat until a droplet of batter fizzes on contact with the oil. Spoon big tablespoon-sized dollops of the batter into the pan and fry for 4-6 minutes on each side. They are ready when the outside is golden and the inside is fluffy and just cooked through. You may need to do this in batches, so transfer cooked fritters to a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep in the warmed oven while you do the rest. l Mix the yogurt with the remaining coriander leaves, lime juice and a pinch of salt, and serve it in a bowl alongside the warm fritters.

Griddled Helda Beans with Goat’s Cheese, Herbs and Flowers

SERVES 4 700g Helda beans, or young runner beans, topped and tailed 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp runny honey 1 tsp cider vinegar 2 spring onions, finely chopped A small bunch of mixed herbs (parsley, mint, dill, sorrel, chives, basil) 118 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

125g soft, creamy goat’s cheese Edible flowers (chives, nasturtiums, pot marigolds) to finish (optional) l Set a griddle pan over a high heat and leave it to get really hot, or prepare your barbecue grill. Toss the beans in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place them in the hot griddle pan or on the barbecue grill and cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn them over and cook for the same amount of time on the other side, so they become branded with dark char lines on both sides – you may need to do this in batches.

Transfer to a heatproof mixing bowl. l In a bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil and the honey, vinegar and spring onions, along with a pinch of salt. Tear the herbs and add them too. Mix, then check the balance of flavours and adjust as needed. Pour the dressing over the warm beans and muddle everything together. l Arrange the dressed beans on a serving platter. Daub pieces of goat’s cheese on top, shower over a confetti of petals to finish, if using, and serve.

IMAGES KATHY SLACK

Helda beans are flat and long like runners, but smooth-skinned and stringless – a runner bean after a facelift. They grow prolifically, reliably and untroubled by pests, but if you don’t grow your own, they are easy to get hold of in shops, often sold as flat beans or stringless beans. The griddling can be done, excellently, on the grill of a barbecue or in a griddle pan.

I almost always serve this dish at barbecues, scattering generous handfuls of herbs and edible flowers on top with crusty bread alongside. It’s a blowsy, relaxed dish that has lazy summer lunch written all over it.

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SEEDS

WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY IMAGE GARDEN WORLD IMAGES

Heirloom seed may be passed down through the generations, its provenance often lost to the mists of time.

Lost & Found

At the Heritage Seed Library in Coventry, some 800 varieties of vegetable seeds are managed and grown to preserve these historic crops for posterity

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 121

SEEDS

O

nly a handful of gardeners have ever grown the seed of the ‘Devonia’ tomato. It is larger than a salad tomato, but it’s not a beefsteak. It is bright red, sweet and juicy. It is also prolific, bearing, in the right conditions, extraordinary trusses weighing up to two kilograms each. ‘Devonia’ was grown in the 1890s by Peter Bryant Wescott, a horticulturist in Braunton, Devon, and the tomato’s seed has been handed down through the generations.

Out of concern for its continued survival, some of that seed was sent to the Heritage Seed Library, attached to Garden Organic, in Coventry. Here, Catrina Fenton, head of the Library, and her team manage a collection of some 800 heritage seeds.

These are grown regularly so seed is fresh, and it may be shared with members of the Library.

Garden Organic was founded by Lawrence Hills in 1958. Concerned by the dwindling number of vegetable varieties, he initiated the Library in the mid-1970s when industrialisation, changing shopping habits and more stringent seed regulations, introduced when the UK joined the European Community, put remaining heritage seed at risk.

“Things tend to turn up in the post with a letter,” explains Catrina of the manner in which many 122 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Historic gardens

often seek out the seed that would have been grown during the period of the property.

This is practised in the Walled Garden at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall. Gardeners’ records from the time can aid this search.

acquisitions arrive. Seed is researched and checked against other entries in the Library for duplication and then trialled. “Here we look for potential gems to add to the collection,” she explains. “We’re very interested in anything that pre-dates the 1970s – and the older the better. It should have a story.” Much seed doesn’t make it past the first trial, but once it has it is grown in subsequent years to increase stock.

“We use the term ‘heritage’ quite loosely, it catches many things,” Catrina says. Heritage seeds include heirloom seeds, which are often named for a person or place. These may be unique seeds bred by an individual or may simply be a colloquial descriptor for an already named variety detached from its identifier. “You could have a name like ‘Uncle Fred’s peas’, for example. Uncle Fred may have bred them himself or they might have been varieties that were once available from a seed merchant, then stopped being available to buy and so the seed was saved,” she observes. For example, Silsden, near Keighley in Yorkshire, may claim the cabbage ‘Silsden Bomb’: it is believed to have been bred by Jonnie Watson, a veteran gardener there.

True historic varieties tend to be older than heirloom seeds and will have historic records attached to them. The oldest variety in the Library’s collection is the broad bean ‘Martock’, with

IMAGES GAP/NICOLA STOCKEN; SHUTTERSTOCK; ALAMY

Above left The Library

keeps an archive of past correspondence as well as a range of historic seed catalogues.

Top right ‘Silsden Bomb’ cabbage originates from Silsden in Yorkshire.

Above right Tomato ‘Darby Striped Red/ Green’ is ideal for cooking and sauces.

Left A Suttons seed catalogue from 1865.

descriptions of this variety dating back to 1294.

“There are lovely stories around the history of these seeds,” Catrina observes. “In this case, the vicar of Martock would give the seeds to his parishioners.”

The Library also keeps landrace varieties, which are original, locally adapted plant varieties, and ex-commercial seed that is no longer produced by mainstream suppliers. “Although it has been commercially produced, if it’s not sold, it’s at risk,” Catrina explains. While modern F1 hybrids claiming disease-resistance have their virtues, all the varieties in the Library are open-pollinated so seed can be collected and passed down, as ‘Devonia’ has been, from generation to generation.

If you find it hard to make a selection of seed from your favourite catalogue today, spare a thought for the Victorian gardeners who were spoilt for choice.

Suttons, Carters, Unwins, Thompson & Morgan, Kings, Ryder & Sons, the distinguished Veitches and dozens of regional seed merchants all offered a wealth of varieties, but tailed off after the 1930s.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 123

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SEEDS

Become a Seed Guardian

IMAGES ALAMY

The Heritage Seed Library relies on an army of volunteer growers to maintain its collection To maintain the viability and volume of its seed collection, the Heritage Seed Library must grow the plants in its collection regularly. Without the space or means to grow what is necessary themselves, staff depend on an army of volunteers around the country to grow what are known as ‘Orphans’ – varieties that are low in stock.

Roughly half of the 40,000 packets of seed distributed to members have been grown by volunteers. “We really are dependent on these volunteer growers,” says Catrina. “They’re a lovely group of people from all walks of life. They are always enthusiastic and we have a nice communication with them.”

To become a Seed Guardian, volunteers must have paid their £18 annual membership of the Library and they should be experienced growers. Early in the year an Orphans List is sent out to volunteers, and new growers will be able to indicate a preference for one or two varieties to cultivate. Sometimes these varieties are still being trialled, so they may not yet be widely available.

“We send out seed, and at the end of the year they harvest the new seed and send it back in a parcel,” explains Catrina.

Returned seed is then processed

by Library staff and made available to members.

See gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl

Few know this better Above Suttons was founded by John Sutton than Ray Warner, in 1806, with a testing owner of Thomas Etty laboratory established in Seeds, named after 1840. Most seed is now his great-grandfather. imported to the UK. Ray stocks only open-pollinated heritage seed and has a passion for researching its origins. “I’ve always been interested in history. Looking up these seeds is more interesting than finding the origin of an F1 hybrid. I’ve spent hours in the RHS Lindley library,” he enthuses.

Adverts for seed often appeared in the backs of books, and through this and other source material Ray has researched the “names within names” of these varieties. Some hint at the centuriesold exchange between the UK and Europe. The butterhead lettuce name ‘Fat Lazy Blonde’, for example, derives from its French description, large, slow to bolt and pale in leaf: ‘Grosse Blonde Paresseuse’. It is widely available. ‘Lazy Housewife’ was one of the first stringless beans, and could be picked every other day instead of daily. The oldest variety in Ray’s collection is runner bean ‘Painted Lady’, which is now also widely available. Its longevity is testament to its reliability: it was grown as far back as 1633, the year Samuel Pepys was born.

“I think there is interest in the older varieties because people like me, and others, have given the JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 125

back history of these seeds. It rides on the back of the Slow Food movement. It’s the enjoyment of growing the stuff,” he muses. Various private properties, not least the Lost Gardens of Heligan, seek to stock the seeds that match the period of the property.

While some seeds in those Victorian catalogues might have been duplications – the pea ‘Prince Albert’ reportedly had around 60 synonyms – many would have been adapted to local conditions. “If the ground was shallow, Victorian plant breeders would develop a parsnip with a round root. They were inventive,” notes Ray. Heritage seed also offers a long cropping period, sought after in an age without the modern cold chain and no less desirable today.

What has changed is the nature of our seasons, which are becoming milder and wetter, or hotter and drier. Food growing will need to adapt to this: what may have been suitable in the past might now no longer be so. “Open-pollinated, heritage seeds are an important genetic resource that could be lost,” says Catrina. “They’re part of the future, not the past.

Through them we can find varieties that can adapt to environmental stress we don’t know about yet.

They are important tools in our bag.”

As a result of Brexit, trade between Europe and the UK has been limited this year. Ray has removed 14 varieties from his catalogue because he is unable

Above ‘Crimson Flowered’ broad bean dates from the 1700s, was rescued by the Library in 1978 and is now sold commercially.

Top right Seeds for saving at the Library.

Above right Runner bean ‘Painted Lady’, from 1633.

126 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

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to purchase seed from a wholesaler in France, where growing conditions are reliable. He expects to remove more next year. Wholesale seed growing, which used to be based in Essex, is all but extinct.

“In the UK we have depended on seed from the EU and further afield,” says Catrina. “There’s been a huge demand for seed recently and it’s hard to separate the pandemic and Brexit. But we hope this year has raised awareness of where seeds come from, who owns seed and how you keep it going.”

This year, the ‘Devonia’ tomato, having passed all its trials, has been made available to members of the Heritage Seed Library. At some point, it may be picked up by one of the major seed suppliers, at which point the work of the Library will be complete. “We see it as a success story if a heritage variety we looked after is valued commercially and produced commercially,” says Catrina.

For now, however, the tomato is enjoying local fame. Due to its origins, The Pig Hotel in Combe, Devon, has asked for plants to trial in their own kitchen gardens. If it’s successful, their plan is to grow the tomato in other Pig locations, meaning that a local seed has been saved.

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Bex Partridge in her studio, crafting wreaths and wall hangings from a selection of homegrown dried flowers.

Secrets of Eternal Life Jacky Hobbs talks to Bex Partridge, who has developed a range of special techniques for drying her home-grown flowers to make incredible everlasting art and arrangements PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 129

CRAFTSPEOPLE

B

ex Partridge’s summer allotment billows with pretty flowers: it’s a tightly knit patchwork of colours and textures, dancing with butterflies and abuzz with bees. A gardener and floral artist, Bex is passionate about growing, mostly from seed, the flowers and seedheads that she uses to create her long-lasting floral arrangements, decorative wreaths and larger installations. She’s inspired by nature, working with the seasons to capture their ephemeral beauty and preserve and prolong precious moments in time by desiccating and drying flowers, fronds, seedheads and leaves.

130 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Above Many of Bex’s

dried flowers are annuals grown from seed on her family allotment and include love-in-a-mist and cosmos.

She happened across the art of preserving flowers by chance. A neglected vase of formerly fresh blooms, inadvertently left to desiccate, changed into a pleasing, seemingly immortal, gentler form. Intrigued, Bex began to experiment, growing and drying a host of different flowers and seedheads way beyond the remit of traditional dried flowers like statice.

“Initially I grew allotment annuals – anything and everything,” she recalls.

“Now I grow what I’ve learned works and add a sprinkling of newness.”

Stalwarts include love-in a mist (Nigella damascena) and cornflowers, (Centaurea cyanus), brilliant for both flowers and their seedheads; bold and colourful zinnias; the trailing chenille tassels of love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) in greens and pinks; sphere-headed giant garlic, Allium ampeloprasum ‘Elephant’; spires of larkspur; star-bright linen flowers, Linum grandiflorum ‘Bright Eyes’; and drums of rattling poppy seedheads.

Every inch of her small Surrey plot, a five-minute stroll from home, is cultivated. A third of the family allotment, once entirely dedicated to growing edibles, is now given over to flower production – “following hard negotiations with my husband,” notes Bex with a smile. Her husband grows squash, courgettes, beans, onions and beet leaves alongside herbs including dill and borage. Rhubarb is tucked in at the foot of a productive infant pear tree. Set at right angles to the crops, five metres long and two metres wide, is a tightly packed tranche of flowers, row upon row, for cutting and drying.

“Growing space is always maximised.

I’ll uproot the nigella as soon as I have its seedheads, making space for the second sowing of flowers. Later, rudbeckias and dahlias creep into the gaps left when we’ve picked the crops,” Bex explains.

Everything on the allotment is grown from seed.

“Many are sown in situ, but a few get a head start in our greenhouse,” says Bex. “I inherited a love of gardening from my mother and grandmother.

Like me, my children heave buckets of rainwater, collected from water butts beneath the allotment’s shed roof, to spill over the plantings.” The resultant plethora of summer blooms brings pollinators, butterflies and bees to their patch, increasing the biodiversity of this pretty and productive idyll. “My

boys love coming down here, picking strawberries, bug hunting and butterfly counting,” she adds.

Bex founded her dried-flower venture, Botanical Tales, four years ago, believing she could grow and supply enough annuals from this sole dedicated patch. Fuelled by early success, she then planted her garden with fuller, fatter-flowered herbaceous perennials and shrubs for drying: roses, peonies, ranunculus, echinacea, rudbeckias, astrantia, hellebores, pansies, violas and even tulips. “Summer time is bumper-harvest time,” she notes “and you need to pick flowers in their prime, unless you’re growing for seedheads, which develop later.”

Outside the summer window, there are lots of opportunities to gather additional natural materials for drying. Foraging, especially in woodland areas, brings irresistibly rich pickings: “Think plump red rosehips, browning leaves of bracken, fir cones and twisted, gnarly branches found lying on the ground,” says Bex. These ‘wild’ materials are all always gathered considerately, legally and with sustainability in mind.

Bex works using various drying techniques, but simply suspending flowers upside-down is her go-to method for drying the majority of what she picks, since it is both effective and highly decorative. Her studio, a neat, tidy and organised work area in a coveted corner of the family’s living space, is a brilliant trove of upended blooms. Artfully strung from branches of foraged birch, loose bunches of colourful flowerheads – echinops, larkspur,

Top left Picking statice

and love-in-a-mist, ready to dry in the airy studio.

Top right Bex perfects an arrangement of seedheads and flowers.

Left As its common name of strawflower suggests, Helichrysum bracteatum is a perfect bloom for drying.

achillea, amaranthus, cornflowers and helichrysum – are drying, looking more like an art installation than a drying rack. With all her materials directly to hand, Bex can simply reach up and pluck specimens that will then be tied into decorative floral crescents for wreaths, wall hangings and arrangements.

Closer inspection of her bijoux nook reveals shelves that spill with experimental desiccations, jars of deepening pink blossom, ‘antiqued’ tulips and ruffled peonies. “In lockdown I experimented JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 131

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CRAFTSPEOPLE

with upright air-drying of my garden peonies, ranunculus and tulips, forgoing the more complicated traditional silica-drying method,” she says. The studio’s conditions, warm, dry and away from direct sunlight, helped to create charming dried flowers. To showcase them, Bex crafted a rudimentary flower-frog-style base from a packet of clay, to hold the preserved flowers and keep their natural character intact. “The striped, faded tulips are preciously fragile and really delicate to work with,” warns Bex. When accidents occur, fallen petals are salvaged and added to a mixed petal potpourri – nothing is wasted.

Exploring these techniques, Bex has found that roses and other open and heavier-headed flowers, such as echinacea, zinnias, dahlias and umbellifers, dry better facing upwards, their heads supported, slotted and held between the slats of an upturned bulb crate. The flowers dry attractively, in a more ‘open’ fashion, a method that has inspired artworks of collated flowerheads framed in garden sieves.

Pressing flowers is another age-old way of preserving smaller, flatter, more delicate blooms like pansies and violas. Small treasures are placed, flattened and dried using a traditional flower press.

Above, from left

Beautifully preserved garden flowers; layers of petals in a dried rose flowerhead; any fallen petals are saved to make a mixed potpourri.

Left Heavier flowers are slotted into an upturned crate so their petals are supported as they dry.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 133

CRAFTSPEOPLE

How to dry flowers

T

he drying technique Bex selects depends on the type of plant material she is using.

“Certain blooms respond better to specific methods: some are simple, others are more complicated,” she explains. However, all material is largely prepared for drying following the same basic principles: Stems should be harvested in their absolute seasonal prime when they’re in full bloom.

l

Choose the best flowers for drying, which are free from damage, tears, insect nibblings and unsightly blemishes. Imperfections will become increasingly obvious once dried.

l

Pick when conditions are dry to minimise moisture content and drying time. Damp or dew-laden pickings are prone to mould and rot. Reduce initial moisture content by laying flowers out to dry on tissue or newspaper, before ‘processing’.

l

Strip stems of all unwanted foliage, leaving a few decorative fronds around the flowerheads to “add a bit of texture and give a more natural appearance” before drying.

l

Air-drying is a simple and effective method of desiccating cut-stems. Bex has perfected her ‘giving-living, leave-everlasting’ method by creating loose arrangements of fresh flowers, with plenty of room for air to circulate. These arrangements then ‘wither’ in the vase to create an everlasting bouquet.

Flowers with larger, flatter heads and petals that fall open with downward gravity, like echinacea and rudbeckia, will benefit from an ‘upright’ drying method, as do classic dried flowers such as statice and helichrysum.

The appearance of grasses and seedheads, meanwhile, remains little altered whichever way up they are dried.

“In a few weeks you have wafer-thin, delicate flowerheads perfect for creating an everlasting floral montage behind glass,” she explains. She also presses larger, more slender material, such as foliage and ferns, placing them between sheaves of paper and pressing them flat beneath the living room rug!

Bex and her family are now moving to a more spacious, rural location in Devon, leaving her fruitful allotment and town garden behind. Once settled, her dried flower arrangements, larger bookings and workshops will resume, but in the 134 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

Top Bex finds that hanging loose bunches upside down to dry is the best method for most flowers.

Above right A wall hanging featuring helichrysum and the seedheads of grasses.

Above left A display of delicate dried peony and tulip flowers.

meantime her first book, Everlastings: How to grow, harvest and create with dried flowers, will serve as a source of inspiration. Bex has succeeded in growing and preserving a much wider collection of natural plant material for her craft than is usual. She has mastered the art of drying decoratively, bringing the beauty of the outdoors into the heart of her home.

Sign up to Bex’s monthly newsletter and follow her on Instagram @botanical_tales. For more information, visit botanicaltales.com

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 135

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BOOKS

The Reviewer

A selection of the best writing on the shelves this month

Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden

by Jessica Walliser Storey Publishing, £18.99

WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY

In this new book, Jessica Walliser explores the science behind gardening lore and points to planting combinations that really can work on the vegetable patch. Aligned with polycultures and intercropping, companion planting can reduce pest, disease and weed pressure, improve soil fertility and structure, and aid pollination and biological controls. The key point Walliser makes is that pests and diseases are less likely to thrive in diverse planting schemes than they are in monocultural arrangements. In diverse situations, all a plant’s resources, including chemical messaging systems and fungal associations, can be put to use for itself or surrounding plants.

This is a US title being sold in the UK, so you may not make neighbours of amaranth and chayote but there is plenty of familiar territory here. Try basil and tomatoes to beat thrips, or calendula and brassicas to outwit greenfly. Strips of clover between rows of strawberry plants make a fine living mulch, as they do when grown around young summer squash. This is an ideal book for curious vegetable growers – or in fact anyone who might have quailed at the thought of aphids giving birth to live young.

Deeper into the Wood

The Heirloom Gardener

by Ruth Pavey Duckworth, £14.99

by John Forti Timber Press, £21.99

It is common for gardeners to desire more space, especially if they hanker after wilder planting. Ruth Pavey, a gardening correspondent for North London local paper The Ham & High, moved boldly and bought four acres of woodland on the Somerset Levels.

Documenting the purchase and her introduction to woodland life, her first book A Wood of One’s Own, won plaudits.

Now, inured to riding out weekends of inclement weather in her caravan, Ruth has written its sequel. In Deeper Into the Wood she reflects on changes to both climate and wildlife on her property and surrounding farmland over 20 years. She recounts, for example, the development of the old Kelways nursery site and the demise of the moths that had lived there.

Aided by a journalist’s nose for a good tale, Ruth has a warm, lyrical style that immediately brings to life both the wood and the diversity of nature it supports.

It’s widely understood that our increasingly connected lives led by technology have brought about renewed interest in traditional pastimes. Craft and handmade items, for example, have seldom been so popular in certain circles.

So it is in gardening, where the pre-industrial knowledge our grandparents or great-grandparents might have taken for granted is ripe for rediscovery. Inspired by the Slow Food movement and the drive for greater sustainability, John Forti explores the wealth of material that might previously have been considered common knowledge. Social history, botany and home economics merge in a fascinating book to dip in and out of. Topics are diverse, ranging from dandelions, whose name derives from Linnaeus’s Leontodon, or lion’s teeth, to describe the plant’s deeply serrated leaves, to the joy of quinces, rhubarb and rosemary.

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 137

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Q&A

BOOKS

Stephen A. Harris is Druce Curator of the Oxford University Herbaria. In Roots to Seeds he reflects on ideas and figures that have influenced 400 years of botany at the university reproduce sexually. Of course, we should not forget that in 400 years the botanical ideas we accept today may, in whole or part, be thought odd.

Who were some of the influential women attached to plant sciences at Oxford?

One of the most prominent women researchers was Christine Mary Snow. From the 1930s until the 1960s, she published ground-breaking experimental research on plant development that remains relevant today. Botanical artist Rosemary Wise has been part of the Department of Plant Sciences since 1966.

Rosemary, one of the world’s most prolific scientific illustrators, has collaborated with researchers worldwide on describing and cataloguing global plant diversity.

What kind of research takes place here today?

Which items in the collections do you enjoy most?

INTERVIEW VIVIENNE HAMBLY

It is a privilege to work with the specimens, books and manuscripts in the herbaria. Part of the joy is the almost weekly discovery of new things that provide an opportunity to collaborate with researchers worldwide. My own favourite objects include pre-1796 collections that reveal the history of plant introductions into Europe – specimens that provide physical links with key moments and people in the history of botany, plus those specimens that challenge our preconceptions.

Department of Plant Sciences’ researchers associated with the herbaria are involved with many different programmes. For example, the description of new species and investigating their evolutionary relationships using DNA – in particular the sweet potato and its relatives. Other researchers are concerned with building software that helps the world’s botanical collections (including herbaria, botanic gardens and seed banks) to exchange, make accessible and use the vast data resources they have in stewardship. Other researchers identify global hotspots of plant diversity, with the intention of contributing to species conservation programmes.

The herbaria also collaborates with researchers in fields as diverse as archaeology, English, geology, history and zoology.

What were some of the early misconceptions around plants that have now been corrected?

What do you think will be some of the principal concerns of plant sciences at Oxford over the coming decades?

Early botany was replete with ideas that have since been rejected by modern science. The Doctrine of Signatures, for example, which held that a plant’s medicinal properties could be divined from its appearance – for instance, nutmeg was meant to be good for mental health because it looks like a brain.

Equally strange to modern thought is the idea that plant species do not change over time and do not

Plants will remain central to the solution of global issues that directly affect us, including environmental change, feeding growing populations and conserving biological diversity. Consequently, these issues will remain important to Oxford plant scientists as they discover innovative ways to understand plants and explore fundamental issues about how plants develop, grow, reproduce and evolve.

Roots to Seeds

by Stephen A. Harris, Bodleian Library, £40.

Roots To Seeds is also a free exhibition at the Bodleian Libraries, open every day until 24 October 2021. For more information, visit bodleian.ox.ac.uk

JULY 2021 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 139

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DAISY CLOUGH NURSERIES LTD

TENDERCARE NURSERIES

A busy nursery in rural Lancashire, Daisy Clough specialises in a carefully selected range of over 700 perennials and grasses.

Open seven days a week, the nursery also offers a good selection of shrubs, trees, container plants and fruit. Plenty of homegrown vegetable plants are available through spring and summer.

A full plant list is available to view on our website. Our garden shop sells seeds, tools and essential garden sundries. We have a beautiful homeware and clothing shop, a deli and a tearoom to round off your visit. Covid restrictions apply.

Tel: 01524 793104 info@daisyclough.com | www.daisyclough.com Station Lane, Scorton, Preston, Lancs PR3 1AN

Specialising in more mature and specimen plants, from acers to agapanthus, pleached trees and evergreen screens, Tendercare’s 12 acres are a joy to visit.

Our popular site visit and warrantied planting services can help rejuvenate a tired garden or change the focus of the garden after building works. While our award-winning design service will create a beautiful garden for you to enjoy all year through.

Book a visit with assistance from one of our horticulturists, by golf buggy, or pop into our office and we can give you a map, a route to follow, and suggestions to get you started.

Tel: 01895 837120 sales@tendercare.co.uk | www.tendercare.co.uk.

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More than 14 acres of spectacular, Covid-secure, RHS partner gardens, including picturesque, romantic, formal and Victorian styles. Enjoy a wildflower arboretum, specimen trees, a contemporary Quiet Garden and Community Garden alongside waterfalls, well pools and a moat with resident swans around a stunning medieval palace.

Eight acres of inspirational ornamental gardens steeped in horticultural history, a top quality Plant Centre, Garden Shop, Gift Barn, Gallery and Tea Shop.

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Don’t miss the Garden Festival 2-4 July.

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WEASDALE NURSERIES

CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN Tucked away beside the Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden is London’s oldest botanic garden and home to 4,000 different medicinal, herbal, edible and useful plants from around the world.

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OPEN: 10am to 5.30pm April to October, 10am to 5pm November to March.

Please visit our website for more information.

Established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, the Garden is open for visitors to explore and enjoy its amazing plant collection.

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Tel: 015396 23246 sales@weasdale.com | www.weasdale.com Newbiggin on Lune, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LX

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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDEN Now in its 175th anniversary year, Cambridge University Botanic Garden is one of the largest Universityowned botanic gardens in the world. Over 8,000 species spread over 40 acres of beautiful gardens and glasshouses in the centre of Cambridge offer year-round interest and inspiration.

Tales of the Garden: Longleat have delved deep into their archives to find fascinating tales of times gone by that celebrate those who’ve helped shape Longleat’s grounds and gardens over the past five centuries. They have focused on nine stories, brought to life by stunning sculptures. Join the quest to discover more about Longleat’s natural and built heritage until 12 September.

OPEN: See website for details.

enquiries@longleat.co.uk www.longleat.co.uk The Estate Office, Longleat, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7NW

Highlights include: seasonal colour in the Rose Garden and Mediterranean Beds; the Scented Garden; Bee Borders; Dry Garden; Lake; Glasshouse Range; and the Rising Path.

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TO CONCLUDE

The Perfect Arrangement

O

ne of the most tantalising wedding bouquets created by the tirelessly innovative Constance Spry was made entirely of pristine waterlilies.

They were gathered at dawn from an unappealing pond, then arranged as if newly opened using drops of wax between each petal.

The Garden Museum’s summer show, ‘Constance Spry and the Fashion for Flowers’ is revelatory about the doyenne of British floristry from the late 1920s until 1960, who designed the flowers for Wallis Simpson’s wedding and later The Queen’s Coronation. The exhibition may turn on its head the way you choose to display flowers, fruit and foliage.

Contented as I am with an old Welsh lustre jug of dahlias on the kitchen table, it is energising to see ‘An arrangement of berries in a blue-john urn’ – a dazzling display of violet callicarpa berries and purple blackberries rising up from curving stems of pearly green tomatoes on the vine. The arrangement sits in a vase of blue-john crystal, reserved by Spry for her most subtle displays. Winter & Spring Flowers, just one of her 13 books, features a mound of multicoloured Anemone

“

Spry combined arching sprays of fluffy old man’s beard with green orchids”

coronaria set on a black paper mâché worktable.

The deep black centres of the pink, purple and white anemones echo the shiny black table on which they are arranged – a simple but powerful connection.

The Garden Museum show looks beyond Spry’s invention of Coronation Chicken and the now back-in-fashion Fulham Pottery vases and frames her as an original and self-taught creative force.

Importantly she was the first florist (she strongly preferred the term ‘floral decorator’) to forage for material and use her own garden as a resource.

Her career began when she was asked to arrange the flowers for a new scent shop, Atkinson’s, on Old Bond Street. Her brief was to source ‘old-fashioned scented flowers, strange blooms and soft colours’.

It was November, a challenging month, but Spry combined arching sprays of fluff y old man’s beard with green orchids from Covent Garden Market.

The displays were a sensation and the police had to move people on from the pavement outside the shop.

Spry broke new ground with her sculptural arrangements of crinkled kale and radiant pyramids of arum lilies but was aware of the fine line between an artistic appreciation of shape and form and the ridiculous. She was once asked by a fan to admire an arrangement of daffodils with bunches of grapes because she was known to ‘like fruit and flowers’.

At heart, Constance Spry was a knowledgeable gardener. She was a friend of plantsman and artist Cedric Morris and would return from visits, her car bursting with plants, including Alchemilla mollis, which became a staple of floral design. Her writing is seductive and reveals a deep understanding of plants’ roles: “Michaelmas daisies are essentially flowers for massing, both in the house and in the garden, out of doors they seem to me to have something of the same quality as woodsmoke on the autumn air.”

The Garden Museum show is curated by royal florist Shane Connolly, who uses Spry’s books for inspiration. “If a client asks for red flowers in March, I know there will be a magical suggestion,” he says.

Her approach to flowers and plants is stimulating and often enchanting. The exhibition is a great way to refresh, or begin, your acquaintance.

‘Constance Spry and the Fashion for Flowers’ 17 May to 26 September, gardenmuseum.org.uk

146 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JULY 2021

ILLUSTRATION MARIA BURNS PORTRAIT RACHEL WARNE

Our new columnist, Non Morris, examines the lasting legacy of Constance Spry, whose exhilarating floral arrangements are the basis of a new exhibition in London

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