WHAT TO DO EVERY MONTH: HOW TO CREATE YOUR DREAM GARDEN
A YEAR IN
2019
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Beautiful gardens l Practical advice l Exquisite plants
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IMAGES ANNIE GREEN-ARMYTAGE; MATTHEW BRUCE; SHUTTERSTOCK COVER IMAGES ANNIE GREEN-ARMYTAGE; ABIGAIL REX
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elcome to the third edition of our annual, A Year in the English Garden. We start the year in a garden carpeted with snowdrops and crocuses, The Old Rectory in Kent, then visit beautiful gardens that showcase such delights as hellebores and daffodils, among other spring bulbs. Painterly tulips follow at Furzelea in Essex, with early summer blooms, including roses and lavender, taking over at Knowle Hill Farm. Summer heats up – as do the colours – at Tudor Lodgings and The Salutation, before gardens mellow and the subtle tones of autumn prevail at Oakley House and Hall Farm. By December, at Drummond Castle, winter’s crisp outlines have returned. Along with this selection of the finest gardens for every season, we round up the very best plants to add interest to your garden all year round, plus a handy monthby-month checklist of jobs to do. We hope this helps you make the most of the entire gardening year. CLARE FOGGETT, EDITOR
113 Contents 6 January A flood of crocuses, snowdrops and aconites lights up The Old Rectory; classic white winter blooms; plan your vegetable plot. 16 February Gloucestershire’s Trench Hill is at an early spring peak with hellebores; bright delicate bulbs; winter prune your wisteria. 27 March Magnolias, bulbs and relaxed planting at Feeringbury Manor in Essex; colourful flowers for March; plant bareroot roses. 36 April Colour co-ordinated Furzelea in Essex; April flower power; plant a strawberry bed. 49 May The intimate plantsman’s paradise belonging to West Dean’s head gardeners in Sussex; the frothy delights of May; harden off plants. 60 June Time-honed planting with spectacular views at Knowle Hill Farm in Kent; the sensory joys of June; plant up summer pots.
70 July Ancient earthworks and abstract art combine at Tudor Lodgings in Norfolk; hot summer shades; do the Hampton Hack. 80 August A reincarnated garden at The Salutation in Kent; late-summer colour; sow seasonal salad. 92 September The spectacular structured garden at 1920s Oakley House in Surrey; subtle, pastel, autumn blooms; treat vine weevil. 102 October The richly coloured landscape of Lincolnshire’s Hall Farm; autumn shrubs, bulbs and perennials; plant a mini orchard. 113 November National Garden Scheme stalwart, Ramster in Surrey; fruits, berries and dazzling nerines; tidy the vegetable plot. 122 December The stark beauty of frost-iced Drummond Castle Gardens; plants for winter scent; make a seasonal arrangement. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 3
Dates for your diary CHERRY TREE WALK SUNDAY 5TH MAY, 2019 See our Cherry Tree Walk in full bloom. Enjoy the beauty that Spring brings to Mitton Manor Gardens.Treat yourself to Afternoon Tea and a glass of beer or champagne to celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend. SPRING – CHERRY BLOSSOM PAINTING IN ACRYLIC SATURDAY 29TH JUNE, 2019 Following our Cherry Tree Walk, come along to a Painting Workshop in association with local artist, Debbie Chatfield.
PRIDE & PREJUDICE THURSDAY 4TH JULY, 2019 Garden Theatre production of Pride & Prejudice, in association with Chapterhouse Theatre Company. NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME OPEN DAY SUNDAY 7TH JULY, 2019 AUTUMN – FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE PAINTING IN ACRYLIC SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 As the Autumn foliage starts to turn into fiery colours, join us for another Painting Workshop with local artist Debbie Chatfield.
LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS SATURDAY 29TH JUNE, 2019 AUTUMN TOUR & TALK We are thrilled to be hosting the Birmingham Philharmonic SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 Orchestra at Mitton Manor Gardens. Enjoy our Festive Foodiepromises Treats &toLicensed Bar. is provided but youTour are welcome brings rugs. annual Autumn & Talk withtoElizabeth Gooch MBE This spectacular classical concert be a night toSeating Our For for more to speak friendly team. remember the information, whole family.visit our website, or phone and guests, withtoanour optional three-course Autumn lunch.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
mittonmanor.co.uk
Telephone: 01785 291391 Email: info@mittonmanor.co.uk Mitton, Near Penkridge, Staffordshire ST19 5QW
A YEAR IN
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© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2019. All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. The information in The English Garden has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. However, where appropriate, you are advised to check prices, opening times and dates etc before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by the contributors of The English Garden are not necessarily those of the publisher. www.chelseamagazines.com: Publishers of The English Home, Artists & Illustrators, Baby, Little London, Wedding Ideas, BRITAIN, Discover Britain, Cruise International, Independent School Parent and associated guides, Racecar Engineering, Classic Boat, Sailing Today, Yachts & Yachting and Popshot.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 5
The Old Rectory presides over pretty swathes of snowdrops, winter aconites and early Crocus tommasinianus. 6 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
THE OLD RECTORY
Magic CARPET Christopher and Karin Proudfoot have transformed a neglected garden in Kent into a spectacular space that lights up the winter gloom with a flood of aconites, crocuses and special snowdrops WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLA STOCKEN
E
NSCONCED IN A PATCHWORK OF FIELDS
and copses, this is a garden that stirs slowly as the first light penetrates a skirt of woodland and, glade by glade, reveals carpets of frosted snowdrops, golden aconites and silvered crocuses. The winter flowers at the The Old Rectory in Kent, home of Christopher and Karin Proudfoot, create quite a show. “At first, I left well alone,” explains Karin. “It wasn’t until later that I began to see snowdrops as individuals rather than just a wonderful display.” The couple moved here in 1983. “The garden was neglected, with daffodils above tangled grass, overgrown shrubs and hybrid tea roses,” Karin recalls. They were amazed as the winter display unfolded the following February. “Recently, a mini-bus driver brought a group from London and stood rooted to the spot, open-mouthed – he’d never before seen the like,” she adds. The one-and-a-half-acre garden and wood wraps around three sides of the house, shielded by a handsome layered sycamore and an oak grown from an acorn collected by the daughter of the last rector. 8 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above Ferns and bergenias provide the foliage in a bed of specialist snowdrops. Below The Old Rectory’s owners, Christopher and Karin Proudfoot.
On the fourth side, only barbed wire separated the drive from fields. “We were exposed to the northerly winds that whistle up the valley, so our first task was to plant a hawthorn hedge,” says Karin. Early inspiration came from The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd. “It was the first gardening book I read – my mother was keen but I don’t recall her reading about gardening, whereas my father would prune our vine, secateurs in one hand, and an RHS guide in the other,” says Karin. Gardening on the North Downs with free-draining soil, Karin was heartened by Beth Chatto’s The Dry Garden. “Despite alkaline loam above chalk, plants still struggle in hot spells – putting the right plant in the right place is key,” she notes. Luckily, the trees produce leafmould to bolster the soil, and the garden is run to organic principles. Karin let the snowdrops and aconites spread freely at first. “Their presence dictated where I cut borders, although, with time, they’ve spread there anyway,” she reveals. After a while she added Crocus tommasinianus, an early crocus that has spread, injecting clumps of silvery
“It wasn’t until later that I began to see snowdrops as individuals rather than just a wonderful display” lilac flowers among snowdrops and aconites – a combination she loves. “I recently visited Welford Park, which is a sea of white snowdrops, but I felt something was missing,” she admits. In the early 2000s Karin started collecting special cultivars. “Christopher questioned why I was doing it when I already had a garden full of snowdrops,” she recalls. She focused on the distinctive varieties, heeding the words of plant hunter, Tom Mitchell, who advised that any snowdrop that cannot be picked out from three metres away isn’t worth having. Each special snowdrop is planted in an aquatic pond basket sunk into the ground, so the roots can spread out through the mesh. “Each basket is easily lifted when dividing clumps, and is carefully labelled,” she explains. She now has several Clockwise from top yellow cultivars, Sedums and grasses are left intact over winter including G. plicatus in the frosted parterre; ‘Bill Clark’ (named after Crocus minimus ‘Spring the warden who spotted Beauty’ opens its buds in it in the nature reserve February and March; Galanthus nivalis with at Wandlebury Ring in Eranthis hyemalis; Acer Cambridgeshire) and griseum is a superb tree ‘Spindlestone Surprise’. for winter, with its Others are chosen for cinnamon peeling bark. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 9
their singular form and foliage. Karin is especially fond of ‘Natalie Garton’: “It has bold foliage and rounded flowers, and does very well here,” she notes. Another early-flowering cultivar is ‘Daglingworth’, with tall, blue-green leaves and a dotted, ruffled, inner skirt; it was discovered in a church flower arrangement, picked from a nearby colony. ‘Hunton Giant’, found in a rectory garden in the village of Hunton, is around 38cm tall with unusually broad, upright, long-lasting greyish leaves. Visitors ask how the naturalised snowdrops are maintained. “I tell them the main thing is not to cut the grass until late spring,” says Karin. On the optimum time to move snowdrops, she suggests moving them in January as they begin to peep above the ground, or waiting until after the foliage has died down in late June or July.” Bergenias also thrive here: “I used to find them hideous,” says Karin, “but I’ve come to love them because their evergreen leaves are so handsome.” Her favourite is Bergenia ‘Claire Maxine’, with gleaming green foliage that reddens in winter. Then there is ‘Godfrey Owen’, with brown-purple leaves. In one corner it is grown with a snowdrop of the same name, and G. elwesii ‘Margaret Owen’, named for Godfrey’s wife, a famous galanthophile. “I call it my Owen family group,” says Karin. Spring is heralded by more shadelovers: hepaticas, trillium, pulmonarias, epimediums and hellebores, interspersed with naturalised daffodils. Summer brings double peonies, eryngiums, acanthus and clematis, followed by a lull. “There’s always a gap in July, which is hot and dry, but things pick up for autumn with asters, persicarias, helianthus, sedums, colchicums and ornamental grasses,” she explains. Two grasses, Calamagrostis brachytricha and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’, energise a small box parterre. “They are transformed by frost, alongside skeletal sedum heads and rose hips,” says Karin. Nearby it stands a variegated box spiral, which, over 25 years, has been coaxed into a fine, two-metre-high form. It reflects the patience, and artistry of this beautiful garden. Clockwise from top
Ground frost adds lustre to the snowdrops and aconites; scented Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’; the variegated box spiral has been clipped to shape for 25 years; cheerful Eranthis hyemalis is the perfect partner for the many snowdrops.
The Old Rectory, Valley Road, Fawkham Longfield, Kent DA3 8LX. Opens for the National Garden Scheme: see ngs.org.uk for details. 10 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
JANUARY
Plants of the Month
Snowdrops
Sarcococca
Lonicera
In January winter can seem never-ending, so thank heavens for snowdrops. Just the sight of their pointed, green-grey leaves pushing their way through frozen soil, and sometimes even snow, gladdens the heart and reminds us that spring will return. A lot is written about specialist snowdrops, those rare and wonderful varieties coveted and collected by enthusiasts, but you need only the ‘plain’ old species, Galanthus nivalis, for the heartlifting effect. Best planted in the green rather than as dry bulbs in autumn, you can order G. nivalis by the hundred in spring at reasonable prices, and they quickly form carpets of delicate white blooms. Lift and divide existing clumps after flowering, to spread them out. They’re simple to grow and simply effective.
If you grow one winter-flowering shrub, let it be sarcococca, otherwise known as Christmas box. There are several species, varying slightly in size and stemcolour, but they’re all evergreen and clothed in glossy leaves that are a handsome addition to the winter garden. Then, in mid-winter, they produce their flowers. They’re not much to look at – just a little cluster of spindly white stamens – but they have an incredibly strong scent that can be detected from metres away. Plant them by the front door so they welcome you home from a cold commute, by the back door so they draw you out into the garden, or anywhere you need permanent structure, with scent thrown in. They tolerate most soils and positions and after flowering sometimes produce black berries, which birds enjoy.
The winter-flowering honeysuckles don’t look much like their climbing, summer-flowering cousins, but they do have one thing in common: fragrance. Plants such as Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ – one of the best winterflowering shrubby honeysuckles – are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter. Before the new leaves burst their buds in spring, the bare branches are adorned with delicate, sweetly scented, creamy-white flowers. They fare best if planted in a sunny position, although they will cope with shade. Either way, make sure they have enough room to grow, since they look best if allowed to develop their natural habit without being pruned. Like any winterflowering plant, the nectar their flowers supply is vital for insects such as early emerging bees.
12 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
Snowdrops, Christmas box and winter-flowering honeysuckle produce fresh, white flowers in the depths of winter – reason enough to go outside
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JANUARY
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Prune old leaves
from hellebores so that their nodding blooms are easily visible. ● Recycle Christmas
trees by shredding their branches and using the results as a mulch around ericaceous plants. ● Order seed potatoes
from suppliers, ready for chitting in February. ● Take advantage of
the bare-root planting season over winter to buy and plant new fruit trees and bushes. ● January is an ideal
Plan your VEGETABLES
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
It will soon be time to sow seeds of herbs and vegetables ready for the summer harvest, so this is the month to choose what to grow Although it’s too soon to start sowing and planting, January is an ideal time to plan the vegetable-growing year ahead: working out what to grow, how much and where. For the best results when establishing a new vegetable garden, pick a few crops that you love, choose those that taste the best ultra-fresh (such as sweetcorn and courgette flowers) or select those that can be costly to buy. Also, make the most of the chance to grow varieties of familiar crops that are difficult to find in shops, such as the delicious, knobblyshaped salad potato, ‘Pink Fir Apple’, or heritage tomatoes with stripes or unusual colours.
For optimum access, keep your layout simple. Try dividing the vegetable plot into beds approximately 1m wide, each spaced roughly half a metre apart. A 1m-wide bed will easily allow you to reach in and grab unwanted weeds without having to tread on the soil.
Raised beds improve drainage if soil is heavy; they also allow for the addition of large amounts of organic matter, which will contribute to improved fertility and allow for greater yields. Give crops such as tomatoes, aubergines and chillies the sunniest spot to encourage their fruits to ripen quickly. Cutand-come-again salad leaves and leafy oriental vegetables, meanwhile, will grow well in shade. Trailing crops, such as squashes and courgettes, are best positioned at the edge of beds where their leaves won’t shade neighbouring plants. And you should grow frequently picked herbs as close to the kitchen as you can.
time for forcing rhubarb plants by covering the crown with an upturned plant pot or bucket to exclude the light. ● Prune apple and pear
trees while they are dormant. Cut out dead or dying branches, and about 10-20% of the old wood, and aim to create an open centre.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 15
The garden at Trench Hill takes in beautiful views of the Cotswolds.
Revelling in the LIMELIGHT With boundless energy Celia Hargrave has created a large garden in Gloucestershire to provide interest throughout the year, but particularly in spring when hellebores and bulbs come into their own WORDS CLARE FOGGETT PHOTOGRAPHS REBECCA BERNSTEIN
TRENCH HILL
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 17
Top Dormant now, but in
a couple of months the large wildlife pond will be surrounded by irises and covered in waterlilies. Right Masses of daffodils rise beneath the trees. Above A delicately spotted hellebore flower.
C
ELIA AND DAVE HARGRAVE FIRST
viewed Trench Hill in Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire, on a wintry February day, but its wonderful views across the Cotswolds won them over, even though the weather was bleak. That was 25 years ago, and they have been crafting the garden here since moving from their old home in Birmingham, where Celia was a head teacher. “We had a garden there and I liked it, but I wouldn’t have described myself as a gardener in any shape or form,” says Celia. “This garden was a blank canvas and it wasn’t planned in any sense. It’s all evolved, as I have as a gardener.” Right Celia Hargrave, The benefit of gradual evolution over working in the garden that she has developed a sweeping masterplan is that the garden over the past 25 years. feels natural and like it has always been Below right Curving there. Each part that Celia developed borders have been had a chance to settle in, before, in turn, created and added to over time; a rich mix sparking ideas for what she could do of perennials delivers next. Near the bottom of the three-acre interest year-round. sloping site, a large pond was dug out to Below left Chequered create a flag-iris-edged home for wildlife. maroon flowers of Fritillaria meleagris. Gradually, curvaceous borders took shape and, over time, Celia’s plant palette widened to encompass all four seasons. “In a way, it has been by accident, but it has become a garden for all seasons, and whenever you come there’s always something of interest,” she says. The year starts with 40,000 snowdrops nudging through the soil, Celia adding more to the collection annually as well as spreading out the bigger clumps. Aconites pop up alongside the snowdrops, then come swathes of hellebores, crocuses and daffodils to cheer on spring’s progression. And the stony, limestone brash soil suits the hellebores down to the ground. “They multiply prolifically and seed themselves around,” notes Celia. Others develop into such large clumps that she has to dig them up and divide them using a saw. “I keep adding bits of interest to areas, trying to use a variety of colour and plants. I’ve just ordered quite a lot of small irises,” she says. “I’m not a bare-soil gardener.” Strewn throughout are magenta cyclamen, leathery mounds of epimedium, and silvery-leaved pulmonaria, with their pink and blue tubular blooms. “I like pulmonaria and epimedium because they are easy plants,” continues Celia, who favours low-maintenance additions that in the main look after themselves. That said, spring brings with it one of this garden’s most timeconsuming tasks: removing all the old leaves from the hellebores to reveal the season’s fresh new blooms and prevent the spread of leaf diseases. On Tuesdays, Celia has help from gardeners Steven and Dina, but spends at least 50 hours a week in the garden – “and it can take 70 or even 100 hours a week according to the time of year,” A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 19
she says. Fortunately, Celia – who is also a keen runner – enjoys “the physical nature of gardening”. “This is not the kind of gardening you can do with a trug and a hat on,” she says. “It’s quite a physical garden. I occasionally notice the slope if I’m at the very bottom corner of the garden and have to wheel a load of rubbish to the compost heap, but otherwise I don’t find it a problem.” For the past 20 years Celia has opened the garden for the National Garden Scheme, and now has around 1,000 visitors a year. “I’d been to see a couple of gardens and thought that perhaps I could do it, too. I really enjoy it – it’s nice to share the garden with other people and obviously raise money for charity. Some people come year in, year out, and have become almost like friends. I’ve even got a group coming from Berlin this year,” she says. New developments ring the changes so repeat visitors can enjoy something fresh, but this isn’t Celia’s prime reason for working on new projects. “If you’ve got any maintenance you’ve got to have creativity as well so it doesn’t become a chore,” she insists. “It doesn’t matter if it’s something very small, like a flower pot, or putting a different plant in, you need the sense of something new being created. The idea of the garden being static isn’t a good thing. There’s always something to do, something to change and get excited about. When you’ve done 1,000 deadheads or you’ve spent all day trimming a lawn edge, you need that.” At the moment, she’s working on developing a new woodland area. “It’s turned into a rather bigger project than I anticipated,” she says. “We had to have some trees taken down, which has created a lot more light, so I’ve been making a woodland garden with new trees. I’m trying not to put too many hellebores in, so I’ve been planting lots of cornus for stem colour, euonymus and ferns, but the weed seeds have been horrendous.” A woodland path, which heads up the slope to the garden’s best view and is backed by a solid bank of massed hellebores, started life as a much smaller project, too. “It began with me thinking it would 20 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Top left The bristly silver leaves and pretty flowers of pulmonaria. Top right Hellebores thrive here, surrounding wooden sculptures Celia has commissioned. Above Ferny-leaved Anemone nemorosa is perfect for groundcover.
be nice to have a couple of feet of garden at the bottom, near the house. Then I thought if I’ve done one side I could do the other,” Celia says. “I have some foliage borders that started as a single one. I liked it so I thought I’d do the second one, then I thought if I made a third one it would make a lovely winding path, and if I did a fourth it would connect to the pond.” Celia might not have called herself a gardener when she first arrived at Trench Hill, but the garden is testament to the fact that she certainly is now. “I sometimes do a few talks about the garden to people, and I always say that whatever your garden is like, it has got to be owned by you. This garden is my garden; I didn’t have a plan, and if I’d had one, I wouldn’t have created the garden I have now. I’m so pleased it has evolved as I have evolved.” Trench Hill, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire GL6 6TZ. Opens for the NGS on various dates throughout the year and also by arrangement. Tel: +44 (0)1452 814306 or visit ngs.org.uk
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FEBRUARY
Plants of the Month
Iris unguicularis
Daphne bholua
Daffodils
It’s always a surprise when you spot the Algerian iris, Iris unguicularis in February. For a winter flower it’s quite flamboyant, with blooms that dwarf those of neighbouring snowdrops and crocuses. There are several varieties to grow, including the regular species, which has fragrant violet flowers, its three falls marked with stripes of white and yellow. Alternatively look for cultivars such as ‘Mary Barnard’, pictured above, which bears flowers in intense purple, or ‘Walter Butt’, which is said to have the largest flowers of them all, in a very pale shade of lavender. They make smashing underplanting below winter shrubs, such as redstemmed dogwoods, or can be grown in shallow pots for displays nearer the house – just make sure they get plenty of sun.
Gardeners are spoilt for choice when it comes to scented flowers in winter, with plenty of shrubs happy to fill the garden with fragrance during the colder months. Daphnes are among the most coveted, their clusters of waxy, star-shaped flowers filling the garden with the most delicious scent. Frustratingly though, they’re not always the easiest shrub to grow. They can be temperamental, their leaves turning yellow and dropping alarmingly. Stick to Daphne bholua for the best chance of success, looking to a reliable cultivar such as ‘Jacqueline Postill’ (above). It has a neater habit than many, plus pink flowers that are darker in bud. Make sure it has well-drained, fertile soil, in sun or light dappled shade, and avoid moving or pruning it – both of which it hates.
March is the month when daffodils really come to the fore, but there are several varieties of these spring-time troupers that start to flower even earlier, in February. Aptly named ‘February Gold’ is one example, and it’s a beautiful daffodil. It’s from the cyclamineus group of narcissi, which means it has those lovely, swept-back petals that somehow give the flowers a jaunty look. Order a bag of the bulbs in early autumn and plant them in groups and rivers through existing plants in a border. Once Christmas is over, you’ll see the pointed tips of leaves emerging from the soil, soon to be followed by the nodding blooms. For other daffodils to join them, you could also try ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, the pale-primrose Narcissus pseudonarcissus, and perpetually popular ‘Tête-à-tête’.
22 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; ALAMY
Delicate bulbs can be a welcome surprise when their early flowers appear this month, while scented shrubs continue to entice gardeners outdoors
ADVERTORIAL
Longleat: The Pioneering Estate Visit Longleat in its 70th year of opening to the public and discover this magnificent stately home’s formal gardens set within a famous Capability Brown landscape
P
erhaps best known for its popular safari park and majestic high Elizabethan house, Longleat also boasts wonderful formal gardens. In the 17th century, the 1st Viscount Weymouth commissioned George London to create a baroque-style garden, but this was swept away from 1757 by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who transformed the landscape. Later, Humphry Repton made alterations to the design, and in 1805 the 2nd Marchioness expanded the formal gardens to encompass the area around the new Orangery and stables. Today, visitors can lose themselves in the romantic Love Labyrinth, or explore the Secret Garden designed by Russell Page, as well as admiring splendid topiary in the Peacock Garden and discovering additions such as the Sun Maze and Lunar Labyrinth. The grounds also include the safari drive-through, plus a host of other attractions, and are home to more than 1,200 animals from 140 species. Longleat was the first stately home in Great Britain to open to the public on a fully commercial basis, welcoming its first visitors 70 years ago on 1 April 1949. Back in 1949 the adult admission charge was
Clockwise from top left The formal Rose
Garden and Orangery; bluebells flood the Pleasure Walk in spring; a queue of visitors stretched around the House when it first opened to the public in 1949; Longleat’s mysterious Lunar Labyrinth.
two shillings and sixpence (equivalent to 12.5p) and a child’s admission was one shilling (5p). Some 137,985 paying visitors were welcomed that year: photos in the press at the time pictured a queue of people stretching around the west side of the House. It was Henry Thynne, 6th Marquess of Bath, who took radical steps to ensure Longleat’s survival when death duties payable after the 5th Marquess died in 1946 resulted in much of the Estate having to be sold. In 1949, with the House and Estate far from secure, Lord Bath decided to open the doors of his family home as a tourist attraction. The whole
family were involved: photographs in the Longleat Archives show the 6th Marquess directing traffic, the Marchioness selling tickets and Viscount Weymouth (the present Lord Bath) touting the guidebook written by his mother. Facing similar challenges for survival, other private country houses followed Longleat’s example – and hundreds of them now open to the public each year. To celebrate its 70th anniversary as a visitor attraction, Longleat will this year stage a new display of objects from the Longleat Collections, relating to the House’s initial 1949 public opening.
For more information visit longleat.co.uk A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 23
Some values never change. From our archives, the 1913 catalogue foreword still holds true today. To our esteemed Customers. Ladies and Gentlemen, g to your notice our new Catalogue We have much pleasure in introducin It is hardly necessary to say that we of choice bulbs and plants for 1913. thoroughly revising the same. Our have spared no effort in compiling and s with your country, have given us long and extensive business relation in a sound knowledge of the sort most exceptional opportunities of gaining demand by British flowerlovers. e, that hundreds of new customers Although we are very pleased to stat , and a lot of flattering testimonials placed their orders with us last season other hand, that some of our esteemed have come to hand, we regret, on the where. customers have placed their orders else r good stuff, but on the ground of Certainly many of our competitors offe g g bulbs, we take the liberty of pointin win gro in nce erie exp rs yea ny ma our first quality stuff – or even a good out, that it is not possible to send out bulbs are often offered. We hope this article – at the mock-price at which from disappointment. hint may protect many flowerlovers best methods in getting high quality Knowing, that our Firm, by using the able situation of our gardens in the products: by the extraordinarily favour , and by strict honesty, deserves the renowned sandy soil around Haarlem in the whole country, we confidently good reputation which it has obtained h your much esteemed orders, to hope to be favoured again this year wit l and prompt attention. which we shall give our most carefu , ugh to recommend us to your friends eno d goo be to you t ues req we ally Fin d to orders, we shall only be too please and if a recommendation should lead ething extra in your order. to recognise the fact by sending som We beg to remain Your most obedient servants Walter Blom F.R.H.S. Overveen, July 1913
FEBRUARY
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● February is the month to prune hardy evergreen hedges, such as privet, yew and cherry laurel, prior to mid-spring growth. ● Deciduous grasses left intact over winter, such as pennisetum or deschampsia, can be cut back now to clear the way for spring’s new growth. ● Sow a batch of sweet peas in a greenhouse or coldframe.
Winter prune your WISTERIA Carry out pruning on this vigorous climber now and you will be rewarded with a show-stopping display of flowers later in spring
IMAGES ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK
Wisteria pruning is done twice a year, first in July or August and then in January or February. During summer the pruning involves shortening the long, whippy tendrils this fast-growing climber flings out, cutting them back to five or six leaves. The idea is both to rein in its vigour – wisteria has a habit of getting out of control and heading behind guttering and downpipes – and also to concentrate the plant’s efforts on flowering rather than producing leafy growth. The pruning that is carried out in January or February further concentrates the plant’s effort into building
up flower-bearing spurs. The plant is dormant and leafless, so you can easily see what you are doing, and the process is straightforward. Simply work over the climber, cutting back the same growths even further to two or three buds.
When you have finished, you will be left with a climber covered with stumpy little spurs, all bearing buds that will burst into flower in late spring. This hard pruning also ensures the flowers won’t be obscured by a tangle of leafy branches. On older plants, more severe pruning might be required if there is old or dead growth, or branches in the wrong place. You should always cut stems back to a main branch, pruning just above a strong young shoot, and aim to leave a well-spaced frame of stems covering the desired space. Tie in the new stems to fill any gaps as necessary.
● As long as the ground isn’t frozen and you can dig them up, take root cuttings of perennials such as verbascum and phlox. ● Sow chilli seed in a heated propagator to give these fiery plants the longest possible growing season. ● Some hardy annuals such as snapdragons will benefit from early sowing. They make excellent gap-fillers in a summer border.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 25
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FEERINGBURY MANOR
Bejewelled BLOOMS
Giles and Sonia Coode-Adams have developed their garden at Feeringbury Manor, Essex, over the past two decades, creating a relaxed garden full of blossom and bulbs that shine in spring WORDS JACKIE BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 27
F
EERINGBURY MANOR IN ESSEX IS THE
home of not one, but two experienced plantspeople. Giles Coode-Adams is a former president of the Royal Horticultural Society, and his wife, Sonia, is an experienced and knowledgeable gardener. For more than three decades they have played a key role in the gardening world, serving on horticultural committees and opening their garden to raise money for the National Garden Scheme. Giles is the woody plants expert, planning and planting the trees, particularly in the arboretum, while Sonia develops the perennial and bulb planting. Because of Giles’ penchant for Above The striking anything arboricultural, modern metal gate the garden has two key was designed by Giles and Sonia’s artist son, seasons – spring for the Ben Coode-Adams. blossom and autumn for Right The flushed a fiery display of berries deep-pink blooms of and coloured foliage, Magnolia x soulangeana. 28 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
“We knew we wanted to create different areas, but not in a controlled way” particularly from malus, sorbus and euonymus. While autumn might be considered the connoisseurs’ season in this garden, it is spring that brings in the visitors. “Last year we raised nearly £4,000 for NGS charities,” says Sonia. “That’s why we do it – and because we love sharing the garden.” Many gardens look good in spring, but the key is to have good underlying structure. At Feeringbury, this is provided by yew and box hedging. The yew is used to divide spaces and protect the terrace, while the box makes two strong lines down the centre of the lawn area. “Right from the beginning we knew we wanted to create different areas – but not in a very controlled way,” says Sonia. The spring planting of tulips, daffodils, crown imperials and other bulbs has developed over the years and is constantly replenished. One of the more interesting parts is the ‘jewelled lawn’ close to the house, a chance for Sonia to grow small and miniature bulbs in short grass, where they can be appreciated. Colours are not strictly controlled, but she is fond of Narcissus cyclamineus, dwarf tulips and Iris reticulata. In the long grass, taller bulbs hold sway: full-height daffodils and tulips with crown imperials (Fritillaria imperialis) making a great show in the woodland garden, the bright reds, oranges and yellows allowed full rein. Elsewhere, the colour schemes are more restrained with well-established swathes of blue and white Anemone blanda. In terms of blossom, there are several trees the Coode-Adams consider to be indispensable. “I am a big fan of old-fashioned cherry blossoms – the kind you used to see in gardens on every street a few decades ago,” says Sonia. “The Japanese cherries (Prunus serrulata) are considered infra dig these days, which is a pity. We love a variety called ‘Kanzan’, although we have lost a few of our big Japanese cherries to honey fungus.” One of the Top Delicate willow garden’s star trees in early catkins are a sure sign that spring is here. spring is the pure-white, Middle Former RHS almond-scented Prunus president Giles, and x yedoensis, the Yoshino Sonia Coode-Adams. cherry, which shines out Bottom Naturalised daffodils and deepabove the jewelled lawn, orange crown even on the murkiest day. imperials, Fritillaria Giles and Sonia’s other imperialis, create interest is magnolias. a vibrant show. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 29
“We know it is not a ‘designer’ garden. It is more experimental than that. We both love plants and that keeps us interested” “People think you can’t grow magnolias well in neutral or alkaline soil, but we are pH 7.5 – bang in the middle – and we have lime underneath, so if their roots reach that they fail. But that’s part of the learning process. They are definitely worth a try and lots are doing well.” Sonia and Giles were recommended magnolias by the magnolia specialist John Ravenscroft, of Cherry Tree Arboretum in Shropshire, and they now have lovely examples of Magnolia x soulangeana, Magnolia campbellii planted six or seven years ago, Magnolia sprengeri, M. stellata, and Magnolia salicifolia ‘Wada’s Memory’. Feeringbury has been a labour of love for several decades. “When Giles took up his role with the RHS, he became busier and busier,” says Sonia, “so that’s when I took on more of the garden. We also have help from Ellen Fairbanks, our gardener of the past 17 years, plus part-time help 30 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above The white metal
bench is by Richard Bawden; primroses join the daffodils nearby. Below Hyacinths ‘Sky Jacket’, ‘Miss Saigon’ and ‘Apricot Passion’.
from Mike Polom and Sarah Streatfield.” Giles still works with the International Dendrology Society and the Linnean Society, of which he is a fellow. He also serves on the advisory committees of the arboreta at Bedgebury, Westonbirt and Hillier. The dilapidated plot that the couple inherited has now developed into a most interesting garden. It has some natural plus points, including a south-facing aspect, sloping down to the River Blackwater and giving views beyond. On an acre of this lower ground, Giles started his own arboretum some 20 years ago, growing many of the trees from seed. Among the large number of varieties of euonymus, which are a special interest, there are rare specimens from other genera, collected by Giles on his plant-hunting expeditions with RBG Kew. Yet you don’t need to be a plant expert or horticulturist to enjoy this garden. Its scale and generosity of planting make
it a joy to stroll through below the blossomat this time of year, and covered branches of the distinct areas make Prunus x yedoensis, with it relatable to smaller a backdrop of beech. plots. The bulbs are not rare, but there are lots of them – so many that Sonia has lost count of the different named cultivars. “I don’t care at all,” she laughs. “It is impossible to keep track of all the bulbs – some were planted 30 years ago. Every year we add more and you can’t always get the same cultivars. It’s the combination of colours and the overall effect that I love.” One of the challenges the Coode-Adams face is the different moisture levels in the garden. “There are many boggy patches and many dry areas,” adds Sonia, “but that’s how you learn which bulbs and plants will tolerate what. The damp areas, for example, are good for the native narcissus, but hopeless for the tulips and Iris reticulata. It’s a fascinating garden from that point of view – it is teaching us something all the time.” Because of their status in the gardening world, the Coode-Adams could be very precious about the state of their garden, fearing that anyone should view it when it was not at its best. In fact, the reverse is true – they are very relaxed about it. “We know it is not a ‘designer’ garden, says Sonia. “It is more experimental than that. We both love plants and that keeps us interested and wanting to try different things.” Relaxed owners make for a relaxed garden – and one that shows its true colours every spring.
NOTEBOOK
Below Daffodils bloom
Feeringbury Manor The Coode-Adams’ relaxed approach to their garden has created a charming spring plot with inspiring planting and design ideas
1
2
Feeringbury Manor, Coggeshall Road, Feering, Colchester, Essex CO5 9RB. Opens for the NGS on various dates throughout the year, and also by arrangement. Tel: +44 (0)1376 561946; ngs.org.uk 3
4
1 Create an informal spring meadow by adding bulbs, such as daffodils and species tulips, to grass. 2 Magnolia stellata is hard to beat if you are seeking a small tree for spring interest. 3 A decorative arch makes
a feature where paths converge. This large metal one was made by Ben Coode-Adams. 4 Use spring-flowering ground cover to stop weeds getting a look-in. Corydalis and primroses are perfect examples. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 31
MARCH
Plants of the Month
Wood anemones
Chaenomeles
Bergenia
A prettier herald of spring would be hard to find. Wood anemones appear as soon as spring hits its stride, producing gentle mounds of ferny foliage and nodding flowers that open wide in spring sunshine. They agreeably fill gaps until other spring flowers, such as hellebores, arrive, and then retreat underground for a summer sleep. There are lots of choice varieties to grow such as ‘Vestal’, a pristine white double with a central ruff of petals, or ‘Robinsoniana’ which is a vigorous variety in pale blue, easily grown and the one to start with. Replicate their natural habitat and grow these woodlanders below deciduous trees and shrubs so they’ll be shaded in summer. They need soil that doesn’t dry out in hot weather, so spread a mulch of leafmould each year to create the humus-rich conditions they love.
Flowering or Japanese quince is a gorgeous shrub to grow, perhaps best positioned against a sunny wall where you can train it. Grown by themselves in a border they have a rather sprawling habit that doesn’t really do them many favours, but set against a wall their branches and blossom can easily be seen. And that blossom is well worth showing off: cupshaped and in shades of peach and pink, scarlet and pure white. ‘Pink Lady’, pictured above, is just as it sounds: elegant, feminine and a bubblegum shade of pink. ‘Crimson and Gold’ has vibrant scarlet flowers with golden stamens. Then there’s pure white ‘Nivalis’, pink-tinged ‘Moerloosei’ and many more. The flowers are followed by golden fruits, which are technically edible but so acidic that they’re best turned into jam.
There are some gardeners who look down on bergenias with disdain – they’re low-maintenance, tough as old boots and will grow in almost any situation, so have been used in many a municipal planting scheme. But take a look at the bergenia growing in Beth Chatto’s gravel garden where their vibrant pink flowers contrast with orange swords of libertia and lime euphorbia and you may reconsider. After all, if bergenia were good enough for Beth Chatto... Their leathery leaves make superb groundcover and suppress weeds and their flowers are actually very pretty in shades from white to magenta and every pink in between. If they have one failing it is that they provide fivestar accommodation for snails – so grow them far away from any prized rows of lettuce.
32 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
Colours start to get brighter in March, as flowering quince and bergenia begin to bloom, and wood anemones carpet the soil in shady spots
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MARCH
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Scatter a few organic
slug pellets around emerging bulbs and new shoots to prevent slug and snail damage. ● If there’s a dry day with mild weather and the grass is growing, mow the lawn. ● Prune shrubs grown for their winter bark colour, such as dogwoods (cornus) and willows (salix), ideally just before their buds burst. Follow up with a handful of fertiliser worked in around their base. ● It’s time to prune
Succumb to NEW ROSES
There’s still time to plant bareroot roses, so take advantage of this easy way to grow them to enjoy glorious scent and colour later in the season
IMAGES GAP/FRIEDRICH STRAUSS/VISIONS; SHUTTERSTOCK
The end of bareroot season is now approaching. If you want to plant some new roses, this is your last chance to do it. Planting roses as bareroots is the best way to get them started. Any tree or shrub that is planted in its dormant, winter state as a bareroot will establish more quickly and easily than one that’s in full summer growth. It’s easier to plant them, they’ll need less aftercare – and bareroot plants are usually cheaper, too. Bareroot plants do look a little unpromising. Lifted from the rose-grower’s field in the depths of winter, they resemble a bundle of twigs with a few
muddy roots attached. But once firmly anchored in the soil, they’ll soon start to grow. It’s important not to let the roots dry out, however. If there is any risk of a delay between the plants arriving from the nursery and being able to
get them in the ground – for example, if the soil is frozen solid – heel them into some damp compost to keep them safe in the meantime. Dig over the soil and work in some well-rotted organic matter, such as farm manure. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours before planting. Roses tolerate being planted deeply, and the graft union – the bulky section where the stems meet the roots – should be just below soil level. Firm the plant in well and water. Further watering shouldn’t be required if spring brings rainy weather, but keep an eye on it just in case the soil dries out.
bush roses. Take out dead or diseased wood and one or two of the oldest stems, then cut the rest back by half, cutting above an outward-facing bud. ● Divide tired or congested clumps of perennials, such as daylilies (below), perennial helianthus, hostas and sedum.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 35
Avril Cole-Jones dips into a wide palette of tulips in colour co-ordinated shades to create wonderful spring displays at Furzelea.
Colour Me BEAUTIF BEAUTIFUL At Furzelea in Essex, Avril and Roger Cole-Jones have created an immaculately maintained and perfectly colour co-ordinated spring garden WORDS CATHERINE HORWOOD PHOTOGRAPHS ABIGAIL REX
36 THE ENGLISH GARDEN APRIL 2018
HELMSLEY FW UR AZL E LL EE DA GARDEN
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 37
T
Top Around the pond, purple phormiums and emerging rheum leaves contribute bold foliage. Above Avril and Roger Cole-Jones. Right The delicately fringed petals of tulip ‘Maja’ are the colour of clotted cream.
HERE ARE PARTS OF ESSEX THAT, according to the great plantswoman Beth Chatto, have lower rainfall than Egypt. The village of Danbury may well be one of them, lying, as it does, east of Chelmsford, just a few miles from the archetypal East Anglian estuary town of Maldon. Arriving at Furzelea on the outskirts of Danbury, home to Avril and Roger Cole-Jones for nearly 40 years, the lush planting belies this, although the tumultuous palette of tulips on display confirms there is no shortage of sunshine. The couple bought Furzelea in 1980, having lived in the north of England before a spell in Bahrain, with no gardening opportunities for Avril there. A job transfer for Roger meant that they needed to find a home in the east of England for their young family. Furzelea was constructed in the 1890s by the Bakers, a family of local builders, and the Cole-Joneses are only the third owners of this fine Victorian villa.
38 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
“The garden had originally been looked after by three full-time gardeners,” says Avril, “but when we arrived, we had to hack a tunnel through the weeds and brambles to reach the bottom of the garden.” South-facing with bands of heavy clay laying on stones just a few inches below, the garden slopes down to the boundary wall where now sits the restored thatched summerhouse that belonged to the Bakers and was discovered only when Avril and Roger removed the undergrowth. The garden now is about two-thirds of an acre smaller than it was when the Cole-Joneses originally bought the property: they sold two plots to the left and right of the house in the 1990s. It surrounds the house on three sides from the welcoming entrance drive, round to the left of the house and then falling away from the rear, south-facing terraces. Avril’s passion for colour co-ordination is plain to see. While any gardener can these days pick up a collection of colour-coded bulbs, Avril has gone far beyond this stage by selecting not only the bulbs but shrubs and perennials to complement such as Tulipa ‘Doll’s Minuet’, are surrounded each different area of the garden. The success of by emerging peony foliage and early dwarf irises. these selections is immediately obvious as you turn the corner away from the driveway, passing the small These are backed by the grey-green leaves of Melianthus major, whose towering flower spikes vegetable garden and fruit frame. Two large, brickare testament to the microclimate enjoyed by the edged beds face the side of the house, contained by garden. Low-flowering plants, such immaculate box topiary and a wide, as a mauve aubrieta and lilac-blue winding, gravel path. Shrub rose foliage Above Clematis Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’, is just bursting through in April, but this montana ‘Elizabeth’. continue the theme. is the time for the tulips to hold centre Below left The brickAvril plants some 2,500 tulips stage accessorised by the emerging edged lawns are Roger’s responsibility, and set every year, adding old favourites foliage of perennials, in particular off busy borders to a tee. and new discoveries. Pots scattered hardy geraniums. Here, a mixed palette Below right A pot of throughout the garden often of lipstick pinks and magenta tulips, carex, milium and vivid contain only a single variety, which topped up every year by new varieties, tulip ‘Eye Catcher’. are being trialled for further use, while all the borders are kept to specific colour schemes. Many of the discreet wire frames throughout the garden have been made by Roger, who sometimes offers them for sale
APRIL 2018 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 39
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Above Pale-lemon tulips, The circular theme is carried on on their National Garden Scheme daffodils and wallflowers in the adjoining pond area, where open days. The pink border extends nestle below a cherry. the evergreen foliage of purple around the back of the house where Right Vibrant heuchera phormiums provide good shelter for an early Clematis ‘Elizabeth’ sprawls leaves are the perfect match for soft silver the resident frogs and toads, while across a low wall. Artemisia ludoviciana giant umbrella-like rheum leaves The immaculate presentation of ‘Valerie Finnis’. begin to emerge. This signals another the garden belies its early condition. change in colour palette, with a “The lawn is Roger’s responsibility,” darker tone developing through the copper foliage explains Avril, “but we both share a love of topiary.” of Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ and Geum Throughout the different areas, not just box but rivale ‘Leonard’s Variety’. A mixture of low-growing yew and euonymus, the couple’s immaculate Dicentra formosa and other bleeding hearts, now attention to detail is self-evident. Central to the known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis, are the perfect first lawned garden is a yellow and white circular foil to the grasses, phormiums and astelias. Among border, home to several years’ worth of pale-yellow Avril’s favourites are Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Blue tulips set off by variegated euphorbias and Bowles’ Heaven’ and Chionochloa rubra, the red tussock golden grass (Milium effusum ‘Aureum’), which does not run as it would in damp soil. Late-flowering grass. “Another is Miscanthus nepalensis, which I love for its gold tassels,” adds Avril. daffodils such as ‘Cheerfulness’ sit perfectly The much-treasured thatched summerhouse is set alongside the tall tulips, while shorter Narcissus off by two magnificent topiarised box dumplings ‘Hawera’ cluster around their ankles. Finally, to set next to a pink- and peach-themed bed. This is off the pale-yellow theme, a spectacular Clematis macropetala ‘Maidwell Hall’ covers an arch – one of continued around to the right-hand, south-eastfacing border, full of the warm tones of apricot and several made by Roger.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 41
orange. Tulip ‘Ballerina’ is a stalwart regular here, reliably perennial for several years, deliciously scented and topped up annually. Avril complements it with ‘Cairo’, which is a coppery orange, and ‘Abu Hassan’, mahogany edged in gold and sometimes a tricky tulip to place in a border, but working perfectly here. “I particularly like it with Sisyrinchium striatum ‘Aunt May’,” comments Avril. The little lily-flowered Viridiflora tulip ‘Eye Catcher’ adds a touch of reddish orange as well, and also makes an appearance in pots with a copper carex and spots of Bowles’ golden grass. Coming around to the east-facing terrace, the final theme is white, creating a calm and cool contrast to the main garden. Here, clipped balls of euonymus and the blue-grey grass Helictotrichon sempervirens are a backdrop to Narcissus ‘Thalia’, tulips ‘White Triumphator’, ‘Swan Wings’, and ‘Spring Green’ with some dark ‘Paul Scherer’ as added contrast emerging from tufts of the near black grass, Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, and mats of white Iberis sempervirens. The calmness of this area is the perfect finale in a garden where the palette of colours is key to planting perfection. Furzelea, Bicknacre Road, Danbury, Essex CM3 4JR. Opens for the National Garden Scheme on various dates throughout the year and also to groups of 15+ by prior arrangement. Tel: +44 (0)1245 225726; ngs.org.uk
Top Fine-leaved Choisya ‘Aztec Pearl’, smothered in white spring blossom. Middle An arch drips with the flowers of Clematis macropetala ‘Maidwell Hall’. Bottom Orange tulip ‘Ballerina’ pops with bronze carex as its foil.
SPRING ADVICE
By Roger and Avril Cole-Jones ● Tulips are not
usually thought of as perennial, but if planted at least 15cm deep, repeat flowering is encouraged for at least one or two more years. ● We mulch all the
beds with leafmould. It is marvellous for keeping in winter moisture and suppressing weeds before they pop up. ● Beech nuts from our
large tree in the drive may be impossible to compost, but we use them as a great path covering to allow access to the back of the deepest borders. ● Don’t ignore market
stalls – they often have desirable plants, such as named salvia varieties, at much cheaper prices than garden centres. ● We keep the wire
plant supports, made by Roger, in the ground all year round. They not only protect and support the new spring growth but also remind you where you have hidden treasures.
42 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
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APRIL
Plants of the Month
Clematis montana
Crown imperials
Flowering currant
Of all the clematis available to gardeners, Clematis montana is one of the most vigorous. But if you’ve got the space to let it romp, it’s a decision you won’t regret when, every April, it smothers itself in hundreds and thousands of flowers. If there’s an unsightly fence or even a building to hide, or a large tree that needs enlivening, this climber is the answer, easily clambering 12m upwards and 4m across. Plant it where the roots will be cool and shaded and as long as it has something to scramble up or through, it will be off. The species and most cultivars are shades of pink (‘Tetrarose’, is a particularly deep pink), but there is also a white version that looks incredible weaving its way through the dark purple leaves of a copper beech. You can even cut the flowers to add to arrangements in vases.
If you want a bulb with wow factor, look no further than the crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis. They’re almost too bright and too flamboyant for this time of year, so do need careful thought about where to place them. But what a statement when they flower! A stout purple stalk bears a cluster of pendent bells in orange, or yellow, depending on which you buy, with a topknot of spiky leaves as the crowning glory. The bulbs are large, and should be planted in autumn – they usually have a hollow, so need to be planted on their sides to stop this indentation filling with water and rotting. Sadly they are one of those plants lily beetles like to devour, and if these pests emerge early in warm weather, crown imperials will be targeted. Keep a close eye out for the beastly scarlet attackers.
Another maligned shrub that deserves a champion, the humble flowering currant used to be widely planted, often in front gardens and usually in conjunction with a bright yellow forsythia. Perhaps because of that it fell from favour, but it’s a super spring shrub, capable of growing in most positions including dry shade. White-flowered cultivars such as ‘White Icicle’ add much-needed freshness to shady spots, while the more common pinks have their own charm. ‘Pulborough Scarlet’ has pink-red flowers with a white centre, or try ‘King Edward VII’, which drips with bunches of crimson flowers. For something more subtle, there is the rose-pink ‘Lombartsii’ or the candyfloss-coloured ‘Porky’s Pink’, but whatever the colour, these shrubs are a low-maintenance choice for borders.
44 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
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APRIL
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● When the soil has
warmed up, sow the seed of hardy annuals directly where you want them to flower. Try cottage-garden favourites, such as poppies, cornflowers and love-in-a-mist. ● Gradually start to
increase the amount of water you give to houseplants, since they will respond to warmer temperatures and increased light levels. ● As roses come into
leaf, scatter a little granular rose fertiliser around their base and work it into the soil.
Plant a STRAWBERRY BED
● In a propagator or
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
Enjoy a home-grown harvest of one of summer’s most anticipated – and most delicious – fruits, by planting cold-stored runners now Strawberry plants grow best in warm areas of the garden with lots of light, so take this into account when deciding where to locate your strawberry bed. Warmth and sunshine will also give the fruits a fuller flavour and a stronger aroma. Shallow-rooted strawberry plants need good drainage and rich soil, so it’s important to prepare the ground before planting by double digging and mixing in well-rotted compost. On clay or poorly drained soil, consider trying to grow your strawberries in raised beds. These can be adapted to fit the shape of your garden, but bear in mind that a square bed will
be easier to net to protect the fruits from scavengers. To enjoy a summer harvest, buy cold-stored runners for planting in spring. Position your strawberry plants about 40cm apart, in rows with a 60cm gap between them. Water the
plants frequently while they are establishing, and during periods of drought throughout the growing season. Take care to water at the base of the plant, because drenching it topdown can result in rotten fruit. Protect emerging fruits from rot by tucking a layer of straw underneath them. This will also help prevent weeds, although any that do emerge should be pulled up by hand. Expect your first harvest around 60 days after planting. A well-tended strawberry bed should continue fruiting for up to three years before needing to be replaced, and new plants are easily propagated from runners.
greenhouse, sow seeds of tender vegetables such as sweetcorn, beans and courgettes. Plant out after the risk of frost has passed. ● Divide vigorous
waterlilies just as they start to show signs of growth. Always use aquatic compost.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 47
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GARDENERS’ C O T TA G E
A circular lawn forms the heart of this garden and from it radiate several paths.
A Gardener’s GARDEN For Jim Buckland, head gardener at West Dean Gardens in West Sussex, tending the small intimate garden surrounding his home is a satisfying coda to a demanding day job WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLA STOCKEN A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 49
A
T FIRST LIGHT, THERE IS A SENSE OF
glasshouses and gardens. Somehow, along the way, Jim has found time to create a personal, private theatre about Jim Buckland’s garden. garden around their 18th-century cottage. “People As shafts of light illuminate an don’t believe me, but this garden is completely me ancient stone column rising above – Sarah just lets me get on with it,” he insists. a wildflower mound, they radiate Cocooned in mature trees that part to reveal through a leafy canopy to penetrate a collection glimpses of the South Downs, Jim’s fifth-of-anof labyrinthine paths that converge on this central acre garden may be small, but it has great presence. stage. “I see the garden as a series of scenes, and it “There is a strong evergreen bone structure created feels rather like walking on and off a stage as you pass through the different spaces,” explains Jim from from holly, box or yew topiary, as well as some his small, serene and secluded retreat in West Sussex. lovely specimen trees that define the space vertically – they really make the garden,” he adds. The trees, This is the home of Jim and his wife, including birch, cornus, aralia, yew, Sarah Wain, the head-gardener duo conifers and a tulip tree, cast welcome at West Dean Gardens. It was 1991, Above The formality shade, filtering the high light levels shortly after the Great Storm had of clipped yew and box contrasts with the prevalent in this area, and highlighting wreaked havoc throughout the historic mound of wildflowers in different textures and foliage during gardens, when the couple arrived the centre of the lawn. the day. “My main focus is on foliage and tirelessly embarked upon an Left Jim Buckland and and structure – flowers are ephemeral.” extensive restoration of the arboretum, Sarah Wain.
50 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above Loungers wait The garden was in the perfect spot for originally laid out by an afternoon rest. Jim’s predecessor, Ivan Left A collection of Hicks, and apart from succulents in pots shelters at the foot of a a few tweaks, in terms low flint-and-brick wall. of its layout is little changed. “The circular lawn is a very attractive feature, and so much more interesting than a square rectangle of grass. I don’t see the point of change for change’s sake,” adds Jim. He sees the circular lawn as an axis around which the whole garden turns, with five paths leading off it, punctuated with two yews to each side that break into the circle of box hedging. “Box hedging acts as a corset, defining the edges and preventing it from being diffuse,” he explains. Each pathway is different in character. An old gate in a high boundary wall frames the first view of the garden, leading the eye along an open paved path lined in leafy plants such as ferns, euphorbias, heucheras, hostas, arums and acanthus. “I rely on a limited palette of plants that will grow well, with relatively little care and attention,” says Jim. The next path along is crowded in from both sides by Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum x hybridum). Directly opposite the cottage, which is described by Jim as having the naive charm of a child’s
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 51
drawing of a house, a short, straight path leads towards a bench that is recessed into a tall box hedge. “There are quite a few lovely seating areas here but, in practice, I rarely have any free time to sit in them. If I do, it is usually in the steamer chair on a warm summer’s day, when I’ll maybe take an hour’s nap after work.” This particular bench overlooks beds of Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, Geranium sylvaticum ‘Album’, Solomon’s seal, Gladiolus byzantinus, and Aconitum napellus. Clumps of Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ are peppered throughout the beds. The next path passes beneath an arch that is swathed in Virginia creeper, and winds between shade-loving hostas, London pride, ferns and Trachystemon orientalis, a leafy perennial that even copes under conifers. “It comes early into Top Viewed from above, leaf and flower, and is the garden’s simple, spoke-like layout of looking tired by midpaths is clear to see. June,” explains Jim. Middle Pendent flowers “So, I cut it back to the of Solomon’s seal. rhizomes, water well, Left Echeveria knit together to create and it shoots afresh.” a mat of fleshy leaves Nestling in some of Far left The perfectly the least hospitable symmetrical leaf rosette places is Podophyllum of aeonium. 52 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
PLANTS AT Gardeners’ Cottage Vibrant shots of colour and unusual plants mix with cottage-garden stalwarts
TULBAGHIA LEUCANTHA
IRIS ‘JANE PHILLIPS’
EUPHORBIA CORNIGERA
An unusual bulb that originates from South Africa and produces scented flowers in May above grass-like leaves.
Appearing in May and June, the richly coloured blooms of this iris, held on 85cm-tall stems, have good perfume.
Try this fast-growing perennial spurge for dots of bright acidic colour when its bracts appear from May onwards.
ALLIUM ‘PURPLE SENSATION’
GERANIUM SYLVATICUM ‘ALBUM’
THALICTRUM AQUILEGIIFOLIUM
A justly popular cultivar known for its vibrant, deep-purple, globe-shaped flowers, reliably produced in late spring.
This hardy geranium can always be relied upon for flowers that will lighten tricky, dark and shady spots.
Powder-puff flowerheads of mauvepink top stems that reach 1m tall, above foliage akin to that of aquilegia.
ANTHRISCUS SYLVESTRIS
GERANIUM ‘MAYFLOWER’
GLADIOLUS BYZANTINUS
Cow parsley lends an informal look when it flowers in May and June. Deadhead to prevent rampant self-seeding.
Expect masses of violet-blue flowers on this Geranium sylvaticum cultivar, which is perfect for sun or light shade.
This gorgeous gladiolus species produces vivid magenta flower spikes, and is hardy in well-drained soil.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 53
NOTEBOOK
Gardeners’ Cottage Plants are the stars in this garden, whether they have a specific function or are purely ornamental
1
2
3
4
1 The mound in the centre of the lawn, with its central stone column, is engulfed in wildflowers such as buttercups and cow parsley. 2 One of
the most striking trees in the early summer garden is a mature Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa var. chinensis). 3 Box hedging encloses this bench in a chilly spot at the bottom of the garden. 4 A low bench is used as staging for tulbaghias and succulents, with an iron gate backdrop. 54 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above A circular pool ‘Spotty Dotty’, an unusual, is set into paving. Red spotty-leaved herbaceous bricks laid on the woodland plant that thrives diagonal help disguise in dry shade. “I can’t grow the irregular shape of the courtyard. any grey-leaved plants – they tend to originate from the Mediterranean and like intense sunlight,” he explains of the shady garden. The fifth and final path leads through the sunniest part of the garden in front of the house, past roses, thalictrum, clematis, bearded irises, chives and hardy geraniums, before arriving at a dining table, a lovely spot to eat outdoors. Nearby, to the side of the house, is a courtyard garden with a collection of pot-grown succulents, hostas and ferns, and a round pool. “I wanted it to be relatively formal, and rather had to shoehorn it into the space,” he explains. “Sadly, it has proved difficult to maintain, and always seems to be on the verge of going green.” The irregularly shaped courtyard is ingeniously landscaped, so it is no surprise to learn that, before training in horticulture, Jim was a bricklayer. “Nothing is square, but by running the paving diagonally, it detracts from the lack of symmetry,” he explains. Ordinary paving slabs are dressed up with a framing of red bricks that echo the colour of the terracotta pots. Jim and Sarah have amassed a large collection of tender succulents with exotic-sounding varieties of sedum, aeonium and echeveria. “We just started collecting them on a whim. They’re handsome plants, very satisfying to grow, and they need little care – provided you protect them from frost.” For many professional gardeners, coming home to be faced with yet more gardening would be anathema, but Jim’s role at West Dean Gardens tends to involve considerable administrative minutiae rather than constant hands-on gardening. “I love gardening on an intimate scale; I love engaging with the soil and plants,” he explains. “And, if I have one talent, it is for continuous hard graft. A garden is really important to me because I need to live in beautiful surroundings. It is uplifting to the soul.”
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MAY
Plants of the Month
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
May is a month of frothy delights when shrubs and trees blossom and spring cranks up the glamour with exciting bulbs and perennials
Viburnum opulus
Aquilegia
Camassia
Many of us are familiar with Viburnum opulus, particularly in autumn when it’s easily spotted in hedgerows, its leaves taking on vibrant shades of red and gold, with birds waiting nearby to feast on the translucent scarlet fruits that cover it. In spring, though, it’s gardeners who get to enjoy a visual feast: big balls of white blooms that are the reason for the shrub’s common name of ‘snowball tree’. Any gardener growing cut flowers for the house will want to seek out Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’, which is the variety that produces those clusters of lime green flowers so often seen in bouquets at this time of year. The lime green turns to white as the flowers mature, but because the blooms are sterile, there is no fruit. Grow in good soil in sun or shady spots.
A cottage-garden classic, granny’s bonnets are super-easy to grow: simply scatter some seed into gaps in your border – and every gardener knows another gardener with an aquilegia they can cut a seedpod from. But you may wish to be more discerning, for the aquilegias that seed so willingly around gardens may not necessarily have flowers in the most desirable colours. You’ll often find plants in an especially depressing shade of purple popping up. Look to seed catalogues for clearer colours in confectionery shades of pink, apple-green and blue-purple. There are exciting double forms, too, as well as the long-spurred flowers of ‘Yellow Queen’, which often wins a place in the stylish show gardens built at the Chelsea Flower Show.
A supermodel among spring bulbs, camassias have glamour and good looks, yet are surprisingly easy to grow. Plant the bulbs in autumn in moistureretentive soil: they enjoy damp conditions as long as they are not waterlogged during winter. A damp meadow or spot beside a stream are ideal locations, but as long as the soil is moist enough, you can mix them into your borders, too, perhaps with other spring flowers such as bleeding heart and euphorbia. They shoot upwards in spring, producing flower spikes that can be over 1m tall in the case of Camassia leichtlinii Caerulea Group, which also has a white-flowered version. Perhaps a better choice for a meadow situation is the shorter Camassia quamash, which grows to just 30cm.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 57
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58 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
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MAY
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Harvest asparagus
once spears reach 15-18cm, cutting 1cm above the soil. Don’t harvest for two years after planting, and in the third harvest from mid-April for six weeks. ● If you have
strawberry plants in the garden, protect the fruits from rot and ground-dwelling pests by laying straw beneath them. If your garden is popular with birds, protect the fruits by covering your plants with taut netting. ● Sow tender
Harden off PLANTS
vegetables such as French and runner beans, courgettes and squashes and Florence fennel now that the risk of frost is waning.
Ease plants’ transition from glasshouse protection to being outdoors by getting them accustomed to cooler temperatures before transplanting
IMAGES GAP/MAXINE ADCOCK; SHUTTERSTOCK
When you sow plants under cover – in a propagator, in the greenhouse or on a windowsill indoors – they need to get used to being outside before you transplant them. Otherwise the shock of suddenly finding themselves in such different conditions can dramatically set them back, and sometimes even kill them. Trays of onion and shallot sets, garlic cloves, young broad bean or brassica plants, gutters full of pea seedlings, or lettuce leaves sown in the greenhouse or conservatory, will all be approaching planting-out time now. Start taking them outside during the day for a
few hours at a time, gradually lengthening the period they spend outdoors with every day until eventually, they can be left outside overnight (check the forecast beforehand, just in case a snap frost is forecast). Once the plants have spent a week
or so going outside each day, then another week of staying outdoors overnight, plant them in the vegetable garden safe in the knowledge that they will be able to tolerate it. A coldframe is a real asset at this time of year. Place trays and pots inside it and all you’ll have to do is raise the lid during the day and then lower it at night, moving on to keeping the lid open all night eventually. Use it to harden off plants started off in warm conditions, including tender vegetables or ornamentals sown earlier in the year, and any bought as plug plants from the garden centre or by mail order.
● If the risk of frost has
passed in your area, plant summer bedding such as pelargoniums, verbena and nicotiana in borders, pots and hanging baskets.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 59
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Spectacular views of the Weald of Kent are matched by the sumptuous, time-honed planting in Elizabeth and Andrew Cairns’ well-established garden WORDS HELEN YEMM PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS
KNOWLE HILL FAR M
Penstemon ‘Geoff Hamilton’, eryngium and roses complement the sculpture Hydra by David Harber. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 61
I
T IS BOTH HUMBLING AND DEEPLY IMPRESSIVE,
in these days of big-budget, quick-fix gardening, to visit a garden that has been created and tended with great intensity, skill and passion by the same owners – Elizabeth and Andrew Cairns – over 35 years and yet is still moving forwards. The garden that surrounds Knowle Hill Farm has a feeling of calm solidity, its now thoroughly mature ‘bones’ enhanced by thoughtful elegant planting, lovingly honed over time by Elizabeth with the aid of long-serving, part-time gardening help. The garden is of a style that might perhaps be called ‘grand English cottage garden’, and while making it clear that big decisions about it are very much taken jointly with husband Andrew, Elizabeth acknowledges that she is the creative half of the partnership. There is a springtime snowdrop National Garden Scheme opening, but the garden is impressive all year round – and is, of course, at its most florally spectacular in high summer. Old farmhouses like this one tend not to have formal approaches and entrances, and Knowle Hill Farm is no exception. However, while the house is accessed by a narrow lane that is both rough and steep (and this, barely 50 miles from London) and entered via what was clearly the former farmyard, a high degree of sophistication has been achieved even here through the use of pale gravel
Above Elizabeth and
Andrew Cairns.
Right The terrace is
enclosed by a froth of Orlaya grandiflora, with Clematis ‘Warszawska Nike’ and ‘Old Blush China’ and ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ roses for colour.
62 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
and elegant linear plantings. Against a dark backdrop of hedging, there are just a few species, including roses, lavender, sedums and heuchera that, to Elizabeth’s modest satisfaction, look good at all times of year. On arrival, however, most visitors have no inkling as to the property’s extraordinary natural assets: accessed through a relatively small gap in a tall hedge and via a sheltered paved sitting area is a stunningly ‘framed’ view and a wide spacious garden that wraps around the house. It is graced by lovely topiary and deep, shrubby herbaceous borders with clematis, roses and lots more lavender. At the garden’s heart is the substantial 15th-century farmhouse, set high on a southerly facing slope of the North Downs, with a seemingly endless view of the miles of flat agricultural land that form the Weald of Kent. The garden soil here is highly alkaline, light and very free-draining over ragstone bedrock. Moisture retention, even after years of regular soil improvement with locally sourced farm manure, is a constant concern, particularly in the heavily planted, deep mixed borders at the front and to the side of the house. When the Cairns’ took on the house in 1983 there was, according to Elizabeth, not much of a garden at all, and the two-acre plot was uncomfortably exposed to the prevailing westerly winds. The Great Storm of 1987 had torn through the county and most of the garden’s few good trees were lost. But by then the elements of a highly necessary, three-tier-deep shelterbelt of trees (cherry, hornbeam, hazel, oak and
The upper path leads to the greenhouse, between dense borders, and offers a view over the garden below.
Clockwise from above
Trees and shrubs, such as Cotoneaster frigidus ‘Cornubia’ and Corokia ‘Red Wonder’ shelter deep borders; Achillea ‘Moonshine’ with Erysimum ‘Apricot Twist’; a rill-fed water feature creates a calm counterpoint; dainty Clematis ‘Pagoda’.
alder) had been planted on the western edge. This belt now does its job, and together with the southfacing slope of the terrain makes this a wonderfully warm and sheltered garden, despite the wide open area of lawn and the sweeping view southwards, interrupted only by the long, characterful and artfully hummocky box hedge (once described as “less ‘cloud-pruned’, more ‘children fighting under a duvet’”) that frames it. Over time, a further layer of ornamental shrubs has grown to arch over the back of the long, curvy-edged border that runs down the western edge of the garden. This is a garden that reveals layer upon layer of gorgeous planting. In addition to the hedge, there is a serious amount of punctuating topiary – the former cut by the same A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 63
Top Self-seeding lychnis
and foxgloves bring cottage-garden style in abundance. Above A hummocky box hedge is low enough not to interrupt the views. Left Phygelius ‘Yellow Trumpet’ produces a mound of lush leaves and cascading flowers.
64 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
gardener for years; the latter clipped by Elizabeth herself. There is also some beautifully constructed stonework, including a long terrace that runs across the entire width of the front of the house as well as a small secluded pond area to one side of the garden, its walls smothered in climbing roses. However, this is not a garden that is dominated by its hard landscaping. As the saying (well, my saying) goes: ‘real gardeners do it with plants’. The garden therefore feels informal and seems to have ‘grownonto’ the house and hillside – making it the perfect place for contemplative wandering. To the side of the house, and positioned conveniently close to the kitchen, is a small herb garden and, from there, the visitor is drawn on, via steps flanked by beautifully clipped box topiary, to the higher flatter levels of the garden, dominated by roses and salvias and by shrubs with strong structural presence and coloured foliage, all punctuated by strategically placed seats that give glimpses of the all-important view. There are, of course, several ‘works in progress’. The sudden death of an enormous shade-creating cherry tree necessitated a radical rethink and replanting, creating a new sloping rose bank. Work on the creation of a small meadow orchard is an ongoing project, but the area is already bright with daffodils and dotted with fritillaries in spring and early summer, while later on waving grasses are spangled with ox-eye daises and other high-summer
LAVENDER AT Knowle Hill Farm
Top The free-draining
soil suits lavenders such as ‘Ashdown Forest’, in front of ivory-white Rosa ‘Jacqueline du Pré’. Above Tall purple spires and shiny foliage on Delphinium requienii.
wildflowers. The most recent adventure is the creation of a small courtyard against the east wall of the house, with ‘sentinels’ of clipped bay on either side, where the intention is to plant only leafy green plants. This, Elizabeth says, is a place to indulge her current fascination with ferns and foliage. In her borders, meanwhile, she is punctilious about colour. In high summer, blue-purple, yellow and white herbaceous plants and clematis dominate in the big border. Only white foxgloves are allowed past the gate, while a sea of lavender near the terrace gives way to an ocean of agapanthus lower down the slope. But Elizabeth positively relishes the presence of any perennials and biennials that self-seed. The list of her favourites is long and colourful and includes gaura, honesty, orlaya, Brompton stocks (Matthiola incana), sisyrinchium, various poppies (including small yellow Meconopsis cambrica and orange Papaver rupifragum) and euphorbias. These and many others are all given licence to proliferate and are ‘managed’ to maintain a look that is artlessly informal but, at its heart, very carefully and cleverly controlled – which is, as all gardeners know, no mean feat. Knowle Hill Farm, Ulcombe, Maidstone, Kent ME17 1ES. Opens for the National Garden Scheme and also by arrangement. Tel: +44 (0)1622 850240; knowlehillfarmgarden.co.uk; ngs.org.uk
U
ndoubtedly the largest hard landscaping project undertaken by the Cairns was the creation of an elegantly bricked and paved terrace and ‘lavender walk’ that runs the whole width of the house and is a perfect vantage point from which to take in the mesmerising view. The slopes of the North Downs provide excellent conditions for lavender, and Knowle Hill Farm is awash with it – blue-purple being one of the dominant colours of high summer. By July, the massed lavender is in full glorious sail, swaying under the weight of hundreds of drowsy bees and, given fair weather, filling the air with its scent. Two varieties have been used on the terrace: blue-flowered ‘Abrialis’ and white ‘Edelweiss’. The Cairns are members of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and take a great interest in these enchanting garden visitors. Four species of bumblebee have been observed here, including red-tailed, white-tailed, bufftailed and common carder, as well as masses of smaller honey and solitary bees. The lavender is cut back just once a year, after its flowering season has eventually come to an end – the decision as to when to tackle this time-consuming job is a hard one to take. The result, however, within a few weeks, is neat dumplings of grey-coloured foliage that massed together form a handsome ‘foreground’ to that allimportant view throughout the year.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 65
JUNE
Plants of the Month
Gladiolus
Philadelphus
Astrantia major
Say gladiolus and most people immediately think of the cut flowers, which do tend to divide opinion and are quite tricky to work into a border. But there are other gladioli that are much easier to incorporate, such as the highly desirable magenta Gladiolus byzantinus, pictured above. Grown in well-drained soil so that its corms don’t rot during winter, it’s hardy and will come back year after year – try it with limey euphorbias and purple alliums for a show-stealing display. If you like that gladiolus and it grows well for you, also consider Gladiolus papilio. This swoon-worthy species has cream-coloured flowers painted on the outside with mauve, while the cultivar ‘Ruby’ has the most gorgeous, duskycrimson flowers on its silverygreen flower spikes.
If there’s a philadelphus, or mock orange, in the vicinity, you’ll know about it, thanks to the knock-out bubblegum scent of its early summer flowers. It’s true that these shrubs don’t look like much during the rest of the year, so position them somewhere they can contribute a leafy green backdrop to other more exciting plants in the foreground. But when they are in bloom, they more than make up for it. They all have white flowers, although some, such as ‘Virginal’ and ‘Manteau d’Hermine’ are double-flowered. Philadelphus purpurascens is a nice species to seek out, with slightly drooping flowers held by a purple calyx and stem. In early summer their young shoots can be prone to attack by hordes of blackfly, so be vigilant. If you spot them gathering, blast them off with a jet of water.
This chic perennial with its pincushion flowers is a popular component in designer show gardens, but the main point in its favour is its willingness to grow in clay and heavy soils. Leafy growth appears in spring followed by flowers that are usually in shades of pink or crimson. ‘Roma’ is one of the best cultivars if you’re seeking a strong mid-pink; if you prefer something darker at the crimson end of the spectrum, choose ‘Ruby Wedding’ or ‘Claret’. Alternatively, try the fresh, greenand-white flowers of ‘Shaggy’, introduced by the doyenne of cottage gardening herself, Margery Fish. Team astrantias with roses, another lover of heavy soil, and they will do an excellent job of hiding the roses’ bare stems, or try combining them with the globes of peonies or foxglove spires.
66 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; CLIVE NICHOLS
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JUNE
Things to Do
Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Keep on top of
rapidly emerging annual weeds by running a sharp hoe across the surface of the soil in hot weather: they will shrivel and die. ● Some crops might be
ready to harvest now, such as quick-growing radishes, salad leaves, broad beans and the first early potatoes. ● Carry on hardening
off greenhouse-grown or tender plants, and transplant into their permanent outdoor spots when there is no longer any risk of frost.
Plant up SUMMER POTS
● Put stakes in place
around perennial plants before they grow much taller.
The risk of frost has passed for much of the country, so now is the time to fill containers with colourful bedding plants for a fine floral spectacle
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; B&Q
Few things beat bedding for sheer flower power. If you want to brighten up terraces and patios, a couple of containers bursting with well-chosen bedding plants will add colour from now until the first frosts. Petunias, and their smallerflowered cousins calibrachoa, bloom almost continuously, as do pelargoniums, verbena and nicotiana. Packs of plants are inexpensive, and most garden centres have great deals on them at this time of year, as well as a vast range to choose from. Excitingly, gardeners are now able to grow a much-missed old favourite again. Retailer B&Q has been working with
plant breeder Syngenta to bring back the busy lizzie – one of the UK’s most popular bedding plants. It hasn’t been available in recent years due to a persistent fungal disease, impatiens downy mildew, but the new ‘Imara Bizzie Lizzie’ (below) has
● Take cuttings of
resistance, enabling gardeners to grow this versatile plant once more. Unlike most bedding plants, busy lizzies also thrive and flower in shade, so are a versatile and useful choice. Fill containers with a mixture of good-quality multi-purpose compost and a little John Innes (the loam increases its nutrientholding capacity). Leave enough space for the plants to fill out, and pop in a couple of controlled-release fertiliser pellets to keep them well fed. Watering and deadheading will be your main jobs over summer; consider fitting a simple drip-irrigation system, to cut down on the hard work.
pinks (dianthus). Pull non-flowering shoots from the parent plant, peel off the lower leaves and poke the stems in around the edge of a pot of gritty compost.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 69
A PLACE IN HISTORY From Norman ramparts to abstract art, the garden at Tudor Lodgings delivers a distinctive twist on the archetypal English country garden WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS ANNIE GREEN-ARMYTAGE
TUDOR LODGINGS
The path between the hot border and the grass plantation, sheltered by 12th-century earthworks.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 71
Above The hot border
is dominated by the vivid scarlet of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, with support from monarda, Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’, and daylily Hemerocallis ‘James Marsh’.
I
T’S NOT EVERY GARDEN THAT HAS AN ANCIENT
monument. Then again, not every garden sits within a Norman settlement that includes the ruins of a castle built by a compatriot of William the Conqueror. At Castle Acre in West Norfolk, Tudor Lodgings is bordered on two sides by earthworks, believed to have been put in place by William de Warenne, the grandson of Castle Acre’s founder, in the 12th century. This was a troubled time in England, with Empress Mathilda and her cousin Stephen fighting for the throne, which may have had a bearing on the increased
72 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
fortification. Or perhaps William simply enjoyed the medieval equivalent of playing with diggers? The Scheduled Ancient Monument status is a mixed blessing. “We consider ourselves caretakers for future generations, but the restrictions can be onerous,” says Julia Stafford-Allen, owner and passionate gardener at Tudor Lodgings. “We can’t dig or burn on the scheduled monument, and any tree works require consent from a long list of authorities.” So Julia and her husband Gus have created areas that make the most of the earthworks: in the south, a lawn presents a view across the deep
A sheltered wildlife meadow nestles within the high earth ramparts, with a vista up to the turrets of the church
Top right The view across the pond to the wild meadow and the shepherd’s hut where Julia wrote her MA dissertation. Right Julia and Gus Stafford-Allen have lived at Tudor Lodgings since 1985 and consider themselves “caretakers for future generations”.
ditch to neighbouring countryside, and in the west a wildlife meadow nestles within the high earth ramparts, with a vista up to the medieval turrets of the church. The couple moved here with their family in 1985, having inherited the house from a relative. “She was a great gardener,” says Julia, “and I knew nothing! So I went to horticultural college and did a threeyear City & Guilds.” She asked the garden’s designer, Anthony du Gard Pasley, co-founder of the English Gardening School, for advice. “He visited when there was a plastic sandpit on the lawn,” recalls Julia, laughing. “What he must have thought I don’t know, but he was very helpful.” He encouraged the couple to leave in place the yew hedge, and to focus on plants that thrive in chalky soil. He also urged Julia to plant fewer varieties in greater numbers, advice she has taken to heart. Today, swathes of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ add colour to the hot border in summer, with a block-planting of redtipped grass Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’. Combinations of naturalistic planting with blocks of colour are part of this garden’s signature, creating coherence across different areas. The new Mondrian border next to the house is a typical example: it is Julia’s take on a box-edged parterre, which isn’t “traditional lollipops in the corner, or a parks and gardens planting scheme”. It echoes the work of artist Piet Mondrian, with his black grids and palette of three, blocked-in primary colours, and features late-flowering Lavandula x intermedia, Gaura A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 73
Top The Clock House,
behind the yew hedge Julie was persuaded to retain, and its keyhole archways, with a sweep of lavender and cotinus. Above The delicate pink-tinged form of Japanese anemone. Left A bun of boxes (Buxus sempervirens) in front of the pigeon cote.
74 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
lindheimeri and Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’, with fluffy Stipa tenuissima softening the overall effect. The parterre’s creation was a journey. “I planned it in November, when there were building works in the village,” says Julia. “I needed to level the ground, so the builders were overjoyed when I took a whole load of topsoil off their hands. Then in February, my son proposed to his future wife. She said yes, and then asked me: ‘Could we have the wedding at Tudor Lodgings?’ I said, yes, that would be wonderful, but I was thinking, ‘it’s looking like the Battle of the Somme. Do I grass it over or do I hope for the best and carry on planting?’” She carried on planting and both the wedding and the border were perfect. Since the children left home, Julia has completed an RHS diploma, and a Masters in Garden History. She wrote her MA dissertation in the shepherd’s hut in the meadow. “It got me away from distractions,” she explains. Because it catches the evening sun, it’s also the gin-and-tonic venue of choice. “I love being in the garden,” she adds. “I’m an outdoor person. I’d rather tidy a border than a cupboard!” Tudor Lodgings, Castle Acre, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE32 2AN. Opens for the NGS. Tel: +44 (0)1760 755334; tudorlodgings.co.uk; ngs.org.uk
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SI0102 A Year in the English Garden AW.indd 1
22/03/2019 09:40
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 75
JULY
Plants of the Month
Crocosmia
Buddleja
Penstemon
Familiar they may be, but crocosmia are also an incredibly useful border plant, providing a fountain of arching, strappy, green leaves that contrast nicely with other mound-forming perennials around them. The vibrant flowers are the icing on the cake, produced over a long period during summer. In shades of orange, yellow and red, they are a must for anyone planning a ‘hot’ border, but needn’t be limited to fiery schemes. Try rusty-orange cultivar ‘Walberton Bright Eyes’ with blue-flowered agapanthus, for example, or yellow Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora ‘Solfatare’ with mauve Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’. Achilleas are a good partner, their flat flowers forming a natural contrast with spindly crocosmia. They also work well with the bronze and buff tones of grasses.
If you want to do your bit for butterflies, then plant a buddleja. The minute it starts to flower in summer, every butterfly in the neighbourhood will descend to drink from its scented nectarrich blooms. In certain situations buddleja can be a troublesome weed, springing up in inconvenient places such as guttering, cracks in walls and along railways, but this can be prevented by promptly cutting off the flowers before they set seed. There is also a preconception that buddleja make enormous shrubs, and while some do there are more manageable dwarf varieties such as ‘Buzz’ and handy new columnar form, ‘Butterfly Towers’, both from Thompson & Morgan. If there’s room, consider B. alternifolia (above), a lovely form with long branches dripping with flowers.
A fine perennial that will deliver wonderful colour for months on end, penstemons are hard to beat. Their only Achilles heel is that they are slightly tender, so avoid them in the coldest parts of the country or frost-prone gardens. Because of this, they should also be planted in spring, rather than autumn, and you should leave their top growth in place to afford the crowns of the plants some protection during winter, cutting back only in late spring once the worst weather has passed. This will all be worth it when they start to produce their slender, supremely elegant flower stems in summer, covered in flowers in clear colours varying from red and crimson through every shade of pink, mauve, blue and white. There’s a colour for every scheme and, best of all, they flower well into autumn.
76 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
Summer hots up this month with flowers in deeper, richer shades drawing admiring glances and insect-life alike thanks to their eye-catching colours
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JULY
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Temperatures can
soar in July, so be wary of scorching in your greenhouse. Apply shade paint or lower blinds and open doors and windows to provide ventilation. ● Deadhead lupins
and delphiniums to encourage more flower spikes to form. ● Regularly harvest
crops in the vegetable garden, such as runner beans, which are better picked when young and tender, before they become stringy. ● If you don’t already
Do the HAMPTON HACK Keep borders looking smart and full of fresh foliage by cutting back early-flowering herbaceous perennials that have flopped or grown tired
IMAGES GAP/ELKE BORKOWSKI/TIM GAINEY; SHUTTERSTOCK
Many of us are already familiar with the Chelsea chop, which is so called because its timing coincides with the Chelsea Flower Show in late May. It involves cutting back herbaceous perennials such as helenium, phlox and sedum by around one third or a half, to encourage them to produce a later display of usually slightly smaller flowers. Seasonlengthening, staggered effects can be achieved – a boon for ensuring there is plenty of latesummer colour. But now there’s a new technique in town. Step forward the Hampton hack, which is similar, but carried out
in early July to coincide with the flower show at Hampton Court. In truth, you have probably already been doing it, just without giving it that name. It’s a way to revitalise perennials that have already flowered or flopped and now look
exhausted, spoiling the overall impression of a border. Plants such as clump-forming hardy geraniums respond well, as do astrantias, Alchemilla mollis and violas – all early flowerers that can turn straggly as summer wears on – plus foliage plants such as Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’. You can cut all these plants back to the base with no ill effects. Once you have hacked, dose with fertiliser to encourage fresh new foliage to follow. A liquid fertiliser and tonic such as seaweed-based Maxicrop Plus will deliver nutrients more quickly than a granular fertiliser worked into the soil.
have one, consider installing a water butt next to shed or house downpipes to capture rainfall. Use it to water containers and border plants, but not seedlings or edibles. ● Sawfly larvae are
rife at this time of year. Check leaves for these small green pests and pick off by hand.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 79
80 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
THE S A L U TAT I O N
Borders brim with dark-leaved dahlias at The Salutation, where gardener Steve Edney has a National Collection.
After the FLOOD
It’s third time lucky for the bold and beautiful garden at The Salutation in Kent. A Lutyens design was rehabilitated after years of neglect, only for a tidal surge to wipe out four years of toil. Head gardener Steve Edney explains its reincarnation WORDS CONSTANCE CRAIG SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS
I
MAGINE THAT THE GARDEN ON WHICH YOU
had lavished a decade of love and care was suddenly struck by a devastating flood, which, in a matter of hours, left your immaculate borders under four feet of salt water and destroyed thousands of plants. Most of us would surely react with a mixture of rage and despair, but Steve Edney, irrepressible head gardener at The Salutation in Kent, was rather excited by it all. “I thought, nothing similar has ever happened to a historic collection like this. It will be really interesting to see what happens,” he says cheerily. Like Steve, the garden at The Salutation is fun and flamboyant. It’s so full of unusual and intriguing plants that you find yourself proceeding along its paths at a snail’s pace, constantly distracted by some highly desirable and previously unknown plant or shrub. Underlying the showmanship, though, is a classically beautiful layout and a very high standard of horticulture. It’s hard to believe that any gardener could visit The Salutation without coming away excited and inspired. Designed by Edwin Lutyens, The Salutation was built in 1911 for 82 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above Bamboo edges
a path that leads past large beds of exotics with towering stands of Dahlia imperialis. Below Head gardener Steve Edney has worked here since 2003.
the bachelor Farrer brothers, whose law firm acted for the Royal Family; Farrer & Co are still the Queen’s solicitors today. The house was the first 20th-century building in England to be given a Grade I listing, but over the decades the property, and its garden, fell into disrepair and was eventually repossessed. In 2003 it was bought by Steph and Dom Parker, who later found fame on television as the permanently well-refreshed stars of Gogglebox. Their new garden was totally overgrown and littered with 140 tons of household rubbish, so the Parkers set about looking for a head gardener to restore it. Steve, then just 27, had already done some tree work at The Salutation, but when he applied for the job he didn’t think he stood much of a chance. “Some of the other people who were interviewed had already worked on serious garden restorations, but despite my inexperience I got the job because Dom and Steph liked me and felt they could work with me.” The 3.7-acre garden Steve took over was “oppressive and dingy”. The holm oaks had reached 50ft and the yew hedges were so unchecked that they were mushroom-shaped. “Every bed
Above Dahlias in every
shape and colour run riot across the gardens here. Right Stately orange ginger flower, Hedychium coccineum, planted with Solanum laxum ‘Album’. Below right Bright-pink asters set off paler Dahlia ‘Weddington Pink’. Below left Beneath a corridor of poplars, Fatsia japonica thrives. Left Courgettes ripen in the kitchen garden.
AUGUST 2018 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 83
The Salutation’s DAHLIAS A selection of the garden’s vibrant dahlia cultivars, perfect for late-summer colour
‘BLUE BOY’
‘APRIL HEATHER’
‘GARDEN FESTIVAL’
This decorative dahlia, with flowers in a bluish shade of mauve, produces its blooms on sturdy 80cm stems.
A collerette dahlia with a central ruff of yellow petals surrounded by outer petals suffused with an apricot blush.
Orange-red petals are touched with yellow at the tips on this classic decorative variety.
‘HADRIAN’S SUNLIGHT’
‘MAGENTA STAR’
‘TAMBURO’
A chance seedling from dahlia specialist Halls of Heddon, with golden single blooms on rich, purple-brown leaves.
This single dahlia has blooms in an iridescent shade of purple, standing out well against the purple-tinted foliage.
Velvety, dark-maroon flowers with the spiky formation typical of cactus dahlia varieties, on compact, metre-tall plants.
‘SHOW ’N’ TELL’
‘MARIE SCHNUGG’
‘WOODBRIDGE’
The coral-red petals of this flamboyant fimbriated dahlia are tipped with flashes of yellow for eye-catching flowers.
Rolled scarlet petals and a central boss of golden orange make up the unusual flowers of this orchid-flowered dahlia.
Another single dahlia with clear violetmauve flowers, in addition to elegant, finely divided, ferny leaves.
84 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
and border was empty and there were no planting plans to go on,” Steve says. “After 18 months it finally hit me just how much work it was going to be, and that I would be tested as never before. It really was a hugely experimental garden and I had the opportunity to try loads of plants I’d never grown before. I was – still am – so lucky. I had the opportunity, the space and the budget to create something really special.” While Steve was given free rein with the planting, he was determined not to interfere too much with the fabric of the garden and to stay true to the bones of Lutyens’ design. For many years it was believed that the garden might have been designed by Lutyens’ long-time collaborator, Gertrude Jekyll, but, five years ago, Steve located the property sale details from 1945. They make no mention of Jekyll, which has convinced him, once and for all, that this isn’t a Jekyll garden. “It’s actually a relief,” he admits, “because it means I no longer have to curtail my imagination. Before, I always felt I had Jekyll looking over my shoulder.” The garden at The Salutation was officially re-opened by Monty Don in 2007. Then, in December 2013, disaster struck: there was a tidal surge on the River Stour and the garden was completely flooded. “It was very dramatic but we were so busy trying to protect the house and helping our neighbours by laying down sandbags around their homes, that there wasn’t much time to do anything to save the garden,” Steve says. His big regret isn’t the 15,000 plants that died, but the loss of the diaries that charted his years of work on the garden. “It would have taken ten minutes to move them to safety, but I just didn’t think of it,” he sighs. Steve’s insouciance about the effects of the flood proved justified. Today, the garden – which he cares for along with two other professional gardeners and a horticulture student – looks as if it has always been there. It attracts 15,000 visitors a year, many of them locals who come regularly to see it throughout the seasons. The Salutation is now a 17-bedroom luxury boutique hotel, but somehow it still feels like a private garden. “I love it all year round – it really is beautiful even in the depths of winter,” says Steve. But given that he was recently awarded the National Collection of dark-leaved dahlias, as well as the National Collection of plectranthus, late summer is one of the peak times to visit The Salutation. You enter through an exotic garden before walking along the Long Border, which runs down one side of the garden. “It’s got a lot of annual planting, which is quite eye-catching, and people tend to congregate there. They might not like all of it, but that’s fine – I really want the garden to cause
Above Aster umbellatus
makes a frothy foil for elegant cream Dahlia ‘Classic Swanlake’. Below Fused flowers of Cosmos Cupcakes Series with mauve asters.
a conversation,” Steve explains. One of his gardening heroes is the late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter, and Steve shares his love of bold, show-stopping planting and a mischievous delight in surprising people. In late summer the cannas are the stars of the show – as valuable for their lush leaves as for their flowers: Steve particularly recommends ‘Red Velvet’, orange ‘Wyoming’, and the lowergrowing pink ‘Centenaire’. He uses the yellow Cosmos ‘Lemonade’ and the towering, daisy-like Bidens integrifolia to give airy height to the borders, and is particularly fond of the shoo-fly plant, Nicandra physalodes; this year he is experimenting with the variegated-leaf version, ‘Splash of Cream’. Salvias such as red ‘Royal Bumble’ and purple ‘Nachtvlinder’ are woven through the borders, but for crowd appeal you can’t beat Ecballium
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 85
CARING FOR YOUR DAHLIAS By Steve Edney ● The secret to
Above Ricinus, salvias, elaterium, also known as ‘the are planted, but because there cosmos and cannas squirting cucumber’. This round are so many different varieties to entice visitors along the hairy fruit reaches maturity in accommodate, they crop up almost path, while a red-fruited August or September and explodes everywhere. “There are dahlias crab-apple tree adds colour and height. when touched, ejecting its brown all over the garden, not just in seeds up to 20 feet from the parent the borders but in areas like the plant. “If I hear people laughing, I know they’ve Bowling Lawn and by the lake,” says Steve. There found the squirting cucumber!” Steve says. are 84 dark-leaved dahlias and 284 dahlias in Beyond the Long Border is the Kitchen Garden. total, and, after some thought – “it’s like asking “When Steph and Dom lived here, this played me which of my children I like best!” – Steve lists second fiddle to the ornamental garden, but now his favourites as the red ‘Weston Pirate’; ‘Mel’s that The Salutation has such a good restaurant, it Orange Marmalade’; D. merckii, which he loves is becoming increasingly important,” says Steve. for its elegant pink flower and gorgeous foliage; “We have cabbages, kale, French beans, runner the enormous, dark-red ‘Black Jack’, and the beans, edible flowers like calendulas, which are beautifully proportioned ‘Classic Rosamunde’. great as salad garnishes, and lots of courgette When he’s not at work, Steve looks after his flowers. When I found out how much our kitchen own garden and spends one evening a week was paying for courgette flowers (which are tending his parents’ garden. “I live for gardening,” stuffed and then deep fried) I was horrified, and he says simply. “In winter, when it’s too cold vowed to grow as many courgette flowers as the or wet to be outside, I’ll be looking through kitchen could use.” photographs and thinking, ‘How can Another one of his favourite crops is the I make the garden better? What can I improve?’ cucamelon. “They’re like mini cucumbers – great It’s a never-ending process.” in cocktails.” And then there are Steve’s beloved tomatoes. “I have lots of conversations with our The Salutation, Knightrider Street, Sandwich, head chef, Shane, challenging him with new Kent CT13 9EW. The Gardens are open from varieties. Last year I grew 17 different tomatoes 10am to 5pm, every day of the year and there and from those he selected four that he liked. is a full programme of courses, discussions, I have some new ones up my sleeve this year.” demonstrations and live music. For more Beyond the Kitchen Garden are the main information about the gardens and hotel, call perennial borders, where most of the dahlias +44 (0)1304 619919 or visit the-salutation.com
86 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
success with dahlias is preparing the soil really well before you plant them. We dig in lots of manure in late spring before the dahlias go in, and because we do that we don’t need to feed them as much during the summer and autumn – we’ll give them an occasional foliar feed with liquid seaweed, but that’s it. If you didn’t prepare the soil well, you can give them tomato feed regularly to give them a boost. ● By August, you
should already have staked your dahlias – if you haven’t, do it as soon as possible or they will be collapsing all over the place. One lesson we learned from bitter experience is to put a stake next to each newly-planted dahlia. Before we did that, a vixen and her cubs had a lovely time rolling around the flower beds and destroyed 150 dahlias in one night. ● Your main priority at
this time of year should be deadheading and watering. Above all, watering. Dahlias need a lot of water to produce lots of flowers. Keep them happy, and they will produce an amazing number of flowers.
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Call- 07903116673 Email - info@heartwoodsaunas.com Web - www.heartwoodsaunas.com A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 87
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AUGUST
Plants of the Month
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
It’s time for the late-summer flowerers to step into the breach, taking on the mantle and blooming well into autumn for an ongoing supply of colour
Cosmos
Helenium
Caryopteris
Of all the annual flowers, surely nothing delivers quite as many blooms over such a long period as cosmos. From one sowing in late spring, planted out once the risk of frost has passed, you can expect a good-sized mound of fine, ferny foliage and a near-constant haze of flowers above it, nodding gently in the breeze. Depending on the variety, these can be white, pale pink, or deeper shades of magenta and crimson, and many of the seed companies sell cosmos in mixed colours that include some of each. While it’s a bit of a fiddle, if you can deadhead the faded flowers you’ll make the plants last even longer. Grow cosmos in a sunny site and in well-drained soil – it needn’t be too rich, since too much in the way of nutrients tends to produce leafy growth on annuals rather than flowers.
A stalwart of many a late-summer border, heleniums deserve their place in the gardening canon. They usually start flowering in August, but will carry on blooming right up until the first frosts to help form vibrant autumn colour combinations with other lateseason troupers, such as asters. There are plenty of first-class varieties to try, such as rusty-red ‘Moerheim Beauty’, orange ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ and yellows like ‘Wyndley’ and ‘Gartensonne’. They’re just an amenable all-round plant, easily teamed with different partners such as phlox, monarda or achillea in a classic country garden, or architectural cannas in a scheme with a more exotic flavour. Try them with grasses that look good at the same time, or blue eryngiums for colour contrast in the late-summer sun.
These shrubby perennials deserve to be more widely grown than they are, since they deliver a ready supply of beautiful blue flowers throughout summer. They enjoy a sunny sheltered position, with well-drained soil, but with those requirements filled will produce an excellent annual display. Their stems are clothed with sage-green leaves, then, from late summer and into autumn, tiers of lavenderblue flowers are produced along their lengths. Once they’ve faded, the seedheads they leave behind are attractive during the winter months too. Look for Caryopteris x clandonensis to start with, which is one of the hardiest if given that all-important well-drained soil, or the cultivar ‘Heavenly Blue’. There are also versions with yellow or white variegated foliage for added interest, such as ‘Summer Sorbet’.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 89
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AUGUST
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Kitchen gardens can
quickly dry out during hot spells, so be sure to water vegetable and fruit plants daily. ● Potato and tomato
blight can strike at this time of year. Dispose of or burn any affected plants to prevent the spores from spreading. ● Thin out herbs such
as parsley, leaving 25cm between plants to allow their roots to establish before winter. ● A wealth of fruit
Sow seasonal SALAD Chinese greens, salad crops and dwarf beans can all be planted out now for a supply of delicious vegetables that can be harvested into autumn
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
In spring, many of us dive head-first into our kitchen gardens, enthusiastically sowing and growing a wealth of delicious produce. Come summer, much of the activity will have died down… yet there are still plenty of varieties to be sown for a late crop. Dwarf French beans cope better with dry conditions than most varieties, making them a great candidate for summer sowing. Sow the seeds directly into the garden, 15cm apart, and harvest once the pods are nearing 10cm in length. You’ll know when they are ripe for picking, since the beans will be visible inside and the pods will
snap easily. Fennel can be sown directly into the garden for an autumn harvest, with seeds spaced 15cm apart. For refreshing late-summer salads, radish, spring onion and beetroot are fast-growing crops that can be sown now. Radish
will be ready for harvest within six weeks if grown in full sun, while spring onions take around eight weeks. Beetroot takes a little longer at 12 weeks, but can be harvested well into autumn. Accompany with leaves such as spinach and chard for a salad through to October. A variety of delicious Chinese vegetables can also be sown in late summer to provide autumn and even winter harvests. Popular varieties include pak choi and Chinese cabbage. Slugs are an issue for any young seedlings so keep an eye out for signs, and for advice on getting rid of them, visit theenglishgarden.co.uk
varieties should be ready for picking now, including apricots, cherries, peaches and plums. If you don’t grow your own, head to a local pick-yourown farm and take home tasty fresh fruits. ● Tidy lavender after it
has finished flowering by shearing back the faded flowerheads, just into the leafy growth but never into the old woodier growth.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 91
The herbaceous border terrace, with black-eyed Susan and Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’.
92 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
OAKLE Y HOUSE
Perfect HARMONY
The friendship and trust between garden designer and garden owner provided a strong foundation for this imaginative reworking of an openplan 1920s Surrey garden into something structured yet spectacular WORDS VALERIE MCBRIDE-MUNRO PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS
Above The pool terrace is fringed with feathery Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’, rudbeckia and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, while hornbeam lollipops stand sentinel.
T
HE LAYOUT OF THIS SURREY GARDEN
has come a long way. When Barbara and John Marshall moved in ten years ago, it was typically 1920s: open with a small front lawn, a sloping rear lawn and some very ordinary evergreen plants. From the front, there was a completely open view right through to the back and beyond. Redesigning it is a long work in progress, in association with Barbara’s friend of 20 years, garden designer Fiona Harrison. “My husband John and I had strong ideas about what we wanted,” Barbara explains. “Fiona has
94 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
developed a scheme to suit us. She’ll say: “Trust me and try it.” We’re friends, but we respect each other’s views. Trust and respect are the keys to success.” Over to Fiona: “Barbara would pick images she liked in magazines as a starting point. I could then feel the atmosphere and work on a solution. The idea of the big yew balls came from a magazine photograph illustrating Alan Titchmarsh’s garden! What we’ve created here is a relaxed landscape. The plants take priority over the hardscape. Even when the flowers have gone, the seedheads of the grasses hold the garden together.”
“The plants take priority. Even when the flowers have gone, the seedheads of the grasses hold the garden together”
Top right A textured mix of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ and M. sinensis ‘Silberfeder’. Right Added sparkle from Helenium ‘Waltraut’, Rudbeckia fulgida x deamii ‘Goldsturm’ and persicaria.
When the Marshalls moved in, they chose to add a couple of glassbox extensions. Fiona was asked to work with the architect, and they spent time establishing how these spaces and the garden would work together. “By standing inside the rooms within this glass part of the house, I identified ways of removing the perceived disconnect between house and garden, ensuring all the views from both inside and outside would make a good marriage,” Fiona explains. The Marshalls wanted to transform their one-acre space into a series of garden rooms. Dividing the upper and lower levels is a see-through, steel-andstrained-wire cable fence. Fiona designed it to be taller, “but it was too enclosing,” Barbara explains. “Removing six inches off the top of each pole transformed it. And Fiona found some turned oak caps for the top, which have weathered beautifully.” Meanwhile, the Corten steel tank was built with sides just high enough to frustrate the attempts of the two resident, water-loving retrievers at jumping in. “We love water, especially the sound of it,” Barbara continues, “but we had to be practical with our dogs. We planted up the pond with mature waterlilies – that was also to dissuade canine swimming capers!” Within a framework of yew hedging, grass plays an important role. There’s emphasis on contrasting textures and leaf colours within the mass planting. Vibrant purple, ruby-red, orange and yellow sizzle amid the calming effects of the intermingled wispy grasses. The plants here are tough and hardy, and well able to withstand all weathers – and the A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 95
Top Hornbeams underplanted with Hydrangea macrophylla ‘King George’ line the gravel driveway. Above Graceful Acer palmatum, underplanted with Liriope muscari. Left The view across the lawn to the arbour.
96 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
antics of the dogs. “We had to change how we were cultivating the borders,” says Barbara, laughing. “At the end of our first summer, we went in to cut back and clear up, exposing a lot of bare soil. Our dogs promptly dived in and dug up all the bulbs! We now leave all the clipping back until the end of winter.” Yew cones line the path down to the swimming pool. “We wanted the pool to be enclosed,” says Barbara. “Originally it was surrounded by hard landscaping, with a few cordylines dotted around; it looked too tropical. And there were some steep steps that connected the pool to the house. We replaced them with a yew hedge. A low box hedge beneath the hornbeams completes the ‘room’.” So, out of all the gardens that Fiona has created, does she have a favourite? “It’s different with every one, but this garden is special,” she says, smiling. “I feel nervous when I am asked to design a garden and it’s made clear at the end that I’m no longer wanted. To stay connected to a garden is the best.” Barbara elaborates: “Once your garden is built, that’s just the start. Recent weather has been hostile, and some original plants didn’t make it through the winter. My attitude is that if something dies, it’s a chance to try something else. And that’s what you get with a trusting relationship. In 20 years, Fiona and I have never fallen out or had a cross word.”
Photo by Howard Rice
A L I S T A I R
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P R I VAT E A ND P U BL I C G A RD ENS • CO U NTRY E S TATES • N E W CO U NTRY H OU S ES • BO U TI QU E H OTEL S
SEPTEMBER
Plants of the Month
Cyclamen
Kniphofia
Hydrangea
If snowdrops are the harbinger of spring then Cyclamen hederifolium is the harbinger of autumn – luckily they are so pretty they help stave off any feelings of sadness that summer is on the wane. The flowers start to emerge around September time, their marbled leaves following later. They’re particularly happy in woodland conditions, nestling in the dappled shade and humus-rich soil around the base of trees or shrubs – just remember to brush falling autumn leaves away so they don’t smother the flowers. Although you can buy large corms, these don’t always transplant well, so it can be better to wait until supplies of plants in flower arrive in garden centres in autumn. An annual mulch of leafmould or composted bark will help keep soil rich, and they’ll soon spread by seed.
Some red hot pokers really live up to their name, sending up strident flowers in bright orange and yellow that, let’s be honest, can be tricky to work into a planting scheme. Others, however, bring more subtle delights. Pokers in sunset shades of coral, apricot and lemon yellow are a lot easier to marry with their bedfellows. Take ‘Tawny King’ for example, a non-strident orange at the top of its flowers fading through peach into cream at the bottom. Try it with bronze fennel and soft orange achillea for a scheme with panache. Another favourite is ‘Jenny Bloom’ in pale coral-pink, beautiful with bronze grasses such as anemanthele and maybe a vibrant pink penstemon for pep. Or try yellow ‘Little Maid’ with silver-blue Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’: a perfect pairing.
While hydrangeas will have been in flower for a while, it’s at this time of year that you really come to appreciate them. Many of them keep on flowering through autumn, and no other plant fades as gracefully and beautifully. Hydrangea paniculata (pictured above) is a case in point. Its large panicles of flowers are produced from late summer to early autumn but, as they start to go over, take on interesting colour changes, such as white petals becoming suffused with pink before gradually fading to buff. They’ll stay like this through winter, almost frozen in time and only gradually turning more skeletal and transparent as the season wears on. Great in sun or shade, but make sure these thirsty shrubs have plenty of moisture available or they’ll wilt dramatically.
98 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK
As summer draws to a close, it’s a time for more subtle delights: leafless autumn cyclamen, kniphofia in pastel shades and turning hydrangea flowers
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SEPTEMBER
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Divide mature
clumps of summerflowering perennials, unless autumn is very wet – in which case wait until spring. ● Get your bulb orders
in early to ensure the best selection of spring-flowering beauties, such as daffodils, tulips and alliums. ● Gradually reduce
the amount of water given to houseplants and cacti, as days shorten and plant growth starts to slow. ● Cut down on lawn
Defeat the dreaded WEEVIL Vine weevils and their grubs can wreak havoc upon carefully crafted container displays, but this month is a good time to get the upper hand
IMAGES GAP/JONATHAN BUCKLEY; GARDEN WORLD IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK
Vine weevils are the stuff of gardeners’ nightmares. The adults, dark-brown-and-black with a long snout, eat irregular notches around the edges of leaves – the damage is unsightly but plants usually survive it. The worst damage, which is often fatal, is caused by their larvae, which hatch from eggs laid by the adults in the soil and feast on plant roots – they can be particularly troublesome in containers. If plants such as heuchera suddenly wilt, or rosettes of echeveria come away in your hand – two of their absolute favourites – vine weevil grubs decimating the roots are the likely culprits.
Unfortunately, because the larvae (C-shaped, cream and with an orange head) live below ground, you won’t notice you have them until the damage has been done. Luckily, there is a biological control – a parasitic nematode
called Steinernema kraussei, available from Nemasys – that is very effective when applied to container compost in August or September, just after the grubs hatch but before they are big enough to cause much damage. The other benefit of nematodes is that they raise none of the environmental concerns of soildrench insecticides, which are now mostly banned because of the detrimental effect they had on wildlife such as bees. Meanwhile, control the adults by inspecting plants after dark with a torch, when they come out of hiding to feed. Pick them off and squash them before they can go on to mate.
mowing and start to apply an autumn lawn feed. High in potassium, they toughen up grass so it can withstand winter weather. Apply after scarifying and aerating. ● Pick autumn-fruiting
raspberries on a dry day before birds feast on the fruit. Eat fresh, freeze or turn into jam.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 101
A hedge and arch of glossy evergreen cherry laurel make a permanent backdrop for autumn borders.
Lay of the LAND
Pam Tatam began working the flat landscape of Hall Farm in Harpswell, Lincolnshire, 34 years ago and it has evolved in her sure hands to become a wonderfully settled, special garden WORDS CLARE FOGGETT PHOTOGRAPHS LEE BEEL
HALL FAR M
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 103
A
Below A handful of late
salvia flowers defy one of autumn’s first frosts, while golden leaves start to fall around them.
NGLO -SAXON POTTERY, A MEDIEVAL
moat, farmland worked by the same family for 200 years – Hall Farm has roots that penetrate deep into the history of the flat Lincolnshire fields that surround it. Pam and Mark Tatam have lived here since Mark’s parents died 34 years ago; the farm has been in Mark’s family for generations. He is semi-retired now, and as Pam explains: “It’s a long time since we had any livestock; it’s a typical Lincolnshire farm – mostly arable.” When they took over, there was no ‘garden’, something Pam, who ran a small on-site plant nursery was keen to put right. The canvas was blank, with only a venerable beech tree to create a garden around. “That tree is the best part of 200 years old,” Pam says. “We have photos of it from 1914, and it was a good size even then.”
104 THE ENGLISH GARDEN NOVEMBER 2018
Slowly a garden formed as the nursery prospered. “After we moved in, the nursery grew – there were three of us working full time,” says Pam. “We built a wall between the nursery and the garden and worked our way out from the house; it has evolved rather than being planned.” Now, where there used to be a ha-ha for cattle, steps lead down to big double borders, aligned with the house so that borders and building anchor and enhance one another. The borders are geared up to late summer and Pam’s National Garden Scheme open day. But even after the flowers have faded, the borders have the wow factor. Clumps of herbaceous perennials such as monarda, helianthus, crocosmia and veronicastrum look as good in their rusty brown and biscuit-beige autumn guise as they do in flower. Above them float the golden-amber leaves of that wonderful old beech. Perennials are cut back whenever Pam and the gardener can get around to it. “Purists say you should leave it until spring for wildlife, but if we did that we wouldn’t get it all done, so we do it in winter, in the milder periods, a bit at a time. It all depends on the weather and what other jobs are urgent.” Mark “does his bit too”, she insists. “I like him to be more of a minion really,” she jokes. “He’s out scarifying the grass at the moment!” At the head of the borders, swaddling the steps, are two bigleaved Vitis coignetiae, draping their red autumn leaves down the sides of the steps. “I do have to curb their enthusiasm or they would take over the whole area,” Pam points out. “There’s a third one that’s growing into a cherry tree halfway up the border, and now the poor old cherry tree is really just there to support it. That one has the best autumn colour though. It’s well up and into the sun and south-facing. The other two do colour up, but not to the same extent.” Looking down the borders, away from the farmhouse, a smart green hedge of laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, sections off the next part of the garden, brick pillars flanking the path. “There have been mistakes, things I’d never do again,” says Pam. “Like using old bricks on the ground because they sheer off in the frost, or planting a blooming laurel hedge. Hindsight is a marvellous thing!” While she wishes she’d planted yew here, as she did elsewhere, the laurel is a verdant yearround backdrop, but is “much harder
Above The old beech work – it’s too wide, tree is a prominent and too vigorous, and it’s statuesque feature. awful to clear up after Far left Copper-brown trimming”. bark of Prunus serrula. Left Highlighted by frost, She attributes her hardy geranium leaves. love of plants to her Below The straight lines parents, who were keen of the double borders gardeners. “More rubs lead the eye to the house, anchoring it in its setting. off on you than you realise,” she notes. “My father loved alpines, and my mother was pleased when I started gardening as she thought my dad and I would stop arguing . But we argued even more because he just wasn’t interested in any plant that was more than about four inches tall!” Pam still grows new plants for herself. Seven years ago she retired and closed the nursery, which has freed up much more time to spend doing what she loves – as well as a new spot to turn into garden. The former nursery space is “quite a size”, she notes, and needs lots of plants to populate it. Having a garden that looks good in autumn wasn’t deliberate. “If you have a lot of plants, you’re bound to get some with good autumn colour,” says Pam. “But recently I have been planting for autumn fruit or autumn foliage. The area that housed the polytunnels is now a meadow, but I’ve added a
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 105
“A U-shaped moat is fed by springs from a long limestone ridge, stretching across Lincolnshire” number of trees in the last year: crab apples, one or two apple trees, acers, a medlar and a mulberry.” A little way from the farmhouse is the U-shaped moat, “a long-term project”, Pam remarks. It’s fed by springs from a long limestone ridge, stretching across Lincolnshire, and archaeological evidence such as Anglo-Saxon pottery suggests the site has been used for a long time. Nothing remains of the medieval manor house archaeologists think used to be here, nor much of Harpswell Hall, the manor built on the site in 1600 by the wealthy Whichcotes. The only remnants are earthworks and formal garden walls. “That’s where the name Hall Farm comes from,” Pam explains. “By the late 1780s the family ran out of sons and the final two female Whichcotes married and moved away.” The house was abandoned; only an 18th-century drawing by John Claude Nattes, commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks, who sought to record Lincolnshire’s buildings, gives any clue as to how it would have looked. Pam is sure there was an orchard, though – “I recall the last fruit trees dying,” – and thinks there were coldframes or glasshouses: “there are little recesses in the wall”. In the 1970s, trees were planted, but it was “left to rack and ruin”, Pam says. “The whole thing was a mess, with nettles, brambles, ash and sycamore, so we cleared it. We got someone in to remove the trees, the grass reappeared and now it’s taking shape.” At the time, Pam was involved with the Lincolnshire branch of the Hardy Plant Society, and plantsman Roy Lancaster stopped by on his way to give the society a talk. “He said: ‘Don’t put in ordinary things, put in special things,’ which is what I’ve done, but some couldn’t cope with last summer’s drought and I lost a few. But that’s gardening. We’ll just put in some more.” Clockwise from top The
moat is an ancient relic from a medieval manor house; peeling Acer griseum bark; perennials are cut back throughout winter, whenever time allows; flower buds on evergreen shrub Skimmia japonica.
106 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
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OCTOBER
Plants of the Month
Euonymus
Colchicum
Aster
There’s no lack of trees and shrubs supplying bright autumn leaf colour at this time of year, but the deciduous euonymus have got to be among the best. What’s more, many of them are compact so they fit easily into smaller gardens, and quite a few of them combine their vibrant leaves with equally vibrant berries for twice the show. Euonymus alatus is one of the brightest, its leaves turning vivid scarlet as the weather cools down. As its name suggests, the cultivar ‘Compactus’ is small, reaching between 50cm and 1m tall. It bears berries, too, but if it’s these you want, look for larger Euonymus europaeus, which produces many dangling, tangerine-coloured fruits in bright pink casings among its fiery falling leaves; they clash, but in a good way. The cultivar ‘Red Cascade’ is especially good.
Often confusingly known as autumn crocus, colchicum are an entirely different species. There are true crocuses that do flower in autumn so it’s helpful to stick to the Latin, or use colchicum’s other slightly saucy common name of ‘naked ladies’ – presumably given because the flowers appear all by themselves with leaves following in spring. Plant these large bulbs in July and August, and just a few months later the flowers appear. They can be grown through turf, like true crocuses, but bear in mind those leaves, which are large, floppy and, truth be told, quite ugly. These need to be allowed to die back naturally to replenish the bulb so you’ll have to hold off mowing. It might be better to grow them in a border among perennials that can hide the foliage as it yellows and dies back.
A lot of asters have recently been botanically reclassified, with Aster novae-angliae and A. novibelgii both now correctly known as symphyotrichum, not aster. Happily, one of the very best and enduringly popular asters is still pronounceable: Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’. Ignore the rest if you’re making your first forays into aster growing – this is the one you need. An established clump will produce a cloud of lavender-blue daisy flowers, each with a greenishyellow centre, from late summer all the way through autumn. Unlike other asters, it doesn’t suffer from mildew and it’s also sturdy enough not to need staking. Give it a sunny position and well-cultivated, fertile soil and it will deliver wonderful results. Plant alongside yellow rudbeckia and autumnal grasses for a tried and tested combination.
108 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; ALAMY
There are shrubs, perennials and bulbs delivering rich autumnal colour this month all well-deserving of a place in a year-round garden
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OCTOBER
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Start to move tender
plants into the shelter of the greenhouse or conservatory. ● October is a great
time to establish new lawns from turf. At this time of year they won’t need much mowing, so the new grass can be left alone to establish. ● Renovate old
climbing roses by cutting back all the old woody stems to the base. Keep six or so young, vigorous ones and tie these in. ● If you haven’t
done so already, give deciduous hedges a final trim to keep them neat over winter.
Plant a mini ORCHARD It doesn’t matter if there’s not much room – a crop of tree fruit can be produced from containers or limited spaces if dwarf varieties are chosen
IMAGES GAP/ROBERT MABIC; SUTTONS; SHUTTERSTOCK
The word ‘orchard’ implies the need for a vast amount of space, but rolling acres aren’t actually required for you to grow your own tree fruit. Many fruit breeders are focused on developing dwarf varieties that will produce a crop in containers or small spaces, so there is plenty of choice. If space is tight, consider the relatively recently introduced dwarf mulberry, ‘Charlotte Russe’ (right, available from Suttons). Or try supplier Lubera, for a wide range of dwarf apples, pears and stone fruit. A soil-based compost will suit container fruit best, being weighty enough for stability
and better able to retain nutrients for long-term planting. Just watch for frost at blossom time: it’s more of a problem for early-flowering trees, such as apricots, but trees in pots are easier to protect than larger trees in the ground, since you
● Plant spring bedding
can just slip a horticultural fleece jacket over the top. If you have enough space to grow a tree, but still want to keep size manageable, look for fruit trees on dwarf rootstocks that will keep ultimate size in check. Try M27 for apples, or Pixy for plums. Other options include training them as spacesaving cordons or espaliers along fences and walls. You should also look for fruit that doesn’t need other trees for pollination purposes. Some apple varieties need a partner, for example; better to pick a self-fertile cultivar that you only need one of, such as Malus ‘Scrumptious’ or ‘Sunset’.
in borders or pots for displays next year. Scented wallflowers, high-performing violas, hazy-blue forget-menots and primulas all make charming spring displays and team well with bulbs, too.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 111
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RAMSTER
A FAMILY AFFAIR
NGS chief executive George Plumptre enjoys the glorious autumn colour at Ramster in Surrey, which, under the care of generations of one family, has opened to visitors for the Scheme’s entire 91 years WORDS GEORGE PLUMPTRE PHOTOGRAPHS MATTHEW BRUCE
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 113
B
RILLIANT FLASHES OF INTENSE, FLAME-
shaded foliage within the cool setting of ancient oak woodland is a beguiling proposition. At the garden of Ramster, hidden away in beautiful countryside on the edge of the Surrey Hills, such scenes have been nurtured by successive generations to produce a woodland garden that reaches an autumnal crescendo almost as dramatic as its flowering peak in May and early June. Autumn garden visits are all about having the time for a relaxing walk, taking in the seasonal changes that are going on around you – always aware that as the days start to grow shorter, time for such enjoyment is limited and precious. The 20 acres of Ramster, with paths winding seemingly at random from one area to another, up and down slopes, from open lawn to secret shrubberies, with occasional views across the woodland pond, is the perfect destination. In particular it illustrates how the onset of autumn in natural woodland can be perfectly complemented by the planting of a garden within such a setting. 114 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above Paths meander through the woodland, where acers create a colourful Japanese feel. Below Glistening waxcap toadstools spring up from the turf in autumn.
As well as discovering all the visual delights on offer, you will soon become aware of Ramster’s other most significant factor. This is very much a family garden, which has been nurtured and loved by successive generations. The sense of continuity this brings is evident everywhere, in the trees and shrubs of different ages and in the sense that the garden has grown up steadily through a period of more than a century. It all began in 1890, when the businessman Sir Harry Waechter bought the property, which included a large area of natural oak woodland that thrived on the Wealden clay scattered with pockets of lighter, sandy soil. Sir Harry employed the local Chiddingfold firm of landscapers, Gauntletts, who were great exponents of all things Japanese. This was highly fashionable at the time, and much of their work remains today. They were responsible for what is now the show-stopper of the autumn season: the avenue of Japanese maples, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’. These trees are now 120 years old and have achieved proportions of rare stateliness. For a few weeks each year, they form a long
Clockwise from top left
A late, blue hydrangea; Japanese maples are a backdrop to Eastern sculpture; vivid Acer palmatum ‘Ōsakazuki’; ferns throng around mossy statuary; Christine Charlesworth’s bronze ornament represents Miranda Gunn’s grandchildren.
Above A red painted
Japanese bridge crosses the bog garden, which peaks in spring. Left Woodland fungi colonise an old trunk. Below Charming, woven-willow deer graze among the fallen autumn leaves.
116 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
tunnel of glowing shades of red and orange foliage: a truly unforgettable sight. Ramster’s family connection begins in 1922 when it was bought by Sir Henry Norman. His wife, Fay, was the daughter of Lord Aberconway and she had been brought up at that family’s famous North Wales garden, Bodnant, begun by her grandfather and built up by successive generations. She was an avid gardener and at Ramster she took on a woodland garden similar in style to her childhood home. Over the decades she built up the outstanding rhododendron collection, including a number of plants grown from seeds brought back from the Himalayas by collectors such as George Forrest. By the mid-20th century, the Ramster woodland garden had taken on an appearance of impressive maturity, with the exotic ornamental plants that had been introduced from overseas settled in among ancient oaks and other native trees. From 1980 there was another injection of expert enthusiasm by Lady Norman’s granddaughter, Miranda Gunn, who inherited with her husband and brought a new strand of personal preferences. She rescued many of the hybrid rhododendrons that had been raised by her grandmother but had disappeared, and actually registered one named ‘Fay Norman’ in her grandmother’s honour. As Miranda Gunn prepared to pass on the Ramster garden to her daughter Rosie, she could well reflect on the social changes that it had seen through her family’s occupation. She recalled that in
Top autumncolour trees By George Plumptre Acer palmatum The huge family of Japanese maples all produce a spectacular range of autumn hues. There are cultivars suitable for any size of garden. Acer campestre In contrast to its Japanese cousin, the field maple has been a feature of the English landscape for centuries. In autumn its shovel-shaped leaves turn a gorgeous buttery yellow.
her grandmother’s pre-war heyday, Above Fiery red leaves, the tree that she prizes most is backlit by autumn sun, there were 40 staff who worked in a Katsura tree, Cercidiphyllum turn this Japanese the gardens. Other than the head japonicum, planted by her maple, Acer palmatum gardener, who wore a bowler hat, mother. In autumn it is a beacon into a magnificent they all wore the same uniform, of rich, buttery-yellow, toffeeseasonal spectacle. which included a jacket. In hot scented foliage. weather they were permitted to take off their It’s impossible to write about Ramster without jackets, but they had to hang them on a spade or mentioning its other very rare distinction. When fork nearby so that Lady Norman could easily the National Garden Scheme was first founded find them for a discussion about whatever job in 1927 to raise money for district nurses, they were doing. In 2005, when Rosie took over Lady Norman was one of the 600 people who with her husband, Malcolm Glaister, there were agreed to open their gardens for a day. Each just two gardeners. charged entry of one shilling, raising a total of The family continuity is also celebrated in a £8,000. Ninety-one years later in 2018, more number of the garden’s ornaments. One, by the than 3,500 gardens opened for the Scheme – sculptor Christine Charlesworth, gives the most Ramster still among them – raising a grand pleasure. It is a bronze group of five boys and total of £3.1 million. A number of the ‘founder’ girls playing ‘ring-a-ring-a-roses’ and represents gardens that opened in 1927 continue to open Miranda and Paul Gunn’s grandchildren – one in aid of the National Garden Scheme, but only from each of their five children. two, Ramster and the Queen’s Sandringham Rosie Glaister says she is intensely aware and Gardens, have opened for every single one of proud of this sense of continuity, and feels that the Scheme’s 91 years. Ramster even remained her work in the garden is a balance between open right through World War II and continues ensuring it continues to develop and evolve, to give pleasure to thousands of visitors who with respect for looking after the best features come to enjoy the seasonal delights – not least introduced by her mother and grandmother. autumn’s brilliant foliage colour. Among the trees that show off autumn foliage her favourites are the numerous liquidambars. Ramster, Petworth Road, Chiddingfold, She particularly enjoys their variety, in terms of Godalming, Surrey GU8 4SN. Opens on various age and size, which are living proof of how the dates throughout the year. Tel: +44 (0)1428 garden has evolved. But for sentimental reasons, 654167; ramsterevents.com
Liquidambar styraciflua Introduced from the United States in the 17th century, these elegant trees produce a spectacular display of autumn colour, with the richness of old claret. Cercidiphyllum japonicum Distinctly rounded leaves turn in autumn to shades of brilliant yellow with occasional pink tints. Parrotia persica Often overlooked as an autumn star, the parrotias, which originate from Iran as their name suggests, are described by Hillier’s Manual as ‘one of the finest small trees for autumn colour’. High praise indeed. Malus trilobata A rarity in this huge family, in that it is actually more like an acer and grows slowly into a small tree. Its unusual leaves turn amazing shades of crimson and maroon. Hard to find but well worth seeking out.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 117
NOVEMBER
Plants of the Month
Rosa ‘Geranium’
Nerine bowdenii
Crab apples
Say ‘roses’ and thoughts turn immediately to early summer, blowsy blooms and sweet scent. Yet many roses also produce an unrivalled display of autumn fruit – or hips – that add colour to the garden at this time of year, and offer a source of food for garden birds. One of the finest is the Rosa moyesii cultivar ‘Geranium’. Not only does it produce a charming display of single flowers in bright geranium red with golden stamens in the centre in June and July, it also produces spectacular orangered hips. These elongated beauties resemble miniature gourds in shape. For sprays of small red hips try Rosa glauca; for big, fat, red ones that look like tomatoes, grow Rosa rugosa (a fantastic choice for an informal hedge). Each of these will produce their best crops of hips when grown in full sun.
This hardy nerine will grow outdoors in most parts of the UK, but is also one of those plants you occasionally suspect of deliberately toying with you. The bulbs you lavish endless attention on sulk and do little, whereas elsewhere, such as in your neighbours’ garden where they’re rammed into a sliver of soil and given no special care whatsoever, they produce a display to turn the beholder green with envy. The key is to leave them undisturbed and not to be disappointed if they don’t flower much in the first year. Their bulbs should be planted proud of the soil’s surface, in a spot where they can be baked by the sun in very free-draining soil. Given time, they will produce a display to relieve the green-eyed monster, filling the garden with lipstick-pink flowers in the process.
When it comes to choosing trees for gardens, crab apples have to be up near the top of the list. Most are manageably sized and can be fitted into small gardens; they all produce enviable displays of white and pink spring blossom; and then, at the end of the season, they are covered with juicy little crab apples for autumn into winter decoration. There’s a wide selection of cultivars covering most colour options. Want glossy scarlet crab apples? Look no further than Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’. For yellow fruit, it’s a tie between ‘Butterball’ and ‘Golden Hornet’. ‘Evereste’ delivers pretty fruit flushed with rosy red, a little like tiny Cox’s apples. Malus transitoria (pictured above) has lots of smaller yellow-orange fruit that last well into winter on a graceful, arching tree.
118 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; ALAMY
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NOVEMBER
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
Checklist ● Clear fallen leaves,
especially from lawns where they will turn the grass yellow, and ponds where they can make the water murky. ● Put grease bands
around the trunks of apple trees to halt the progress of winter moths keen to lay their eggs in the branches. ● Protect the crowns
of borderline tender penstemons, garden chrysanthemums and verbena with a layer of mulch such as Strulch. ● Keep mowing the
Tidy the VEGETABLE PLOT
IMAGES GAP PHOTOS; SHUTTERSTOCK
Late autumn is a great time to get to grips with the kitchen garden and prepare it for winter now that the frenzy of harvesting is over Fewer and fewer gardeners use this time of year to put their gardens to bed these days. Mild winters and year-round plants mean there’s plenty to do outdoors even in the colder months. But there are some essential housekeeping tasks that you’d be wise to carry out in the kitchen garden right now. Leaving the remains of old crops on the vegetable plot increases the risk of disease carrying over, so clear beds properly once crops are spent, paying particular attention to potato and tomato beds if these plants suffered from blight, and destroy their remnants by burning, not composting.
Once beds are cleared, spread a thick layer of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure across the surface of empty beds. It will protect the soil from rain damage, keep weeds at bay and improve fertility and structure.
Some crops may need a little maintenance now. Ensure overwintering vegetables such as brassicas and leeks are clear of weeds and protected from pests such as pigeons and whitefly. Perennials such as rhubarb might benefit from division to keep the clumps vigorous, and this is a great time to do it. Take down any bamboo canes that supported beans and clean them before storing them somewhere dry until next year. Once the plot is tidy, turn your attention to the crop of new seed catalogues that will undoubtedly have arrived – and dream of next year’s harvest.
lawn if temperatures remain mild into autumn and the grass continues to grow, but set the blades higher than in summer (around 4cm is ideal) to keep turf healthy. ● November is the
best month to plant tulip bulbs, when soil temperatures are lower and there is less risk of tulip fire.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 121
SLEEPING BEAUTY
In the quiet chill of a Scottish winter when visitors are long departed, Drummond Castle’s astonishing jumble of topiary is iced with frost, its grand parterre glitters in the weak sunlight, and a team of gardeners set about readying it for another season WORDS JULIA WATSON PHOTOGRAPHS RAY COX
122 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
DRUMMOND CASTLE GARDENS
The grand sweeping vista of the box-edged parterre, which has a St Andrew’s Cross at its heart and emblems from the family coat of arms.
A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 123
I
N WINTER, THE GARDENS OF DRUMMOND
Castle are closed to visitors, their marble statues wrapped against the cold, tall clay pots packed away, beds stripped bare of summer planting. Slumbering under a dusting of snow, or glittering with frost, the topiary shapes of the parterre cast long shadows in the low winter sunshine and look even more magical and otherworldly than they do in summer. The garden may be sleeping, but for head gardener Edith Barnes and her team of four full-time and two part-time staff, the end of the year is always a very busy period. On top of the more usual maintenance tasks, such as clearing leaves and taking cuttings for next year’s pots, they have to tackle the biggest pieces of garden topiary, perched up high on cherrypickers to trim the tallest specimens. “It’s lovely on a crisp winter’s day when we are doing the topiary,” says Edith, who took a holiday job at the garden when she was 15, decided to stay, and has now worked here for over 35 years. “You look out across all the trees with their sprinklings of icing on the top.” Today’s garden is a legacy of the Victorian era, and was visited by Queen Victoria herself when she and Albert stayed at Drummond Castle in 1842. Greeted by the estate’s tenants, who were lined along the drive, and entertained in a specially
124 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
Above The West
Fountain, surrounded by pillars of Irish yew, umbrellas of holly and box balls. Below Sid, the castle’s solitary male swan, glides across the pond.
erected pavilion, she approved highly of all she saw, writing in her diary: “Sunday September 11th… We walked in the Garden, which is really very fine, with terraces, like an old French garden”. While she was at Drummond, Victoria planted two copper beech trees in mirror-image spots either side of the parterre. One succumbed quite recently, felled by a storm in May 2012, but the other still stands: a ghostly grey presence at this time of year.
Evidence for earlier gardens at Drummond is somewhat patchy. The castle itself dates back to the 15th century, when the first Lord Drummond was given the land and built his ‘fortalice’ – a fortified house – the remnants of which are still in existence as the lower floors of the keep. He was reported to have sent cherries to James IV while the king was hunting nearby. Both house and garden expanded under his successors. The imposing obelisk sundial that usually stands at the centre of the parterre (it is currently being restored) is a survivor of what must have been a grand formal garden in the early 17th century. Towards the end of that century, it was a Drummond gardener, John Reid, who became the author of Scotland’s first gardening book: The Scots Gard’ner, Published for the Climate of Scotland. Formality was swept away in the 18th century, and it was only in the early 19th century, with the advent of Queen Victoria’s future hosts, heiress Clementina Drummond and her husband, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, that the garden took on its present form. In creating their new garden, the couple secured the services of Lewis Kennedy, a landscape gardener who had worked for the Empress Joséphine at Malmaison in France. But architect Charles Barry, who submitted plans for a revamp of the castle, may also have had a hand in the design, which incorporates elements of Italian and French style and a huge dollop of 19th-century ‘more is more’ exuberance: a multitude of statues, tons of sparkly quartz edging and a riot of colourful planting.
Slumbering under a dusting of snow, or glittering with frost, the topiary shapes of the parterre cast long shadows Top Pillars of English and
Irish yew and a golden holly, with acers still providing a final blast of autumn colour. Above Glowing in the low sun, bare branches of the woodland trees.
The garden nowadays is not as crammed with plants and shrubs as it was in its Victorian heyday: it was simplified when it was restored in the post-war years, although the layout is the same. Its impact comes from the way you first see it, from high up in the castle courtyard, with the whole parterre suddenly opening out below, its strong central axis appearing to power out into the countryside beyond the bounds of the garden. A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN 125
SEASONAL ADVICE By Edith Barnes ● Mulch vegetable
gardens with rotted manure and dig them over before Christmas, to allow time for the frost to break up the soil gradually. Don’t try to break it up yourself. ● This is a good time
for edging lawns. The frost means you’ll get a much cleaner cut. ● Keep yew columns
Above The parterre, with The pattern of box-edged beds in its wonderful display of the parterre features a St Andrew’s topiary, box-edged beds Cross at its heart, with emblems that and roundels of beech. have been taken from the Drummond Right Bright red berries glisten on one of the and Willoughby coats of arms to either garden’s many hollies. side of it. During the summer months, alternating red and yellow roses, the family colours, fill the central cartwheel section, November, December and January, that we bring with the white of the cross coming from the out the cherry-pickers.” massed plantings of lambs’ ear, Stachys lanata, For Edith, the enduring appeal of working and anaphalis along the pathways. at Drummond Castle lies in keeping such a The three paths that lead the eye out across spectacular garden up to standard in the face the garden are lined with an intense blue of inevitable change. “Things get old and die lavender, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’, and and get diseases,” she says, “and it can be quite other sections are planted up with tulips and heartbreaking when you lose some of the older antirrhinums for the season. Tall, glazed pots ones, like the Queen Victoria tree.” embossed with the Drummond coat of arms stand She’s about to replace a band of acers along the out on the gravel, brimming with yellow and eastern edge of the parterre that were attacked by white marguerites and contrasting pelargoniums honey fungus and had to be scrapped, and there is such as ‘Red Lace’. an ongoing programme of improvement to correct Even at the height of summer, however, what the lean of some of the topiary, which has been catches the eye above all else is the magnificent bent out of shape by the wind. As for the Queen topiary: a dizzying array of cones and cylinders, Victoria tree, the team have been nurturing tiny spirals and giant lollipops, umbrellas and seedlings from the remaining copper beech, and balls, made from English and Irish yew, box and these are now three feet high. The time is ripe, it holly, Portuguese laurel and cypress. Colours would seem, for another ceremonial planting. shift from darkest green to paler shades, and from silver to gold, and every tree, whatever its size, Drummond Castle Gardens, Muthill, Crieff, seems to have its own personality. Perth & Kinross PH7 4HN are open on Easter Caring for these myriad shapes takes the Weekend (Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday gardening team months rather than days. “We and Easter Monday) 1pm-6pm and then from clip the boxwood and beech hedges at the end 1 May to 31 October daily. June-August 11amof August and early September,” Edith explains. 6pm; September and October 1pm-6pm. “Then, in October, we do the small yews, and Adult £6; child £2. Tel: +44 (0)1764 681433; it’s only once the garden is closed to visitors, in drummondcastlegardens.co.uk
126 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
in shape by running wires round them a foot apart, taking care to turn stray wires inwards so you don’t clip them with shears. ● Cut back herbaceous
planting and mulch around perennials and roses. Fork between the plants first for drainage – it opens up the soil and encourages worms to come up and take the mulch back down. ● Leave seedheads
on lavender for winter protection; don’t deadhead until spring. ● To prevent wind
rock in roses, prune them back to halfheight and then prune properly in spring. ● Grow your own
Christmas decorations. Fronds of hemlock look good sprayed silver or gold, as do poppy seedheads and artichokes. And, of course, there are yew and holly trimmings to take home.
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DECEMBER
Plants of the Month
Skimmia
Cornus
Viburnum
As leaves are shed and flowers become few and far between, it feels good to deny winter a little longer by planting up a few cheerful seasonal containers. One shrub that really lends itself to a winter-interest container is skimmia. Garden centres normally stock young plants at this time of year, specifically for growing in pots; their slow growth makes them ideal, and when the pot display is over they can go out in the garden. Skimmia ‘Rubella’ is a popular choice, its tight buds remaining closed for ages to give a long-lasting display of bobbly pinkish-red flowers, the glossy evergreen leaves providing a handsome backdrop. When they eventually open, they’re white. In contrast, Skimmia japonica var. reevesiana is usually sold covered in small, glossy-red berries.
It couldn’t be easier to grow the dogwoods that are known for their colourful winter stems. These shrubs have an easy-going nature and tolerate most soils and conditions, although you’ll get the most colourful bark if they’re grown in a sunny position. There are many different varieties, with bark in bonfire shades of red, orange and yellow – some, such as ‘Winter Beauty’ mixing all three colours to flame-like effect. But the one that seems to be becoming increasingly popular among head gardeners and people in the know is ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ (pictured above). Many say it has the most intensely coloured stems of all: yellow at the base, orange-red at the tips. What’s more, its leaves develop good autumn tints of coral and orange before they fall in autumn.
Winter-flowering Viburnum x bodnantense is a lovely shrub to have in the garden. During the summer months it makes a helpful backdrop shrub, sporting a fine covering of crinkly leaves. Once they have fallen and it is reduced to bare branches, it really comes into its own, producing slightly pendent clusters of small white or pink flowers that exude a delicious sweet scent. ‘Dawn’ is one of the best pink-flowered varieties to grow; ‘Charles Lamont’ is a paler pink. They’ll grow almost anywhere, sun or dappled shade, tolerate a wide range of soil, can be pruned hard if you need to keep them within range and are generally trouble-free. Thank you Charles Puddle, head gardener at Bodnant in the 1930s, who made the original cross that resulted in this beautiful winter plant.
128 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; CLIVE NICHOLS
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DECEMBER
Things to Do Keep up to date in the garden with our monthly guide to key gardening tasks
MAKE A SEASONAL vase arrangement Glass-grown blooms, evergreen branches and dried flowers and grasses all make wonderful additions to this stylish, wintry, floral arrangement If you want to go big and fabulous with home décor, there’s no better time to do it than Christmas. Don’t be put off by the scarcity of winter flowers – here, florist Rachel Siegfried of Green & Gorgeous explains how to make a seasonal vase arrangement that will put the Christmas tree to shame.
Checklist ● Protect tender
herbaceous perennials from frost by mulching around their bases with a thick layer of straw. Use wire netting to hold the straw in place. ● For natural Christmas
decorations, place the shoots of winterflowering shrubs in water and keep in a cool place indoors. ● Cut back ornamental
grape vines to two buds before Christmas, to avoid pruning wounds bleeding.
You will need A vase Chicken wire Five woody branches Fresh flowers Dried flowers and grasses Flowering bulbs
130 A YEAR IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN
such as apples, cherries and plums, with a winter wash to help control pests. ● Rake up the last of
with length and breadth, although if it’s going on the table, don’t make it too high. 4 Dried grasses are a savvy addition, as are, in a mild winter, late-flowering bulbs such as amaryllis. These plants will last much longer if you ward off wilting by keeping the water fresh, and placing the arrangement well away from heat. 5 For a final flourish, add smaller dried flowers, such as strawflowers, to your creation.
6 To create a lavish, ‘Dutch Masters’ look, arrange the vase on some beautiful fabric. Most importantly, enjoy the creative process: winter walks are a lovely way to gather materials. Used in picture: Chrysanthemum ‘Avignon Pink’ – grown under glass; dried bracken; larch; miscanthus; strawflowers; Eucalyptus gunnii; foraged sloe branches; pewter tankard; alkanet-dyed silk. • For more information about Green & Gorgeous, visit greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk
the autumn leaves from your lawn to stop them killing the grass. ● Bring hyacinth and
daffodil bulbs into the warmth to encourage flowering over the Christmas period.
IMAGES SHUTTERSTOCK; GREEN & GORGEOUS
Method 1 Use a small ball of chicken wire instead of floral foam to anchor the arrangement; it’s easy to handle and eco-friendly. 2 Start with woody branches, such as eucalyptus, sloe or snowberry. Use an odd number and beware of overcrowding – five branches is sufficient. 3 Add your chosen flowers, but take care not to overstuff. Layering looks lovely, so play
● Spray fruit trees,
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