GA R D E N I N G
OPPOSITE, ABOVE LEFT Eye-catching topiary shapes are created in threes OPPOSITE, ABOVE RIGHT Louise enjoys grouping pots, especially near the house ABOVE The garden is many-layered, with hawthorns and an old pear tree giving height above the topiary and perennials. Two pots of Hosta ‘Francee’ top off the stone gateposts
has been chosen as an edging plant, forming mats of weed-suppressing evergreen foliage. Colour is allowed in small doses – in the crocosmia and dahlias, for example. There are grasses, too, although Louise has cut back on the number: “I had lots at one time but they looked wretched. They did nothing until May, then by November the whole garden resembled a huge brown compost heap – very depressing.” Now, the palette of grasses has been reduced to autumn reed-grass Sesleria autumnalis, which she finds very neat and well behaved, and Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ (feather reed-grass), which stays upright and tidy all winter long. Division of labour for the Dowdings sees Louise concentrating mostly on the ornamental parts of the garden, while Fergus takes charge of the vegetable beds, where he has practised no-dig principles for 25 years, putting soil health first and foremost. They keep pigs and chickens, which produce manure that helps keep the plants happy, and their aim is to retain as much on site as possible, and to be as self-sufficient as they can be with food. Their crops include borlotti beans, leeks, cabbages and celeriac in winter, giving way to salad crops, French beans , courgettes and soft fruits in summer, followed by squashes in autumn. Fergus and Louise both put their hearts and souls into this garden and reap rich rewards. YEWS FARM, East Street, Martock, Somerset, opens for the National Open Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk) on Sunday 3 July and Sunday 11 September, 1-5pm, and by arrangement from May to September (email fergusdowding@btinternet.com). Follow Louise’s progress on Instagram @dowdinglouise.
Louise’s tips for TAKING CARE OF BOX SPRAY THE RIGHT WAY I keep the box at Yews Farm healthy by spraying it every month with a mix of 10ml of neem oil and 3ml of castile soap (both from thesoapery.co.uk) to 1 litre of water. I find it coats the leaves sufficiently to help prevent box blight spreading. In summer, I spray two or three times with a ten per cent solution of liquid seaweed (100ml of seaweed to 1 litre of water). This gives them a boost and greens them up without making them get too leggy. MIX IT UP Create shapes that have a variety of different horizontal and vertical planes to them. Spirals work well, too. The various facets catch the light at different times of day. KEEP CLIPPING I clip all the box by eye in late May/early June, and again in late September to maintain crisp winter outlines. On the spirals and jelly moulds, push a cane into the centre first to act as a guide to work around. FEED BOX ANNUALLY Add well-rotted manure and homemade compost around the roots. SPACE IT OUT Don’t allow other plants to compete with the box around their roots. I like to leave around 30cm between the box and any perennials.
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