The Great Dixter Journal 2024

The Great Dixter Journal 2024

Great Dixter was a superb sight, dressed overall for the Christmas Fair at the end of November last year. Perhaps, as the snowdrops are already in flower, you may think it perverse of me to turn the clock back to that event. But I wanted to say a loud thank you to the team who made it all happen and filled the garden buildings as well as the house with such a rich mixture of artists and makers. And it was an inspired idea to bring sheep onto the grass alongside the path to the porch, exactly the kind of unexpected vision that makes any visit to Dixter so memorable. Actually what I saw was the hurdles of their pen, as the sheep had been temporarily removed having been spooked by a dog on the loose. Nevertheless, I loved the pastoral quality the scene added to the well-known approach.

On the occasion of the Christmas Fair, the Great Hall was filled with stalls, but curiously intimate still, with a fire blazing in the vast fireplace that dominates one end. Christopher held some terrific parties in the Great Hall. I remember a birthday feast followed by music, when Graham Gough gave us some of Franz Schubert’s Lieder accompanied by Pip Morrison at the piano. Graham was a professional singer before he became an inspired nurseryman, original owner of Marchants Hardy Plants.

Christopher loved German lieder and they played a big part in the programme he had devised for his birthday. He stood in the centre of the Great Hall, surrounded by friends, and introduced each piece with wonderfully confident panache. He might have been a presenter on Radio 3, a kind of Donald Macleod Composer of the Week figure, who happened to do a bit of gardening on the side. He was magnificent. ■

by Anna Pavord, Patron

CONTENTS

6. Sir Edwin Lutyens and Great Dixter Charles Hind

10. Young Daisy Roy Brigden

21. Trees:

22. Spring trees Daniel Carlson

26. Autumn Jamie Todd

30. Propagation of trees from seed Samuel Walker

34. Conifers Ros Crowhurst

38. Visitors from America 1928-1939 Roy Brigden

46. Study in two world-class gardens Annie Guilfoyle

50. A place of opportunity Tom Stuart-Smith

52. Great Dixter inside and out Karen Edwards

54. An entomologist at Great Dixter Chris Bentley

58. 5 things I had to unlearn Michael Wachter

60. The Fergus 4 Fergus Garrett

66. Great Dixter scholars 2023-2024

83. Work experience Hannah Moore

84. Donor pages

Door to the sales shed in the nursery

Photograph taken in the top carpark of the people working onsite at Great Dixter on Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 1.30pm. Back row: Zu Harrison, Lauren Ware, Michael Morphy, Sarah Seymour, Nigel Ford, Bill Ludgrove, Peter Chowney, Shaun Blower, Jamie Todd, Ros Crowhurst. Middle row: Samuel Walker, Hetty Fruer Denham, Ben Jones, Luke Bennett, Mikey McGuinness, Linda Jones, Alice Rodriguez, Carol Joughin, Jodie Jones.

Front row: Naciim Benkreira, Ernie Weller, Luke Senior, Talitha Slabbert.

Back row: Steve Walker, Will Larson, Rob Flack, Nick Lorimore, Karen Edwards, Hayden Bosher, Christina Exall, Jez Smith, Jo McLeod, Mary-Anne Brightwell, Ashley Pye.

Middle row: Emma Davies, Anne Thomson, Louise Catt, John Sharratt, Catherine Haydock, Karina Garrick, Rachel Deacon, Emily Heard Front row: Coralie Thomas, Michael Wachter, Savva Podkopov, Matt Padbury, Lewis Bosher, Fergus Garrett.

Full time staff

time staff

SIR EDWIN LUTYENS AND GREAT DIXTERTHE LAST OF HIS ‘VERNACULAR’ COUNTRY HOUSES

by Charles Hind

Chief Curator at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which holds the Edwin Lutyens’ archive of drawings, letters and models. Charles was appointed by Christopher Lloyd as a Trustee at the start of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust.

EDWIN LUTYENS paid his first visit to Dixter on 10th May 1910. There is no record of how exactly Nathaniel Lloyd had approached him to look at the farmhouse that he and his wife Daisy had purchased earlier that year. But Nathaniel would certainly have known of Lutyens’s work from Country Life, whose owner, Edward Hudson, had been actively promoting him since the launch of the magazine in 1897 and to which Nathaniel had been a subscriber since the first issue. Furthermore, he must have known of Lutyens’s rebuilding of Great Maytham a few miles away at Rolvenden, just over the border into Kent, which was begun in 1909. Given Nathaniel’s well-known self-assurance demonstrated both in his business life and in his requests for access to old houses a few years later (resulting in his History of the English House, published in 1931), I am sure that he had driven over from Rye to inspect

the building site at Rolvenden and it was the same self-assurance that was behind his approach to a man who was already one of the leading architects in the country and who two years later was to start work on the planning of the new capital of Britain’s Indian Empire in Delhi.

Lloyd had hedged his bet in approaching Lutyens, for he also invited Sir Ernest George to submit proposals. George was a Royal Academician and had been designing country houses since the 1870s, so he was approaching the end of a distinguished career whilst Lutyens had not yet attained the peak of his. This time there was a known connection, for one of Lloyd’s friends and golfing partners was George’s son Allen. Allen George was thoroughly aggrieved at the rejection of his father’s proposals for Dixter (there are letters in the Dixter Archives) and his friendship with Nathaniel does not appear to have survived. Neither have Sir Ernest’s proposals but undoubtedly, he would have produced a thoroughly serviceable and comfortable house that would have had none of the understanding of old work and brilliant suggestions for new that distinguish a Lutyens building.

From 1900, Lutyens had been

LUTYENS HAD BEEN INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE AND DIXTER WAS THE LAST OF HIS VERNACULAR HOUSES

increasingly drawn to classical architecture and Dixter was the last of his vernacular houses. It was completed in 1912 and its porch provided the inspiration for the very last timbered structure that Lutyens built, at the Shakespeare’s England Exhibition at Earls Court, which ran from June to October that year, coinciding exactly with the Lloyds moving into their new house. But what was unique about Dixter was the involvement in the design process of the client, which Lutyens had never encountered before. In making his initial suggestions back in 1910, Lutyens had stated that he wanted ‘to make the old house sing out while making the whole building compose well’ and he suggested looking at local 15th and 16th century buildings for precedents. Nathaniel took this to heart and was soon bombarding Lutyens with sketches and photographs of houses and their details, many of which Lutyens took on board. Furthermore, Nathaniel loved the process of building his house, making a nuisance of himself to his clerk of works by visiting almost every day, but his enthusiasm turned a retired middle-aged printer into an architectural historian and what would today be described as a conservation architect. ■

YOUNG DAISY

by Roy Brigden, Great Dixter archivist

DAISY LLOYD (1881-1972)

is a key figure in the twentieth century story of Great Dixter. We know her of course as the wife of Nathaniel and mother of six children, of whom Christopher was the youngest. But there is so much more, because in her own right Daisy was a woman of extraordinary talents and personality that even now permeate the house and gardens. This first section looks at the earlier, pre-Dixter, phase of the young Daisy’s life, through to her marriage in 1905, and relies entirely on material from the Great Dixter archive.

Daisy Field and her sister Myrtle, younger by a year, had a comfortable and happy middle class upbringing. Her father Basil was a respected solicitor who was also engaged in the London literary and arts scene. He dabbled in writing and his brother Walter Field was an artist so there was clearly an artistic streak running through the family. Perhaps also there was a touch of the unconventional about them. The first family photographs of toddlers Daisy and Myrtle, for example, are dated Southsea June 7 1884, a clear six months before their parents were officially married in Bournemouth in January 1885.

If those earliest years are a little hazy, Daisy’s later childhood was spent in a large Victorian town house, ‘Basildene’, at 14 Cambalt Road, Putney. It does not appear that either she or Myrtle went to school as such but rather were taught at home by a tutor. Some of Daisy’s exercise and examination books survive

Daisy (left) and Myrtle, June 1884

running through from 1892 to 1898. They include composition and dictation in French, English and German; complex exercises in arithmetic and algebra; and detailed instruction in botany. All demonstrate an early emergence of the exquisite handwriting, and the acute attention to spelling and grammar, that were lifelong characteristics. Needlework and other artistic and craft activity were also firmly planted in the domestic household.

AN EARLY EMERGENCE OF THE EXQUISITE HANDWRITING, AND THE ACUTE ATTENTION TO SPELLING AND GRAMMAR, THAT WERE LIFELONG CHARACTERISTICS.

Countryside pursuits were nurtured in holiday times at the Mill House in Ramsbury, Wiltshire, which Basil leased for the shooting and fishing on the River Kennet that he so enjoyed. A diary entry for 24th August 1893 records the first mention by the 11 year old Daisy of Mr Lloyd who had come down to shoot moorhen with Basil. Nathaniel Lloyd, a successful London businessman of 26, was a client of Basil Field’s law firm and they bonded over their shared enthusiasm for shooting and fly fishing. There is a photographic portrait of Daisy taken the following year, 1894.

In 1901, Mrs Amy Field and her two daughters took a trip to America. They sailed from London to New York on the S.S. Minnehaha in April and returned at the end of August, the voyage taking a week each way. The itinerary was arranged around a scattering of Amy’s relatives and friends over there. Daisy kept a stack of mementos from the tour: menu cards, for example, concert programmes and annotated passenger lists from life on board ship; some water damaged souvenirs from a close-up view of the Niagara Falls; postcards from Ottawa and Quebec. On July 31st, she writes from Belleville, Ontario, whilst doing some carriage driving on business with Mr Baker, a friend of Amy’s cousin: ‘We expect to get home by about 8 o’clock just fancy! I shall have driven 46 miles altogether! Isn’t that just dandy! I can manage ‘Lady’ perfectly, and am really learning to be quite cute about picking out the best pieces of road’. There is also material from a stay in the city of Sedalia, Missouri, over 1,000 miles west of New York. In one of the drawers in the Yeomans Hall at Great Dixter is a fan carefully labelled in Daisy’s own hand: ‘Another youthful fan. I was carrying it when

Daisy’s mother Amy at the Field family home in Putney, c.1890

Comparing the ox-eyed daisy and the cornflower in Daisy’s botany exercise book, 1895

A maths exam, 1896

Daisy at the age of 14, 1894

Rudolph Ihlee’s sketch of Frankfurt that he made for Daisy, 1899

Daisy’s fan from her dance in Missouri, 1901

Lechlade 1902. Rudolph is rowing and Daisy is sitting in the stern of the boat

A keepsake from the trip to America, 1901

The tiro’s (beginner’s) guide to gowf’. The non-sporty Rudolph’s tongue in cheek summary of the game which had become a passion for Nathaniel by the early 1900s

Rudolph’s drawing for a two-seater electric car, c.1902

Daisy’s bookplate, designed by Rudolph Ihlee in 1904

A reminder of Rudolph. The ceramic white jack in the Dixter carpet bowls

I learned to dance “The Washington Post” in Sedalia, Mo., in 1901’. There was an important German dimension to Daisy’s younger life that stayed with her and was passed seamlessly on to her children. A few doors down at No.20 Cambalt Rd, Putney, lived the family of Lewis and Klara Tomalin and their four children. They had re-located to London from Frankfurt. Tomalin was a prosperous businessman and had set up Jaeger (then a health conscious woollen clothing company rather than the fashion brand it later became) with his brother in law Heinrich Ihlee, also from Frankfurt and also now in London with his family. The Fields and the Tomalins were close friends, and as teenagers Daisy and her sister would often spend holidays with what became their extended German family back in Frankfurt. Here they became fluent in the language and mixed with other members of the cultural and industrial elite of the city – like Paul and Olga Hirsch, for example, whose marriage Daisy attended and whose daughter Renate would many years later have a son, Michael Schuster, godson to Christopher Lloyd.

When Lewis Tomalin’s business partner, Heinrich Ihlee, died in 1891 at the young age of 47, some of his nine children returned to Germany with their mother while the older ones stayed behind in England. One of these was Rudolph Ihlee (1883-1968) who was taken under the wing of his aunt Klara Tomalin in Putney. He formed part of the circle in which Daisy moved and they became great friends. His first appearance in the archive is in the form of an exquisite pen and ink sketch of Frankfurt which he drew in Daisy’s commonplace book and is dated 1899. At the turn of the new century, they spent a lot of time together and when they were apart they wrote to each other. There are 42 letters and cards from Ihlee to Daisy, covering the period 1900 to 1920, which she carefully kept together amongst her personal records in a marked envelope. From 1902, Ihlee spent periods away in Manchester and Scotland as a trainee draughtsman with electrical engineers Ferranti Ltd, before changing tack and registering at the Slade in London in 1906 to prepare for his chosen career as an artist. In that same envelope of letters, is an Ihlee drawing for an electric car. Daisy’s books at Great Dixter from this era of her life still have the Ex Libris bookplate, featuring his take on the legendary

RUDOLPH WAS NO FAN OF NATHANIEL AND HIS PROBLEM WAS THAT AS A TEENAGER, FREQUENTLY AWAY FROM LONDON, AND WITH UNCLEAR PROSPECTS AHEAD OF HIM, HE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH WITH WHICH TO FEND OFF A MORE ESTABLISHED RIVAL.

trochilus or crocodile bird, that he designed for her in 1904. Daisy wrote at least as many letters to Rudolph as he to her, but all that survives is his side of the correspondence. He was two years younger so to begin with it’s as if he were writing to an older sister, and mockingly addresses her as ‘Dear old Daisy’. That rapidly transitions into something rather deeper with frequent expressions of affection and innocent young love, clearly reciprocated. As early as February 1902, having just received a framed photograph of Daisy to brighten up his gloomy Manchester digs, he is aware from her letter that Nathaniel Lloyd is becoming a more frequent visitor to Putney. In his long reply he tries, with as much subtlety as he can muster, to tell her not to encourage him unless she is serious. Rudolph was no fan of Nathaniel and his problem was that as a teenager, frequently away from London, and with unclear prospects ahead of him, he didn’t have much with which to fend off a more established rival. The letters continued, still with fondness but with rather more reserve and distance than before. When at last he received from Daisy the announcement of her engagement in April 1905, Rudolph replied from Falkirk with good wishes that were almost buried under expressions of angst and black humour. More letters followed through the years leading up to the First World War, when Rudolph was struggling to break through as an artist and battling his own mental problems (‘Tan’s away. Come and see me!’ wrote Daisy in June 1911). They resumed after the War when the fallout from his own disastrous marriage had added further to his anguish. He came to stay at Great Dixter in May 1919 and was much taken with everything, particularly the then youngest child, Quentin, whom he dubbed ‘Mr Tippins’ or ‘Mr T’. His health was still of concern and the following year he asked Daisy if he could come and stay for a week to recuperate. During this time, after much searching, he purchased the ceramic white jack that still remains in the basket of carpet bowls in the Solar. Before long he would set off with his friend and fellow artist Edgar Hereford to make a new artistic life in the south of France. The last letter in the archive from

April 15th 1905, Daisy makes her decision

For the happy couple, a wedding message and present from the staff of Nathaniel Lloyd & Co.

Daisy

25, in November 1905, six months after her marriage

Nathaniel Lloyd, ‘The Holluschickie’, c.1900

aged

Rudolph to Daisy is dated October 1920, where he apologises to her for a late cancellation of another visit. He signs off with: ‘At present I am not only depressed but greatly depressing so think of what you have escaped & be cheerful. My dismallest regards to D.T (this was how he referred to Nathaniel) & just the least suspicion of a smile to my old friend Mr T. Yrs R.’

Nathaniel Lloyd succeeded in his wooing of the young Daisy but, as the extensive correspondence in the archive shows, it was a slow process and there were some bumps in the road. From the early 1890s, Daisy would write on his birthday, 4th March, in a tone of respect, as to an elder relative, addressing him as Mr Lloyd and passing on family news. He would respond in terms of muted affection. In 1897, Daisy starts referring to him as ‘The Holluschickie’, which means a bachelor seal, and in 1900 her now much chattier birthday letter opens with: My Dear Holluschickie, I wish you many happy returns of your birthday!

Papa says that when one reaches a certain age, it becomes unkind to remind one of this anniversary. Have you got there yet? If so you only have to tell me and I will cease being unkind!’

Moving on to March 1903, there is some turmoil in the air. Nathaniel had sent Daisy a book on bridge to which she replied briefly with a card. A longer, more edgy letter followed the next day, opening with: ‘Dear Mr Lloyd, I am feeling dreadfully tired & stupid tonight so you won’t get a very nice birthday letter this year, but my good wishes are none the less sincere. I wrote an awfully long one (6 pages) this morning, but then that was to a boy who doesn’t relish “brevity” as much now as he may do when he gets to your time of life!’ The six pages would have been a pouring out of her thoughts and feelings to Rudolph.

In April 1903, Nathaniel made his move and was rejected. The following day he wrote to her: ‘I must write to thank you for being so frank with me last night & to tell you how much I appreciate your kindness in letting me have a talk which was so painful to you.’ Daisy responded: ‘Yes it was a “painful” thing that I did the other evening – more painful I fancy, than even you can realise, for by nature I am really very tender-hearted & shrink from hurting anybody’s feelings - & much more those of an old & valued friend.’ In his reply, Nathaniel goes for broke and hopes she will reconsider: ‘My love for you, which was little

more than affectionate friendly regard three years ago, has grown & grown until it seems to have absorbed my whole being & you are almost always in my thoughts. To cut off the hope of winning you would be to cut off all the sunshine out of my life & make everything blackness.’

NATHANIEL SUCCEEDED IN HIS WOOING OF THE YOUNG DAISY BUT, AS THE EXTENSIVE CORRESPONDENCE IN THE ARCHIVE SHOWS, IT WAS A SLOW PROCESS AND THERE WERE SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD.

Daisy’s parents, Basil and Amy, stepped in at this point and advised Nathaniel to stay away from Cambalt Road for the time being, as the situation was becoming stressful, and they would keep him informed of any developments. They declared themselves neutral but clearly Nathaniel was a friend of longstanding and in that Edwardian age represented a suitable match for their daughter. Amy was the main channel of communication and engaged in regular correspondence with Nathaniel to pass on news of Daisy. This brought them closer together and in July 1904, after more than a year of impasse, she wrote: ‘My Dear Tan……If I can ever do anything for you, I think you know how gladly I would do it. It grieved me more than you know when I thought our friendship was to end. I liked you first through your love for Daisy but now I love you for your own sake.’

Another year passed before Daisy herself suddenly broke the deadlock on April 15th 1905 with a card to Nathaniel that read simply: ‘Dear Friend, I find I can’t do without you after all, Your Daisy’. They were married a month later, 20th May 1905, in Wandsworth Unitarian Church (Daisy Field’s grandfather, Edwin Wilkins Field, having been a prominent Unitarian). It was a low key event from which there are no photographs, and little else that has survived. They opted not to live in Nathaniel’s London home but in Willersley, his golfing bolt-hole in Rye, from where Daisy wrote on June 26th: ‘Tan dear, I don’t know how to begin this, my first married letter to you….I think you’re the very dearest husband that woman was ever blessed with, and the truest friend too, & I thank God every hour of the day (& the night too when I wake up) that you belong to me.’ The first child, Selwyn, came along in 1908, and the search was on for a country home suitable for a growing family. The Great Dixter adventure was about to begin. ■

Trees

PLANTED AND CARED FOR OVER GENERATIONS, TREES KNIT THE GARDEN INTO THE WIDER LANDSCAPE. HERE, MEMBERS OF THE NURSERY TEAM, WITH THE HELP OF ARCHIVIST ROY BRIGDEN, EXPLORE THEIR ENDURING PRESENCE AT DIXTER

by Daniel Carlson, Nursery worker

SPRING RUSHES INTO Dixter with a force. It can be hard to imagine more coming while we enjoy winter snowdrops and early crocus, but when spring really arrives, long and heavy, you can be knocked back by its beauty and intensity. While the Gardeners are still busy with final plantings and preparations for the main growing season to take over, the flowering bulbs are stars of the garden, but in the background, if you can step back and look up, are the spring trees of Dixter.

The lower meadow, down from the long border, is full to the brim with naturalized bulbs and wildflowers but it was originally planted as a prolific orchard. Some trees still remain and their blossom and falling petals fill the air. Towards the bottom, at a cross in the meadow paths, stands an incredibly tall wild pear tree. It is a seedling grown by Christo, the seed wild collected. The lowest branch of which has bent over the path and kisses the growing grasses. The arch created is a spectacle with people laughing their way through the portal.

Christo writes, “I am fond of pear blossom, for its sickly sweet scent; also for the distinct manner in which the flowers (which are always dead white) are borne in clusters.”

-Christopher Lloyd’s Gardening Year

At Dixter there is a pursuit to connect the garden to the wider landscape, the meadows connecting to the garden. There is an espaliered culinary pear trained on the chimney at the side of the house. The balance between this tree, so clearly showing the gardeners hand, and the wild, inedible, towering specimen is striking. Clearly Christo loved pears - edible or not. “In writing about pears, I am torn between the fruit and the tree. An old pear tree, whether or not it fruits, is venerable and achieves a great age, with thick stems and rough, scaly bark. It is easy to admire the trees without caring whether or not they fruit. They just are splendid to look at, especially, but not only, when in flower, and that is enough.”Christopher Lloyd, The Guardian

When asked about the espaliered tree ‘That must be terribly old,’ a lady visitor said to me. ‘Well,’ said I, ‘how old are you, for instance?’ ‘I was seventy last week.’ ‘That’s just about the pear’s age,’ I told her. ‘Not so very ancient, is it?’ - Christopher Lloyd’s Gardening Year

Continuing into the garden stands a gnarled pear, just hanging onto life, though clearly supporting others with its moss-laden branches and countless holes from birds and insects. “Yet another

Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Lennei’ on the upper terrace

old pear, a nineteenth-century survivor, is in the peacock garden, and that is a beautiful shape, especially noticeable when flowering.”

-Christopher Lloyd’s Gardening Year

In the garden the queen of spring is the tulip magnolia. There are a few specimens through the garden. Stepping up the circular steps you find the Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Lennei’ seemingly tumbling down from the upper terrace to the path below. “Some of the branches of mine trail on the paving below it. They are not much in the way, so I allow that and it gives the opportunity of looking down into the flower by way of a change from always looking upwards.”

This tree is now entwined with wisteria, the pale lilac racemes mixing with the “Large, electric light bulb shaped, deep mauve-pink on the outside, off-white within.” -Christopher Lloyd’s Gardening Year

Another cultivar is M. ‘Galaxy’ with an upright habit growing along the path from the high garden down to the long border. The tree is well seen from the east side of the house, the Day Nursery or even higher.

Nearby, to the side of the circular steps grows a subtle yet glorious small tree. Corylopsis glabrescens with hanging pale yellow flowers creating the perfect foil for a colony of pale blue Scilla bithinica. Christo would pick the branches for its matching lemony scent.

It would be impossible to write about spring at Dixter without mentioning the Malus hupehensis. These enormous crab apples dot the site, one in the orchard,

four in car park, their crowns connecting into one mass, and a new generation about head high, ensuring continued blossom into the future. In May the trees are covered in large white flowers opening from pink buds. The snow of falling blossoms match the cow parsley below.

“Malus hupehensis, the Chinese crab, is the best crab apple according to experienced tree people and another fine discovery of the great plant hunter, Ernest Wilson. Wilson had impeccable taste and the tree, which is quite substantial in maturity, is a spectacle in flower…It was one of Christopher Lloyd’s favourite trees and, naturally, he selected a superior form.” - Dan Pearson, Dig Delve We grow and sell this form in the nursery.

In the spring, with its bounty and rebirth, it can be hard to believe that trees don’t live forever. In researching for this, many trees we see images of or read about in Christo’s books and columns are now gone. Lost in the historical storms, or simply by outliving their years. One such specimen I wish I could have seen is the Malus floribunda, with its twisted trunk absolutely covered in flowers. Or the second Mulberry, planted as a twin, lost in the storm of 1987. But we don’t despair. Of course the loss of a tree can hurt, but it is always an opportunity for something else. More light falling through, a new vista opening, a sign of the passage of time, or simply the benefit of the ecological explosion of growth we see on the decaying branches. Moss, lichen and insects going to work to return all to the soil. Because of course dead wood is dead good. ■

TOP RIGHT, ROS CROWHURST. RIGHT, SHAUN BLOWER

Above, Malus hupehensis in the carpark.

Left, letter to Nathaniel Lloyd from a fruit tree supplier in 1918. Below, wild pear in the lower meadow.

Autumn

BY JAMIE TODD, NURSERY WORKER

As autumn creeps upon us slowly, the boundary between the abundance of summer and creeping senescence is often hard to gauge. Fruits slowly ripen in the last of the sun’s heat and the vibrant colours of the summer mute, becoming richer and deeper. Starlings arrive en masse in the Ash trees at the edge of the garden, making group flights to feast on the glassy red fruits of Malus hupehensis in the car park. With the transition of seasons, temperatures decrease, and daylight hours shorten. Trees receive less direct sunlight, leading to the breakdown of chlorophyll in their leaves, revealing pigments disguised in the summer months.

Starlingsperching on Fraxinus excelsior

There are three trees at Dixter whose fruits always catch your eye. Crataegeus pentagyna at the top of the kitchen drive has clusters of shiny jet-black berries. Crataegus elwangeriana, by the lower moat, is covered in tomato red pomes. Christo thought Crataegus orientalis the best. Sitting in the front meadow and often asked about, this tree was rated ‘not just for berries, either. I consider it the best small tree available. Its roundtopped crown is pleasing. Its grey leaves remain a pleasure through summer; then, in autumn, it carries crops of large, soft orange haws’.

elwangeriana

Crataegus

Ginkgobiloba

Taxodium distichum

Two deciduous conifers illustrate this transition perfectly. The Taxodium distichum, which sits mirrored in the Horse Pond, turns countless shades of oranges, reds and browns. The living fossil, Ginkgo biloba, protected within the tapestry plants in the Old Rose Garden is almost the last to turn, its scallop-shaped leaves becoming buttery yellow. A marked contrast to the glaucous foliage surrounding it.

Two trees formerly classified as Sorbus are particular favourites of mine. Cormus domestica (syn. Sorbus domestica var. pyrifera) I knew from my time working at Oxford Botanic Garden where two huge forms reside in the walled garden. Our tree, in the orchard meadow at Dixter has a huge canopy, which in autumn is covered in pome fruits resembling miniature pears which on falling, gradually carpet the ground.

Karpatiosorbus bristoliensis

Karpatiosorbus bristoliensis

(syn. Sorbus bristoliensis) is the only tree that resides within the nursery footprint. A British endemic, it is only found in the wild along the Avon Gorge. The tree is covered in lichen, giving the grey bark the appearance of verdigris, with tiny bright orange fruits reaching toward the sky. Eventually the chatter of the starlings subsides, leaves have fallen and fruit has dispersed. For our deciduous trees only structure remains and ever swelling buds holding the promise of spring. ■

PROPAGATION OF TREES FROM SEED

By Samuel Walker, Nursery Scholar

ARRIVING AT GREAT DIXTER on the cusp of autumn means that I have done a fair amount of tree propagation thus far. I have found propagating trees to be quite an adventure, scrambling to find fruits and berries, prising them open or fermenting them to reveal the seeds. You may marvel at trees, standing beneath them to revel in their natural beauty or you may just wander past. They offer such a multitude of interest: their differing leaf tones, structure, height, their individuality and their contribution to the greater landscape. The following is my recent experience of propagating by seed, although many trees will successfully grow from hardwood cuttings.

To propagate Morus nigra, the old mulberry by the Lutyens circular steps, I collected fruit from its laden limbs, the ground underneath was splattered deep purple with fallen mulberries. I placed the slightly squished berries in a jar of warm water and left it to ferment for a couple of weeks. I drained and rinsed the fruits before spreading the pulp onto a sheet of newspaper to dry, taking time to carefully separate the seed from the flesh. During my research, I found that a 100 day cold stratification would increase the germination rate from a mere 33% to a far more satisfactory 88%. The dried seed was then placed into a bag of damp sand

and put into the fridge set at 4oC. Come early January, the seed will be sown and placed on a heat bench to encourage germination.

I have also propagated Malus hupehensis and Karpatiosorbus bristoliensis (syn. Sorbus bristoliensis) using a similar fermentation method. The fermentation mimics an animal’s stomach, stripping the flesh from the seed. Although not necessary, I find placing your jar of fermenting fruit on a heat bench, at around 25oC, is a great way to speed up this process.

Propagating Cormus domestica (syn. Sorbus domestica) from seed was particularly interesting. I collected the pear-shaped fruits from the tree in the orchard. Looking for ripe, undamaged fruits either from the tree or from the hundreds that littered the ground. When it came to extracting the seeds, I used a YOU MAY MARVEL AT TREES, STANDING BENEATH THEM TO REVEL IN THEIR NATURAL BEAUTY OR YOU MAY WANDER PAST. THEY OFFER SUCH A MULTITUDE OF INTEREST: THEIR DIFFERING LEAF TONES, STRUCTURE, HEIGHT, INDIVIDUALITY AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE GREATER LANDSCAPE.

wooden mallet to break the hard fruits, careful not to damage the seed within. Each fruit produced only 1 seed, and extracting a sufficient amount took some time. To prevent the seed coat from hardening, I placed the cleaned seeds in water as I extracted them.

By the end, I had a pile of Sorbus fruit flesh and one small pot of seeds. I sowed these fresh into our seed mix, covered lightly with sieved soil and topped with a final layer of grit before labelling and placing outside. Exposing the seed to a winter period, acts as a natural cold stratification, which will aid their germination.

Crataegus orientalis is a prominent specimen at Dixter, one of the first trees you see as you enter the garden, towards the right hand side of the path. One afternoon, I went to collect the mottled orange-red fruits, not many of which remained on the tree. Extracting the seeds was simple enough: the fruits were soft and easily squished in the hand, then the several seeds picked out with ease.

I sowed half the seed in our regular way, a pot of seed compost, lightly tamped, seeds equidistantly sown, covered lightly with a sieved soil, and a final covering of grit.

The other half was placed in a bag of damp sand along with a label and

Fermentation method for

placed on one of our heat benches. After 3 months on the heat bench at around 25oC, it will then move to the fridge at around 4oC for a further 3 month period. This warm-cold stratification will help to simulate the natural seasons and speed up the germination process. After the cold period, it will be sown and left outside to germinate in the spring.

Tree propagation is neither a quick nor easy task, germination in some cases can take years. I have learnt that research is crucial for successful propagation as every specimen will vary. I look forward to the rest of my year at Great Dixter and hopefully in that time my tree propagation will come to fruition! ■

Below and bottom, Cormus domestica

Below, Sorbus pseudohupehensis

‘Pink Pagoda’. Bottom, Morus nigra, mulberry seed

‘ONCE YOU SEE THE CHARMS OF CONIFERS - THE TREES, THAT ISYOU’LL BE HOOKED’

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD

by Ros Crowhurst, Nursery worker

STARTING MY HORTICULTURAL journey at Lime Cross nursery, a conifer specialist, back in 2018 I developed a love for this fascinating group of plants before I learnt of their sometimes dismissed status among gardeners. At Dixter, conifers are embraced, creating a constant for the everchanging landscape of perennials, bulbs, biennials and annuals tying one year’s display to the next. Yew divides up the garden and

creates structural topiary, other conifers such as pine, fir, cedar and spruce are nestled in providing consistent colour and texture all year round. Only shifting slowly as they grow, albeit some more steadily than others, upwards and outwards.

Yew saplings, supplied by Pennell and Sons between Oct 1914 and Feb 1915, created a backdrop and shelter and peacocks began taking shape soon after.

New yew peacocks taking shape.

Hedge trimming in the early 1900s

Clipping this hedging every autumn is a mammoth task performed by the gardeners each year and yew equally works its socks off to give rise to these consistent forms and shapes. Found both in the high garden and in the topiary lawn these formal shapes of the yew meet the informality of the meadow in a contrast that sets both off beautifully.

Planted in the 1950s and perhaps the most dominant conifer in the garden is the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwood’s Gold’ which rises 40ft out of the high garden. A ‘marmite’ plant, as occasionally gardeners can be heard joking about matches or storms seeing it out, others love its impact. It certainly can’t be ignored as it pushes out into the path and rises right out of view for the visitor with feet on the ground. Viewed from the house however, it punctuates the high garden; a real landmark from which to negotiate the view.

A new addition to the topiary lawn this last year is Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Imbricata Pendula’. Differing from the high garden Chamaecyparis, this pendulous form has scaley whip like foliage and will create an almost eery effect as it grows into its conical form, which should contrast nicely with the trimmed topiary structures and tie in perfectly with the smoky ethereal Cotinus display.

Other new coniferous additions can be seen in the Blue Garden where this year pines and cedars were planted in close proximity among the existing shrubs, perennials, bulbs and selfseeding annuals and biennials. This

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Imbricata Pendula' in the topiary lawn

scene is a far cry from the traditional rock gardens or island beds where ‘dwarf’perhaps more accurately described ‘slow growing’ - conifers are usually seen. The caricatural forms of Picea omorika ‘Pendula’ and Cedrus deodara ‘Pendula’ bring a theatrical feeling to the display alongside Astelia and a Phormium tenax and an Abies pinsapo ‘Glauca’. Turn around and the curved branches of Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Tetragona Aurea’ show off a beautiful soft textured bark.

Any visitor to Dixter will be able to recall interacting with conifers in the old rose garden, used again in a completely different manner, pushing up against bananas, Tetrapanax and Amicia and a visitor or two. Here the needles of Larix contrast with the huge leaves of tropical specimens and combine with Cryptomeria specimens seamlessly. On the topic of his love for conifers, Christo wrote “I shouldn’t want to confine myself to a diet of nothing but conifers”

and feeling the same about roses, “why herd them together?” it seems fitting to find them combined alongside such a diverse display of plants in the Old Rose Garden.

To the west of the gardens, along the boundary, a row of Pinus sylvestris or Scots pine can be found. Our only native pine and one of only three native conifers (along with juniper and yew), these trees tie the gardens conifers into the surrounding landscape. Planted by Christo they had their lower branches removed to create an elegant shape, “Is there a tree with more character, at maturity, than this?”.

In contrast to how conifers are often seen as individuals, unusable in a mixed border, Christo embraced and included them in his tapestry of

planting. Exampled by the Pinus mugo on the Long Border, Christo wrote ‘tulips grow through the gaps in the spring and nasturtiums are apt to investigate them in summer. It is completely different from any other plant around it and I like that.” Recently Lathyrus grandiflorus can be found winding its way through its branches. And this seamless integration of conifers carries on in many areas of the garden - Cupressus cashmeriana creates a perfect shady haven for Begonia and Colocasia and the horizontal form of Juniperus sabina ‘Tamariscifolia’ pushes up against the contrasting more upright forms of Osmanthus and Peonia. Hopefully, as Christo wrote, this allows visitors to experience the charm of conifers and changes perceptions about this varied and ancient group of plants. ■

Part of the Blue Garden, known as ‘Switzerland’ by the gardeners

VISITORS FROM AMERICA 1928-1939

by Roy Brigden, Archivist

‘THE BICYCLE BOYS’ 1928

The RHS Lindley Library has a fascinating online exhibition tracking a tour of English and Welsh gardens by two young American landscape architecture students, Loyal Johnson and Sam Brewster. Arriving in Liverpool on the 10th June 1928, they cycled 1500 miles around the country in the course of their three months stay and visited over 80 of the best gardens, large and small, old and new, public and private. They departed from Southampton on the 8th September. The journals and photographs that Loyal Johnson (1904-99) meticulously compiled of the trip as part of his studies were donated to the Lindley Library after his death and prompted The Bicycle Boys exhibition. It tracks their exhaustive itinerary and provides then and now insights into some of the gardens visited. See: www.rhs.org. uk/digital-collections/the-bicycle-boys

The zig-zagging southern stage of their route brought Johnson and Brewster to Great Dixter on the 15th August, having journeyed via Warnham Court, Sedgwick Park House, Lindfield Place and Gravetye Manor the previous day. They then stayed the night at Forest Row and moved on to Penshurst Place and other sites the following day before coming to Great Dixter, staying over at Rolvenden, and heading off to Canterbury on the 16th via Great Maytham Hall, where Sir Edwin Lutyens had incorporated the old walled garden into his re-building works. This typified a punishing and thereby necessarily flexible schedule

Background image: Loyal Johnson’s diary account of the visit to Great Dixter. Top, Loyal Johnson, below, Sam Brewster and the British made Cayouses, both August 1928

Johnson and Brewster’s drawing and photograph of the Sunk Garden

that made advance notification difficult. So it was that, arriving unannounced and late in the day at Great Dixter, they knocked on the door and encountered an irritable Nathaniel Lloyd who let them have a look at the garden. Then, seeing that they were making sketches and taking photographs, he went out and castigated them for not seeking the appropriate permission first. Belatedly realising no doubt that these were not trouble makers but serious and knowledgeable young men, he mellowed and went on to discuss with them details of the Sunk Garden which he had created in 1921, and the finer points of trimming the yew hedges. All was good humouredly recorded in Johnson’s notes. Daisy does not appear to have been at home at the time. If she had been the reception would likely have been rather different: a greeting with open arms; tea, jam and drop scones accompanied by lashings of gardening and family gossip; invitations to return and promises to stay in touch.

THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA, 1929

A year later, on 3rd June 1929, 60 members of the Garden Club of America disembarked at Southampton to begin a two week whistlestop tour of gardens in the midlands and south of England. They came at the invitation of the English Speaking Union, an international educational charity founded in 1918. The Garden Club of America (GCA), predominantly then an organisation for women, had emerged in 1913 when the Garden Club of Philadelphia aligned with similar counterparts around the country to form a national garden club dedicated to educational programmes for the promotion of knowledge and love of gardening. The first president of the GCA, Elizabeth Price Martin from the Garden Club of Philadelphia, Massachusetts, was a member of the 1929 tour party to England. One can’t help wondering whether there wasn’t some linkage between the tour of the Bicycle Boys in 1928 and the GCA the following year, with Massachusetts as a common factor because Loyal Johnson was studying for his master’s degree at university there.

The GCA continues its work today through almost 200 associated clubs across America and many thousands of individual members. It has a substantial historic archive which is housed at the Smithsonian in Washington. In 1999, Christopher Lloyd wrote to the GCA Awards Committee in support of a nomination that John W. Trexler (1951-2019), Director of Worcester County Horticultural Society at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Massachusetts, be awarded the Garden Club of America Medal of Honor.

A printed report of the GCA’s 1929 visit to England is in the archive at Great Dixter. It is a lively descriptive account of the sites visited and was coordinated by Romayne Latta Warren of the Garden Club of Michigan, and Foreign Gardens Editor of the Bulletin of the Garden Club of America. Her own garden, on the Fairlawn estate at Lake Shore near Detroit, was included in Louise Shelton’s 1915 book Beautiful Gardens in America.

In her summing up of the tour, Romayne Warren writes: Two weeks in English gardens can teach us many things, one

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN GARDENS, THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA COLLECTION.

outstanding lesson we learn being the relation of the house to the garden. No matter how simple the plan, an Englishman seems to know instinctively how to attain an intimate and delightfully inviting connection from the one to the other. For this reason they really live more in their gardens than we do.

And garden walls left a particular impression: One could easily write an entire book on the subject of walls in England! They are so beautiful from the outside and do such wonders for the protection and privacy of the owners within. They make living out of doors entirely possible, they shield the gardens from winds, prolonging the flower and vegetable season besides giving a perfect background for planting. We can raise English flowers in our gardens but we cannot grow these lovely old-world walls – moss and lichen covered – and oh! How we long to possess them!

For the last few days of the tour, the party split into five groups and went on separate trips to different gardens. The last, Group E, went to Waddesdon, Aldenham House, Knole, Ightham Mote, Groombridge Place, Great Maytham, Port Lympne and, finally, Great Dixter. Here the visit was a

Photographs of Dixter taken during the 1929 visit.

family affair, with the young Letitia and Christopher playing starring roles, as the report describes: Our last garden was that of Nathaniel Lloyd, architect and author of a book on old English brick. We were greeted at the gate by a cordial host and hostess and their eager, happy children who devoted themselves to our comfort and happiness. We had tea in a pergola in the midst of the garden, then gathered in the great hall to hear Mr Lloyd talk on Medieval Architecture illustrated by the ancient house itself. It is hard to describe the charm of it all, the wonderful old house, the beautiful Lutyens garden and the gracious hospitality. The last touch was from the precious little only-daughter of the family, who presented each of us with a bunch of fragrant pinks gathered by her curlyheaded little brother.

On the long way back to London we were ‘sustained and soothed’ by the delicious fragrance of the little Nosegays and the particularly happy memories of the last garden.

There are two images of Great Dixter and the Sunk Garden, taken during this visit, in the GCA archive at the Smithsonian in Washington. They appear to have been hand coloured and turned into lantern slides for educational purposes by Edward Van Altena’s specialist slide production company in New York.

A decade later, in June 1939, the GCA returned for another tour of English gardens again under the auspices of the English Speaking Union. Correspondence in the archive shows that Great Dixter was on the itinerary. There were 42 delegates, mostly women, many of them wealthy widows with substantial estates or gardens of their own. They included, for example, Mrs Flora Zinn of Lochiel, a Georgian revival house and garden that she had created on the family estate in Virginia. But also in the party was Caroline RuutzRees who had been headmistress of a private girls’ school in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a leading activist in the state for women’s suffrage. Heading up the delegation was Mrs Mabel Kerr, a director of the GCA, whose High Hatch estate, with distinctive early twentieth century house and garden near Portland in Oregon, is now a listed historic site. From there, she sent Daisy a Christmas card expressing fond memories of the trip to Great Dixter ‘and not forgetting you in your much envied gardening costume!’ ■

Top right, Daisy in gardening mode, late 1920s.

Right, Mrs Kerr’s Christmas card to Daisy following the 1939 visit.

STUDY IN TWO WORLD-CLASS GARDENS

by Annie Guilfoyle, garden designer and tutor

IF YOU WERE to ask my advice on the best way to learn and fully understand the craft of gardening or how to become an accomplished garden designer? My initial response would be to go and study in a world-class garden and surround yourself with experts. Seek out people who are passionate about what they do, the sort of people who feel that it is important to share their skills. Two such gardens are Great Dixter and Chanticleer near Philadelphia, PA and I feel incredibly fortunate to teach the subject of garden design in both of these locations.

Chanticleer and Great Dixter have enjoyed a strong relationship for many years, Christopher Lloyd first visited Chanticleer back in the days when Chris Woods was the garden

director. Christo was so taken with the exuberant, tropical planting by horticulturist Dan Benarcik that it most certainly influenced the transformation of the rose garden into an exotic garden. Thirteen years ago, Fergus Garrett and the Bill Thomas (the current director of Chanticleer) hatched a plan to bring the two gardens even closer together by collaborating on educational programmes. It is not at all surprising that this came about and has been very successful, possibly because both gardens share so many things in common. Both have extraordinarily high horticultural standards, combined with exceptionally imaginative and artistic design and planting.

Gardens are nothing without the people who work there and I think this is the key to why there is such a strong alliance between Great Dixter and Chanticleer. In both gardens the staff and trainees have a strong commitment to learning and sharing, combined with a spirit of excellence which makes these gardens such prominent and influential centres of study.

The Art and Craft of Garden Design is a course that I have been teaching at Great Dixter since 2017. The course is held one-day a month, over nine months and covers the fundamentals

GREAT DIXTER

of garden design, guiding students through the entire design process from the initial stages of site survey and analysis through to completing a design and model-making. Each day begins with the all-important garden walk, guided by one of Great Dixter’s horticultural team. This is such a valuable opportunity, being able to study the changes in the garden from month to month, there is usually a focus on what the horticultural team are doing that month and then we all share our thoughts and opinions. I always make a point of saying that just because this is Great Dixter, we can still question and even critique things such as plant choices and colour combinations. Design can be subjective and it is not wrong to voice your opinions about how the garden looks or feels, we can all learn a lot by listening to one another. This course appeals to people who are considering a career in garden design or those who want to re-design their own garden, along with people who want to revitalise their previously learnt design skills. Great Dixter is such an incredible garden to learn from, studying the planting alone is inspiring, not only the plant selection and combinations but also the placement of plants in the garden. Biodiversity and sustainability are vital to the ethos of Great Dixter and form an important part of what we teach. Design and gardening are integral, it is my belief that to be a successful designer you really do need to know how to garden well, with a good understanding the soil and how plants grow.

Chanticleer and Great Dixter have so many similarities and yet so many differences, probably the most obvious is the size, Chanticleer garden covers 35 acres compared to Great Dixter which is 6 acres. The different climate of north-eastern USA means that the plant palette varies noticeably but there are a good number of plants that thrive in both gardens. Another major difference is that at Chanticleer each area of the garden is designed managed by a member of the horticultural team who reports back to Bill Thomas. Every few years there may be some changes made, moving people around and ringing the changes. This allows the

The Chanticleer cockerel by the swimming pool

team to make their area very different to the next and from year to year you will notice changes.

Dixter assistant head gardener, Coralie Thomas, with attendees of Art and Craft of Design in the Walled Garden

What these two gardens have in common is an extraordinary artistic flair combined with being leaders in gardening practice and planting design. Education and training are also at the fore of their work, not only shaping future horticulturists but also offering education to a wider audience. I have been teaching at Chanticleer since 2016 and my course generally runs in July, over a period of four days. It is a garden design masterclass where people from all over the USA ‘bring their garden’ to Chanticleer to redesign under my tutelage. This often results in a diverse range of garden situations and climatic zones, which can be quite a challenge, although I do have the incredible Chanticleer garden team supporting me. The course is a mixture of in-studio sessions and lectures, along with time spent in the gardens with the horticultural team. This is what makes the course so special, as the students get to really dig deep into how the gardens are designed and managed. Every student will leave with a finished design and I will occasionally receive photos of the finished results. Occasionally I will have a question like, ‘What do I do about the armadillos in my garden?’ to which I reply, think about moving to Manhattan!

Both courses are intensive and my students do work very hard, as we have to pack a lot into the time allotted. Garden design is a huge and all-encompassing subject, therefore the benefits from learning in such exceptional locations are enormous. Nothing compares with walking, sitting, observing and sketching in a garden such as Great Dixter or Chanticleer, this will allow you to truly appreciate the principles of good design. I have noticed that each and every student will leave my course changed in some way. It may be in the way that they ‘see’ things, or it could simply be that they have taken up sketching again after many years. But of course, it is also a huge learning process for me, every year I am learning more and more about the complexity of these gardens, the extraordinary range of plants and the wonderful people that work there. I might even find the answer to the armadillo question yet! ■

A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITY

by Tom Stuart-Smith, garden designer

FIVE YEARS AGO my wife Sue was in the middle of writing her book The Well Gardened Mind and I was planning to move my garden design practice out of London to a new studio we would built at home. We had already spent the best part of 30 years making a garden here in Hertfordshire that we opened periodically to raise funds for the National Gardens Scheme snd other charities. But we wanted to do more. It felt not quite enough for us to retreat into our cosy rural cocoon and cultivate our garden. Both of us have always been committed to sharing some of the advantages we’ve been lucky enough to have and this seemed to be the moment. We decided to try and build a community horticultural hub where we could welcome people into a beautiful, educational and therapeutic garden. as you might imagine, Great Dixter was a big inspiration.

Dixter has always been a place of sanctuary and beauty but under Fergus’ watch it has also become a place of opportunity, diversity and a beacon of hope. I think first of the dazzling talent of gardens that have been fostered and the inclusion of many people of different abilities on the payroll, then the mind slips easily to images of Fergus in his orange hat marshalling the car parking on a plant fair day, (taking the worst job on offer) or the crazy abundance of the long border, the biodiversity audit, the pit roast venison. The way of doing things and the joy that brings to all involved is every bit as important as the finished result. Perhaps many of us gardeners and especially designers are too focused on what we see as the end product and a little too removed from the process of making things and then caring for them. Dixter is a great lesson to us that what we see has so much more meaning when we understand how it is made. And if something is made with integrity and understanding then the rest tends to fall in to place.

Our project gets going this summer. We already have 16 school visits planned and have made a garden around a beautiful new building where we can hold events and training. The garden is a little unusual in that it’s a filing system of plants. About 2000 so far laid out in a grid so that you can really see how plants behave. We call it the Plant Library and of course it’s very different from anything at Dixter. But it does have a few things in common: burgeoning, eclectic abundance, eye- popping diversity and a seemingly endless capacity to draw people in to its flowery embrace. ■

GREAT DIXTER INSIDE AND OUT

by Karen Edwards

Karen began volunteering as a Garden Steward in March 2023. She studies at the Royal Drawing School and was asked to create a cutaway drawing to illustrate the inside and outside of a favourite building. “I arrived early for my interview and was ushered through the Lutyens Wing into the Yeoman’s Hall to wait. The hall was already occupied by Head Gardener, Fergus Garrett who waved me in. My drawing Great Dixter Inside and Out captures the surreal moment when Fergus joined his Zoom call, introducing himself: “I’m a gardener”.

AN ENTOMOL GREAT DIX TER at

by Chris Bentley

SINCE I WAS A BAIRN I’ve have always been interested in invertebrates. One of my earliest memories is of my aunt showing me her colleges butterfly collection and since then I’ve been fascinated by this whole tiny world. I’ve acquired degrees in Zoology and Invertebrate Ecology and was lucky enough to spend nearly 20 years a Warden at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, initially for Sussex County Council but more recently for the Sussex Wildlife Trust, where I got to hone my skills. I left this job at the start of 2023 and embarked on (hopefully) the start of a career as a freelance entomologist. However, I felt I needed a little part time employment to help make ends meet and when the chance to work at Great Dixter as a parking attendant came along

I jumped at the chance! I was already quite familiar with the habitats here; a few years ago I helped Andy Phillips, who has done a good deal of entomology at Dixter, undertake a study of bumblebee forage plants and was blown away by the place. Great Dixter is just a wonderful site for invertebrates, with some fantastic semi-natural woodland and grassland, ornamental beds crammed with a huge range of nectar sources, and the old buildings and wood piles which offer nesting, basking and overwintering sites. Why not combine making a bit of extra money with the chance to see some interesting invertebrates? Once I started I always made sure I was equipped with a camera, a magnifying loupe and my trusty pocket net just in case. I was only employed for a couple of months but in

Clockwise from top left, Hook Barred Spearhorn hoverfly; Twist-wing fly; Box bug; Large headed resin bee

BARRY YATES

BUILDINGS AND WOOD PILES OFFER

that time I found some really interesting, and occasionally notable invertebrates.

Some of my favourite insects are Spearhorn hoverflies and I had at least three different types at Great Dixter during July and August. These little beauties are so-called Batesian mimics (named after a Mr Bates – harmless insects that pretend to be venomous or poisonous ones, in this case mimicking those skin-heads of the insect world the social wasps). This is partly achieved through colour and pattern, through structure (the extended antennae from which they get their English name) but also behaviour. Hoverflies are often among the most agile of insect aviators but Spearhorns mimic the rather wobbly, indirect flight of wasps to great effect.

Another good find this year was Ectophasia crassipennis, one of a group of flies called ‘Twist-wings’ due to the way they hold their wings. They are internal parasitoids of various bugs, the larvae developing inside the host,

devouring their internal organs before emerging to pupate (the difference between parasitoids and parasites is that parasitoids kill their host, parasites don’t). This species only appeared in the UK in 2019 (global warming anyone?) and while I’ve previously seen it on Jersey, where it is fairly common, this is the first time I’ve come across it in the UK. I recorded it twice at Great Dixter this year: once on Kalimeris mongoliensis on 16th August and again on Sium sisarum in the plant nursery on the 18th.

Box bug (Gonocerus acuteangulatus) used to be extremely rare in the UK, with the only population on Box Hill in Surrey (as you may have guessed this species is associated with Box (Buxus sempervirens)), but has spread to become widespread in England, with records as far north as Yorkshire. I also found the characteristic nymphs with their green abdomens, showing that the species is definitely breeding at Great Dixter.

Another rare species which is becoming commoner in the UK (though

NESTIN AND OVERWINTERING SIT

it is still not what you would call common) is the Large-headed Resin Bee (Heriades truncorum). This species nests in holes in wood and gets its name from the fact it seals its nests with resin from pine trees. It used to be thought that this would naturally limits its range in the UK to areas where pines occur, but it seems that it can also use the resin from man-made structures which are made out of pine such as fences and countryside furniture. I saw this species virtually daily during

my time at Great Dixter, indicating a healthy population.

Last, but definitely not least, and probably the best thing I saw during my time at Great Dixter was Tree Snipe-fly (Chrysopilus laetus). This is yet another species which used to be extremely rare, with the population confined to Windsor Forest and Great Park , and while it is now much more widespread it is still not that common. In fact, this one was the first I have ever seen and it also looks like the first record for Sussex! Larvae are associated with wood mould in rotten trees, often, but not always, in ancient woodland.

All in all I had a great time during my short stint at Great Dixter. Great place, great people and great insects! What more could I ask for?

In February 2023, after nearly 20 years as a Warden at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, I left and began a career as a freelance entomologist. ■

Tree Snipe-fly

by Michael Wachter, ethno-botanist and Dixter gardener

5 THINGS I HAD TO UNLEARN ABOUT ECOLOGY & REWILDING

OVER THE YEARS I have been lucky to learn alongside Fergus, the team and our entomologist Andy Phillips about the garden and its value for wildlife and often when I thought I knew something, I was proved wrong. Here are five of the things I had to re-learn

1. USE ONLY NATIVE PLANTS

There is a big movement that calls for only native plants to be planted in order to boost biodiversity. However what we found at Dixter was that invertebrates don’t mind feeding on native or non-natives but prefer natives for breeding (especially in the case of moths). A double-flowered dahlia can provide a perfect hunting ground for a parasitic wasp or a dark-leaved canna can be a wonderful basking area in the morning for flies. In order to cover a wide range of species a good mix of natives and non-natives seems to work.

2. USE WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY PLANTS

Some animals are generalists, feeding on a wide range of plants and some are specialists only feeding on one or two. We need to cater for both, especially for those with a complicated life cycle. For example, only bumblebees are heavy enough to trigger successful pollination in birds foot trefoil, showing their close and necessary relationship.

3. THERE IS NO PLACE FOR HUMANS IN THE WILD

Nature and wilderness are no place for humans is an approach with colonial roots and undermines indigenous human culture. Humans have always gardened and altered the ecosystem around them. It is the extractive way in which humans interact with land that is harmful, not humans per se. Conservation is humankind’s attempt to protect nature from ourselves.

4. SOME PLANTS ARE BAD

Ragwort, creeping thistle, dandelion, docks and nettles are all important plants. Some provide hunting grounds, some food, some homes. Creeping thistle for example has an incredibly high nectar content that is available late season.

5. BIRD FEEDERS & INSECT HOTELS ARE GOOD FOR BIODIVERSITY

Bird feeders can become a hotspot for pest and diseases and are really only effective in the depth of winter. In fact our greenfinch population has been badly affected by dirty birdfeeders. If you have one, make sure to clean it every so often. Insect hotels often come with a roof which stops them from decaying. That makes them static. They then lack the ability to transform, decompose and change in a way log piles or deadwood can. Log piles are dynamic, alive and don’t cost anything.

SO, WHAT TO DO RIGHT?

We often get asked that question. What I hear over and over again is the thinking that overall complexity will boost biodiversity. Complexity can mean a long and diverse flowering season, various heights in the borders, undulation not just with plant heights but soil profile as well, complexity in terms of habitats, materials, etc.

Don’t feel sad about having a small garden, every garden is important. A small garden can be a stepping stone while a bigger garden forms a complete habitat. Five small gardens next to each other can form a complete habitat. One thing is for sure; leave the chemicals in the shed! And don’t feel guilty about growing dahlias because a garden is a home for bumblebees and butterflies – but it’s also a home for you. ■

May 2023 in the Peacock Garden

May 2023 in the High Garden

May 2023 in the Long Border

May 2023 across the Topiary Lawn

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SRALO *

RUO G R EATDIXTERSC H

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

TALITHA SLABBERT

UK Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-24

I’VE BEEN AT DIXTER for a month now, and it still feels a little surreal. Reading back through my notes, it’s remarkable how nervous I was in the build-up to coming here, feeling out of my depth and unsure of what to expect. Yet from the moment I arrived I’ve been made to feel so welcome, and the warmth and generosity with which we’ve all been received has surprised and heartened me. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire Dixter team for this welcome, and to everyone who has made it possible for me to be here. In particular, I would like to thank Club 22 for sponsoring me– I feel incredibly lucky and grateful.

The garden itself has been magical. Even late in the season, it is a welter of colour, form, and texture. Each day, every change in the weather or in the light, every corner turned reveals something new, a colour combination or a little vignette. Each day after work, I wander around the garden drinking it in, looking up plants I don’t know, noting the planting combinations, and occasionally being trapped by Neil, the Dixter cat.

The learning, too, has been an overwhelming and exciting inundation. This first month, we’ve done a lot of meadow work – cutting, raking, and bagging up grasses and wildflowers gone to seed from the orchard meadow, the topiary lawn, and other patches of grassland. Fergus explained to us how the best time to cut a meadow for strewing is in fact before the seedheads fully ripen, as this means you carry away more seed on

the stalks, which can then ripen and drop when strewed in a new location. However, this doesn’t allow for much seeding on the existent meadow, and so for our meadow maintenance at Dixter we cut after the seed has ripened, allowing some to fall on site, and carrying some of it away to strew on a new field. We did this with some of the clippings from around the horse pond, where the meadow is rich in autumn hawkbit, strewing them onto the topiary lawn and the orchard garden, which should hopefully help to establish hawkbit in those areas.

It was fascinating to be shown the contrast between different patches of meadow, resulting from differences in

SARAH SEYMOUR

history or topography – where there used to be an old compost heap, for example, or a bonfire, the grass is far more lush, outcompeting the wildflowers. Under the trees, too, the clippings are less good, as the falling leaves add too many nutrients to the soil, allowing grasses to dominate. Clippings from these areas went on the compost heap, which is in itself a structure to behold! We piled the clippings on in layers, working from one end to another, and trying to keep the shape square (grass is draped slightly over the edges to keep them straight and firm). We also added a layer of sheep’s wool (for additional nitrogen), stretching it out thinly with our hands. The smell of the lanolin was lovely.

In some ways, this theme of nutrient density characterised a lot of my learning this month -- how it builds up, how we can manage it as gardeners, and which plants we can expect to see at different nutrient levels. These considerations informed much of our ‘crack gardening’ this month, by the ticket office, on Christo’s terrace, and on the kitchen drive, where Michael Wachter explained Grime’s triangle to us. The gist of it was that in an area where the build-up of organic matter gradually increases the nutrient levels in the soil, certain competitor plants will eventually outcompete their neighbours and dominate that area, unless we intervene. And so, on the kitchen drive, we combed through the gravel, removing the rampant clover, plantains, and grasses, and carefully saving the ox-eye daisies, dandelions, and especially the tiny grass-like seedlings of

the beautiful Dierama pulcherrimum, or Angel’s fishing rod. I loved the attention and care with which we treated each little pavement crack or patch of gravel, looking at it as though through a magnifying glass, and editing it accordingly. Also exciting are the things that might grow in the cracks – woad and Eryngium giganteum to be sowed on Christo’s terrace, along with perhaps creeping thymes as plug plants; and for the ticket office, verbascum and hollyhock.

Amidst all of this, the hedge cutting season has begun. This is a task I thoroughly enjoy. Perhaps it appeals to my slightly obsessive side. The hedges here are old, so we treat them with respect, following their organic ebb and flow, lines sagging a little here and there, like the lines of the roofs around them. In places, we’ll cut a little less hard, leaving things softer, so that a few years’ cutting might even out some of the imbalances and blend together some of the more extreme undulations. But (and this seems to be the way with a lot of things at Dixter) it is a sensitive and attentive process, responsive to each individual plant and the way it wants to grow, and mindful of how our actions today might ripple on into the future.

Talitha hails from the Western Cape in South Africa, and moved to England in 2017 to complete a PhD in English at Oxford University. During the pandemic she rediscovered her childhood love of plants, and left academia to pursue a career in horticulture.

WILL LARSON

The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-2024

THE NORTH AMERICAN ASTERS in the genus Symphyotrichum are some of the most striking autumn-flowering plants in the borders at Great Dixter. They are also some of my favorite plants to see in the wild, occurring in a variety of different habitats throughout the New England region and in my home state of Maine. As the 2023-24 Chanticleer scholar at Great Dixter, I have been given a project to work on during my time in the garden. My focus is on more unusual propagation methods, making small divisions, and caring for the newly propagated plant material growing in the cold frames. I have been splitting very small aster divisions, mostly cultivars of Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, S. cordifolium, S. laeve, which produce clumps of small basal shoots in late fall. These asters, native to woodland edge habitats, happily come into their own in the borders at Great Dixter in September and bloom all the way through October.

The asters are first lifted and split down into small, simple divisions by using two hand forks back-to-back and gently prising the clump apart. A single aster clump can easily provide twenty small divisions by carefully feeling for natural breaks and slowly teasing the stems apart by hand, washing the roots as needed to untangle the intermingled stems. Each single-stem division will have multiple eyes, the buds from which new growth will emerge, on the basal portions of the aster. These look

SARAH SEYMOUR

like small purple nubs which protrude from the crown area where stem meets root. These simple divisions can be split down further into one and twoeye splits, taking sections of shoots or dormant buds with some roots attached and potting them into small pots or cell trays. The main stems can also be split down the middle to produce split-stem divisions. A sharp pair of secateurs and a scalpel are useful for these operations, which require a clean working area with good organization to quickly pot on the small divisions, so they do not dry out. Using these methods, I split down two clumps of S. lateriflorum ‘Dixter’s Chloe’, a seedling of S. lateriflorum ‘Chloe’, with darker coloration found at Great Dixter, into 150 basal cuttings and 50 small divisions. These divisions are watered and then moved into cold frames, where they are carefully looked after to ensure good rooting.

In the Peacock Garden, the aster bloom builds into a great blue and purple crescendo, accompanied by many other perennials native to the eastern and midwestern US states. Species of Eutrochium, Veronicastrum, and Vernonia, native to woodland edges, floodplains, and tall grass prairies, erupt in tall pink and purple flowers above the asters. I particularly like the pairings of lemon yellow Oenothera with the cool periwinkle and lavender blues of the asters, which saturate with intense color in the dusk right after the sun has set. Different aster species can inhabit a wide range

of habitats, even seemingly inhospitable sites in saturated bogs or in rocky cliffsides. Nearby Dixter in the salt marshes at the Rye Harbour Nature Preserve, the UK native Tripolium pannonicum thrives in saltwater flooded conditions. At Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA, native asters can be found in a wide variety of different habitats, including woodland species such as Eurybia divaricata which relish the shade. Other asters at Chanticleer, such as the cultivars of Symphotrichum oblongifolium, originate from drier prairie and open sandy bluffs in the southern US. It is a joy to see the diversity of these plants succeeding in different habitats, and I am grateful to Chanticleer for providing me the opportunity to see asters in new habitats in the wild and in gardens hundreds of miles away from their native range.

Will lives in Portland, Maine, USA, he has a wealth of experience with wild plant communities from his work with conservation organisations and native plant nurseries.

ERNIE WELLER

Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-2024

MY HORTICULTURAL JOURNEY started in 2020, the year after taking my A Levels in Photography, Graphic Design and Business, when I designed and built my own smallscale tropical-style garden at home.

I realised that all my design projects in school and college were focused on the natural world, my GCSE art piece looked at the connection between pollinators and flowers, painting wildflower meadows, and my A Level projects were based on natural patterns, organic structures, Kew Gardens and the Natural History museum.

When I discovered gardening all my main interests seemed to click together. At the start of my gardening journey, I thought design would be my main career, but I felt it would be best to understand gardens better before going into design.

For the next couple of years, I worked at Fairlight Hall, Athelas Plants and Mantel Farm, I also volunteered for Crowhurst Environment Group and studied at Hever Castle for my RHS Level 2 Diploma.

While working at Fairlight Hall I enjoyed working with one of my first mentors, Philip Leighton, who first introduced me to the idea of applying to work at Great Dixter.

In March 2022, I started volunteering for the Garden Team, and I have since developed a passion for the practical side of gardening and being a part of a team to create the ideas right from the start, being able to appreciate the outcomes all the more for it.

Design is still important to me, but I now wish to express this through physically

creating designs in a garden setting, following the processes from start to finish, from seed to flower, from compost heaps to soil mixes and so on.

I want to extend my thanks to Philip, Club 22 for making the Christopher Lloyd Scholarship possible, and everyone who has helped me along the way as I truly enjoy every aspect of gardening, the connection to the land and the people I work with. I feel so lucky to have discovered this appreciation of the natural world, gardens and design at a young age and I am keen to help encourage others to as well.

Ernie from East Sussex has been part of the Dixter family since March 2022.

MATT PADBURY

NACIIM BENKREIRA

The Ruth Borun Scholar 2023-2024

EVERY GREAT ADVENTURE has a prelude. And this is one of gratitude. A month has flown by, and I would have never thought that I would be able to garden and study abroad at Great Dixter. Really want to give my deepest thanks and gratitude to the Borun family for their support in making this dream become a reality. I truly feel honored and blessed to be at Great Dixter as the Ruth Borun Scholar for 2023-2024. I also want to say thank you to Sandy Flowers, Leigh Merinoff, Clare Adams and all the gardeners/country heroes who have taught me along the way.

Quick info about me. My name is Naciim Benkreira. I was raised in a big multi-cultural family in the capital of USA Washington D.C., (also known as Chocolate City). Gardening, floristry and farming are huge passions of mine that overlap in all aspects of my life. I believe gardens have a crucial role in to solving our environmental problems, social justice and land access. Regenerative farming and teaching others to garden will always be my roots. I transitioned into the world of horticulture because gardens have the ability to inspire anyone. Especially bring us together. Flowers and trees allow us the moments in space and time to be present.

OVER THE POND AND THROUGH THE YEWS

After much anticipation of packing and saying good byes to friends and family, I jumped on a plane to go to England. I was very fearful about the adventure

ahead, the long a waited anticipation and the unknown. In my head, I took it as a pilgrimage. I was going to a far distant remote land to learn from a garden Kung Fu master. All in hopes to further the way I move as a gardener. And to share my findings with my communities back home.

As I first stepped through the yew hedges of Great Dixter I was caught off guard. Plants spilling over the path ways, the array of textures, and so much color. Plants were touching and growing on top of each other. No bare soil and no straight lines. Plantings were not placed in patterns of three, five or rows. Not even beds of mulch to be found. I fell in love.

So many little pockets of wonders exist here. With the weeks to come I have learned that these wild moments in the garden are actually highly thought out and intentional. Some of these areas have several layers of plants orchestrated in harmony to bloom and descend. All at different periods throughout the garden. Plantings are set in high density – low density patterns to mimic how they would naturally grow. Truly this is a garden where the gardeners listen and observe. I am at the right place.

LIVING WORKS OF ART

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Dixter is to experience and learn their approach to gardening for biodiversity. A narrative that needs to be at the forefront of horticulture and farming. Humans have the ability to make beautiful dynamic and

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inspiring gardens, that can also have the power to host and promote biodiversity. And at Dixter they do so.

I have been amazed at the great effort the garden team takes into keeping all natural plant materials on their property that some gardeners would treat as waste. Dead limbs are left on trees for colorful lichen to grow. Native insects and bees find disturbed soil and tree snags to nest. Spent flower stalks and stems are also left in the garden beds to add color, texture and movement to the displays. This is something in my first couple of weeks I struggled with. I was always taught to cut back. Dead Stalks and leaves would be seen as untidy, and messy back home. Even though they are much alive with insects At Dixter they really showcase all the life stages of the plants. It really offers such a great experience in the garden for the autumn months ahead. There are various compost piles that are works of art. Some have dark purple cannas, fruiting squash and cardoons growing out of 10’-15’ piles. Others support life of insects and critters that we might not see. A lot of intention goes in to sorting compost clippings.

Everything has a place and a home here. Everything that grows, stays in the ecosystem here.

BETWEEN THE CRACKS

Great Dixter really reimagines spaces with plants. Brings out our inner Winnie the Pooh. An often overlook place is between the cracks of terraces, bricks,

buildings or even sidewalks. How often do we see plants grow in spaces unexpectedly? Here at Dixter I am learning that these spaces can be curated to be unique opportunities to garden. All it takes is patience and a train eye. The thrill of identifying a tiny Dierama seedling, from a Cyperus eragrostis, to a grass is very rewarding. Gardens like Great Dixter and Chanticleer really have shown me the possibilities of reimaging spaces.

Naciim, from Washington DC, has spent the last 11 years gaining experience in a range of horticultural roles. His interests lie in sustainability, regenerative food growing and growing with local communities.

SAMUEL WALKER

Nursery Scholar

2023-2024

MY NAME IS Samuel Walker, I grew up in Yorkshire and am thrilled to be this year’s nursery scholar at Great Dixter! I have fond memories from an early age of gardening with my grandparents, I enjoyed being outside and learning how things grow. I started to garden myself, around age 16, learning as I went. When it came time to leave school, I stumbled across a horticulture course in York. A wildcard choice compared to my peers but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the two years I spent studying with likeminded people. It was whilst studying for my level 3 diploma that I found a love for propagation. I moved on to work in various garden centres and nurseries after college but none quite had the propagation aspect I was looking for. After a year of applying for various placements and scholarships, traveling everywhere from Scotland to Essex (and most places in-between), I stumbled upon the nursery scholarship at Great Dixter and on a whim decided to apply. After a torrent of no’s throughout the year, I wasn’t particularly hopeful but I got an interview and sometime after received an email offering me the position!

A DAY AS NURSERY SCHOLAR

A typical day starts with a walk around of the nursery to see how plants are progressing. My first stop is to the seed frames, looking for any germination and removing our mouse-proofing mesh from pots so young seedlings don’t get tangled into it. It is also important to remove

fallen leaves from the soil surface to allow light in and relocate any slugs or snails. Checking the watering is one of the key jobs, ensuring pots aren’t sat too wet, especially in colder months, and lifting them onto crates if needed. In warmer weather also checking the watering, ensuring seeds aren’t drying out. During my checks, I’m also looking for seeds that are ready to prick out, aiming for even germination across the pot and for seedlings to be at cotyledon stage.

My next stop is to the glasshouses, mainly to check the heat benches where we root a lot of cuttings. Watering the

EMMA DAVIES

heated gravel bed allows the pots to absorb water through capillary action but also provides humidity so they don’t dry out and fry. I look through for good extension growth and roots starting to appear from the bottom of the pots, moving them off the heat bench and onto an unheated bench to continue growing until they are potted. There are three heat benches to check. Whilst I’m in the glasshouses, it’s important to look for any pest and disease, especially under the benches where there is less airflow, keeping a tidy, clean space will minimise any pest and disease. Opening up the windows and doors helps to vent the glasshouses and keep the air moving through.

My last check would be our double frames, a great place for rooting cuttings. The two panes of glass help to trap heat inside and provide an ideal rooting environment. The panes of glass called Dutch lights can be heavy and cumbersome to move around so often a second pair of hands help. I check cuttings much like the heat bench, moving any rooted cuttings to a cold frame with only a single light,.

During all our checks its important to allow spaces to air out, humidity is great for rooting but is also a haven for diseases like botrytis and mildew.

I especially enjoy days when I get to do more unusual propagation. Leaf cuttings are often fun, whether that’s with eucomis, begonias or ferns. They all come with different propagation

challenges but are all so equally fascinating! So far I have had success with my eucomis leaf cuttings, they have started to root, forming small bulbs and sprouting new leaves,. I have taken begonia leaf cuttings which are giving great results with tiny plantlets forming all along the leaf surface. My ferns look promising, laid out in seed boxes filled with cuttings mix and covered with glass. Fermenting seed is another fun job, collecting berries from the garden and leaving them to soak in a jar of water on the heat bench for around a week or so. This creates a mushy, stinky pulp which is then easy to wash away and extract seeds from. So far I have tried this with Crataegus orientalis and Morus nigra and it works a treat!

I would like to thank Michael Morphy, Nursery Manager and the whole Nursery team for the opportunity to be here and the donors to the Great Dixter Nursery Scholarship who made it possible - I can’t wait to see what the rest of my time at Great Dixter holds!

Sam, from Leeds, received a triple distinction in his City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Horticulture at York.

MATT PADBURY

The Adam Greathead Award

2023-2024

I FEEL EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED to have been given the first Adam Greathead Award My time at Ashwood was amazing, getting to work with the legend John Massey, as well as Head Gardener Nigel Hopes and the rest of the team, was a joy. I learnt the practical skills of garden maintenance as well as being introduced to a rich diversity of plants, including Ashwood’s speciality genera.

MY JOURNEY INTO HORTICULTURE

I have always been interested in the outdoors and gardening from a young age. I remember one birthday getting gifted a border fork and spade and being chuffed with them. One of my early memories is using these to prepare an area at the top of the garden to grow potatoes.

At school I became disconnected from horticulture, nobody talked about it being a possible career. The career options suggested were pretty standard. After school I went to college and ended up working in IT. I did this for a few years but quickly fell out of love with it, so I left with no real idea what I was going to do.

I think that more needs to be done in schools to educate children about this fantastic career!

I got a job in a supermarket and this gave me time to breathe and think about what career I wanted to pursue. During a conversation with a close friend it finally hit me horticulture was the thing for me! I had always enjoyed it as a hobby but never thought that I could make it into my job.

So began my journey. I volunteered first at Birmingham Botanical Gardens before studying RHS Level 2 and 3. I then did 2 days a week there as part of the WRAGS scheme and worked the other 3 days on a private estate. Now I’m here after spending 6 amazing months in John’s garden at Ashwood Nurseries.

I believe that horticulture is in your blood and if it is, it will be impossible to ignore.

SOME OF MY HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR

I started at Great Dixter at the end of July 2023. I remember looking out of my living room window when I first arrived

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and seeing the view across the nursery with the House in the background, it felt completely surreal that I was here!

> Long Border - I was lucky enough to be given the long border as my area to look after and sweep every morning during the open season. It was a beautiful and extremely peaceful place to be early in the day. The border is a picture which is constantly edited throughout the year, deadheading is carried out and any brown material is removed that is detracting from the overall look. It is about a balance, such as some of the browns, like the seed heads of Verbascum, are left to add structure and extend interest.

> Meadows - have been involved with cutting the meadows. For this we use a piece of machinery called a Tracmaster which is a powered scythe. We work up and down in a straight line and then collect the cuttings in ton bags. Depending on the area that has been cut and the species diversity within that, determines what happens to it; some is composted, some is strewn (spread in another area to distribute seed) and some is given away as a donation.

It has been particularly interesting to learn about how the soil quality can affect a meadow for example if an area is too high in nutrients this will encourage grass to dominate, which in turn will weaken and reduce the species we want to flourish. A few weeks after cutting, you can already see seedlings starting to germinate which is very exciting!

> Hedges and topiary - Cutting the

100-year-old yew hedges. This was a scary prospect at first but once I had the feeling for it, I really began to enjoy it. Each section of the hedge is truly unique and has a lot of character. The yew is cut tightly so that it provides a strong structure in the garden into winter. A particularly enjoyable thing to prune was one of the famous topiary peacocks.

PROJECTS

Each student gets assigned a unique project and mine was to prepare 3 of the glasshouses, move tender plants inside and care for them throughout the winter. This gives me scope to build up my knowledge of tropical plants, a group in which I have a real interest. Some plants in there worthy of a mention are a fantastic specimen of Geranium maderense (Giant Herb Robert) which should be smothered in pink flowers next year, Cupressus cashmeriana which was a cutting that Fergus took from the Exotic garden and Trevesia palmata with its incredible leaf shape!

I want to say a heartfelt thanks to John, Felix Appelbe and the rest of the Ashwood team who have made this whole experience possible. Also Fergus and the Dixter crew that have made me feel so welcome. I feel extremely excited about my future in Horticulture.

Matthew, as the first Adam Greathead Scholar spent the first six months in John Massey’s garden at Ashwood in the West Midlands, followed by six months at Great Dixter.

ROB LEONARD FLACK

IT’S A HUGE HONOUR to be the first of the Rick Mather David Scrase Christopher Lloyd Scholar’. I have had one of the most amazing experiences over the last year, having had the opportunity to train at Great Dixter with its esteemed team, intense planting, playful creativity and thundering morale. It is a place of absolute pleasure, joy and expression. Sure, the work is challenging but not without its regular benefits and learning opportunities. I must extend a huge thank you to the Rick Mather David Scrase Foundation for giving me the chance to stay for another year, to hone my skills and develop additional layers onto that which I have already learnt.

We have our new Scholars now and I find it mildly bizarre as I step into a new role in the same venue, new faces arriving, curious, enthusiastic and willing to envelop themselves in the madness that awaits around every corner. It’s quite sweet, yet entertaining knowing that I was in that position not so long ago.

Instead my role is now more of the observer and teacher to these four. Knowing that they require the same moulding that I so deeply sought on my first year. It’s a real honour to have the ability to progress and to notice it. The milestones that I have passed in the last 12 months can almost seem quite seamless. It’s not until I really start to get into the nitty-gritty information and the logistics with the new students that I truly begin to understand just how much

it is that I have learnt, as well as how important my new role is to aiding the development of the new scholars. That in itself is such a pleasure. I have had such a desire for a long time, that at some point in my horticultural career, I would like to move into one of those practical teaching roles, observing students work, advising and educating them on certain details or ways to improve their actions. Now I am here and I feel slightly bemused as to the reality of it…When did this happen?… Am I ready for this? . . . I feel confident and able to show the way, so that is what I shall do to the best of my ability, yet still aware that my learning is still in its junior stage and I am just as absorbent as I was over the last 12 months. I notice that as my understanding of Great Dixter improves, I am becoming more enthusiastic and interested into further developing this space. It has a hold of me, I doubt it’ll let go, nor would I wish it to.

The learning continues, regularly. There are new projects on the horizon, and a big one at that. Last year I managed the seedlings and their foreseeable future until they went into the garden. Now, for Ernie (one of two Christopher Lloyd Scholars) and myself; we are to take on the “car park”, an area of the garden nursery that is used for a mix of all sorts, being; plants for pots, nursery stock, projects, propagation, village sales and new purchases to be worked into the garden. As of now, our aim to grow really strong plants, big,

2nd year Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-2024

lovely healthy ones that can be used for all the above, whilst having a good dose of order sent their way. Key to this process is ensuring that we propagate stock from the garden that can be used for sale in the nursery. It helps completes a circuit, adding a process of sustainability to the estate. Keeping are incomings low and our outgoings of that which we already grow. I am highly excited for this project, having been desperate to give it a dose of structure and order for a little while.

It’s no easy feat either and also of importance in this project, is making sure that we keep plants moving out into the garden. We are essentially a nursery, and the skills I expect to learn over this years project will be those that I can keep with me forever onwards. In conjunction with this, I will be taking on the cacti house down at the farm. My main role and ambition of this space is to propagate cacti and again, produce big healthy plants. A discussion on a cacti pot display has been thrown around a few times, so a check for any uneven york-stone paving slabs will be in order.

The meadow cutting is coming to an end. The last areas of major cut have now been complete, with the strewings of the horse pond being moved down to the topiary lawn and long border in order to diversify them more with Scorzoneroides autumnallis, the autumn hawksbit: a

late flowering species in the Asteraceae. Complications in this are the fact that its late flowering, meaning the cutting of those meadow areas is delayed, but the bonus is that its late flowering, extending that nectar source just that little bit extra. If you can, do…!

The garden is really beginning its autumn phase; the leaves are browning, slowly taking their stance on the edge of paths and across the tiled roofs. The stems, sans nitrogen, begin to hold their ground in a different form, marking those spaces with upright rusty yellows and copper browns. There are no more bedding changes or large additions, the garden starts to enter the rougher side of its expression as the weathered material begins to inform us of a season’s close.

Large seed heads from across the garden, memories of their joys to pollinating wildlife; static in form, yet developing slowly, ripening till they drop or we collect for sowing shortly after. I see the garden differently as to 12 months ago; I feel that I actually see it, observing the changes of key, witnessing the differences in each stage, week by week.

Rob was UK Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2022-23 and is continuing in a new post of 2nd Year Christopher Lloyd Scholar, sponsored by The Rick Mather and David Scrase Foundation.

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Luke Senior was the Ruth Borun Scholar 2022-2023 and was selected by Fergus to continue his training for another year, sponsored by The Anne H Bass Foundation. ■

LUKE SENIOR

2nd year Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-2024

MICHAEL WACHTER

WORK EXPERIENCE

by Hannah Moore

I FIRST HEARD of Great Dixter while volunteering at Wildegoose Nursery, fresh out of a career as a Bespoke Tailor. My first visit was in July 2021 for the Plant Fair, which feels pivotal to the horticulture journey that ensued. A conversation with Emily Allard on the Beth Chatto stall led to me to being on their annual training scheme and whilst there I found myself back at Dixter in September 2022 for a week of meadow work. Waking up in the South Bedroom of the house overlooking a mist-draped Exotic Garden is a moment I won’t quickly forget.

A summer of placements in 2023, including the Eden Project and Tresco, on a very limited budget followed, with an RHS Level 2 exam in the middle for good measure. I travelled back to Dixter to work and live on site for the month of July.

Pay isn’t often openly discussed in horticulture but, in terms of training, it is often a deciding factor in whether or not an opportunity is available to all or only some. That Dixter paid a stipend and provided accommodation enabled me to be there for a month; a month which was invaluable to me both as a gardener and a person.

Dixter is supported by a network of Friends and in my final week I was asked to take a couple of small groups out into

the Garden to discuss the work we had been undertaking in the Exotic Garden. Two things struck me when reflecting on my time at Dixter. Firstly, how much a part of the team I felt with their encouragement and enthusiasm: from having the opportunity to work on the front entrance pot display to being trusted to speak to those who support Dixter. Secondly, I was filled with gratitude towards the gardening community who have been so welcoming since my career change. Great Dixter is among the most welcoming of gardens, allowing people to learn and be creative within its sculpted hedges and sending gardeners out into the wider horticultural world both inspired and enthused. ■

Hannah is just one example of how gardeners of all ages, skills and nationalities come to learn at Dixter for one week to a few months, thanks to the generosity of individual donors.

2023 APPEAL

Local artist and Friend, Charlotte Molesworth designed the 2023 Great Dixter Banner, which was screen printed onto linen by artist and textile designer Rosie MacCurrach

Donations towards the 2023 Appeal have been invaluable in providing funds for training, restoration projects and allowing Fergus to realise his vision for Dixter. Thanks to the following who gave such generous donations which entitled them to ownership of one of these splendid banners:

Rosemay Alexander Hugh Bailey Peter Barrett Patrick Bates

Marian Boswall Liz and Steve Brandon Brian and Philippa

Burrough Julie Coley Sonia Coode-Adams Serena Cooper Tessa

Crowe Dr Lis Davidson Emma Davies Barbara Duncan Susan

Dyer Alan Easterby Barbara Flynn Linda Fuller Dr Barry Giles

Pria Graves Veronica Greenwood Annie Guilfoyle Annette and John Hampshire Jurrian Hensen Griff and Sally Holliday

Janet Hollins Frank Holloway Chris and Robin Hutt Kristen

Kirk Julian and Susie Knott Lady Mary Keen Andy and Doris

Lewis Sarah Macpherson Hilary Magee Barbara Marceau † F J

Mayor Michael Monaghan Jason and Henrietta Norman Frank and Anne Parker Eva Perrson Andrew Ratcliffe Patrick and Margaret Rice-Oxley Giles Richardson Bill Ripley and Christina

Anderson Dr Eileen Robb Cat Rowe Tom and Carol Schollar

Hilary Smith (in memory of parents Percy and Laura Smith)

Nigel Spalding Sue Stradling Elizabeth Strangman Alejandra

Torres Laura and Colin Towns Heather Tuckman Amanda Webb

Pat and Lucy Williams Liz Winant Elizabeth Witchell Glenn

Withey Tim and Christine Youngman Fiona Zieba

THE UK CHRISTOPHER LLOYD SCHOLARS 2023-2024 ARE DR TALITHA SLABBERT AND ERNIE WELLER

Sponsored by CLUB 22

The Christopher Lloyd Scholars Programme is an important and integral part of the work of Great Dixter. These scholars spend a year of intensive training in the gardens and learn the skills and ways of working that Christo taught to youngsters in his day. When they leave they take a part of Dixter, its ethos and traditions with them. The Scholarship was created in 2010 to address the skills shortage in professional horticulture and to inspire and educate the gardeners of tomorrow. The following donors secured funding to allow the Trust to continue this work for the five years from 2022 to 2026

Dr Patrick Bates

Marian Boswall

The Viscountess Alice Boyd of Merton

Prof Martin and Dr Susan Brown

Louise Cartledge

Finnis Scott Foundation

Annette and John Hampshire

David Harrison, (in memory of Penny Harrison)

Griff and Sally Holliday

Lady Mary Keen

F J Mayor

Prof John and Stella Nicholls

The Revd Howard Norton

James and Michele O’Connell

Dan Pearson

Mrs and Mrs J P E Podger

Hilary Smith

Liz Winant

THE GREAT DIXTER NURSERY SCHOLAR 2023 -2024 IS SAM WALKER

Sponsored by

Dr Patrick Bates

Tim Brotzman

Julie Coley

Stephen Crisp

The Elaine and Angus Foundation

Sarah Guest

Troy Marden

Charlotte Molesworth

Mike Monaghan

The Northiam Horticultural Society

Kirsten Prichard-Jones

Friends Events Raffles

The Christopher Lloyd Bursary was launched at the first Plant Fair in October 2010 since when it has enabled many young gardeners to attend conferences, go on field trips or visit horticultural establishments. In 2023, the following nurseries gave a percentage of their takings towards it

Australasian Plant Society Binny

Plants Beth Chatto Nursery Cotswold

Garden Flowers Daisy Roots Edulis

Hardys Cottage Garden Plants

Hoyland Julian Reed (Plant Heritage)

Jurassic King John’s Nursery Lime

Cross Nursery Madrona Miles Japanese

Maples Monksilver Nursery No Name

Nursery Pelham Plants Pineview Plants

Plantman’s Preference Plant Base

Pottertons Henry Pryer Rotherview

Nursery Special Plants Wildegoose

Nursery Zophian

THANK YOU

Lund Trust, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin

The Chanticleer Board, R W (Bill) Thomas and all working in that remarkable garden and organisation who have funded, and continue to fund, the Chanticleer US Christopher Lloyd Scholar program.

The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2023-2024 is Will Larson

THE HARRY H AND ANNA BORUN FOUNDATION for sponsoring the Ruth Borun Scholar program since 2019. The 2023-2024 Scholar is Naciim Benkreira

THE RICK MATHER AND DAVID SCRASE FOUNDATION for funding an annual scholarship, enabling an outstanding existing scholar to extend their study at Great Dixter beyond the first year. The 2nd Year Christopher Lloyd Scholar is Rob Flack

THE ANNE H BASS FOUNDATION

2nd Year Christopher Lloyd Scholar, Luke Senior for 2023 to 2024

THE ADAM GREATHEAD SCHOLARSHIP

in memory of the inspirational Head Gardener at John Massey’s Garden from 2014-2017. Adam passed away suddenly aged 27 in 2017, a young life cut tragically short and a great loss to the world of horticulture. The Adam Greathead Award was set up to honour his memory as well as being a lasting tribute to a remarkable young man. The first Adam Greathead Scholar is Matthew Padbury

TRUSTS AND MAJOR DONORS

Donna Raftery and Vince Inconiglios

Jeremy and Elizabeth Hosking

Frank and Linda Smith

Susan Hering

The Viscountess Alice Boyd of Merton

Amy and Andy Burnes

The Elaine and Angus Lloyd Charitable Trust

Finnis Scott Foundation

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Biodiversity programme:

High Weald Landscape Trust

Ian and Megan Richardson

Hartnett Conservation Trust

TO HONOUR AND REMEMBER

It is planned that a section of Great Park (the large field to the right of the drive as you enter) be dedicated as a place of remembrance and reflection. It has a long view north over the Wealden landscape. Donations will go towards increasing the biodiversity of this field, such as purchase of trees, hedge-laying etc.

In memory of Christine Richards, from husband M J Richards, daughter Fleur, family and friends.

In memory of Lyn Harris, from husband John and friends.

Elizabeth Murray Scholarship

Elizabeth Murray died in April 2023 aged 63. She was a GP and Professor of Primary Care at UCL . The scholarship combines her love of gardening and her passion for education and creating opportunities for under-served communities. From Debbie Lennard, Mark Jones and others.

THE GREAT DIXTER CHARITABLE TRUST OWES SO MUCH

TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE FOLLOWING DONORS, WITHOUT WHOM SO MUCH OF ITS WORK WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE:

United States of America Marla Angermeier John and Ramona Bannayan Grace Bates Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King Alice Bickers Kristin Biddle Liz and Steve Brandon Eleanor Briggs Tim Brotzman

Gioia Browne Brenda Buras-Elsen Amy and Andy

Burnes Allen Bush Cecilia Byrne-Schmidt Hilda

Cannon Jenny Rose Carey Royal Catchings Yvon and Melinda Chouinard Louise Clarke Linda Cobb

Nancy Connell Mary Cooper Thomas Cooper Dr

Ann Daly C Edward Davidson Ferrriss Donham

Lisa Douglas Daniel Dowell Barbara Duncan Mr and Mrs Henry B DuPont Smith Laura Dupuy

Fran Durner Lynn Etheredge Dawn Fischer Linda

Fuller Serena Glover Michael Gordon Pria Graves

Amy Grotland John Gwynne and Mikel Folcarelli

Erika Hanson Moore Nancy Heckler Susan Hering

James Hess Jim Hester Deborah Hicks-Rogoff

Heather and Glenn Hilliard Adria Hilsdorf-Smith

Fred and Carol Hochberg Ian and Madeleine

Hooper Emily Hughey Sid Jones Kristen and Spencer

Kirk Elizabeth Kozleski Judith Kramer Laren and Lawrence Kurland Addie and Theodore Kurz

Bruce Lamka Sheron Landis Kyle Landt Clare

Le Brun Gregory Long Jane Longan Kim Mace

Tony Marden John Marksbury Charlotte Mathey

Maryellen McCulloch Linda and Gary McHam

Dave McKenna Erin McMahon Lynn Mitchell

Katherine Moore Jeannette Nelson Diane Newbury

Ilona Ontscherenki Frances Palmer Leslie

Pargament Christie Peck Sandra Power Donna

Raftery and Vince Inconiglios Cleo Raulerson Alice

Reilly Laura Reilly Dr Eileen Robb Bill Ripley and Christina Anderson Barbara Paul Robinson Daniel

Ronfeld Nita-Jo Rountree Cat Rowe Jennifer Rowe-

Mitchell Gail Sanders Janet Scarborough Cecilia

Schmidt Marian Simmons St Clair Cathy Smith

Linda and Frank Smith Marion Smith Alice Spitzer

Thaddeus Squire Nancy Sweet Mary Te Selle

Martha Toppin Alejandra Torres Heather Tuckman

Joel Voltz Deborah Wagner Chuck and Louise

Weed Julie Weiss Jane Wheeler Irene Williams

Elizabeth Winant Glenn Withey and Charles Price

Julie Witmer Canada Geoffrey and Susan Dyer

Mary McBride Michael Monaghan Robin Rankin

Paul and Marilyn Shepherd Gill Young Fiona

Zieba Australia Dr Doug McEachern Austria

Scott Field-Marsham Belgium Wim Pauwels

France Christopher and Sarah Pope Olivia Eller

Germany Ulrike Kreidt-Schanzenbach Michael

Martens Petra Neumann The Netherlands Josine

Bakker Jurrian Hensen Sweden Jennie Elfstrom

Lisa Haggqvist Eva Persson Switzerland Clare

Ewing Nicole Newmark

United Kingdom Susan Abel Jill Aberdour James

Ackroyd-Cooper Bridget Adam Carolyn Agius

George Agnew Sigrid Aiken Rosemary Alexander

Sandra and John Alexander Ann Allen Elizabeth

Allen Margaux Allfrey Jamura Amara Caroline

Anderson-Jones Marie-Gabrielle Argent Susie

Armstrong Charlotte Ashburner Frances Ashlin

Gerti Ashton Alexander Ashworth Carol Atkinson

Marylyn Bacon Jenny Bacon Lynda Baguley Hugh

Bailey The Revd Kate Bailey Jane Baker Oana

Bakovic Christine Baldock Robin Baldwin Alex

Balfour Brian Banks Roy Barker Benjamin Barnard

Petter Barrett Simon Basey Patrick Bates Yvonne

Bates Michael Beanland Sandra Beal Caroline

Beardall Dee Beecroft Elaine Beedle Sarah Beeson

Sue and John Beeston Sussie Bell Christine Bell

Deborah Bell Linda Belton Nicholas Benefield

Tim Bentley Diz Bessant Susan Birthwright T W

Blackie Lesley Blay Robin Bloomfield Andrew

Boddington Michele Bolt Fiona Booth Wendy

Booth Marian Boswall Paul Boucher Barbara

Bovington Nigel Bowles Fiona Bradley Sue

Branson Colin Brazier Jill Briggs Jo Britcher Linda

Brockas Andrew Brodrick Elizabeth Brook Barbara

Brooks Caroline Brown Prof Martin and Dr Sue

Brown Richard Brown Andrew Bruce Jill Bruce

Alan Buckingham Ian Buckley Corina Buckwell Peter

Bullock Cathy Burczak Ethel Butler Adrian ButlerManuel Valerie Butt Paddy Byrne Maggie Calmels

Paul Camic Stephen Campbell Neil Canetty-Clarke

Gunda Cannon Penny Caplowe Ronnie Carless Sally

Carr Peter Carter Amanda Carter-Savigear Louise

Cartledge John Case Sheila Cather Peter Chadwick

Annemarie Chambers Fiona Chapman Irene

Chapman Dr Marilyn Charlesworth Carole Child

Vivien Chittenden Penny Ciniewicz Dr Judith

Clark Sherry Clark Katie Clarke Lady Rosy Clarke

Francesca Cleary Dawn Cole Sally Cole Julie Coley

Danielle Colja Rachel Collins Richard Collisson

Cynthia Colston Roland Comet Martyn Comley

Amanda Connolly Dr A Conway Daria Cook

David Cook Danny Coope Adrian Cooper Gary

Coppins Ann Couldrey Kate Cox Christine Cozic

Charlotte Crabtree Ashley Crosthwaite Susan

Crouch Tessa Crowe David and Hazel Cruickshank

Mary Cruse Clare Cumberlidge Colin Curl Dr

Georgina Cuthbertson Dr Lis Davidson Emma

Davies Peter Davies Pauline Davies Janet Dawes

Anthony Dawson Emma Dawson Christine

Deacon Alex Denman Tina Devereux Andrew

Dewdney Peter Dewhurst Stephen Dickens Alex

Diebel Monique Dix Jonathan Dixey John Dixon

Pip Dodd Stephanie Donaldson Eilis O Donnell Ian

Donovan Elspeth Dougall Mark Dowsey Janet

Doyle-Blunden Abigail Drummond Susan Duff

Rachel Duffield Susan Dulley Brenda Dunn MaryLynne Durrell Jacqueline Dyche Joshua Earland

Richard Eason Alan Easterby Martin Ebrey-Cramp

David Edwards Susan Elford Roger Elias Anne

Ellis Naida Ellis David Elvin Margaret Emeleus

Sara Emmerson Richard and Cristina Emslie

David England Lesley Etherton Douglas Evans Val

Evans Richard Everson Maire Fahey Catherine Farr

Alison Farthing Elizabeth Faure Walker Alice

Favell Kenyon Aloysius Fekete Andrew Ferris Ann

Fitsell Barbara Flynn Joanne Foakes Jane Fogg

Paula Foord Lorraine and Nigel Ford Antony

Forwood Tim Fosberry Annabel Foster John Foster

Lucinda Fouch Gaye Fox Fiona Fox Lesley Francis

Theresa Frankcom Tara Franklin Andrew Franklin

Ronald Freeman Nicola Freshwater Michael

Freyone Barbara Frost Dr Barbara Fulton Clive

Galbraith Caroline Garland Karina Garrick Fiona

Gault Diana Gibbons John Gilbert Dr Barry Giles

James Glasheen Marion Goddard Siobhan

Godfrey-Cass Debbie Goldsmith Jessica Gomez

Tracy Gosling Rosemary Gould Catherine Graham

Veronica Graham Michael Granatt Anthony Green

† Shelagh Green Veronica Greenwood Sally Gregson

Richard Grieve Catherine Griffiths Susan

Grimsdale Linda Guest Birgit Gunz Carol Hagland

Dorothy Halfhide Francis Hamel-Cooke Amanda

Hammond Annette and John Hampshire Prof Alan

Handyside Sue Harbottle-Sear Dr Suzanna

Hardman Dr Carolyn Hargreaves Sean Harkin

Linda and Stuart Harland James Harmer The Hon

Geraldine Harmsworth Richard Harvey Natasha

Harvey Sue Hatt Bernard Hawes Catherine

Hayes-Fisher Stephen Hazell-Smith Emily Heard

Michal Hes Nicola Hilliard Angela Hill Jo Hillier

Jill Hitchcock Janet Hobday Lou Hodgson Susan

Hodgson Patricia Hold Brian Holdstock Griffith and Sally Holliday Louise Holliday Janet Hollins

Frank Holloway Sylvia Holmes Suw Holmes

Jeremy Hosking Michael Hughes Martin Hulbert

John Hull Margaret Hunt Judy Hutchings

Christopher and Robin Hutt Judy Illman Elaine

Jackson Annie James Dr Lelly James Amara Jamuna

Krysia Januszczyk Sandra Jenkins Susan Johns

Angus Johnson Jennifer Johnson Jane Johnson

Janet Johnson Nicola Jones Prof Paul Jonees

Timothy Jones Caroline Judge Lara Jukes Jesse

Kashdan-Cort Suzanne Keeble Lady Mary Keen

Tim Kendell and Flo Whitaker Michelle Kenneally

Peter and Lesley Kennedy Joanna Kent Julia Kerr

Helen Keys Susan Keyte Andrew Khosravani Jane

Kilpatrick Linda King Janette King Rosemary King

Philippaa Kinsey Hugh Kirby Rita Kirk Larissa

Knepper Jeremy Knight and Sue Hoyle Meri

Knights Julian Knott Zarrina Kurtz Richard Kyne

Dr Sally Labern Rosemary Laidlaw-Waller

Elizabeth Laing Kathy Lamoon Mark Lane Celia

Langrish Sheena Lavery Edwin Lawlor Tam

Lawson Benjamin Leach Fiona Leathers Jean

Lebrecht Fiona Leeding Rod Leeds Christine

Leman Rebecca Lemonius Jackie Leng Debbie

Lennard Gillian Lenton Penelope Leslie Graham

Lewis Ceri Lindo Rosemary Lindsay Jane Livesey

Frances Lloyd Graham Lloyd-Brunt Lady Margaret

Lockett Jane Lockwood Carolyn Lovell Julian

Luckett and Judith O’Connor Monique Luker John

Lunn Kate MacGarry Monika Machon Fiona

MacIntyre Patricia Macmullan Sarah Macpherson

Hilary Magee Sarah Mahurter Shirley Maile

Charles Maisey Jane Maitland Hudson Anthony

Mallet Sophie Mancais Barbara Marceau Jim

Marshall Nancy Marten Susan Martin Godfrey

Martin Sara Martin Sarah and John Martlew Anne

Masefield Harriet Mason Peter Masters Luke

Mather Hugh Maxwell F J Mayor Quentin

McCabe Kendra McConnell John McCutchan Paul

McDonald Fiona McKinley Juliet McKoen

Stephanie McMahon David & Emma McQuillan

Alison Meek Nicola and Kemal Mehdi Gordon

Melvin Gary Mewis Shirley Meyer John Middleton

Laura Miles Sue Miles Michael Miller Ralph Miller

Virginia Millington Victoria Mills Charlotte and Donald Molesworth Sharon Moncur Liz Moore

Valerie Moore Wanda Moore Anne Moore-Bick

Anthea Moore-Ede David Morgan Linda Morgan

Lauris Morgan-Griffiths Jane Morris Fiona

Mortimore Judith Mosely Jennifer Mountford

Jenny Mowatt Amanda Mozley Nicky Vernon

Christine Muddiman Alison Munby Hilary

Mundella John Murdoch Tim Murray Stephen

Myatt Michael Naris Liz Nash Ann Naylor Charles

Neal Alan Newnham Bridget Nicholls Prof John and Stella Nicholls Lesley Nichols Hope Nicholson

Sarah Nieuwoudt Kerstin Nilsson Jay Sarah Norris

The Revd Howard Norton Julia Nunneley Hugh

Nye Andrew O’Brien James and Michele

O’Connell Kendra O’Connell Tessa Oldaker Amicia

Oldfield Brian Oldman Simon Oliphant Mark

O’Neill Andrea Ostle Colin Page Emma Page

Simon Palmer Pennie Parker Frank and Anne

Parker Anthony Parker Dr Linda Parker Stephen

Parker Annie Patch Ronald Pattison Laline Paull

Michael Peak Philippa Pearson Michael Pearson

John Perkins Sarah Peters Susan Phyall Gail Pinder

Michael Pitcher Dr Andrea Planas Robert Plant

Jeremy Pletts Sylvia Pocock Phillip Potter Mary

Potter Max Powling Kirsten Prichard Jones Gary and Jane Priddis Karin Proudfoot Tim Radford

Amanda Rainger Christine Rampling Chris

Ramsden Rosemary Randall Andrew Ratcliffe

Chris Redknap Florian Reiche Clunie Reid Philip

Renshaw Patricia Rex Angharad Rhys Patrick and Margaret Rice-Oxley Barbara Rich Janet Rich Giles

Richardson Ian and Megan Richardson Mark

Riches Giles Ridley Pauline Ridley Ruth Ridley

Jonathon Ringer Dereck Roalfe Eleanor Robins

Richard Robinson Charlie Robinson Gillian Roder

Alexandra Rose-Dutch Celia Rosenbaum Rougham

Estate Christopher Rowe William Rowe Lynda Anne

Rowlinson Ingunn Ruffles James Russ Alison

Russell Shirley Sabin Craig Sams and Jo Fairley

Gillian Sandhu Martin Sarbicki Joanna Scanlan

Jacqueline Schalburg Naomi Schillinger Sue

Schlesinger Erika Schmidt Mattis Schneider Carol and Tom Schollar Karena Schuessler Jane Scruton

Paul Seaborne John Seaman Julia Sebline Susan

Seery Barbara Segall Leslie Seymour Paul Short

Christine Sibley Jean Sidwell Barbara Simms

Richard Simpson Paul Simpson Duncan Simpson

Shelley Sishton Anne Sixsmith Victoria Skeet Wendy

Skolnick Christine Sladden Ailsa Sleigh James

Sloane Martin Small Sue Smart Hilary Smith Anne

Smith Maggie Smith Peter Smith Marion Spain

Nigel Spalding David Spence Lynne Spon-Smith

Margaret Springbett Jane Steen Jane Stephen Kate

Steven Lynda Stevens Dr Edward Stevenson-Rouse

Gloria Stewart Linda Stewart Simone Stewart

Victoria Stewart Jean Stock Sally Stockwell

Caroline Stone Stuart Stradling Kate Straus Justine

Stringer Jonathan Strong Robert Stuart Tom

Stuart-Smith, Janet Sullivan Jonathan Sunley

Rosemary Swainson Jane Swift Jennifer Tait Nicola

Talbot Ian and Kathy Taphouse Liz Tapper Brian

Tattersfield Andrew Templeton Rodger Terrell Jake

Thomas Margery Thomas Matdthew Thomas

Diana Thompson Kevin Thompson Norman

Thompson Susan Thompson Sally Thorne Mary

Thorp Jean Tilby Adrian Timothy Graham Tippen

Jane Titley Clairse Tolliday Jude Torrance Colin and Laura Towns Pi Townsend Jane Tuckley Sarah

Turner Joyce Turton Abi Tyler Yvonne Underhill

Kathryn van Howe Vija Vilcins Michael Voice

Carolyn Waite Martyn and Angela Wake Lady

Brigid Wakehurst The Rev Dr Andrew Walker

Angela Walker Peter Walker Maureen Walker

Rosanna Walker Dr John Wall Elizabeth Wallfisch

Deborah Walsh Debbie Ward Sarah Warren Sally

Watson J R Watson Nigel Watts Catherine Weaver

Stephen Weaver Amanda Webb Gillian WebbWillson Della Weight Nigel Wellard Cleve West

Clare White Susan Whitehead Hilary Whitehill

Dirk Wiemer Shirley Wiggs Deborah Wilcock

Patricia Wilkie Samantha Wilkins Helen Williams

Marilyn Williams Patricia Williams Tim Williams

Victoria Williams Jim Williamson Andrew Willson

Catherine Wilson Sarah Wilson Elizabeth Winant

Clare Winchester Linda and John Windebank

Diane Wiseman WOE Foundation Julia Wolage

Richard Wolfe Chris Wood Annabel Wood Stephan

Work Linde and John Wotton Judy Wrangle

Stephanie Wright Elizabeth Wylie Patricia Yates

Paul Youlten Alan Young Andrew Young Daniel

Young Neil Young Kris Zielicki. ■

COVER

Bark of the Scots Pine

Exploring the landscape, tracing the shapes, and rhythms with your eye, and translating it into marks on paper feels like a very quiet but immediate way of engaging with a place. Responding to the patterns and atmosphere through drawing, pulls me into a place of connection and wonder, an act of re- enchantment. After drawing at Dixter for a year and visiting when I can, I have found it a very real place of enchantment. Rosie

MacCurrach

Drawing by Rosie MacCurrach of the Scots Pine in the Great Dixter car park. Rosie was artist in residence at Dixter in 2014 when she created a body of work that Fergus said: “captured to its very bones the essence and energy of this very special place”.

Produced by Linda Jones & Sarah Seymour

Designed by Helen Bratby