gardens sept:Layout 2
28/8/12
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CITYgardening
SOMERSET ILLUMINATIONS: Hestercombe’s 18th century gardens near Taunton is hosting an unusual light display this month. Over the weekends of 7,8 & 9, and 14, 15 & 16 September, artist Ulf Pedersen is using a variety of light installations to illuminate the facade of the house and the grounds. For ticket details visit: www.hestercombe.com
LOVELY PLANTING WEATHER Shrugging off the dreary summer our gardening writer Jane Moore finds solace in shopping
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hat a year for us gardeners! I cannot remember a wetter one in all my years as a gardener and that sentiment was echoed by Keith, next door’s gardener, as he leaned over the wall for a chat. “It’s a job to find a window to cut the grass in,” I sighed woefully. Keith agreed, shaking his head and tutting but adding cheerfully that it was lovely weather for planting. He’s quite right and, although I wouldn’t usually recommend planting this early in September, the ample rain and mild temperatures are ideal for getting ahead with some autumn planting. Late September and early October is my favourite time of year to plant because I’ve spent all summer pinpointing annoying gaps or mistakes and thinking what needs to go where. And, as the summer events and the weed growth slow down, I’ve also got the opportunity to get out and about visiting some of my favourite nurseries and indulging in a spot of shopping.
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Don’t be afraid to slip the plants out of the pots gently to take a look at the roots
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I’m always getting asked by hotel guests at the Priory where I buy my plants and I really like to give the local nurseries and garden centres a bit of a boost. My list is by no means exhaustive and there are bound to be great places I have yet to come across. The Priory is home to a somewhat eclectic mixture of species ranging from positively cottagey herbaceous plants to the wildly exotic sub-tropicals. The autumn is not the best time of year for planting tender plants, spring is infinitely better for those tender and expensive sub-tropicals, but it’s a good time to make a list and order them, but autumn is perfect for most trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. And, if we get a bit of an Indian summer, what’s better than the odd day out browsing around, buying plants and rewarding your endeavours with afternoon tea. Always look for nice, leafy, healthy looking plants with no mosses or liverworts growing on the tops of the pots as this tends 124 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER 2012
to mean the plants have been hanging around in their pots for a long time, so at best the compost is spent and at worst they’re horribly pot-bound. Don’t be afraid to slip the plants out of the pots gently to take a look at the roots – again nice healthy roots filling the pot and holding all the compost together is what we want, not a pot full of tightly wrapped roots and nothing else.
On the doorstep
Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of our local Prior Park Garden Centre. Not only does it sell a lovely selection of plants in excellent condition but the staff are beyond helpful. It’s wonderful for giving you seasonal planting ideas but also has a wide selection of fruit trees and bushes. It’s also good for picking up a birthday present, some fish food or a ball for the dog and the cakes and deli things in the farm shop are rather too tempting.
Further afield
If I can’t find what I want at Prior Park I can nearly always get hold of it at Lowdens Garden Centre at Shaw near Melksham. As well as a great selection of plants including specimens there are gifts and farm shop goodies. For more unusual plants Special Plants at Cold Ashton is handy and always interesting. It’s purely a nursery but there’s also a lovely hillside garden that opens under the National Garden Scheme, or Yellow Book, several times a year. The nursery boasts a quirky collection of interesting plants that reflects the owner’s dramatic tastes. Most of our herbaceous plants come from West Kington Nurseries, a no frills wholesale nursery which supplies some of the best garden centres in the country and boasts a marvellous collection of coloured heucheras among countless other treasures. Normally you need to be a professional or to be buying in bulk but there are public sales which are open to everyone a couple of times a year including the weekend of the 8 and 9 September.
Further still
The Mead Nursery near Westbury is a charming family run nursery with a great selection of plants. It centres on a mature