Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Sharing knowledge – especially that of expert growers and designers – is an important part of our remit at Gardens Illustrated . When I took over as editor it became clear that there are countless talented people out there, and being able to facilitate the sharing of their insights never ceases to excite me. For the past few years we’ve asked a number of luminaries to write a feature looking at 100 great garden plants for our February issue. Previous contributors include Beth Chatto, Piet Oudolf, Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith. This month, Rosemary Alexander – principal of The English Gardening School, with more than 40 years’ experience as a designer and plantswoman – recommends her favourite 100 plants for an English country garden. Head gardener Mat Reese, who trained…

TOUR LEADERS Tania Compton’s garden design career began at The English Gardening School. She is a trustee of the Garden Museum and a writer. Her latest book is The Private Gardens of England. Dr Sophie Piebenga trained as a gardener at the National Trust and Kew Gardens. She then followed an interest in the conservation of historic landscapes and gardens, which included studying for a doctorate. The southern English county of Wiltshire contains many World Heritage Sites including Stonehenge, Avebury and Salisbury Cathedral. Almost half the county is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty, so it is not surprising to find such a collection of outstanding gardens. Our trip includes visits to The Courts, a country garden of perfect harmony with lots of late-summer interest. There’s also the…

Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Woodstock’ I prefer to grow this, my favourite hyacinth, indoors to better appreciate the dark flowers. When positioned on a windowsill with the low winter sun bleeding through the ruby petals and thin, translucent, emerald leaves, it is really very beautiful. The heavy flower heads can collapse indoors so make sure to always support the stems. This can be done discreetly with a short, stout cane and loop of raffia. To prevent the raffia from slipping, thread it through and around the flower spikes (not below it). Plant in a clay pot and finish with a top dressing of sphagnum moss or lavender flowers. Height 20-30cm. Spread 8cm. Origin Garden origin. Conditions Good garden soil that is not too wet in summer. Hardiness RHS H4, USDA 3a-7b. Season…

Your salad bowl should reflect the changing seasons. Don’t serve the same salad by default year round. Think of it as the best way to showcase ingredients as they come into season. February is one of the more challenging months for green vegetables, but if you expand your ideas of what constitutes a salad beyond some leaves in a bowl you should still have plenty of choice. Root vegetables, brassicas and bitter leaves enlivened by citrus dressings and the sharp and salty flavours of the store cupboard, such as capers and pickled walnuts, still offer plenty of variables. Hard-boiled eggs, macerated shallots, cheese or nuts make good additions, but don’t be tempted to overdo it. Purity of effect is what to strive for. It’s easy to overwhelm vegetable flavours with…

In the short days of winter the sight of the first Seville oranges arriving in the shops means one thing – the ritual of marmalade making, the shredded bitter peel transformed by sugar and heat into something delicious. Marmalade, until recently, was old school, elbowed off the breakfast table by pastries containing sexy exotics, such as almonds, apricots and dark chocolate. Meanwhile, Spanish orchards growing Seville oranges were being grubbed up for watermelon fields. But a quest bordering on obsession by a Cumbrian gardener, cook and historian is reviving its status, propelling it from the back of the cupboard to the shelves of luxury delicatessens. Marmalade has a surprisingly long association with this country. It was originally made with quinces (the Portuguese word for quince is marmelo), until Arab traders…

1 Galanthus ‘Lovely Rika’ Rika does not breed snowdrops herself, but this one was named for her by fellow galanthophile Jan Wierenga, after she became captivated by its pretty upturned flowers. 15cm. 2 G. plicatus ‘Augustus’ A sturdy and reliable cultivar with large flowers and broader than usual leaves. It was named after renowned plantsman EA (Edward Augustus) Bowles. 15cm. RHS H5† . 3 G. elwesii var. elwesii ‘Big Boy’ This aptly named cultivar is generally regarded as the largest of all the snowdrops. Although the plant as a whole rarely exceeds 20cm, its individual flowers are often more than 4cm long. 20cm. 4 G. ‘Cordelia’ When established, it falls among the taller members of the Greatorex doubles, but after dividing it is shorter. The inner segment marking consists of…

1 Step on down This is not just a sunken garden; it is also an amphitheatre should you suddenly feel an urge to put on a fête champêtre for your friends or rally the neighbours for a bit of impromptu operetta. The grassy steps double up as seating or pathways. Bit tricky to mow but wonderfully dramatic and enticing. 2 Secret hideaway This was designed by the Australian designer Charlie Albone at the 2016 RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Husqvarna. The sunken lawn and surrounding hedges and pleached trees create a wonderfully secluded area within the garden. It is designed as a refuge not only from the world but also from the rest of the garden. 3 Hidden depths This takes sunken gardens to another standard:…

1. CHIPPENHAM PARK Chippenham Park offers over 35 acres of spectacular woodland, lakes and gardens. In February, much of the woodland walks are carpeted in a magnificent display of snowdrops and aconites. A mass of hellebores, fiery dogwoods and exceptional trees make this a truly inspirational time to visit. Open 10am-4pm, 11 February-3 March, £5. See website for more opening dates. ADDRESS Chippenham, Cambridgeshire CB7 5PT TEL 01638 721416 WEB chippenhamparkgardens.co.uk 2. FORDE ABBEY & GARDENS Throughout February the 30 acres of award-winning gardens are carpeted in a spectacular display of snowdrops. Weather pending, the camellias will be in full bloom on the Mount along with an abundance of hellebores and early spring bulbs making an appearance. Gardens open daily from 10am-4pm, tearooms and gift shop open every weekend throughout…

MARY KEEN Mary has worked for many years as a garden designer in Great Britain and abroad, but her own patch is her favourite project, as the first in a series of four visits to her Cotswold garden shows (page 50). The author of six books, she is a champion of the working gardener. “The gardens I love best are personal. They are made more with the heart than the head.” ROSEMARY ALEXANDER Rosemary trained as a landscape architect, then went on to found The English Gardening School in 1983. Now addicted to plants, she uses her own garden to experiment with newcomers. She shares her 100 best-loved plants on page 37. “My own garden is my laboratory, and I enjoyed choosing the 100 plants that give me the most…

NEW EXHIBITION A life in pictures This month, London’s Tate Britain opens the world’s most extensive retrospective of British artist David Hockney, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year. Presented as a chronological overview, the exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, brings together six decades of the artist’s work for the first time. Loans from private collections, including artwork never displayed in public before, will join iconic paintings from museums around the world. 9 February – 29 May. tate.org.uk SNOWDROP WEEKENDS Winter wonderland Holker Gardens in Cark-in-Cartmel, Cumbria, will open for two weekends this month to celebrate the arrival of snowdrops in the garden. Last open during February in 2011, the snowdrop weekends offer visitors a rare opportunity to see Holker during…

Earliest gardening memory from the age of about four I had my own little plot in my nan’s garden. This is where she taught me to grow typical old-fashioned plants, such as wallflowers and candytuft. Favourite garden I was taken recently to Ray Wood, a secluded gem of a woodland garden within the grounds of Castle Howard, North Yorkshire. The plant choices and combinations are amazing. Three worthwhile tips for every gardener Be sure to consider presentation, experimentation and at times ruthlessness. Most valuable training My time spent at Birmingham Botanical Gardens as an apprentice and also at Pershore College. Both of these were very practical experiences. Favourite planting style I’m currently really into woodland gardens and planting styles, using different textures and shades of greens to create rich yet…

“I aimed to develop a yellow snowdrop, but it takes over 18 years from the first seed to having enough stock to sell – so it’s lucky I started so young” Joe Sharman suggests meeting at Monksilver, his nursery near Cambridge. It proves difficult to find, which I later discover is deliberate. The first two locals I ask have never heard of the nursery, the third advises: “Look out for a gap in the hedge.” Through the gap, up a track and in a circle of rough grass we sit in the sun on rickety white plastic chairs. Behind us a tall swathe of meadow grass and wild honeysuckle tumble through the hedge. It is high summer, but Joe Sharman is talking snowdrops. “I established Monksilver Nursery in 1989,” he…

Basic marmalade recipe Makes 5 to 6 x 450g jars • 1kg Seville oranges• 75ml lemon juice•  2kg demerara sugar Scrub the oranges well, cut in half, squeeze out the juice and keep to one side. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin, discarding the white pith, then slice into strips depending on preference of ‘cut’. Put sliced peel, juice and 2.5 litres of water in a bowl and leave to soak overnight. Transfer mixture to preserving pan and bring to the boil. Simmer slowly, until the mixture has reduced by about a third and the peel is tender – this takes up to two hours and don’t be tempted to rush it, otherwise your marmalade will be like leather. Stir in the lemon juice and sugar, boil rapidly until the sugar…

This simple cage, made from hazel poles covered with 7mm mesh, will protect brassicas from the winter scourge of pigeons and stop butterflies from laying the eggs from which hungry caterpillars will hatch in summer. To make, simply push a row of freshly cut hazel poles, around 3.5m in length, into the ground and gently curve each one to form an arch. Twist together three slim, willow rods the length of your run to form a brace and attach this along one side of the arch using coir twine. Repeat on the other side and stretch soft black mesh over the arch to form a tunnel. Weigh the mesh down with hazel rods for easy access. Plant protection It takes just one or two heartbreaking losses to galvanise most gardeners…

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February is the perfect time to look at your own garden and consider planting additions or changes you might want to make. For inspiration take a look at garden designer and principal of The English Gardening School Rosemary Alexander's selection of 100 plants featured this month (see page 37). Key to her choice was that she had grown these plants in her garden, which means that all are guaranteed to be garden worthy. Once you've gathered your ideas from Rosemary’s list you can then take advantage of this special 15 per cent discount from online plant nursery Crocus and really get your growing season off to a great start. How to order Go to crocus.co.uk to make your selection of plants and seeds. To receive your discount, enter the code…

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE Inspired by period design, we are proud to present our carefully curated garden ornament 2017 catalogue. The catalogue features our classic collection of seating, sundials and water features, alongside an extension to our copper planter and Quercus Robur oak furniture range. Tel 01386 584414 Web architectural-heritage.co.uk DU MAURIER WATCHES The Daphne Signature by Du Maurier Watches from British designer Ned du Maurier Browning, is a beautiful, Swiss-made timepiece, inspired by Ned’s grandmother, Daphne du Maurier. Paired here with an elegant blue strap, it is also available on gold, black, tan or pink straps. £440. Tel 01460 220720 Web dumaurierwatches.com PROPS FOR PEONIES Peonies produce huge and beautiful heads on slim and wind-vulnerable stems, they need support. We suggest using good-looking Peony Cones, which are 1m high in a…

• Recipes from the new Great Dixter Cookbook • A glorious daffodil garden in Nottinghamshire • Beautiful ideas for container planting • How to make dramatic natural structures • Fabulous ferns from a specialist nursery • Great plants for fail-safe borders ON SALE 2 MARCH Available as a digital edition – search ‘Gardens Illustrated’ on the App Store, Google Play or Zinio.com. Also in selected Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores, as well as WHSmith, and all good magazine retailers.…

Garden Masterclasses aim to bring together gardeners and designers with some of the most innovative people in the gardening world through one-day workshops. Each workshop is organised around a specific topic, and designed to help students learn and practise. With quality catering, in garden or nursery venues, we hope that students will have a good day out too, meeting other passionate gardeners, and sharing experiences. “We have put together this programme because we felt there was a real lack of learning opportunities for amateur gardeners (and indeed for professionals). There are plenty of gardening societies and garden schools that offer opportunities to hear lectures, but relatively few that offer a more active approach to learning. Our aim is to offer a learning experience where there is a more interactive approach,…

Trees 1 ACACIA BAILEYANA ‘PURPUREA’ Tender yet fast-growing tree, remarkable for its purple, cut-leaf, year-round foliage. When mature, produces racemes of bright-yellow flowers in early spring. Needs a warm, sunny position, sheltered from wind. AGM*. Height (H) 3-10m. Spread (S) 2-4m. Conditions (C) Well-drained soil; full sun. Season of interest (SI) Flowers early spring. Hardiness ratings (HR) RHS H2, USDA 7a-11. 2 ACER CAMPESTRE Small, compact, native tree with spectacular autumn foliage colour and winter bark. Fairly slow growing and round topped. Useful as a single specimen or for mass planting. AGM. H 4-5m. S 4-5m. C Most soils. SI Autumn foliage. HR RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. 3 ACER GRISEUM Good orange-brown autumn foliage, but its real beauty is the peeling orange-brown bark seen when leafless for winter. Takes time…

In brief What Early flowering shrubs with elegant foliage and flowers in white, pink or red. Origins China and Japan. Season Autumn to winter. Size Camellias grow best in the shade, and in the right conditions can potentially reach 5-6m, although 3m is more usual in cooler climates. Conditions best in warm summer, mild winter climates, plus sheltered sites elsewhere. Hardiness ratings Most have a rating of RHS H5, USDA 7a-9b. Some, often later-flowering plants, can survive lower temperatures. Camellias have that wonderful ability to remind us that warmer, sunnier days are on their way. While most species keep us waiting until late spring, some bloom almost indecently early, in early winter (or even autumn) when little else offers any colour. You’ll find early flowering beauties among the more widely…

In brief Name Tuinfleur. What Private garden open to the public. A number of special plant collections, including snowdrops and shade-loving plants. Where Oostwold, the Netherlands. Size One and a half acres. Soil Sand and peat. Climate Maritime. Hardiness ratings USDA 8. In a cul-de-sac of small houses, all with neatly kept front gardens, one stands out from its neighbours. The front garden is gravelled and divided into modernist beds of clipped copper beech, like a miniature Mien Ruys landscape, and in the window is an enormous picture of a snowdrop. This is the home of Rika and Pieter van Delden, and over the past 25 years the couple have created a garden that draws visitors from all over the Netherlands, and indeed the world. It is only 15 metres…

A beautiful, practical manual to help indoor gardeners nurture, style and share those ever so trendy succulents, air plants and cacti.Reviewer Rosanna Morris is a freelance writer and editor. HOUSE OF PLANTS by Caro Langton and Rose Ray Frances Lincoln, £20 ISBN 978-0711238374 Who would have thought the spider plant – that mainstay of 1970s interiors – would return with such reverence? Yet it has, thanks in part to devotees, such as authors Caro Langton and Rose Ray. A new trend for terrariums and succulents sees many of us pairing house plants with whitewashed walls, industrial décor and mid-century furniture. Langton and Ray, who are neither gardeners nor botanists but friends with backgrounds in design, started combining indoor gardening with interior decoration when Langton inherited her grandmother’s house on London’s…

1. RV ROGER LTD Traditional third generation nursery, growing a huge range of heritage roses, fruit trees and hardy nursery stock in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire. Multiple RHS Gold Medal awards. Plant Centre open all year round. rvroger.co.uk | 01751 472226 2. DUCHY OF CORNWALL NURSERY Offering a wide selection of plants from camellias and magnolias to perennials and houseplants, along with an award-winning café. Located in the beautiful Fowey Valley. duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk | 01208 872668 3. DEACON NURSERY We are one of the largest mail-order fruit tree nurseries in the UK, we supply over 350 different varieties of apple tree and can deliver throughout the UK. For more information, email info@deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk. deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk | 01983 522 243 4. SPRING REACH NURSERY VISIT SURREY’S FINEST NURSERY. We have the finest-quality, home-grown plants. Our…

I might not be so open minded about the beauty of this native were I shivering in a silver blanket in a school gymnasium Of the four elements fire is probably the one we think of least in the garden. In California it strikes fear into the hearts of all as we watch plumes of smoke from wildfires on the other side of the mountains, and count our blessings that it has not come to our valley, yet. One careless spark and the neighbourhood is lost and, judging by the rates at which the insurance companies are jacking up the premiums, it is only a matter of time. That, to a great extent, is because this landscape was designed to burn periodically and has for millennia, long before it was…