Innholdsfortegnelse for Special 2019 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Jimi Blake’s brilliant, beautiful and experimental garden at Hunting Brook is a quirky mix of foliage and f lowers. Hunting Brook is an eight-hectare chunk of up-and-down woodland and meadow carved out from Jimi’s family farm in Co. Wicklow where he grows a notable collection of wild-collected plants as well as thrilling combinations of shrubs, trees and perennials. In this issue Jimi shares four inspirational planting ideas with colour and architecture at the fore that capture the dynamism of Hunting Brook, including a combination of bold-leafed cannas, Ensete ventricosum and Angelica sylvestris with long-f lowering perennials, and a plan combining small trees and woody shrubs, such as Pseudopanax crassifolius, with verbascum, kniphofias, agastache and grasses. Tim Richardson takes the first look at the new garden designed by Oehme, van Sweden…

TOUR LEADERS Michael Marriott has worked at David Austin Roses, designing and advising, for the past 30 years. He is an expert on all matters relating to roses, from the extensive range of cultivars and type to successful growing. Maïté Delmas has more than 30 years’ experience of managing plant collections (including roses) gained at Kew, Bordeaux and Paris Botanic Gardens. She is an active promoter of the network of Botanic Gardens of France, which she represents throughout the world. For 2020, our popular rose tour travels over the Channel to investigate the story of the French rose and enjoy some truly wonderful gardens and rose collections. Starting with a visit with the curator of Roseraie du Val-de-Marne in L’Haÿ-les-Roses you’ll come to understand more about the vast array of…

Also known as the toad lily, which is a reference to the spotted markings on the flowers, similar to (but rather more attractive than) the blotchy skin of a toad. We’ve had Tricyrtis plants within a herbaceous border at Chatsworth for years, but the exquisite little flowers tend to get lost among a mass of other plants. They are better enjoyed close up, where you can peer down on to their intricately marked flowers that open up at the very tip of long wiry stems. This makes them a wonderful choice for using in early autumn arrangements and bouquets, where they add a touch of the exotic despite being perfectly hardy in a shady spot in Derbyshire. Height and spread 80cm x 45cm. Origin Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands; a…

I first met Toril Brancher in a chance encounter along a lane in the foothills of the Sugar Loaf in the Black Mountains near Abergavenny. I was pushing my son in his buggy alongside banks covered in cow parsley, stitchwort and bluebells. Toril was walking in the opposite direction with a few sprigs from the hedgerow in her hand. She looked slightly sheepish as if caught in the act of pillaging the abundant flora. Our conversation then was about babies, but has since been about flowers and photography. At the time I didn’t know that Toril was a photographer and that the cow parsley she was holding was destined for her studio. Toril works with an ancient and battle-worn A4 flatbed scanner and sheets of glass (scratched through the reiteration…

BLUEBELL COTTAGE NURSERY Owner Sue Beesley was the winner of BBC Gardener of the Year in 2006 and took on the nursery and garden, located on the Trent & Mersey Canal, the following year. Plants include 700 kinds of perennials from garden favourites to more unusual options. Although not certified organic, the nursery propagates most of its own plants and uses only peat-free compost to pot on plants. For those who are anxious to avoid neonicotinoids, no chemical pesticides are used and customers are welcome to return pots to the nursery for re-use. Alternatively, you can de-pot your plant at the counter and take it home wrapped in paper. Mail order is also plastic free. Bluebell Cottage, Lodge Lane, Dutton, nr Warrington, Cheshire WA4 4HP. Tel 01928 713718, bluebellcottage.co.uk. Mail…

I didn’t read much when I was young, but caught the bug after I left school and was travelling and on my own a good deal. Now I feel that a part of me isn’t functioning if I don’t have a good book on the go. I’m also married to a voracious reader and we often swap books. Sue has assembled a large library, principally of psychoanalysis, poetry and philosophy, much of it for research into her book The Well Gardened Mind, which she has been working on for about five years and comes out next year – so many fascinating books have come out of that journey. The most interesting of these are not gardening books at all, but they touch on what we do and why we do…

Tom Stuart-Smith Designer Tom shares his favourite garden book, page 99. “My library is a little chaotic but much thumbed and a constant source of ideas and inspiration for design.” Jimi Blake Plantsman Jimi shares the secrets of the stunning borders he designs at his garden Hunting Brook, page 42. “Creating complex tapestries with a large palette of plants is my absolute passion.” Jane Perrone Jane hosts the popular houseplant podcast On the Ledge, and this month starts our new houseplant column, page 122. “It’s a total delight to be sharing my passion for growing indoors.”…

Pots and containers are the mainstay of many gardens when it comes to flower displays or potted herbs near the kitchen door. But with a little planning, you can grow a feast of kitchen garden crops from fruit, such as blueberries, to exotic veg, such as aubergines all in pots and all within a confined space – be it a small courtyard or a compact balcony. Great Dixter’s gardener-cook, Aaron Bertelsen has refined what he grows in a whole selection of containers and is now passing on his experience in a Gardens Illustrated reader day at Great Dixter, which will coincide with the publication of his latest book Growing Fruit & Vegetables in Pots (published by Phaidon). On the day you’ll learn more about what crops to best grow in…

First plant love We had an enormous eucalyptus tree in the garden in Enniskerry, Ireland. It was my favourite for climbing, and for scent. Gardening as a career change Initially, I fell in love with making and designing clothes after learning to cut cloth and make patterns on a summer course in my teens. Gardening came out of years of long hours designing clothes and needing to unwind outdoors in my time off. I soon realised it was a way to continue creating and making, that lasts. Three worthwhile tips Visit nurseries and plant fairs as often as possible; nursery people work incredibly hard and are always generous with their knowledge. Look at the RHS trials at Wisley and visit people with national collections. Go with your gut instinct when…

HELIANTHUS GIGANTEUS ‘SHEILA’S SUNSHINE’ Tall, elegant, with beautiful buttercreamcoloured flowers atop autumnal red stems covered in canoe-shaped, crisp, green leaves. The calyx contrasts wonderfully with the flower, and winter stems and seedheads warrant waiting until spring to cut down. I plan to drift them up to the border’s edge to appreciate their beauty. Height 2m. Origin Garden origin. Conditions Reasonable soil; sun or part shade. Hardiness RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. Season of interest August – February. AR AIOSTEGIA HYMENOPHYLLOIDES Despite its delicate look, this is a tough plant; hardy and evergreen in sheltered spots. It spreads by creeping rhizome above the soil surface to form a clump. I’m planning to move it from a pot into the soil this year, near the base of a shaded raised bed, where I…

Pulling carbon out of the air and into the ground can be as simple as improving a plant’s rate of photosynthesis. A healthy plant is supported around its roots by vast communities of microbes and fungi, which feed the plant with minerals in exchange for a photosynthesis by-product, carbon sugars. It pays to optimise this natural coexistence; the more efficiently the micro-organisms are working, the more carbon will be taken out of the atmosphere and sequestered into the ground. Adding homemade compost or sowing green manures over exposed ground helps the soil to retain carbon. Weeds also protect soil and add diversity, both above and below ground. Monocultures encourage pathogens: even with a lawn, soil health will be improved by spreading compost over it and allowing for clover and daisies.…

READY ASSEMBLED WBC Hive Empty Kit (assembled), £290, National Bee Supplies, 0844 326 2010, beekeeping.co.uk STYLISH PAD Beehaus Beehive, From £449.10, Omlet, 01295 500900, omlet.co.uk SWEET SENSATION Flow Hive 2 – Araucaria, €678, Flow Hive EU, +31 (0)8 5208 4111, eu.honeyflow.com SIMPLE STYLE Bee Brick, charcoal £27.50, Green & Blue, 01872 858658, greenandblue.co.uk CLEAN LINES English Cedar National Hive, From £125.95, BBWear, 01872 562731, bbwear.co.uk HIGH-RISE LIVING Cornish Top Bar Bee Hive, £248.50, Heather Bell Honey Bees, cornishhoney.co.uk HONEY BAR Top Bar Hive, £245, made to order, Jim The Bee, jimthebee.co.uk HOME FROM HOME Shetland Bee House, £25, Garden Trading, 01993 845559, gardentrading.co.uk FULL STARTER KIT National Hive Starter Kit (includes gear and tools), £499, National Bee Supplies, 0844 326 2010, beekeeping.co.uk…

Peperomias are not wildly thrilling, but they do have a certain flair,’ writes Tovah Martin in her book The Unexpected Houseplant. Talk about damning with faint praise. She does have a point. Peperomias lack the imposing physicality of a 3m Monstera deliciosa embracing a moss pole, or the peacock patterning of a colourful Calathea, but I adore them for the sheer variety of leaf textures and for their diminutive size. For those without floor space for expansive specimens, peperomias are compact enough to house a sizeable collection on a modest shelving unit or windowsill. Sally Williams, who holds the National Collection of Peperomia, has a plant room packed with 500 peperomias to tend while her Peak District garden is hidden under a freezing, white blanket of snow. There are familiars,…

James Basson James lives in the South of France where he runs Scape Design with his wife Helen, specialising in low-maintenance and dry gardens. He is a fervent advocate for creating sustainable landscapes. The winner of four Chelsea Gold medals, he was awarded Best in Show in 2017. Fergus Garrett Fergus was appointed head gardener at Great Dixter by Christopher Lloyd in 1993. He is passionate about passing on his knowledge through student programmes at Dixter and worldwide lectures. He was awarded an RHS Associate of Honour in 2008 and an RHS Victoria Medal of Honour in 2019. Anna Pavord Anna’s books include her bestseller The Tulip and most recently Landskipping. For 30 years she was The Independent’s gardening correspondent. In 2000 the RHS awarded her the Veitch Memorial Medal.…

Desert is the dominant climate zone in Israel. The bedrock of the desert is mostly hard limestone and dolomite, the dry chalky soil starved of water for much of the year. In places vegetation is almost absent, but there are interesting plant populations of Mediterranean, Asian, Saharan and Sudanese origin. The sparse vegetation is mainly found in wadis (dry river beds) and crevices. Rocks tumble down the slopes after rainfall, the run-off from the larger rocks creating extra pockets of moisture at their base. Desert survivors are mostly geophytes (those with underground storage organs) or annual plants with a speedy lifecycle. Inspiration for the trip I’m intrigued by the resilient nature of desert plants and the sophisticated adaptations that enable them to survive, and I wanted to venture into the…

If you would like to grow any of these recommended plants, check which nurseries have stock in the annual publication RHS Plant Finder, or via the website apps.rhs.org. uk/horticulturaldatabase/index.asp • Becky Crowley is tasked with growing flowers for the house and estate at Chatsworth. It’s a task she relishes, sharing her enthusiasm through social media and regular tours and talks. She’s also a talented photographer, selling her own botanical images via her Etsy shop.chatsworth.org, @beckycrowley_ • Joshua Sparkes is head gardener at Forde Abbey on the Dorset/Somerset border. In his work to reinvigorate the planting, he is also introducing more sustainable and ecological approaches to soil and plant health. fordeabbey. co.uk, @joshua_sparkes, • Landscape designer Jack Wallington works and designs in London but has a wide field of interest when…

Although born into a family of orchid growers Philippe Lecoufle imagined a life surrounded not by beautiful plants but at the wheel of a car. “As a young man I was obsessed with cars and racing. It was the 1960s and in France there was nothing more exciting than racing cars.” In hindsight, he realises that as a scion of one of the most important orchid breeders and growers it was inevitable that he would join the family business. The company was founded in 1886 by Philippe’s great-grandfather, Henri Vacherot, who was joined at the beginning of the 20th century by his son-in-law, Maurice Lecouf le. The nursery developed an international reputation for breeding spectacular orchids. A major breakthrough in orchid growing came in 1960 with the pioneering of micropropagation…

Name Stone Hill. What Dry perennial garden and quarry garden. Where Victoria, Australia. Size Five-acre garden within a 40-acre property. Soil Volcanic soil in the quarry garden, with fine topsoil underpinned by rubble in the perennial garden. Climate Hot summers (up to 40ºC), cool winters (average 3ºC), annual rainfall 650mm with additional irrigation provided by a deep bore. Hardiness zone USDA 9. Seen from above, the circular perennial garden, positioned away from the house, gives the impression of a series of islands, surrounded by pools and rivers. Its shape was planned by Michael to relate to existing mature trees.…