Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

What is so covetable about a tulip? The bulb that historically sent men mad; it is still listed by many as their favourite flower. Simplicity of form, intensity colour and an early appearance are perhaps part of its appeal. For me, it is also that it waits underground; bud, shoot and leaves fully formed in miniature pushing up only when the conditions are right. In this issue we visit a small, London garden designed by Arne Maynard where brilliant tulips jostle with well-clipped topiary, fruit trees and biodynamically grown vegetables. The tulip cultivars have been selected to flower consecutively from late March until the start of May. Joshua Sparkes, head gardener at Forde Abbey highlights his favourite tulip combinations honed by the four years he spent as a gardener at…

Pushing the boundaries A new exhibition at The Garden Museum in London will examine the relationship between British artist and filmmaker, Derek Jarman, and his garden at Prospect Cottage in Kent. For the first time, Jarman’s works of art will appear alongside personal artefacts, including his diaries, sketchbooks, garden notebooks and tools from his cottage. Jarman bought the cottage, a former fisherman’s shack, after spotting the ‘For Sale’ sign while filming on the beach with the actor Tilda Swinton in 1986. After being diagnosed HIV positive in December of that year, Jarman resolved ‘to get as much out of life as possible’ and set to work on creating a garden without boundaries. The innovative garden would go on to inspire Jarman’s later artwork, films and writing, some of which will…

For me April is the month I primarily associate with erythroniums. In the south of the UK this will be during the first half of the month, but further north it is more likely to be towards the end of April. Here in the South West we are blessed with several gardens in which to see these beautiful flowers. One of the best is the magical Greencombe Gardens near Porlock. This small, three-and-a-half-acre woodland garden is completely organic, and as well as holding one of the National Collections of erythroniums, it also offers many ferns and trilliums. Greencombe Gardens, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8NU. Tel 01643 862363, greencombe.org Further west in Cornwall is another little-known garden at Bosvigo House. Created by artist Wendy Perry over a period of more than 50…

What A genus of summer-dormant, bulbous plants with around 170 species. Leafy stems hold bell-shaped flowers in spring. Origins Found across the Northern Hemisphere, mostly in areas with a dry summer climate. Season Flowers in spring. Size 10cm to 1.5m tall. Conditions Can be grown in sun or dappled shade in free-draining soil, although some need more moisture than others. All are dormant in summer, when they shouldn’t be in waterlogged ground. Hardiness Most fritillaries are very hardy, surviving temperatures well below -10ºC with RHS ratings ranging from H7 to H4, and are suitable for gardens in USDA zones 5a to 8b. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given where available.…

When we meet, Helen Boem is just back from a trip to Newcastle, preceded by a jaunt to D e v o n . S h e o f t e n f i n d s h e r s e l f u p a mountain in Wales, in a valley in Yorkshire, or traversing across Cornwall, and this is all in a day’s work for the RHS Floral Marquee Manager, whose job it is to discover and promote independent nurseries from across the length and breadth of the land. “In my tour of the UK, I’ve visited 160 nurseries of all different plant types, groups and specialisms,” she explains. “It satisfies my need to learn about plants. When the growers are passionate about what they do, that…

Cut once every four weeks The 2019 No Mow May experiment revealed the highest number of flowers on lawns mown in this way. Ideally, leave around three to five centimetres of grass length. Leave areas of long grass The experiment also resulted in greater diversity of flowers in areas of grass that were left completely unmown, with oxeye daisy, field scabious and knapweed offering up important nectar sources. You don’t have to stop mowing completely Some species, such as daisy and bird’s foot trefoil, are adapted to growing in shorter swards. Cutting flowers from these plants once a month stimulates them to produce more blooms.…

Name Villa Pisani Bolognesi Scalabrin. What A wildflower meadow filled with over 120 tulip cultivars. Where Northeast Italy. Size Approximately five acres, ten per cent formal garden, 20 per cent open flower meadow, and 70 per cent wooded area. Soil Heavy clay in the garden and meadow. Approximately four acres of woodland where the soil is moist, friable and fertile. Climate Humid, hot summers (temperatures reach and exceed 40°C in July and August). Cold, damp winters with frost and some snow. Hardiness zone USDA 8.…

Mother… , a sculptural pavilion inspired by the hayricks that were once a familiar sight across the peaty landscape of the Fenlands, has been installed at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire as part of the arts programme New Geographies, which brings contemporary art to unexpected places in the East of England. Created by artists Heather and Ivan Morison of Studio Morison, it is a refuge, entered through three doorways, for those who want to enjoy moments of silence and solitude. The walls and roof are made from local straw and an oculus in the conical ceiling floods the interior with light. A programme of events will take place at the pavilion, which will remain on site until October. newgeographies.uk; nationaltrust.org.uk…

COLOURFUL Ivone Woven Garden Dining Chair, £99, Cult Furniture, 020 8185 6960, cultfurniture.com SMOOTH Stackable Skin Chair, in matt sky blue, £107, FCI, 020 8961 7780, fcilondon.co.uk WOVEN Cassina Dine Out Dining Chair, £1,152, Chaplins Furniture, 020 8421 1779, chaplins.co.uk SCOOPED Drohan Black Metal Garden Occasional Chair, £125, Habitat, 0344 499 4686, habitat.co.uk CONTEMPORARY BePureHome Wisp Outdoor Armchair, in natural, £89, Naken, 01986 781663, naken.co.uk VERSATILE Jambi Black Synthetic Rattan Garden Dining Chair, £95, Habitat, 0344 499 4686, habitat.co.uk STRIKING Gruvyer Grand Soleil Stackable Chair in orange, £54.95, Produce Shop, produceshopdesign.com FOLDABLE Bistro Chair in greengage, £60 for a pair, Garden Trading, 01993 845 559, gardentrading.co.uk TROPICAL Yuri Garden Lounge Chair in multi woven yellow and mustard, £199, MADE, 03442 571 888, made.com…

BIOPHILIA by Sally Coulthard Kyle Books, £14.99 ISBN 978-0857837158 How to embrace the natural world by transforming your interior spaces with specific materials, colours, views and sounds. DIARY OF A MODERN COUNTRY GARDENER by Tamsin Westhorpe Orphans Publishing, £20 ISBN 978-1903360422 An entertaining account of a year in the Herefordshire country garden of garden journalist Tamsin Westhorpe, packed with seasonal tips. REGROW YOUR VEGGIES by Melissa Raupach and Felix Lill Companion House, £14.99 ISBN 978-1620083680 Reduce waste and save money, by having a constant source of fresh veg close by. Includes instructions on how to care for your produce and tips on preventing rot and mould. BONSAI HANDBOOK by Yukio Hirose Tuttle Publishing, £19.99 ISBN 978-4805315026 Banish Bonsai fear with this guide from one of Japan’s leading experts. Includes over…

Aaron Bertelsen Aaron begins a new series on growing and cooking fruit and vegetables, page 38. “Everyone can grow something, no matter how large or small a space they have for a kitchen garden.” Richard Wilford Richard chooses the best fritillaries for a spring garden, page 52. “The crown imperials dazzle but I love the more subtle and delicate fritillaries that quietly grace the spring garden.” Jacky Mills Jacky shows how to combine cut flowers with houseplants, page 82. “I love using wildflowers in naturalistic, floral arrangements and grow as many as possible in my own garden.”…

With the call to grow your own becoming ever louder, our tour offers help, inspiration and expertise on how to grow the finest kitchen garden produce throughout the year. We visit a contrasting selection of the very best examples of kitchen gardens in the South West: we are taken from the plot to the plate at both The Pig at Combe and at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s organic smallholding at River Cottage; at South Wood Farm we see Arne Maynard’s design for a productive potager and we glimpse true estate gardening at Edmondsham House, while also visiting the unusual 18th-century ‘serpentine’ wall of the kitchen garden at Deans Court. As well as organic gardening, we also consider the no-dig approach, as espoused by Charles Dowding at his own impressively productive garden and…

April is nothing if not unpredictable. Rather like a peevish elderly relative, you never quite know which version of it is going to turn up – benign and beaming with warmth, or changeable and ready to pour cold water on proceedings at a moment’s notice. All of this can make life tricky for the gardener. It is very tempting on seeing the first signs of green emerging to rush to get seedlings and plug plants into the ground, especially as the winter crops will have started going over. This can be a lean time in the vegetable garden. By April, the soil should have warmed up enough to allow you to get started, but remember that there is still a very real risk of frost and even snow at this…

1 Tulipa ‘Mount Tacoma’ An old cultivar with long-lasting, peony-like, creamy white flowers that open from pink and green buds. May. 45cm. 2 Tulipa ‘Foxy Foxtrot’ A tulip that starts off lemon yellow before darkening to shades of marmalade orange and peach. April. 40cm. 3 Tulipa ‘Akebono’ Each rich yellow petal of this cultivar is edged with the finest line of vivid red and flecked with green. The name is Japanese and translates, fittingly, as daybreak. April to May. 50cm. 4 Tulipa ‘Apricot Beauty’ The blooms are a soft salmon pink flushed, as the name suggests, with a touch of warm apricot. Has a light but attractive scent. April. 45cm. 5 Tulipa…

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE I love using wildflowers in naturalistic floral arrangements and grow as many as possible in my own garden so that I am free to pick as desired. This arrangement was inspired by a walk down my local country lanes in May where the hedgerows are lined with billowing clouds of cow parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris, exuding a light and airy feel. I’ve combined this iconic umbellifer with several Adiantum ferns and a trio of blues from the borage family to add some sparkle to the mix. How to achieve the look This handsome wooden crate houses ten chunky soda bottles, but for this display I replaced seven of them with maidenhair ferns in 1L pots and three with cut flowers in glass vases, anchoring the…

LINEAR LIVING Outpost, a London-based architecture and design studio, has won an international RIBA competition on behalf of the Great Place: Lakes and Dales Partnership to design a development of flexible, affordable housing and workspaces for young people who want to live and work in the rural village of Burneside in the Lake District. The winning design reimagines the idea of the longhouse, using high-performing natural materials, including straw-bale panels for the outer walls, to create energy-efficient buildings that can be adapted and personalised. The longhouses are linked by a series of courtyards and passages, and their communal spaces, such as allotment gardens and courtyard gardens, help to strengthen a community spirit. outpostlondon.com…

Concrete has had bad press in recent years due in part to its overuse by mediocre post-war architects and also because of that strange pattern imprinted concrete, which people inexplicably put on their driveways a decade or so ago. But concrete is far from being a modern material – it was used as far back as the 2nd century for the Pantheon in Rome – and is now enjoying something of a revival thanks to its incredible versatility and, if executed well, incredible beauty. Polished concrete is hugely popular internally but has drawbacks outside as it can become too slippery when wet but it is possible to use it if you have an experienced contractor who applies the correct finish. Its main attributes are the ability to cover large areas…

BOOK REVIEWS FLORET FARM’S A YEAR IN FLOWERS by Erin Benzakein Chronicle Books, £21.99 ISBN 978-1452172897 A book that persuades you that anyone who loves flowers can succeed in making beautiful, seasonal, sustainable arrangements – and enjoy it. Reviewer Ambra Edwards is a garden writer. How I wish I’d had this book last summer, when I was faced with 130 arrangements to make for my daughter’s wedding. The bride was adamant that she didn’t want stiff, blingy commercial flowers produced in developing countries at hideous environmental cost, but graceful, informal arrangements of fresh garden flowers, fitting for an English country wedding. But how to achieve it? (Flower arranging must surely have been one of the arts you learned at finishing school, along with how to address a dinner invitation to…

F or many, the first encounter with a Hoya ends in disappointment. It starts with falling in love with a single, fleshy, heart-shaped leaf standing upright and alone in a pot. Most buyers assume their leaf will eventually grow some friends: they are crestfallen to find that it remains alone forever – ironic for a plant often bought as a sweetheart’s keepsake. The plant in question, Hoya kerrii, will only reproduce from cuttings that include a section of stem, so a single leaf won’t die, but won’t multiply either. Hoyas were dismissed as ‘your grandma’s plants’ for years and years, but that’s doing them a disservice. In the past couple of years, they’ve undergone a huge revival. The range of species and hybrids available has expanded from the two stalwart…

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.…

CLEMATIS ‘LUNAR LASS’ An evergreen clematis scrambling to only about 60cm in height but covering itself in scented f lowers in the spring. As with many of these New Zealand hybrids the leaves look tough and leathery but the plants actually need a sheltered spot and are usually considered to be conservatory plants, or grown as patio plants brought in for the winter. I grow mine in a very well-drained raised bed under cover but open on all sides where it scrambles through low-growing daphnes. Height 60cm. Origin New Zealand. Conditions Well-drained soil in a sheltered site, ideally south- or west-facing; full sun. Hardiness RHS H2, USDA 7a-9b. Season of interest Late winter and spring for flowers. EPIMEDIUM GRANDIFLORUM ‘NANUM’ One of the smallest, if not the smallest, of epimediums,…

We are losing so much knowledge and expertise, as people struggle to pass on their collections Earliest garden memory Running around my grandad’s garden during the summer holidays. The smell of fresh mint being picked to go with freshly dug potatoes for dinner. First plant love My first and only real plant obsession has been the iris. It started with tall bearded iris and has now expanded to water iris species, which we specialise in at Tor Garden Plants. I love their delicate form and the intricately detailed veining on the falls. The scent of some of the bearded iris is intoxicating. Gardening as a career change I completed a degree in theatre, film and television, however in my last year at university I started volunteering in a garden to…

1 Epimedium x rubrum Excellent deciduous groundcover, whose bronze-tinted, spring foliage turns red in autumn. Contrasting colours of crimson and bright cream make the dainty flowers glow. 30cm. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b† . 2 Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ Perfect for naturalising in borders and woodland, the dainty, light-blue flowers are a refreshing change to shades of yellow that dominate in spring. 20cm. AGM. RHS H5. 3 Magnolia x soulangeana A large deciduous shrub or small tree, with massed, goblet-shaped, white flowers with burgundy and pink tints. 6m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b. 4 Pulmonaria ‘Lewis Palmer’ The leaves have greenish-white spots and the flowers open purple-pink, fading to a soft-violet blue. 35cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. 5 Muscari macrocarpum ‘Golden Fragrance’ Violet flowers age to bright yellow and are strongly…