Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

James Basson is best known to British gardeners for his award-winning designs at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, most recently a Maltese quarry garden with brutalist limestone blocks planted with evergreens, perennials and grasses. In this issue we share his latest work, a beautiful, sustainable, private garden in the South of France. Rich in biodiversity, the project is on-going and James notes the role of the artist-gardener in this process; observing, responding to the landscape and making decisions about how and what to replant. “There are probably too many new gardens being designed,” James suggests. The emphasis here is on continuity. Lucy Skellorn is the great-great granddaughter of scientist, politician and gardener Michael Foster. Foster was the first Chair of Physiology at Cambridge University and a man who counted Charles…

The danger of frost may have passed, but as ever in the kitchen garden, there is a fresh challenge to face: where to put all the seedlings? This is peak growing season, with early sown crops in full f low and later sowings of squashes, pumpkins and climbing beans putting on growth so fast it almost seems to be happening in real time. The good news is that the rush is coming to an end, and with it the time-consuming business of pricking out, potting on and planting. From now on, my focus will be on maintaining that succession of salad leaves – so essential to every meal at this time of the year – and getting in a second sowing of beetroot and peas. Recently, I have found that…

Lucy Skellorn had always been vaguely aware that one of her ancestors was an important horticulturist but it was only when she started making her own garden that she began to discover the significance of the man and of his work. “You know how it is when you’re a child: I didn’t listen to my parents when they told us that the portrait hanging in the dining room was Michael Foster, an important scientist and politician who bred irises. We always used to call him ‘sausage fingers’ because the portrait was unfinished and his hands looked like a bunch of sausages.” A few years ago, while she was training as a gardener and becoming excited by plants, Lucy uncovered in her late mother’s papers correspondence between her mother and the…

1 Rosa ‘Buff Beauty’ A classic hybrid musk rose with the best buff colour. It repeats well and will form a vigorous, medium-sized shrub. 1.2m. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b† . 2 Rosa Lyda Rose (= ‘Letlyda’) A romantic small rose that looks like a wild rose but repeats. It associates well with ox-eye daisies and wildflowers. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. 3 Rosa ‘White Grootendorst’ An elegant relation to the pink version, with frilly flowers that are wonderful for picking. It will continue flowering right into autumn. 1.2m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. 4 Rosa Awakening (= ‘Probuzení’) The double version of pink ‘New Dawn’. Continues to flower throughout the season, even on a north-facing wall. 3m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. 5 Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’ (rosa mundi) A favourite historic…

MarinaChristopher Plantswoman Marina introduces us to the many types of verbenas, page 56. “Verbena is a hugely versatile genus, much loved by pollinating insects and with a long season of interest.” John Hoyland John meets Lucy Skellorn, keeper of Foster irises, page 64. “I enjoyed visiting Lucy not just because the irises are so beautiful but because she was so infectiously enthusiastic about them.” Andrea Jones Andrea photographs Tom Stuart-Smith’s garden at Encombe page 46. “The beauty of this elegant estate was overwhelming – Tom’s addition of these graceful gardens was quite seamless.”…

Soft fruit should be coming into its own now. I love to grow alpine strawberries, with their tiny, intensely scarlet, violet-scented fruit like something from a fairy tale. And can there be any greater pleasure than a handful of summer raspberries, picked and eaten while still warm from the cane? If you are growing on a small scale, this is the way to consume these precious fruits – as soon as possible after picking, and with little or no intervention in the kitchen. Sprinkle them over granola or yoghurt, or eat with cream or good ice-cream for pudding. No recipe could compete. If like me you are dealing with larger quantities, bag and freeze the fruit ready for a jam-making session later in the year when things are a little…

Yelford Manor displays the influence of two different planting styles. The use of yew topiary, walls smothered in fragrant roses and self-seeding plants billowing indulgently to soften path edges, all bring to mind the classic Robinsonian planting style of Great Dixter, Sissinghurst and Gravetye Manor, inspired by the ideas of garden writer William Robinson (1838-1935). Despite Robinson’s professed aversion to straight lines, he perfected a style in which herbaceous plants seemingly ran wild, but all set within more or less rectilinear boundaries defining different garden areas. The strong backbone provided by these external elements allows the plantings within them to be ephemeral, with a focus on flowering performance. However, at Yelford broader swathes of planting to the west of the house display influence from the New Perennial Movement. This more…

Since the nursery’s first f lower show in Bedfordshire in 1989, the name Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants has been synonymous with exquisite displays of herbaceous plants in garden settings. It is a family-run nursery, born when Rosy Hardy and her husband Rob combined their talents – Rosy’s for plant propagation, selection and combining, and Rob’s for landscaping and logistics – to become the renowned Hampshire nursery with a staff of 13 who nurture more than 1,200 types of herbaceous perennial. IF YOU SEE A PLANT IN THE WILD AND HOW IT NATURALLY GROWS YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW TO KEEP IT The story of how Rosy became one of the UK’s most trusted growers of plants that have become stars of borders and containers in so many gardens starts in Northumberland…

A bold intervention at the heart of the public garden at 25 Cannon Street in the City of London has been granted planning permission. Tom Stuart-Smith, in collaboration with water designer Andrew Ewing, has designed a vast reflecting pool, 14.4m long by 6.8m at its widest, with two huge acrylic sheets inset into the base that allow natural light into a basement office below, but prevent artificial light from escaping into the garden. Sloping limestone edging doubles as seating. Construction is due to start this winter. tomstuartsmith.co.uk…

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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.…

IRIS ENSATA ‘ROSE QUEEN’ Still known by some as Iris kaempferi, the Japanese water iris is one that is happy when in growth under shallow water, but prefers to be drier when dormant. It is much loved in its native Japan, where pond levels are often manipulated through the seasons to specifically suit it. However, it doesn’t need to be grown in water as long as the soil is moisture retentive, and it is growing close to water, where it is certainly looks at its best. ‘Rose Queen’, with its distinctive flower colour, has smaller, more delicate flowers than many other ensatas. AGM*. Height 75-90cm. Origin Garden origin (species from Japan and the Far East). Conditions Rich, moist soil; full sun. Hardiness RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b† . Season of interest…

I find nature amazing. I love seeing the changing of the seasons and how the scenery adapts First plant love Bluebells: I remember childhood walks in the countryside and being amazed at the mass of them and the magical carpet of colour they create with such small, delicate flowers. I still love to ride my horse up Slindon Folly, not far from West Dean in West Sussex, to see the wonderful show of bluebells there. What was your career before horticulture? Horses are my life’s obsession and until recently they were also my career, but last summer I decided it was time for a change. I’d originally stumbled into horticulture while looking for somewhere to keep my horse. I ended up not only finding stabling but also a summer job…

1 Achnatherum calamagrostis A gracefully arching grass and one of the most-pleasingly mobile in a breeze. The flowers turn a pleasant biscuit-brown colour as they ripen. 1m. AGM*. RHS H4, USDA 4a-9b† . 2 Verbascum ‘Raspberry Ripple’ One of several hybrid mulleins that have become fashionable of late. It has cottage garden charm but is neither too imposing, nor very long-lived. 90cm. RHS H4, USDA 5a-9b. 3 Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’ Can flower three times in one season if cut back promptly when the flowers go over, which will also restrict its self-seeding tendencies. 80cm. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b. 4 Astrantia ‘Roma’ Astrantrias have a tendency to collapse early in the season, but ‘Roma’ is much better in this regard. Its flowers are an intriguing faded pink. 60cm. AGM. RHS H7,…

What Half-hardy to hardy herbaceous perennials, sometimes short-lived but very floriferous over several months. Commonly known as vervain or simpler’s joy. Some species formerly called verbenas now form part of the closely related genus Glandularia , which consists mainly of trailing plants with globular inflorescences. Origins South and North America and Europe. Season Flowering season from May to October. Size 20cm to 2m. Conditions Require sharply drained soils in full sun. Hardiness Hardiness varies depending on species with RHS hardiness ratings of between H3 and H7 (hardy to temperatures from -5ºC to -20ºC), and suitable for gardens in USDA zones 3a to 11, again depending on species. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given where available.…

1 Anacamptis pyramidalis (pyramidal orchid ). Once common in old meadows on chalk and limestone slopes, it has narrow unspotted leaves, a dense, brilliant pink flower spike and a musky fragrance attractive to butterflies and moths. 25cm. RHS H5† . 2 Leontodon hispidus (rough hawbit). The leafless stems are very hairy, with the hairs branched into a T or Y shape. 40cm. RHS H5. 3 Orobanche elatior (knapweed broomrape). A fleshy perennial parasite that has no need of its own chlorophyll so the whole plant is a honey-yellow, its flowers tinged with purple. 70cm. 4 Trifolium pratense (red clover). A common but important species with flowers rich in pollen and nectar. Flowering profusely from late spring into autumn it feeds insects when there is less pollen and nectar for them…

1 Pittosporum tobira Although this evergreen shrub has become a familiar plant, it is in James’s opinion too often overlooked for its mature cloud-form shape and exquisite peppery jasmine scent. 4.5m. AGM*. RHS H3, USDA 9a-10b† . 2 Phlomis viscosa A phlomis with leaves that are darker than most. Its large flowers almost form yellow pompoms. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. 3 Salvia multicaulis “Our absolute favourite of 2019,” says James. A low-growing shrub with long-lasting dried flowerheads and a gentle approach to its neighbours. 10cm. AGM. RHS H3, USDA 4a-8b. 4 Phlomis purpurea ‘Torcal de Antequera’ A phlomis that James finds really reliable with pale-pink flowers as opposed to the typically darker pink flowers of this species. 1.2m. 5 Anisodontea malvastroides This pale-flowered Cape mallow is tall, light, pink,…

There is nothing like garden sculpture to divide opinion. Yet whatever you may think of an individual piece, it’s often the positioning that makes or breaks a new installation and the right piece of sculpture in the right setting can add so much if executed with sensitivity. There are some very good examples of sculpture done well. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park for example, or Jupiter Artland in Scotland and any one of a number of Japanese outdoor galleries. These are all on a significant scale but in every case the setting for each piece has been carefully considered, everything is a composition and is painstakingly curated. The distance at which the piece is first seen by the viewer, the visible angles, the way that sunlight falls upon it through the…

BOOK REVIEWS THE GARDEN OF VEGAN: HOW PLANTS CAN SAVE THE ANIMALS, THE PLANET AND OUR HEALTH by Cleve West Pimpernel Press, £20, ISBN 978-1910258477 A personal, thought-provoking argument for taking the step from being a wildlife-conscious gardener to living and gardening as a vegan. Reviewer Mark Diacono is a writer, grower and cook. The Garden of Vegan is a personal, persuasive take on why an animal-free diet might be for you and for the wider world. Issues are met head on, delicacies rarely sidestepped. Unpulled punches are intended to affect, in the hope that readers engage differently with the many environmental and health impacts associated with what we eat. West is the man for this task. An inspiring garden designer, long-term allotmenteer, and one of the nicest people you…

PLANT TRIBE: LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER WITH PLANTS by Igor Josifovic and Judith De Graaff Harry N Abrams, £25 Stylish advice for sharing your home with plants, with ideas on how plants can help nurture the soul, from the authors of Urban Jungle. RHS GROW YOUR OWN VEG & FRUIT BIBLE by Carol Klein Octopus Publishing Group, £30 ISBN 978-1784726997 Easy-to-follow, practical advice on growing fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs throughout the year no matter how big or small your garden. A YEAR AT BRANDYWINE COTTAGE by David L Culp Timber Press, £26.99 ISBN 978-1604698565 Ideas for making the most of your garden for 12 months of the year, based on the author’s experience of creating his own garden. GROW YOURSELF HEALTHY by Beth Marshall Frances Lincoln Publishers, £18.99 ISBN…

Some people like to meditate or listen to classical music to relax; I like to stroke my succulents. I choose carefully, of course, avoiding the spiky sorts, and the deceptively velvety bunny ears (Opuntia microdasys), which draws you in with its tufts of tiny, glochid spines, only to lodge them painfully in your skin –a mistake you only make once. Kalanchoe beharensis is a far more suitable subject for a stroke, with leaves covered in a closely cropped fuzz that earns it the common name of feltbush. Visit California and you’ll see this plant growing as large shrubs outside stucco homes: it is frost-tender, so in the UK a large conservatory may be necessary to house a mature specimen. If you too are the leaf stroking type, this and several…