Innholdsfortegnelse for Special 2020 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

The colour in my own garden has never felt so intense. The light is different – I am different – and the garden feels full in every sense. A small garden in the heart of the city, I feel as immersed as Rousseau’s tiger in a tropical storm when I sit outside to eat lunch. ‘Colour makes people feel alive,’ garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair told writer Kendra Wilson when she visited Green Rise, James’s Oxfordshire garden, for this issue of Gardens Illustrated . Vibrant opium poppies in jam-red, amethyst and plum are a permanent fixture along with superior forms of other wildf lowers; the poppies have been grown from seed originally given to James by a young Dan Pearson. In the garden they grow alongside new and unusual plants from…

New beginning for Benton End Benton End in Suffolk resonates with both art and garden lovers. Once home to the artist gardener Sir Cedric Morris, it was the base from which he and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines ran the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. Its garden was also a source of inspiration for Morris’s work from Panel of Flowers (shown) to his paintings of the many iris cultivars he famously bred in the garden. Now the Benton End House and Garden Trust is working with the Garden Museum to preserve the house and garden and re-establish it as a centre for artistic and horticultural education. To support the museum visit gardenmuseum.org.uk and follow @benton.end on Instagram for the latest developments.…

There’s no substitute for working alongside experienced gardeners Earliest gardening memory My parent’s allotment was where a healthy interest in worms and mud sowed the seeds for a passion for horticulture. I grew up feeling that being outdoors all year round was the only way to be. First plant love The oak trees in the woodland near to where I grew up were the perfect natural adventure playground. Building treehouses in them allowed me to develop a real kinship with nature. Who has inspired your career the most? My grandad on discovering I’d left university to pursue an apprenticeship in horticulture was incredibly supportive and wrote me a letter saying ‘I’m sure we’ll see you working with Kew or the RHS one day’. I’ll always remember the encouragement that this…

• Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery Annwell Lane, Smisby, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 2TA. Tel 01530 413700, bluebellnursery.com • Burncoose Nurseries Gwennap, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 6BJ. Tel 01209 860316, burncoose.co.uk • Frank P Matthews Berrington Court, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire WR15 8TH. Tel 01584 812800, frankpmatthews.com • Hillier Nurseries Ampfield House, Ampfield, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9PA. Tel 01794 368733, hillier.co.uk • Landford Trees Landford Lodge, Landford, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 2EH. Tel 01794 390808, landfordtrees.co.uk • Dawyck Botanic Garden Stobo, Peebles, Peeblesshire EH45 9JU. Tel 01721 760254, rbge.org.uk • Ness Botanic Garden* University of Liverpool, Neston Road, Little Neston, Ness, Cheshire CH64 4AY. Tel 0151 795 6300, liverpool.ac.uk/ness-gardens • The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE. Tel 020 8332 5655, kew.org • The Yorkshire Arboretum Castle Howard, York YO60 7BY. Tel…

A lec White can remember the exact moment when it was he fell head over heels in love with peonies. He’d just left his career as a lawyer, bought a bedding plant nursery and was trying his hand at growing a whole suite of perennials, working out where his milieu would be in this new world. “I can remember walking across the nursery thinking what is that flower?” he explains. “It had command of the whole nursery, it was head and shoulders above everything else.” And just like that Alec had found his love. It starts, he says, with anticipation. “There is a real occasion with a peony coming into flower. Those buds heralding something quite spectacular. In six weeks, they go from nothing to over three-foot-tall, and then those…

1 Euphorbia rigida An evergreen spurge with silver-blue leaves, arranged in regular spirals. Spectacular, bright-yellow flowers, from January to April, take on pink hues followed by intense red in May to June. Needs well-drained soil in full sun. 60cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 7a-10b† . 2 Hedysarum coronarium Sometimes known as French honeysuckle, this robust perennial is able to fix nitrogen and survive in very poor soils. Clover-like foliage covered with downy hairs is topped with fragrant racemes of bright reddish flowers. 90cm. RHS H5. 3 Myrsine africana This compact evergreen shrub has small leaves and provides an important structural foil to the more floriferous and ephemeral plants in the Filippis’ garden. Slow growing, but a tough plant that can cope with chalky soil and salt spray. 2m. RHS H4.…

When you stand at the back of your house looking out, unless you own everything you can see then you will need to give some thought to what happens at the edges of your plot. The size and location of a garden can significantly influence how you handle boundaries. In a small, town garden you probably need to celebrate them. They often make up a significant percentage of the total area available for you to work with and they can play a huge role in the end result, becoming a key feature rather than something to fade into the shadows. Simple planting on the side walls and fences and then a more exciting approach to the rear boundary can be an easy solution to make a dramatic backdrop for the…

RHS THE GARDENER’S BOOK OF PATTERNS: A DIRECTORY OF DESIGN, STYLE AND INSPIRATION by Jack Wallington Thames & Hudson, £19.95 ISBN 978-0500023273 A insightful look into the world of patterns and how they touch and influence our gardens as well as almost everything else around us. Reviewer Benjamin William Pope is head gardener at Trotton Place. THE DOMESTIC HERBAL: PLANTS FOR THE HOME IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY by Margaret Willes Bodleian Library, £25 ISBN 978-1851245130 Whether labourer’s cottage or aristocratic mansion, the life of the 17th-century household depended absolutely on the garden. Reviewer Ambra Edwards is a writer and garden historian. POTS FOR ALL SEASONS by Tom Harris Pimpernel Press, £20 ISBN 978-1910258798 A useful introduction, packed with all the practical advice and inspiration you need to create stunning container…

Jonny Bruce Jonny visits Olivier and Clara Filippis’ dry, Mediterranean garden, page 78. “An inspiring garden where the Filippis’ passion for Mediterranean flora is felt in every inch of its dense plantings.” Annaïck Guitteny Annaïck photographs designer Alison Jenkins’ garden, page 38. “It was a privilege to photograph Alison’s garden; her passion and knowledge of plants shine through in a breathtaking setting.” Alys Fowler Alys falls for Itoh peonies, page 66. “Peonies are heady, sensual blooms, well worth investing in whether towering tree peonies or the collectable Itohs, and Primrose Hall has them all.”…

1 Linaria ‘Peachy’ Sunset-coloured, floriferous toadflax with glaucous foliage and two-toned trumpets that flower all summer. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b† . 2 Trifolium rubens Upright clover with clusters of downy-silver buds, turning to wine-red flowers in late summer. Rich in nectar and suited to informal schemes. Grow in sun with adequate moisture, not too much heat. 60cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-10b. 3 Sanguisorba ‘Chocolate Tip’ Massed sprays of maroon, bobble-like flowers on upright wiry stems that are held clear of foliage. Offers low mounds of pinnate, blue-green serrated leaves with a faint chocolate red midrib. 1.2m. USDA 4a-8b. 4 Ballota pseudodictamnus Low-growing, evergreen shrub with soft, felted grey-green foliage on long, pale, curving stems. Pink flowers appear on whorled spears in late summer. Loves a hot dry spot and…

What Deciduous, hardy small- to medium-sized trees, occasionally shrubs, with ornamental flowering, fruiting and autumnal colour attributes. Commonly known as rowan (or mountain ash) and whitebeam. Origins Northern hemisphere, from temperate North America to temperate Asia. Season Flowering March to May and fruiting from September to November. Size 1-20m high. Conditions Requires a moist but free-draining acid or alkaline soil, not heavy wet clay. Hardiness Sorbus are hardy in the UK (to temperatures from -15ºC to -20ºC), with an RHS hardiness rating of H5 to H6, and are suitable for gardens in USDA zones 3a to 7b. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given where available.…

Also known as Itoh peonies after the Japanese breeder Toichi Itoh who created the first cross in the 1940s, intersectional peonies are cross between herbaceous and tree peonies. The idea being that you get the best of the both worlds, massive fragrant flowerheads that sit above the finely cut foliage, typical of tree peonies, but with the compact growth habit of an herbaceous peony. They tend to grow 60-90cm tall and are tough things more tolerant of cold weather than a tree peony, but not fazed by heat either. On top of that, Alec says they have incredible autumn foliage: “You get these greens, oranges and burgundies in such rich hues; herbaceous peonies just don’t colour up in the same way.” You also get between 40 and 50 flowers on…

1 Chris Evans In 2003 Chris began using his family nursery in Cheltenham as a base to nurture people with Down’s syndrome, autism and mental-health or addiction issues. The Butterfly Garden, as it is now known, is now used entirely for therapeutic, educational and recreational ends. “We’re not mechanised, sterilised or sanitised,”says Chris, but there is no doubt it works. thebutterflygarden.org 2 Linda Philips Kew-trained Linda set up Roots and Shoots in south London in 1982, when the concept of community gardening was still a bit hippyish. The idea was, and is, to provide training for disadvantaged young people, and over the decades hundreds have benefited. It’s not just a horticultural education, but a way of honing social skills. As Linda puts it: “We grow plants and we grow people.”…

Norwegian design company Livit has launched a prefab cabin, called Birdbox, which has a minimal environmental footprint and offers maximum views of the surrounding countryside through its oversized windows. It comes in two sizes, Mini (roughly seven square metres) and Medi (roughly 12 square metres), constructed in a composite material to withstand extreme weather and can be fitted with solar panels. The insulated cabin is bolted to a steel foundation and can be mounted on columns to minimise disturbance to the land. You can stay in a Birdbox in two different remote locations on the west coast of Norway, bookable through Livit and Airbnb, or buy your own from the Livit website. livit.no…

SLATTED Askholmen Folding Table, 112x62cm, £40, IKEA, 020 3645 0000, ikea.com ONE SIDE OR TWO Skagerak Picnic Table, in anthracite 105cm, £649, Connox, 020 3880 0027, connox.co.uk RIVIERA CHIC Arc en Ciel Folding Table, in green 110x70cm, £215, Made In Design, 020 7692 4001, madeindesign.co.uk ROOM FOR FOUR Rive Droite Bistro Table, large, in carbon 90x90cm, £150, Garden Trading, 01993 845559, gardentrading.co.uk ORIGINAL 60S DESIGN BM3670 Dining Table, 115x71.5cm, £632, Skandium, 020 3633 7626, skandium.com CAFÉ CULTURE Fermob Bistro +, in honey 60x60cm, £159, Barbed, 020 8878 1994, barbed.co.uk WITH WALL PANEL Äpplarö, 80x62cm, £70, IKEA, 020 3645 0000, ikea.com HANDLE TO GO Steel Balcony Folding Table, in red, 60x60cm, £125, Manufactum, 0800 096 0937, manufactum.co.uk ON TREND Guinguette Metal Folding Garden Table, in grey, 70x70cm, £43.50, Maisons du Monde,…

AVOCADO/BEANS by Jeff Miller/Natalie Rachel Morris Reaktion Books, £11.99 ISBN 978-1789142037/ 9781789142044 Two new titles from Reaktion’s excellent Edibles series, exploring the foods’ histories through anecdotes and delicious recipes. ROBERT IRWIN GETTY GARDEN by Lawrence Weschler Getty Trust Publications, £16.99 ISBN 978-1606066560 Revised edition of this lively series of discussions between author Weschler and artist Robert Irwin, on his design for the Central Garden at Los Angeles’ Getty Center. GARDEN DESIGN MASTER CLASS edited by Carl Dellatore Rizzoli, £45 ISBN 978-0847866663 One hundred essays by some of the top garden designers working today, paired with sumptuous photography of each designer’s work. FOREST BATHING by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles Tuttle Publishing, £12.99 ISBN 978-4805316009 The history, science and philosophy behind the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, and being mindfully present in…

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.…

F or this early summer issue of the magazine, I have decided to take a break from issuing endless lists of instructions and reminding you of all the things you have forgotten to do. Instead, I am encouraging you to put down the hoe and the secateurs, set your trowel to one side and instead head out into the garden with the most important tools of all – a notebook and pencil. The height of summer is a busy time in the vegetable garden, but it is also an excellent time to take stock and look at what is working and what isn’t. Identify the problem areas now, and you will have plenty of time during the autumn and winter to sort them out before the next growing season. Take…

1 Rosa ‘Moonlight’ An old, hybrid musk shrub rose that also works well as a climber. Semi-double, creamy flowers are borne on long reddish stems, flowering all summer and into autumn. 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b† . 2 Centranthus lecoqii Good variation on common red valerian ( Centranthus ruber ), mauve valerian is native to Mediterranean regions and enjoys a home that is sandy and free-draining, in full sun. Clump-forming perennial. 60cm. 3 Iris ‘Jane Phillips’ Well-loved, tall, bearded iris of clear blue. Freely flowering with good foliage, rhizomes need to bake in the sun. 1.2m. AGM*. RHS H7. 4 Papaver somniferum Plants with the best colours are selected, from seeds originally collected at an early Dan Pearson-designed garden. Easygoing in full sun or semi-shade, these glaucous plants make structural…

The garden at Great Dixter has a reputation for being loose. Christopher Lloyd believed in plants coming first, inspired by his mother he championed a semi-naturalistic touch flowing through the veins of his garden, filtering through the borders, brushing the skirts of the hedges, walls and topiary pieces, lining the edges of the paths and running through the cracks in the floor and walls. Known for his swashbuckling style of cannas and dahlias, bright colours and endless experiments, Christo was lesser known for this softer side. Nonetheless, he was deeply in tune and respectful of life in the garden and the woodlands around him were his solace. When he died in 2006, I continued to garden in very much the same manner except I sprayed less and didn’t use as…

Most of the species Sorbus, such as S. pallescens, S. aria and S. aucuparia, found in nurseries are grown from seed. All the named cultivars, however, are grafted. This is because there is no other way to replicate the authenticity of a particular cultivar that will not come true to form from seed. I plant my rowans and whitebeams as young as possible when they’re about 1-2m tall if grown from seed, and as a one-year old grafted maiden, just over 1m for the cultivars. Usually, these trees are container grown with young vigour and are generally quick to establish. With grafted specimens, the rootstocks will produce suckers that should be removed early in their growth by rubbing off the fresh green shoots with the thumb or, once they start…

For 30 years, Jake Hobson has lived and breathed Japan. It’s not just that his wife is Japanese and that he has mastered the Japanese language, he has also absorbed its craft traditions, and has schooled himself in one of its most definitive and universal art forms – niwaki – the art of pruning and shaping trees. And in bringing niwaki to Europe (his version of niwaki , he hastens to say, which isn’t at all the real thing) he has done his utmost to stay true to its spirit. I WANTED TO DO AMAZING JAPANESE PINE TREE PROJECTS, BUT EVERYONE WANTED CLOUD BOX HEDGES Jake’s love affair with Japan began when he was an art student in London, studying sculpture at the Slade. One of his house mates was…

1 Paeonia ‘Sonoma Sun’ Has single, yellow flowers with a red heart that fade away to reveal a clear, yellow flower, like a good sun rise. Mid-season flowering. 85cm. 2 P. ‘Morning Lilac’ An intersectional peony with semi double, strong purple flowers that have darker edges. Also provides good autumn foliage colour. Mid-season. 75cm. 3 P. ‘Sonoma Welcome’ Has single flowers that open apricot, but then fade to yellow, and are brushed with light-red flares.Mid-season. 80cm. 4 P. ‘Sonoma Opal’ Peony with single, bubble-gum pink flowers that fade to the outer edges with a buttercup-yellow centre. Mid-season. 75cm. 5 P. ‘Watermelon Wine’ Has dark, raspberry-pink flowers with a dark wine centre. Semi-double with golden anther. Mid-season. 90cm. 6 P. ‘Sonoma Yedo’ Very double, extreme perhaps, yellow flowers that are known…

Glancing around it is not always obvious to spot a pattern, or indeed understand its significance. However, in his new book The Gardener’s Book of Patterns, author Jack Wallington recalls that a pattern is often ‘the skeleton that underpins everything’ and so ‘in understanding their logic, we can make better sense of the space around us’. With this in mind, Wallington’s book will have you looking at your most familiar surroundings from a completely different perspective. The book begins with the definition of what constitutes a pattern, exploring its interpretation and the various forms in which it can appear. Here Wallington artfully describes how natural evolution and human mathematics work to influence and create such visual masterpieces. The pages that follow take you on a rich journey that transcends history…

No summer garden is complete without an agapanthus. Flowering mid to late summer, the blue cultivars are the perfect companions for dark-red dahlias, brown heleniums, yellow or red hemerocallis, and all manner of kniphofias. Alternatively, white agapanthus bring a freshness to planting schemes. Try planting white choices with silver artemisias, for example. Agapanthus in containers are also a must for summer. Plant them in tubs or large pots. Their bold architectural heads of flowers make a perfect backdrop for pelargoniums. After flowering, agapanthus seedheads – first bright green, later turning brown – continue to provide invaluable bold graphic shapes into late autumn. • All agapanthus do best in a sunny position in moist but well-drained soil. OFFER Woottens of Wenhaston is offering readers either the Small-Headed Hardy collection (AGW00T1), or…