Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Jupiter Artland is Scotland’s foremost contemporary sculpture park. Nestled within its 22 acres, through a heavy wooden gate, is its most recent installation. A collaboration between the artist Joana Vasconcelos and gardener Thomas Unterdorfer, Gateway is a whimsical pool garden created in the shape of a splash where the space is part of the art. Graphic topiary in beech, box, laurel and yew work in contrast to the dynamism of the pool and look mesmerising in winter’s frost. With crisp winter walks in mind, gardener Hannah Gardner considers the subtle beauty of lichens. Lichens thrive on rock, wood and tree bark, and are most visible when trees are not in leaf. In a practical spotters’ guide, Hannah identifies those most commonly found. On page 21 we highlight the best Christmas…

Bright ideas Winter may feel like the end of the growing season, but for those with a greenhouse, the opportunities are just beginning. Many cut flowers can be grown under glass over winter. Freesias, for example, flower naturally in late winter and thrive in a cool greenhouse. Or you could try the stalwart of many a wedding bouquet Eustoma. Also known as lisianthus or prairie gentians, these gorgeous flowers from the warm climes of Central America offer a broad and subtle colour palette and have a long vase life. With a frost-free greenhouse you can sow from November to March in a heated propagator then pot on ready for summer. If you already have a greenhouse now could be time to move out the tomato plant pots and make way…

Check on any stored produce to make sure it is still dry, safe from predators and free of any rot. If you are using your own compost to enrich the soil, either by digging it in or spreading a thick layer of mulch, make sure you take the well-rotted stuff from the middle of the heap. Use the outer layers to start a new heap, or as a mulch for soft fruit, rhubarb and artichokes. Before you start ordering seed, take a few minutes to do a quick audit of what you already have. While some seeds – parsnip being the most obvious example – do need to be absolutely fresh in order to germinate, many will keep for a good few years provided they are stored in a cool…

A FORAGED AFFAIR Tools and materials Secateurs, natural twine or stub wire, a woven grape vine or willow base, glycerine, moss, Vitis coignetiae (crimson glory vine), seedheads of Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard), mix of branches – cypress, Sequoiadendron giganteum (wellingtonia), Pinus sylvestris (Scot’s pine), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir), Cedrus atlantica Glauca Group (blue cedar), Larix decidua (larch), Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry), Prunus spinosa (blackthorn) and Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea (barberry) – in lengths from 15-30cm, hemp rope or ribbon for hanging. To make The muted tones and contrasting textures of this large, naturalistic wreath add festive drama to a doorway. The base is made from lengthy trimmings of a wall-trained Vitis coignetiae. The canes are cut back to one or two buds from the old framework and woven into a…

• Ashwood Nurseries Ashwood Lower Lane, Ashwood, Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 0AE. Tel 01384 401996, ashwoodnurseries.com • Barcham Trees Eye Hill Drove, Soham, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 5XF. Tel 01353 720748, barcham.co.uk • Beeches Nursery Crown Hill, Ashdon, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2HB. Tel 01799 584362, beechesnursery.co.uk • Burncoose Nurseries Gwennap, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 6BJ. Tel 01209 860011, burncoose.co.uk • Kelways Plants Barrymore Farm, Picts Hill, Langport, Somerset TA10 9EZ. Tel 01458 250521, kelways.co.uk • Larch Cottage Nurseries Melkinthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2DR. Tel 01931 712404, larchcottage.co.uk • The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens* Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 0QA. Tel 01794 368787, hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/ hilliergardens *National Collection holder…

While box remains unsurpassed for its versatility, glossy leaves and its ability to be shaped into wondrous creations, concern over box blight means that like many, I’ve set myself the enjoyable challenge of looking for alternatives; thinking about the strengths of different selections for their health, colour, scent or their genius for the right place. One of my favourites is Osmanthus x burkwoodii, an evergreen shrub with scented white flowers, that can be shaped into hedges and spheres, preferably with secateurs. Over time, it will become a dense shape with beautiful, glossy leaves. Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis is another strong contender that has proven to be useful for small hedges. It is evergreen, beautifully scented in spring and easily pruned making it especially useful for dark, shady corners. Taxus baccata…

Royston Valentine Roger started with a modest half acre near Pickering in Yorkshire in 1913. He began growing alpines that could be cultivated to a saleable size in just three months, to get the business off the ground. More than 100 years on, RV Roger is now a third-generation family-run nursery, growing over 450 varieties of field-grown top fruit with many other strings to its bow, including field-grown roses, extensive bulb collection and a nursery. But in the north of England, the nursery is best known for its magnificent, gold medal-winning, tiered apple displays at the Harrogate Flower Show, showcasing its extensive range of more than 240 heritage and modern cultivars. This has not always been the case, through its history it has specialised in different areas, adapting to the…

1 Alocasia x amazonica ‘Polly’ A tuberous, tropical perennial. Its large, shield-like, dark-green leaves have striking white veins and maroon undersides. Prefers a moist, rich compost, warm atmosphere and indirect sunlight. 45cm. RHS H1A† . 2 Guzmania ‘Rostara’ This wonderful bromeliad spouts a candelabra composed of bright-red bracts that arise from the centre of leafy rosettes. Makes an ideal house plant with regular misting. 50cm. RHS H1A, USDA 10a-12b. 3 Vriesea ‘Elan’ This bromeliad forms rosettes of soft-green foliage from which it throws up flattened, branching flower spikes in flame red. These produce smaller flowers. It needs humid, tropical conditions. 40cm. RHS H1A. 4 Philodendron x domesticum This cultivated hybrid of Philodendron hastatum is a clambering Philodendron grown for its attractive silver-green foliage, hence its common name of silver sword.…

ROOTBOUND: REWILDING A LIFE by Alice Vincent, Canongate Books, £14.99, ISBN 978-1786897701 An inquisitiveness underpins Alice Vincent’s book: a natural compulsion to seek and nurture green amid London’s grey. It is Nature’s unwavering constancy that Vincent finds grounding, as a twenty-something contending with the pressures of ambition, loneliness and heartache. Rootbound is both relevant and important, questioning what it means to call oneself a gardener, and where horticulture fits within the modern urban experience. Reviewer Matt Collins is head gardener at the Garden Museum. GROW FRUIT & VEGETABLES IN POTS by Aaron Bertelsen, Phaidon Press, £24.95, ISBN 978-0714878614 Aaron Bertelsen has spent his life loving plants and as a passionate cook has always had a special interest in growing fruit and vegetables. If you have limited space and time but…

Thomas Unterdorfer Thomas reveals the art of creating a pool garden, page 62. “The garden became part of Gateway, and the story of a drop of water falling from the heavens.” Hannah Gardner Hannah offers a guide to spotting lichens on winter walks, page 86. “As we enjoy the skeletal beauty of wintery days it’s worth tuning in to the miniature wonderland of lichens.” Patrick Morgan Patrick illustrates our houseplant column, page 114. “Plants within the environment have always been at the forefront of art, from David Hockney to Ellsworth Kelly.” CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 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…

PSEUDOWINTERA COLORATA An uncommon, slow-growing and usually compact, small, evergreen shrub that ought to delight flower arrangers more for its unusual colour combinations. There are several forms of this plant in the trade, varying mainly in the degree of purple speckling on the leaf. This one has a more jade-green base colour (turning more ochre with age or in full sun) with some speckling and a very narrow, purple, picotee edge. All forms though have the dark stems and the distinctive silver-grey undersides to each 5cm-long leaf. Height 1m. Origin New Zealand. Conditions Well-drained soil; full sun to part shade. Hardiness RHS H3, USDA 8a-10b† . Season of interest Year round. JUNIPERUS RECURVA ‘CASTLEWELLAN’ A very graceful conifer with soft blue-grey foliage. This is a small, quite slow-growing tree that…

We leave any rogue ferns that germinate – they always soften our plantings Earliest gardening memory Helping my parents to hand dig a pond in the back garden. It is now well established and adds so much life to the garden, as well as a whole array of extra niches for marginal and aquatic plant species. Who has inspired your career the most? My parents – they are both horticulturists. I grew up gardening with them, visiting gardens and nurseries and exploring Nottinghamshire. Favourite landscape and garden Chanticleer Garden in Pennsylvania – its Arts and Crafts feel, its botanically rich and imaginative plantings, and the ethos that underpins a horticultural team who dabble with pottery and metalwork in the down season, really put this garden on another level. Worthwhile tips…

The story of how Pat Havers became a professional gardener is so charming that it would make a lovely children’s book. It is the tale of a little girl who grew up near a beautiful garden, surrounded by a friendly band of women, and learned the ropes by osmosis. Pat was born in the small village of Waterperry in Oxfordshire. The focus of the village was a pioneering ‘school for lady gardeners’. It had been set up in the 1930s by Beatrix Havergal and her partner Avice Sanders and was renowned for its first-class teaching. Over the years (it closed in 1971), the school trained many professional women gardeners, including Pamela Schwerdt and Sibylle Kreutzberger, who went on to do great things at Sissinghurst. Waterperry was Pat’s childhood playground but…

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Most apple trees have a hardiness rating of RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b. Eventual height of all will depend on the rootstock selected, but most range from 1.8m to 4.5m.…

Crafty Plants Hortivation, 64 Dunkirk Lane, Leyland, Lancashire PR25 1TX. Tel 01772 657564, craftyplants.co.uk Specialist in air plants. Mail order only. Bridgemere Garden Centre Bridgemere, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7QB. Tel 01270 360003, bluediamond.gg/garden-centres Good selection of houseplants. Monday to Saturday, 9am-6pm; Sunday, 10.30am-4.30pm. Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Cott Road, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0HW. Tel 01208 872668, duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk Good selection of houseplants. Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm; Sunday, closed (temporarily). RHS Garden Wisley Shop and Plant Centre RHS Garden Wisley, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB. Tel 01483 211113,rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisleyGood selection of houseplants. Monday to Saturday, 9.30am-5.30pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm.…

Weather permitting, December is winter digging month for me. With the soil cleared of crops, I work through systematically, using a double digging technique so that the top spade’s depth of soil is turned over and a good load of organic matter is incorporated into the next layer down. By doing it now, I feel I am maximising the opportunity for the worms and insects to take the organic matter right down into the soil and for the frost – should we be lucky enough to get some – to break up any lumps and clods of earth. By next spring, there should be a good crumbly tilth, perfect for planting out seedlings and even – with a very little gentle digging and raking – for direct sowing seeds. Up…

What Evergreen and deciduous shrubs of the rose family (Rosaceae), closely related to Photinia, Pyracantha, Sorbus and Crataegus (hawthorn). Origins Around 400 species are spread across northern temperate regions including Europe, North Africa, southwest China and the Himalayas. The species have hybridised to produce many cultivars grown in gardens. Season Small, single, white or pinkish flowers, attractive to pollinators in spring, followed by orange or red berries; occasionally yellow or pink in the case of some garden hybrids. Size Species and hybrids vary in size from creeping groundcover shrubs, originating from alpine regions, to small trees that grow to several metres in height and spread. Most are bushy shrubs reaching two or three metres. Conditions Tolerant and versatile shrubs that thrive on most soils including chalk and clay. Most grow…

So as not to distract from the colours of the pool, the garden relies on the texture and structure of just four hedging plants (clockwise from top left): Buxus sempervirens We clip box twice a year to keep a crisp appearance, and feed in spring to keep it healthy. 5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b† . Prunus lusitanica We shape it with secateurs early in the season to avoid damaged leaves and, in our case, flowering. If possible choose ‘Myrtifolia’, as its smaller leaves increase the play of sunlight on the surface. 15m. AGM*. RHS H5, USDA 6a-8b. Fagus sylvatica Common beech can be fashioned as spheres, but use secateurs to avoid blemishes of the leaves. Late frosts can cause damage on young leaves, so we cover the plants with horticultural…

I am a plant collector, obsessively so, and this is a plant collector’s garden,” says Olivier Vico, speaking of Domaine du Ooievaar, the garden he has created southwest of Ghent in Belgium. “But, I also like well-designed gardens and I did not want a garden like so many collectors’ gardens, with plants growing together and hundreds of plant labels.” Olivier has succeeded beautifully and, together with his wife Trudy, has made a harmonious garden that sits comfortably in the surrounding landscape, wearing its horticultural credentials lightly. The house, a traditional Flanders farmhouse built from red brick with the white pointing typical of the area, is built on three sides around an open courtyard. “I knew from the very beginning that in this central courtyard the garden had to be formal,”…

Fireplaces are often the focal point in a room and lend themselves to bold decoration. If a fire is to be lit, we drape swags of cut flowers and foliage over the mantelpiece as very few plants will survive the updraft of heat from the flames. But, when fires are not lit, they look lovely adorned with plants. The brilliant colours and striking shapes of the winter-flowering bromeliads bestow a wonderful, tropical swagger on the room. The larger, more tropical leaves of the aroids add contrast to the whorls of bromeliad foliage and continue the exotic theme. The plants are mostly housed in heavy porcelain and glass vases that help to counterbalance the top-heavy bromeliads, which often have very limited root systems. We have also introduced Aechmea fasciata and Tillandsia…

The chances are that lichens are growing closer to hand than you might think. Small in stature, their subtle and furtive beauty passes unnoticed by the casual eye. I first discovered lichens as a coral-like cluster hanging from the branches of a gnarly tree on the edge of Dartmoor, but I also see them as blackened blotches on shoreline rocks and in chartreuse blue-grey on the legs of my wooden garden bench. These tough and intricate structures are not quite a fungus, nor are they a moss. The very first lichens probably occurred before the evolution of land plants, cup fungi species having evolved during the Carboniferous period 358-298 million years ago. A lichen is not a single organism, rather a group of at least two organisms that closely interact…

FORMAL Mali White Washed Terracotta Plant Pot, H25cm x W35cm, £15, B&Q, 0333 014 3357, diy.com STACKABLE Hoff Plant Pot & Saucer, rosa raw, H11cm x Ø8cm, £15, Feather & Nest, 01235 510968, featherandnest.co.uk TEXTURAL Fibreclay Planters (set of 2), small H29cm x Ø29cm, large H38cm x Ø38cm, £125, Graham & Green, 01225 418200, grahamandgreen.co.uk RAISED Studio Arhoj Tri-Pot, big, H18cm x Ø15cm, £40, KIN, kinhome.co HAND-DECORATED Jillia Flower Pot, H14cm x Ø15cm, £11.75, Lene Bjerre, +45 96 71 21 00, lenebjerre.com CLASSIC Bergs Potters Elizabeth Plant Pot & Saucer, antique rosa, H17cm x Ø18cm, £17, Amara, 0800 587 7645, amara.com PATTERNED Bergs Potter Köpenhamn Flower Pot, pink, H9.5cm x Ø10cm, £8, Nordic Nest, 020 3002 1196, nordicnest.com STATEMENT Terracotta Face Plant Pot, large, H12cm x Ø14cm, £16, Rose &…

Block Design 01503 230003, blockdesign.co.uk Cambridge Imprint 07732 131135, cambridgeimprint.co.uk Connox 020 3880 0027, connox.co.uk The Conran Shop 0344 848 4000, conranshop.co.uk Fenwick 0800 783 1783, fenwick.co.uk Floral Street 020 7836 3366, floralstreet.com The Future Kept thefuturekept.com Green & Blue 01872 858658, greenandblue.co.uk Höfats +49 831 98 90 94 60, hoefats.com/en Labour and Wait 020 7729 6253, labourandwait.co.uk Le Chameau 01572 772444, lechameau.com Leaf Envy leafenvy.co.uk Lewes Map Store lewesmapstore.co.uk Maisons du Monde 0808 234 2172 maisonsdumonde.com Nest 0114 243 3000, nest.co.uk Niwaki 01747 445059, niwaki.com Northern Hands 07784 784899, northern-hands-uk.com Objects of Use 01865 241705, objectsofuse.com Oliver Bonas 020 8974 0110, oliverbonas.com Sarah Raven 0345 092 0283, sarahraven.com Seedlip seedlipdrinks.com The Shop Floor Project 01229 584537, theshopfloorproject.com Studio Wald studiowald.co.uk Wanderlust Paper Co wanderlustpaper.co Yard Etc +46 (0)761 339978,…