Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Tom Stuart-Smith’s iconic design for The Hepworth Wakefield draws inspiration from its setting between 19th-century red brick mills and an angular, 21st-century art gallery. On the edge of the raging River Calder, the garden echoes the striking, trapezoidal form of the gallery, yet reflects Barbara Hepworth’s deep connection to the landscape. The planting has been chosen to evolve throughout the year – Tom notes that “attachment to nature and place is stronger with variety” and has provenance, from the tulips selected for spring; Wakefield is home to the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society, one of the oldest extant English florists’ societies, to perennials in high summer. On page 34 Alys Fowler explores how the seasons shift and change in this new and remarkable garden. In a new series,…

The region of Provence, in southeast France, with its long, hot and dry summers provides a wonderful opportunity to learn how to design and plant gardens adapted to such conditions. The landscape remains essentially unchanged: medieval hill towns rise among olive groves and vineyards, and fields of lavender and sunflowers soak up the sunshine. Dusty roads fringed with pines give way to banks of wild cistus, rosemary and thyme. Hidden behind old iron gates or an avenue of ancient plane trees, old country estates have been elegantly rejuvenated in recent years by contemporary designers, creating sensuous gardens, each in its own way responding to the spirit of place and the designer’s eye. Designers James and Helen Basson show us two of their recent projects for private gardens and introduce us…

Northern roots British design brand Mini Moderns has released a new range of seeds inspired by the wildflowers of the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales. The Moordale seed collection follows on from the success of Mini Modern’s first seed range, which was inspired by the dramatic landscape of Dungeness in Kent. Brand founders Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire decided to go back to their roots for their second range; both were brought up in Yorkshire and can vividly recall the plants and scents of the countryside there. Ten seed varieties make up the collection; Cornflower, Wild Marjoram, Thrift, Bell Heather, Water Avens, Bluebells, Fox and Cubs, Wild Garlic, Honesty and Cotton Grass – all native to the Yorkshire landscape. Each seed packet costs £2.50 from minimoderns.com BRANCH OUT Bring…

Home-grown produce and fresh flowers were eagerly anticipated at family gatherings Earliest garden memories Both of my grandmothers were wonderful gardeners, one had a garden and the other an allotment, and I have lots of happy memories of spending time with them there. In my family, home-grown produce and fresh flowers were celebrated in seasonal dishes and eagerly anticipated at family gatherings. Who has inspired your career? Carol Klein’s enthusiasm for plants and plant science was highly infectious at the beginning of my adventure with horticulture when I binge-watched and read anything and everything to do with gardening. Is gardening a career change? I never considered horticulture as a career while living in Poland. I studied social anthropology, travelled and struggled to find a fitting career. When a company I…

1 Rhododendron yunnanense One of several rhododendrons grown in the woodlands. A very garden-worthy rhododendron, it makes a large, semi-deciduous shrub, which is smothered in soft pink blooms in May. Plant in groups for spectacular effect. 4m. RHS H5, USDA 7a-9b† . 2 Magnolia stellata An excellent and very floriferous magnolia that is ideal for smaller gardens. It forms a small, shrubby tree that is covered in pure-white flowers from head to toe before the foliage is produced. 3m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. 3 Mahonia aquifolium A tough, evergreen shrub that spreads slowly via suckers. It makes a springy mass of polished, prickly, pinnate foliage that can often turn red in winter. Yellow flowers are produced in spring. 1.2m. RHS H5, USDA 5A-8b. 4 Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’ A very…

Ever since Keith Weed, former chief marketing and communications officer at the global brand Unilever, returned from Paris in 1997 to live in Surrey, he has been a regular visitor to RHS Garden at Wisley. Today he lives just seven miles away, in a 16th-century farmhouse on Ranmore Common, and his trips to Wisley have a more pressing purpose than filling the car boot with choice plants or peat-free compost, for Keith is now president of the world’s most famous gardening charity. THE RHS CAN BE A THOUGHT LEADER IN HOW TO GARDEN MORE SUSTAINABLY Keith describes himself as “an enthusiastic, rolled-up-sleeves gardener” with a passion for growing fruit and vegetables. This passion was ignited in childhood in the family garden on the Wirral. His mother, a domestic science teacher,…

1 Viola riviniana Purpurea Group This low-growing perennial is one of Stefano’s favourite self-seeders. He loves it as much for its spreading, weed-suppressing habit as its beautifully coloured, heart-shaped leaves. Happy in full shade, in spring it bears small, purple flowers. 10cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b† . 2 Astilbe ‘Chocolate Shogun’ A striking plant with deep-burgundy leaves and tall stems of dark-pink flowers in high summer. Easy to maintain – just chop it back hard in late autumn or early spring. 60cm. RHS H5. 3 Astrantia ‘Roma’ Pincushions of pink flowers borne on wiry stems for months throughout the summer make this clump-forming perennial a great choice for shady or woodland gardens. 50cm. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. 4 Hydrangea quercifolia Snow Queen (= ‘Flemygea’ ) This hydrangea makes a…

I love the directness of clay, the way you don’t need anything between you and the material, and the way it responds to every touch Unusually for an artist, Phoebe Cummings makes work that is deliberately designed to disintegrate. She creates large-scale, site-specific sculptures specially commissioned for temporary exhibitions. Her elaborate, fantastical plant forms are made out of clay, but instead of firing it, Phoebe leaves the clay in its raw state so that it dries out, gradually shrinking, cracking and finally collapsing into fragments that can be reused. Phoebe relishes this re-cycling process and says, “I really enjoy the possibility for the material itself to endlessly be remade.” The brief life cycle of each piece gives her work a particular poignancy: “It is similar to the feeling you get…

GREAT DIXTER: THEN & NOW by Fergus Garrett, photographs by Christopher Lloyd and Carol Casselden Pimpernel Press, £12.99 ISBN 978-1910258897 A series of snapshots that build into a pointillist portrait of Dixter capturing its enduring ethos as much as its shifting physical reality. Reviewer Jodie Jones is a garden writer. Great Dixter is unquestionably one of the great gardens of the world. Unruffled by the winds of horticultural fashion, it epitomises a maximalist ‘more is more’ style that began with Christopher Lloyd, whose parents commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to lay out the garden in 1910, and continues today under the direction of Fergus Garrett, Christo’s head gardener and now chief executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. Both men shared a passion for the craft of gardening and an iconoclastic…

If the Cotswolds were a frame of mind, then Stroud would be quite separate – even though the Five Valleys that converge on the town are just as pretty as the more famous honeypots beyond Cirencester. Built on wool manufacture, rather than sheep farming, the industrial edge is what sets the town and its villages apart, as well as the slightly challenging, steep terrain. Market value Before doing anything on a weekend in, or near, Stroud, head to the Farmers’ Market in the centre of town on Saturday morning (open 9am-2pm). It is justly celebrated, bringing together producers from within a 25-mile radius. Highlights include Salt Bakehouse for sourdough bread and Jonathan Crump’s Cheese, courtesy of rare-breed Gloucester cows. The market atmosphere spills into the older Shambles Market as well…

Jimi Blake The creator of Hunting Brook Garden, Jimi begins a new plantsperson’s column, page 22. “What a challenge to pick only ten plants each month out of the thousands of different plants I grow.” Troy Scott Smith Troy suggests the best biennials to grow from seed, page 64. “Spring and early summer just wouldn’t be the same without a few biennials to add colour, scent and magic.” Alister Thorpe Alister photographs a small, Stefano Marinaz-designed garden, page 70. “There’s an ethereal quality to this design that emanates from Stefano’s planting. I left full of ideas.”…

The tour starts with a visit to the internationally celebrated contemporary gardens of Tokachi Millennium Forest, designed by Dan Pearson and situated on Japan’s most northerly island, Hokkaido. You’ll learn about the spirit of nature and sense of place from head gardener and international speaker Midori Shintani, as well as enjoying a cultural workshop and foraged forest lunch prepared by the gardeners. We’ll also study the stunning autumn flora of the nearby mountains. Then we transfer to Honshu, Japan’s mainland, to delve into the traditional gardens, culture and the unforgettable architecture of Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Nara, where gardens will provoke thought and delight in equal measure. Meet with the gardeners of the Chion-in Temple who will demonstrate the fine art of niwaki pruning and offer advice on the tools…

EPIMEDIUM ‘BLACK SEA ’ One of the first in my large collection of epimediums to flower, with pale, orange-veined yellow, blooms that emerge in February alongside the snowdrops. The wonderful foliage turns nearly black as the temperatures fall in autumn, extending the season of interest in the woodland bed where it’s planted. I’ve experimented growing epimediums in different areas in the garden and find full sun and rich soil that does not dry out is the best for them. I propagate by division at the end of August and cut back all the leaves in early January before they start putting up flower stems. Height 30cm. Origin Garden (species Transcaucasus and Black Sea coast). Conditions Rich soil that does not dry out; full sun. Hardiness RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b† .…

Each year I grow a range of more than 20 biennials, their contribution to the spring and early summer garden is considerable, and I would not want to garden without them. By far the best way to grow them is from seed. There is something very satisfying about raising your own plants, the effect is not immediate, but the rewards are immensely satisfying. Whereas annuals complete their life cycle in a single season, biennials require a period of cold, called vernalisation, to initiate their flowering. From a summer sowing, biennials will produce a basal rosette of leaves, with the plant flowering, setting seed and dying in the following year. The principles of sowing are exactly the same as for annual seed, but the after-care and timing is different. Whereas most…

1 Best for absolute beginners Ron Finley Teaches Gardening, MasterClass Ron Finley the self-proclaimed Gangster Gardener has long been a rebel with a cause. His clash with LA City Council over the kerbside garden he’d planted in the south of the city led to a change in the city’s by-laws and set Ron on an edible gardening crusade. Now he’s joined the distinguished list of tutors for online school MasterClass with a ten-part gardening course. Although the emphasis is on growing your own food, Ron offers a great all-round introduction with advice on transforming nutrient-poor soil into fertile ground, propagation and turning whatever you have to hand, from a boot to a drawer, into a planter. Each module lasts between eight and 20 minutes, making the course ideal to fit…

1 EXOTIC GARDEN AT BETTYS & TAYLORS As part of the new landscaping around the headquarters of Bettys & Taylors in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, garden designer Matthew Wilson has redesigned the exotic courtyard garden, originally designed by John Brookes. The space, which had become too dense and overgrown, has now been opened up with pathways and the addition of large slabs of Caithness stone that create platforms and naturalistic water features. Architectural plants, such as yuccas, tree ferns and Tetrapanax, continue the exotic theme while grasses and flowering plants such as Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’ create a green understorey. matthewwilsongardens.com 2 TIMBEROUS BEASTIE A wooden haven for bees that resembles a wild beast has won the Furniture and Product Award in the 2020 Wood Awards. The Beehave, by Studio Marlène Huissoud,…

FLOWER COLOR THEORY by Darroch Putnam and Michael Putnam, Phaidon, £24.95, ISBN 978-1838661571 An inspirational and practical guide to creating floral bouquets using specific colour schemes. With over 175 arrangements to suit a range of styles and flower species. HUMMELO by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury, Monacelli Press, £32, ISBN 978-1580935708 This reprint tells the story of renowned Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf’s own personal garden, with contributions from friend and designer Noel Kingsbury. SALVE: THE ART AND BALM OF GARDENING by Sally Carr, Troubador Publishing, £19.99, ISBN 978-1800460898 A lyrical, soothing book about the joy of nature, gardening and poetry. Poems are accompanied by illustrations by Rosamund Ulph. STRIKING SUCCULENT GARDENS by Gabriel Frank, Ten Speed Press, £14.99, ISBN 978-0399580987 Full of practical ideas, step-by-step instructions, and basic plant…

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.…

February is my least favourite month of the year. About the only positive thing I can think of to say about it is that it is short. This is the perfect time to run through a quick checklist to make sure everything is in order. The soil has been dug over, fruit trees and shrubs have been pruned, pots have been emptied of spent compost and given a thorough brush and clean up, and my garden tools are gleaming, all sharpened edges and freshly oiled handles. Being an organised type, all these things bring me great pleasure. But there are other reasons to be cheerful, too. Minute by minute, the days are getting longer and, on those days when the sun puts in an appearance, it is easy to believe…

Deep within the rugged Lancashire countryside is Gresgarth Hall, the country home of the inspirational landscape designer and plant collector, Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd. Over the past 40 years, she has transformed the land at Gresgarth into a wonderfully romantic garden. When she arrived in 1979, there was practically no garden, and the space was neglected and overgrown. Clumsy lumps of sombre evergreen rhododendron and laurel hemmed the house in rather harshly from the surrounding countryside and completely obliterated any views. “It took a bit of time to get used to this garden,” she says. Having grown up on an Italian hillside she was more accustomed to views that stretched for miles. Trees were felled, evergreens removed, and the woodland was pushed back from the house to make space for a…

What A varied genus of low-growing herbaceous plants with graceful foliage and colourful flowers. A literal translation of Corydalis from the Greek is ‘crested lark’. There is no English common name. Origins Corydalis has a broad distribution throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with the vast majority hailing from western China and Tibet. Season Most flower between spring and early summer. Size Few exceed 30cm in height, although some can reach up to 1m. Rhizomatous species may spread indefinitely, but at a slow rate. Conditions Good drainage is key, with rhizomatous woodland species sharing in addition a strong aversion to drying out. Some Corydalis are easily grown almost anywhere. Hardiness Most are hardy to at least -15ºC. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given…

Designing The Future With Trees A season of weekly Info Bursts from the London College of Garden Design. Each of the online talks, starting with Keith Sacre of Barcham Trees, will explore the role trees play in design provide ideas and inspiration for garden designers and garden enthusiasts alike. 9 February – 2 March, 5-6.30pm, £6 per talk.lcgd.org.uk Creative garden writing Garden writer Jackie Bennett leads a half-day online workshop from the Cambridge University Botanic Garden that will help you to use gardens and the natural world to unlock your writing ‘voice’. 3 March, 10am-1pm, £40.botanic.cam.ac.uk Botanical Watercolor for Beginners and Beyond Learn how to paint botanical watercolours in this five-week course from the New York Botanical Garden. Suitable for both beginners and those wanting to improve their skills, it’s…

VINTAGE FEEL Zinc Thermometer, £11.95, 30x7cm, The Worm That Turned, 0345 605 2505, worm.co.uk MODERN DESIGN Big Lollipop Garden Thermometer 1.1m, £41.94, 24x5.5cm, Weather Station Products, weather-station-products.co.uk EASY TO READ Window Digital Thermometer, £4.45, 9.2x9cm, JSG-Accessories jsg-online.co.uk TRADITIONAL APPEARANCE Wood Thermometer, £7.50, Agriframes, 0117 934 1790, agriframes.co.uk RUSTIC Slate Thermometer, £17, 45x10cm, Garden Trading, 01993 845559, gardentrading.co.uk OVERSIZED Large Metal Thermometer, £39.95, 90x12cm, The Worm That Turned 0345 605 2505, worm.co.uk TWO IN ONE Clock & Thermometer, £24.95, 26x17cm, Circular & Co, 01872 575000, circularandco.com PRACTICAL Min/Max Garden Thermometer, £25.50, 22.5x2.2cm, Not On The High Street, 020 3318 5115, notonthehighstreet.com WEATHERPROOF St Ives Thermometer, £25, 22cm diameter, Garden Trading, 01993 845559, gardentrading.co.uk…

• Discover the delicate beauty of scilla • Formal and naturalised mix in the timeless beauty at Ablington Manor • Designer Alison Jenkins offers inspiration for fabulous spring pots in our new container planting series • Head gardener Matthew Reese reveals of the secrets behind the glorious gardens of Malverleys in Hampshire • Top designers recommend their must-have seeds to sow ON SALE 2 MARCH Save money when you subscribe to the digital edition – see page 28. Also in selected Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores, as well as WHSmith, and all good magazine retailers.…