Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Following two postponements, first in May 2020 and again in May 2021, it’s exciting to have the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ahead of us this month. This will be the first time in its 108-year history that the show hasn’t been held in May. What a fantastic opportunity to showcase another season’s planting, to discover new nurseries that specialise in late-flowering plants, and consider how our attitudes to our gardens have developed as a result of the rigours of the past 18 months. We highlight some of the most exciting gardens to feature at this year’s show, talking to the designers about their show gardens and the late-summer planting palette now open to them – tawny grasses, jewel-like dahlias, bright heleniums and blazing rudbeckias. There are bound to be new…

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Be sure to check opening times and travel restrictions. Many garden visits will need to be pre-booked. My first visit to Dove Cottage in West Yorkshire was shortly after my much-loved collie dog Fred had died. I needed to be in a good nursery and to be immersed in the most beautiful garden. Dove Cottage was my first choice and my car was packed to the roof with new plants when I left. Owners Stephen and Kim Rogers have created one of the very best naturalistic gardens in Europe with a cutting-edge collection of perennials. Most of the plants are available to buy in the superb nursery that is attached to the garden. Shibden Hall Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 9XA. Tel 01422 203553, dovecottagenursery.co.uk Marchants Hardy Plants is one…

Choosing plants suited to existing environmental conditions will eliminate a lot of waste in the garden First plant love An enormous horse chestnut tree in the driveway of my childhood home. My elder brother and I would use the nuts for playing conkers. When I was around seven or eight, we managed to get some of them to grow. How did your horticultural career start? I left school when I was 17 with little employment prospects. I had two options to pursue; either the Bordeaux Circus College or a National Certificate in Horticulture at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Dumfries. Without regret, I often wonder how I might be living had I trained in circus performance. Horticultural hero My ten-year-old daughter Georgie. Her ability to retain information is incredible. She…

What A diverse genus of more than 400 species of annuals, perennials and shrubs. The more cold-tolerant species have been greatly important to the development of ornamental cultivars. These x speciosa hybrids exhibit a vibrant range of colours from white, blue and deep purple through to vibrant red, and tend to send their flowering stems up 40cm to 1.2m above fleshy, evergreen rosettes. Origins Most are concentrated in tropical or warm temperate regions but a few extend their range into cool temperate zones. Season The most popular hybrids flower from mid-July until well into September. Size There is a wide range in size from the tall and shrubby to diminutive, sprawling species with wiry stems. Conditions The most popular cultivars tolerate sun or partial shade but require consistently moist soil…

FOR YEARS, WE’VE UNDERPLAYED THE BENEFITS OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS; ALL WE HAVE USED THEM FOR IS BEAUTY Professor Alistair Griffiths wants to transform the way we garden. As director of science and collections at the RHS, his mission is to make gardening better for people, for nature and for the planet. It’s an ambitious aim, but Alistair is the right man for the job. His quest springs from a lifelong love of gardening and the conviction that science can improve the world. “My grandad inspired me. When I was four, he bought me two little sedums in a car boot sale. My dad then gave me a piece of front garden. Soon the sedums had overgrown the whole thing.” Like his stonecrops, Alistair’s infatuation with plants hasn’t stopped growing. When…

Helleborus niger Year-round interest from foliage, but particular winter interest from the flowers (January to March). Tolerant of heavy soils and has a high degree of resilience to stress in general. Rosa rugosa Tough, easy to grow, and can be used for hedging. Multi-seasonal with scented blooms and brightly coloured autumn hips. Will handle almost all soils, and is a great food source for wildlife and pollinators, as well as providing shelter and habitat. Amelanchier x lamarckii A beautiful, small, deciduous tree with multi-seasonal interest from spring blossom to autumn foliage and fruit. It can be pruned up to create sculptural, architectural, multi-stemmed specimens in a small garden. The nectar-rich flowers are also great for attracting pollinators. Quercus ilex A tough, long-lived tree that is fast-growing, resistant to salt spray…

BOTANICA by Marc Jeanson, Florence Tessier and Serge Muller Editions Flammarion, £22.50, ISBN 978-2080204141 A testamonial to the herbarium in the French National Museum of Natural History, documenting centuries of botanical specimens. THE KEW GARDENER’S GUIDE TO GROWING TREES by Tony Kirkham, Frances Lincoln, £12.99, ISBN 978-0711261983 Expert advice from Kew tree expert Tony Kirkham on growing and planting trees with descriptions of ones suitable for every size of garden. ENVISIONING LANDSCAPES by OJB, Monacelli Press, £40, ISBN 978-1580935678 An exploration of the work of OJB, the visionary landscape architecture firm set up by James Burnett, and its key design philosophies of integration, reclamation and healing. FIELD STUDY by Helen Humphreys, ECW Press, £16.95, ISBN 978-1770415348 A rumination on bygone herbarium collections and the individuals, including poet Emily Dickinson and…

The non-stop celebrations of Tuscan produce in autumn range from September’s homage to mushrooms and wild boar with polenta in the wine region of Carmignano, to widespread feasts of figs, honey and white truffles. October brings renewed festivities, in honour of the new season’s olive oils, wines and chestnuts.. Hills of Florence The medieval municipality of Vaglia, is home to the feast of the blackberry as well as Villa Demidoff, one of the most atmospheric gardens around Florence. Part of its romance lies in the sense of what might have been: a Medicean park of novelties and amusements was swept away for an English-style landscape garden. Remnants include the Colossus of the Apennines sitting atop a grotto. The park, which is also a nature reserve, is free of charge. Nearby,…

Suzie Gibbons Suzie photographs Tara Macdonald’s small garden, page 76. “Plantswoman Tara has created a magical space, using wonderful plant combinations and a cornucopia of sumptuous colour.” Ngoc Minh Ngo US-based photographer Ngoc shoots the garden of potter Frances Palmer, page 80. “Frances’s garden is much like everything she makes, beautiful and utterly unique.” Annie Gatti Annie picks out the highlights of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, page 101. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how this year’s designers and exhibitors tackle the challenges of showing in September.”…

Floral finesse A September date isn’t the only change to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A new Floristry & Floral Design Competition combines the Florist of the Year and Floral Arrangement competitions and will take centre stage in the Great Pavilion. Under an overall concept of ‘Our World’, the designs will focus on four themes: Pollination and the Beauty of Nature, in which the larger floral installations will compete, and British Blooms and Preservation, which include smaller designs filling floral windows. Trudie Easton’s imaginative interpretation of the use of healing plants in medicine, which features a tree spiralling upwards, like a strand of DNA, will compete in the Beauty of Nature category. In the Preservation category, JamJar Edit, known for its stunning pressed flowers (above) will create an illuminated…

1 Late Summer Hand Tied Bouquet Learn how to create a relaxed, hand-tied bouquet using the best seasonal flowers and foliage in this online demonstration by Somerset-based flower grower Georgie Newbery. 17 September, 5pm. £35. commonfarmflowers.com 2 Harrogate Autumn Flower Show Find prize-winning, gargantuan vegetables and floral art displays at the North of England Horticultural Society’s Autumn Flower Show, held in the beautiful gardens of Newby Hall. The show also includes garden installations, talks and demonstrations and a flower market offering the chance to buy plants from some of the UK’s top nurseries. 17-19 September, 9.30am-5.30pm. £22.Newby Hall & Gardens, Skelton-on-Ure, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5AE. Tel 01423 648212, flowershow.org.uk 3 Online Masterclass: Year-Round Colour in Your Garden Sign up for the third of Gardeners’ World magazine’s four masterclasses on…

AUTUMNAL ACCENTS I’ve had a number of these old apple crates for years. They have been used as bookshelves and bedside tables as I’ve moved from house to house. Now they have woodworm so I am trying to find different uses for them outside until they finally disintegrate. As the summer comes to an end, I find myself turning to those warm, autumnal hues of yellow and orange, anticipating cosy fireside evenings again. How to achieve the look Container and composition The crate needed lining with black landscape fabric, which I secured with a staple gun, to stop the compost falling through the gaps. Ideally it should be lifted off the ground with tiles to allow air circulation and stop the wooden base rotting too quickly. The Crocosmia gave instant…

I obsess about smell, hedonistically and emotionally. The sense of smell is a layer of experience somewhat blasted aside by its closely allied twin sense of taste, and the profoundly dominant vision, and perhaps – as almost nowhere is truly silent any more – the even more dominant auditory world. I became interested in whether smell is a diminishing experience. My reading for my book Scent Magic – Notes from a Gardener suggested that pollution, particulates, toxins and gases, actively destroy the fine volatiles detected by living organisms in the air and earth and sea. Pollution and distraction have ambushed our wellbeing. As I was trying to write about the impossibility of writing effectively about smell, I began to nose around for great writers’ solutions to this problem. How and…

Somerset-based, edible plant specialist Pennard Plants (1) is teaming up with seed producer Burpee Europe to pay tribute to the humble tomato. This unique display, based around the forthcoming book Ten Tomatoes That Changed The World by William Alexander, celebrates the fruit’s history, beauty and practical uses. Stand GPB150. pennardplants.com Surreal Succulents (2) will launch x Semponium ‘Sienna’ at this year’s show. Bred by Daniel Michael, this intergeneric hybrid is the world’s first official cross between Sempervivum and Aeonium. The fast-growing succulent grows in a conical shape and boasts an array of beautiful reds in the spring, and is all the more attractive in being easy to grow in a variety of locations – gravel garden, patio or windowsill – in free-draining, peat-fee soil. Stand GPE235. surrealsucculents.co.uk Leading garden designer…

TRADITIONAL Lidney Sussex Trug, £88, 57x31x30cm, 01276 451077, rowenandwren.co.uk WEATHERPROOF Kantan Bag, £32, 41x26cm, 01747 445059, niwaki.com OPEN MESH Large Grey Harvesting Basket, £24, 38x14x26cm, 0345 605 2505, worm.co.uk FOLDABLE FEET Garden Harvest Basket, £8.95, 4L, 24x20x16cm, 0333 400 6400, harrodhorticultural.com PERFECT PAIRING Set Of Two Wooden Storage Boxes, £40, 16x34x25cm (small), 18x38x30cm (large), 01993 845559, gardentrading.co.uk EXTRA-LONG Kew Antique Wash Wicker Trug Basket, £35, 67x35x10cm (large), 01202 422600, thebasketcompany.com VERSATILE Planting Tray/Trug, £24.99, 37x23x31cm, crocus.co.uk HARDWEARING Crocus collection jute basket with indigo band, £19.99, 40x28cm, waitrosegarden.com RUSTIC Willow Trugs, £34.95, 47x30cm (medium), £39.95, 56x35cm (large), 0345 092 0283, sarahraven.com…

• Exquisite ideas to plan now for indoor bulb displays that will brighten darker winter days • A 15th-century Normandy manor house enveloped in soft planting that blends into the landscape • The best evergreen ferns for bringing year-round shape and texture to a shady garden • Discover the remarkable gardens at Parcevall Hall – a plantsman’s paradise in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales ON SALE 12 OCTOBER Save money when you subscribe to the digital edition – see page 24. Also in selected Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores, as well as WHSmith, and all good magazine retailers.…

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.…

HELIANTHUS ‘BITTER CHOCOLATE’ This is similar to the funky, willow-leaved, perennial sunflower Helianthus salicifolius but with wider leaves. For years I have grown H. salicifolius for its foliage, but it rarely flowers due to our cool summers, whereas H. ‘Bitter Chocolate’ flowers throughout August and September with yellow f lowers that – true to the name – emit the most divine smell of chocolate. It is more upright than H. salicifolius, which, in my experience, tends to flop. I propagate it by division or basal cuttings in spring. Height 2m. Origin Garden (species North and Central America). Conditions Moisture-retentive soil; full sun. Hardiness RHS H4† . Season of interest August to September. PENNISETUM ALOPECUROIDES ‘RED HEAD’ This is a selection by Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens in the USA.…

Keep checking tomatoes for signs of blight, removing any unnecessary leaves so that the sun can get to the fruit and ripen it. If you do see the telltale brown marks on the fruit or leaves, move quickly to harvest any unmarked fruit (even if it is still green, in which case you can ripen it on the windowsill, or make green tomato chutney) and dig up the plants. They will need to be thrown away or burned – don’t put them on the compost or you’ll risk spreading disease. You can take your foot off the plant-maintenance pedal a little in September, but don’t forget to check on plants growing close to the house – if they are sheltered, they may be missing out on any rainfall and will…

Pocket parks are just as necessary in a small market town as they are in a big city A pocket park, according to Richard Reynolds, who tends one in picturesque Castle Street in Totnes, Devon, is a park that “doesn’t have room for a bandstand, but you might just squeeze in a string quartet”. In his opinion it must also have room for a couple of benches and perhaps some play equipment, as well as having a sense of enclosure. “You see greened-up, former parking spaces called ‘pocket parks’ but imagine sitting in one. I think that’s a nonsense.” His park, as tiny as it is, really feels like a park. Moving from Elephant and Castle in central London with their two daughters, Richard and his wife Lyla made the…

A TREE A DAY by Amy-Jane Beer Pavilion Books, £20 ISBN 978-1849946520 No mere dry, academic work, but a treasure trove of creativity, this is a meditation on the beauty and power of trees to delight all nature lovers. Reviewer Emily Males is a freelance writer. What is the meaning of a tree? While at first glance this question seems rather obvious, Amy-Jane Beer explores the greater significance of these plants by tracing them throughout time and place. The 366 trees – one for each day of the year, even in a leap year – are exposed as objects with a multitude of meanings – fidelity, fantasy and wellbeing to name but a few. From the ancient Major Oak of Sherwood Forest to the Chinese art of Penjing (miniature landscapes…