Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

There’s been a shift in recent years as to how, as gardeners, we should consider autumn. On the one hand, it is most definitely the time to start looking and planning ahead (hopefully your orders are in and your bulbs awaiting planting). On the other hand, autumn is no longer seen as a time to start shutting down the garden. There is plenty more to enjoy both in terms of long-flowering plants and an acceptance of beauty in decay, not to mention the homes and shelter that plants, at the end of their growing season, offer to wildlife. Last month’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show was the perfect showcase for all that is still glorious and key in our gardens as we pass the autumn equinox. To help immerse ourselves 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.…

FARGESIA ANGUSTISSIMA I am building up an interesting collection of bamboos at Hunting Brook. This graceful, arching specimen (formerly Borinda angustissima) has narrow leaves, and stands out as one of the very best in my collection. It is very tall and non-invasive with an extremely narrow base, which makes it suitable for growing in most garden spaces. It also looks fabulous grown in large containers. New canes sometimes have a purplish look with white dust on them. Propagation is by division but is very difficult because of the way the canes grow together tightly at the base. Height 4m. Origin China, Sichuan province. Conditions Fertile, well-drained soil; full sun. Hardiness RHS H5. Season of interest July – October. ANGELICA ‘LOUSHAN FILIGREE’ I bought this delightful angelica from Paul Barney of…

Many plants will continue to crop well into October so do keep up with the picking. This is the final call for tomatoes. If they are showing some colours, bring them in and put them on a sunny windowsill to finish ripening; if they remain stubbornly green, bring them in anyway. Better to make a couple of jars of green tomato chutney than have them go to waste. Mild weather plus rain is the perfect recipe for weed growth. Do try to keep on top of weeding. By keeping the soil around plants clear, you’ll be allowing maximum light and air to penetrate, and depriving slugs and snails of a hiding place. Give crops such as Swiss chard, perpetual spinach and kale (that is, plants that will be in the…

1 Gentiana asclepiadea Willow gentian gets its name from its arching shoots, which carry bright-blue bells late into the season. Thrives in moist soil and light shade. 50-80cm. AGM*. RHS H5† . 2 Euonymus alatus Provides some of the brightest and most reliable autumn reds on a compact shrub – especially in full sun. 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. 3 Monarda ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ A long season of bright-red flowers makes this a really useful component of the Red Borders at Parcevall Hall. It spreads gently to form a healthy clump. 1.2m. RHS H4. 4 Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Brillliant’ Dense clumps of fleshy shoots bear flat heads of chalky pink flowers beloved by late bees and butterflies. Best in full sun. 40cm. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 3a-9b. 5 Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Fontäne’…

Each autumn I treat myself to a varied collection of bulbs so I can indulge my passion for experimenting with flowering combinations of indoor arrangements through the depths of winter. Many of these bulbs can be encouraged into early flowering by adapting techniques perfected by nurseries to manipulate plants to bloom out of season in a process known as forcing. Bulbs are underground storage organs adapted to survive the annual winter chill until conditions for growth become favourable. Triggered by changes in day length and temperature, the biochemical systems controlling a bulb’s growth can simply be tricked into an earlier start with a little shelter from the elements and some gentle bottom heat. Some, however, require an initial drop in temperature to complete their development. This cold spell, known as…

• Beth Chatto Plants and Gardens Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex CO7 7DB. Tel 01206 822007, bethchatto.co.uk • Fernatix Nursery The Old Manse, Norwich Road, Eye, Suffolk IP23 7EN. Tel 01379 678197, mailfernatix.co.uk • Hartside Nursery Garden Nr Alston, Cumbria CA9 3BL. Tel 01434 381372, plantswithaltitude.co.uk • The Palm Centre Ham Central Nursery, Ham Street, Ham, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7HA. Tel 020 8255 6191, palmcentre.co.uk • The Savill Garden* Wick Lane, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey TW20 0UJ. Tel 01753 860222, windsorgreatpark.co.uk • Sizergh Castle and Garden* Sizergh, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 8DZ. Tel 01539 560951, nationaltrust.org.uk/sizergh * National Collection Holder…

Closely wrap an initial layer of capillary fabric around your base (such as buoy or fender) and carefully staple your fabric to itself multiple times so it is snug and secure. Ensure the space for hanging is still accessible. The key detail is to use stainless steel staples to avoid rapid rusting. Next cut strips of matting at least the depth of your deepest plant module and long enough to wrap around the core several times. Attach the matting at one end and then place the plants between the base layer and the additional strip, stapling around the contours of the plant rootball to create pockets as you go. You may attach a number of plants and then cut the fabric, re-angle and continue. If you suspend your sphere at…

FORAGING FOR EDIBLE WILD PLANTS (3RD EDITION) by Gail Harland, Green Books, £12.99 ISBN 978-0857845511 The latest edition of this popular book features over 50 edible wild species and talks you through how to spot and cultivate them. THE HEALTHY GARDEN BOOK by Kathleen Norris Brenzel and Mary-Kate Mackey. Abrams, £21.99 ISBN 978-1419754616 Filled with savvy tips, this useful guide offers ideas on how your garden can benefit your health, happiness and community. RHS GARDENING SCHOOL by Simon Akeroyd and Dr Ross Bayton, Octopus Publishing Group, £20 ISBN 978-1784728106 This revised edition is perfect for both amateur and professional gardeners, with sound advice on how to become a smarter gardener. BEDSIDE COMPANION FOR GARDENERS by Jane McMorland Hunter, Batsford, £20 ISBN 978-1849947138 With an entry for every night of the…

Be sure to check opening times and travel restrictions. Many garden visits will need to be pre-booked. Fergus Garrett and his team have consistently inspired me since I was a young gardener in Dublin. I was brought over to meet Fergus by my then boss in the late 1990s and I have continued to visit a few times a year ever since. The Great Dixter plant fairs are the best in Europe and take place in spring and the first weekend in October. This is also the best time to see Great Dixter’s famous Exotic Garden. Northiam, Rye, East Sussex TN31 6PH. Tel 01797 252878, greatdixter.co.uk Not too far from Great Dixter is another ‘great’ worth a visit at this time of year: Great Comp Garden in Kent. Most years…

First plant love Like many children, I fell in love with cacti and had a windowsill full of prickly friends. I have a few now, and thankfully I understand their watering requirements a little better, rather than giving them too much love. Who has inspired your career the most? This is 100 per cent my grandad. It was because I spent so much time in the garden with my grandparents as a child, that I developed an interest in gardening at a young age, which has always been with me and led to my career change. What did you do before? Prior to moving into horticulture, I was a secondary school music teacher. During school breaks I was taking part in more and more volunteering holidays with the National Trust…

For Thekla Benevello the most important aspect of her garden is the landscape in which it sits. “The environment and the views are stunning – they don’t need embellishment,” she says. “I want the garden around the house to open into the landscape and to merge seamlessly with it.” Thekla’s home in southern Normandy, France, is a collection of the stone buildings – some renovated, some still ruins – of a manor house that dates from the 15th century. The site is on high ground overlooking rolling hills and fertile valleys, next to the River Orne, which meanders back and forth on itself to create small almost-islands in the lush landscape. The first job to be tackled when the property was acquired in 2007 was to reinstate the hedgerows and…

The fantastical, idiosyncratic gardening world of Adam Shepherd is discreetly nurtured within the walls and thick hedges of his sheltered, south Devon smallholding. Venture in though and on the veranda of his renovated farmhouse, you’ll spot giant globes of luxuriant planting suspended from the beams. These living sculptures – perhaps that’s the best way to describe them – slowly rotate in the gentle breeze and everything feels calm and serene. As a London-based garden designer, Adam spent ten years creating sanctuaries for city clients. Initially he was drawn to the technical aspects of design and construction, building many of those first commissions himself. Growing in structural confidence, his portfolio soon included roof gardens and in seeking to use the many vertical planes of his mainly urban sites, he created his…

CONTEMPORARY STYLE Morvah Small Ceiling Hanging Planter, £145 each, Tom Raffield, 01326 722725, tomraffield.com TERRARIUM VIBE Viri Hanging Planter, clear glass, £21.99, medium; £26.99, large, Crocus, 01344 578000, crocus.co.uk MULTI-TEXTURED Burgon & Ball Macramé Hanging Plant Pot, £15, Albert & Moo, 020 8088 8280, albertandmoo.com IDEAL FOR TRAILING Elho B.for Soft Air Hanging Planter, £11.49 each, Crocus, 01344 578000, crocus.co.uk NEUTRAL COLOURS Hanging Cement Plant Holder, £18, Grace & Glory Home, 01271 370095, graceandgloryhome.co.uk COOL CERAMIC Ceramic Hanging Planter, £16.95, small; £26.95, large, Willow & Stone, 01326 311388, willowandstone.co.uk RATTAN Hanging Plant Pot in Rattan, £19.50, Pilea Plant Shop, pileaplantshop.com TERRIFIC TRIO Umbra Triflora Hanging Planter, black/white £50, Beaumonde, beaumonde.co.uk 4-PIECE SET Canopy Hanging Planter Set, £100, LSA Interior, 01932 789721, lsa-international.com…

Rory Dusoir Rory introduces us to the best evergreen ferns, page 56. “Ferns are indispensable foliage plants, more varied and adaptable than might be thought. Evergreen ferns are particularly valuable to gardeners.” Jacky Hobbs Jacky visits a steeply sided plot in Berkshire, page 64. “The garden is really energising. Colour, texture, structure, movement, wildlife and water are all harmonised within a third-of-an-acre plot.” Will Salter Will photographs a Sam Cox-designed Australian garden, page 88. “With Sam’s plant knowledge and creativity, it was a joy to capture a garden that seems to blend into the wild coastal landscape.”…

Name La Queurie. What An informal garden set around a 15th-century French manor house, incorporating an innovative water-treatment system. Where Normandy, France. Size 34 acres. Soil Slightly acidic clay. Climate Mild springs and summers with higher-than-average rainfall and cold winters. Hardiness zone USDA 9. At the rear of the manor’s buildings, beech hedges enclose a vegetable and cutting garden where plants are encouraged to spread and seed themselves around. Here Miscanthus, Japanese anemones and Cephalaria combine to form a luxuriant mass.…

What Ferns are an important group of vascular, non-flowering plants, valued in gardens for their atmospheric and long-lasting foliage. Hardy evergreen ferns retain their foliage throughout winter in temperate regions, making their decorative contribution even more valuable. These ancient plants also have their own language, with their leaves known as fronds and the leaflets pinnae. Fern species are in the main instantly recognisable as a group, but somewhat harder to distinguish from one another. As a result, the specific common names are in general rather dry, with names such as soft shield fern and Korean rock fern. Origins Ferns are global and exist in every climate zone. Hardy evergreens can be found in a variety of temperate regions. Season Evergreen ferns are in display for 12 months of the year.…

Like many members of the Society of Garden Designers (SGD), Lynne Marcus, who became chair of the society in September 2020, came to garden design as a career change. After a degree in politics and sociology she went into manpower planning and research and then moved to human resources, becoming director of HR for a leading firm of accountants in the City of London. When she took a break to have her two children, she realised that she didn’t want to return to corporate life. Having time to appreciate her garden for the first time, she turned her attention to plants and with a friend started up a company providing container gardens, mainly for restaurants. Requests to do local front gardens followed and she was hooked. A correspondence course with…

For For this thiis sphere sphere the the planting planting is is i held held within wiithiin a simple but ingenious steel cage designed by Adam and manufactured by a local Devon steelworker. A drip tray is discreetly held in place underneath, making watering possible over any surface and therefore more suitable for indoor spaces. As the sphere actually rests in the tray it can also re-absorb water from the reserve. Spheres can alternatively be hung over an area of planting or placed over a large bowl, the runoff from watering enjoyed as an integral part of the design. Taking his cue from his much larger living walls, Adam also runs irrigation lines to the spheres and nourishes them hydroponically to reduce watering commitments for busy or absent clients.…

THE FLOWER HUNTER: SEASONAL FLOWERS INSPIRED BY NATURE AND GATHERED FROM THE GARDEN by Lucy Hunter Ryland Peters & Small, £30 ISBN 978-1788793841 Seasonality and self-knowledge are at the heart of this beautiful, inspirational and refreshingly fun book by the floral polymath Lucy Hunter. Reviewer Hannah Gardner is a horticulturist and garden writer. This cross-genre book weaves together the art of gardening, floristry and decorative crafts, encouraging us to slow down and find our own creative voice – to ‘explore those things that truly fascinate you rather than whatever is deemed to be the trend of the moment’. Author Lucy Hunter has a degree in fine art and 20 years’ experience of working as a landscape designer and floral artist around the world, but she treads lightly, wandering around her…

More of a state of mind than a specific destination, ‘upstate’ spans a huge area north of New York City, ending at the Canadian border. The upstate referred to here is limited to a slice of landscape east of the Hudson River, starting in the town of Hudson and flowing about 40 miles south. Peak autumn leaf viewing is mid-October. Heading up Getting out of New York City by public transport can be complicated but Hudson, about 120 miles north of Manhattan, is reachable by direct train. With all the vim and vigour that a traveller might hope to find in an upstate town, Hudson offers a perfect weekend, not least in autumn (better known here as the fall). Start at Kitty’s Market, across the way from the train station,…