Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Green shoots and colourful flowers are much needed in our lives, and now that spring is in full swing, we can once more revel in gardens and plants galore. It’s Easter this month and for many this is the moment we venture into our gardens for any length of time and plan for the seasons ahead with a sense of optimism and intent. To help us nurture new shoots, we begin a new practical series with head gardener Benjamin Pope (page 24). His seasonal advice spans the kitchen, flower and ornamental gardens. Green is the colour when it comes to our cover garden. This small courtyard, designed by George Cullis (page 68), uses a palette of green tones, textures and plant types to enfold and soothe. On a larger scale,…

Life works From intricate botanical illustrations of bromelaids found high in the Amazonian rain forest to stereographic panoramas of the New Forest in Hampshire, the 2022 RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show at the Saatchi Gallery in west London features a diverse range of images that capture the beauty of the natural world. Alongside paintings of garden favourites and macro photography, showing details such as tiny holly parachute fungi (Marasmius hudsonii), will be works that explore the ecological and economic significance of many familiar fruits and flowers. All entries for this annual exhibition, held in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, go through a rigorous pre-selection process that assesses each work’s scientific accuracy, technical skill and aesthetic appeal. 9-29 April. saatchigallery.com…

APRIL 2-3 April Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show, UK Specialist nurseries. 10am-4pm. £15. Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7JE. Tel 07530 920585, cornwallgardensociety.org.uk 21-24 April Harrogate Spring Flower Show, UK Spring gardens. Thursday to Saturday, 9.30am-5.30pm; Sunday, 9.30am-4.30pm. From £18. Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG2 8NZ. Tel 01423 648212, flowershow.org.uk 29-30 April Toby’s Garden Festival, UK Annual garden celebration. 10am-5pm. From £12. Powderham Castle, Kenton, nr Exeter, Devon EX6 8JQ. Tel 07561 261615, tobygardenfest.co.uk 29 April – 1 May Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, UK Garden inspiration, advice and shopping. 9.30am-5pm. From £15. Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire SO42 7ZN.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/spring-fair MAY 5-8 May RHS Malvern Spring Festival, UK Gardens, flowers, food and crafts. 9am-6pm. From £19.85. Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW. Tel 0344 338 5400, rhsmalvern.co.uk…

TULIPA ‘BROWN SUGAR’ Hybrid tulips are a staple for spring colour in the flower garden. Their variety is their greatest charm and by using a mix of cultivars you can achieve a display from late March until the end of May. Most will only give a decent display for a year or two but a handful work well as perennials, performing reliably year after year. This is a particularly lovely Triumph tulip with a gorgeous scent, which we have used in one border at Gravetye for six years, and every spring it looks as good as the last. Best used in mixed borders among herbaceous perennials, its coppery-bronze colour works well with the purple of Tulipa ‘Negrita’. Height and spread 30cm x 10cm. Origin Garden. Conditions Well-drained soil; full sun.…

Great gardeners are technicians. A garden is only as good as the design and a design is only as good as the gardener First plant love Farm hedgerows. These species-rich boundaries were my source of adventure, forage and inspiration. I didn’t realise it at the time but daily exposure to seasonal changes on a plant community of different characters introduced me to ideas such as succession or layered planting long before I’d heard of those terms. Have you always been a gardener I started growing vegetables aged eight, and horticulture has been a part of my life ever since. At school my favourite subjects were science, PE and art. Gardening allows me to combine all three – a physical art built upon solid scientific principles. Who are your horticultural heroes…

• Propagation of polygonatums is easy by division or seed. I collect the ripe berries in autumn, clean them and sow them fresh. They then need a period of winter cold for germination to take place. In spring they will form a small rhizome under the compost and throw up a shoot in the second year. • The fastest way to propagate them is by division in spring – just as growth is about to start. Carefully dig up the rhizomes – do be careful not to break them. I lay them out on my potting bench where I cut up the rhizomes into 7cm lengths. They don’t have to have the growing point at the tip for the rhizome to grow into new plants. They will have dormant buds…

BECKY CROWLEY Becky is a garden maker, flower grower and flower artist, previously responsible for the cut flowers at Chatsworth. This selection includes muted and dusky tones that feel particularly well suited to summer’s transition into autumn. I’m imagining them as a table arrangement, low enough to see the person sitting opposite. A chicken-wire ball in the vase will help give the stems enough support to lean outwards without falling flat, and the wiggly tendencies of both the nasturtium and Californian poppy will provide movement and softness. 1 Rudbeckia hirta Sahara seed mix These are reliable and robust cut flowers that provide lots of stems in late summer and autumn. 60cm. RHS H3, USDA 3a-8b† . 2 Dahlia ‘April Heather’ Dahlias are incredibly generous with their flowers, blooming from August…

• Play elements don’t have to be ugly. Sadie, aged seven, and Maris four, love their stylish hideaway in this garden, but it also ties in with the studio decking and planting. Aim to style Wendy houses, climbing frames and other equipment to suit your overall aesthetic. • Only the very youngest of children want to play near the house – position hideaways so it takes a journey through the garden to reach them. • Children are fascinated by birds, butterflies and insects, so a wildlife-friendly garden is also a family-friendly garden. • Look for unexpected opportunities to introduce fun, such as in this garden with the slide down the basement stairs (see next page). • Plan your planting scheme for maximum seasonal variation so that young visitors will engage…

MODERN DRIED FLOWERS: OVER 20 EVERLASTING PROJECTS TO CRAFT, STYLE, KEEP AND SHARE by Angela Maynard White Lion Publishing, £16.99 ISBN 978-0711257030 An inspiring dried flower-arranging workshop in book form, considering the floral art as well as the what, where and how-to. Reviewer Rosanna Morris is a freelance writer. As our enthusiasm for longer-lasting and sustainable dried flower arrangements continues to flourish unbridled, author and florist Angela Maynard has produced the latest book on the subject. A recent glut of books on this type of floral art could risk repetition or oversaturation, but the genre has expanded beyond wreaths and mobiles and this book serves to complement, enhance and ground our interest in decorative dried botanicals. This is probably not the book for you if you want information on what…

• Advice from Binny Plants on finding the perfect peony • Ecologically diverse planting in a Cornish garden • A small city garden where the packed borders complement a striking feature wall • A classic country garden developed over 20 years by designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd PLUS our essential guide to the gardens and plants to look out for at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show ON SALE 3 MAY 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.…

Benjamin Pope Benjamin begins a new seasonal gardening series, page 24. “The seasons are what keep gardening fresh. I love how each month brings new plants to grow and produce to pick.” Cel Robertson Cel recommends plants for a cutting garden, page 86. “I loved choosing this selection of cut flowers; colour, texture and scent come together for a considered arrangement.” Joanna Kossak Joanna photographs a family-friendly garden, page 100. “While photographing this harmoniously connected space over two levels I felt I had as much fun as the kids playing around.”…

Be sure to check opening times. Some garden visits may need to be pre-booked For the past 12 years designer and plantsman Matthew Reese has been head gardener at Malverleys. Over that time he’s developed the 14-acre garden into a horticultural masterpiece, blending beautiful architecture with romantic informality. The planting style, which Matthew describes as “classical English flower gardening with a modern outlook” is inspirational at any time of year but is especially interesting in late spring. Matthew uses tulips so well, creating some of the best displays I have ever seen. Tours of this private garden can be arranged for groups of up to 40 by appointment and it also opens occasionally for the National Garden Scheme including on 5 May. Malverleys Gardens, East End, Hampshire RG20 0AA.malverleys.co.uk The…

Using a limited colour palette is an excellent way of ensuring cohesion in a small garden. In this garden, George opted for a predominantly green and soft grey scheme, albeit with a huge amount of variation in the greens, which stretch from lime to apple and viridian. About 70 per cent of the plants – Magnolia grandiflora ‘Praecox’, Malus ‘Evereste’ and repeated plantings of Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ for example – were chosen for structure and, of these, around 40 per cent are evergreen, ensuring there is interest year round, vital in a garden as small as this. Throughout the garden, George has planted in layers. Low-growing plants including Hakonechloa macra and European wild ginger (Asarum europaeum) spill over the edges of the planting beds, softening the overall effect. A…

• C & K Jones Tel 01829 740663, jonestherose.co.uk • Chiltern Seeds Tel 01491 824675, chilternseeds.co.uk • Crocus Tel 01344 578000, crocus.co.uk • Green & Gorgeous Tel 07977 445041, greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk • Halls of Heddon Tel 01661 85244, hallsofheddon.com • Nicky’s Nursery Tel 01843 600972, nickys-nursery.co.uk • Plants of Distinction Tel 01449 721720, plantsofdistinction.co.uk • Sarah Raven Tel 0345 092 0283, sarahraven.com • Special Plants Tel 01225 891686, specialplants.net • Thompson & Morgan Tel 0844 573 1818, thompson-morgan.com • Woottens of Wenhaston Tel 01502 478258, woottensplants.com 90 GARDENSILLUSTRATED.COM APRIL 2022…

The design brief When Quincy and Lock Kresler moved with their two young daughters to Clapham, south London, they loved almost everything about their new home except the garden. “In our opinion, it had an over-designed and quite brutal layout,” says Quincy. Her mother is a floral designer and keen gardener in her native USA, and Quincy now wants her own daughters to have similar opportunities to play in a beautiful natural space. “The existing garden was a series of harsh squares, with a large concrete island in the centre and a dark and hidden artificial grass play section at the back,” she says. “We wanted to soften the design into a modern English garden with an emphasis on year-round texture and colour.” They called on Filippo Dester from the…

FANCY FENCING Round Border Edging, L 1.14m x H 36cm, £34.99 for pack of 3, Agriframes, 0117 934 1790, agriframes.co.uk SLEEK STONE Arcadian Straight Lawn Edging, portland, L 45cm x H 9cm, £22 each, Haddonstone, 01604 770711, haddonstone.co.uk BLENDING BEAUTY Campanula Garden Border Edging, L 60cm x H 40cm, £13.99, Crocus, 01344 578000, crocus.co.uk STRONG EDGE Titan Mini Steel Edging, brown, L 1.15m x H 15cm, £36.29, EverEdge, 01630 417120, everedge.co.uk DECORATIVE DETAIL Rose and Thistle Decorative Edging, black, L 22.5cm, £4.80 each, Gardenstone, 01978 711017, gardenstone.co.uk FLEXIBLE EDGE Gothic Rust Edging Hoops, L 40cm x H 40cm, £21 for 6, Harrod Horticultural, 0333 400 1500, harrodhorticultural.com TWISTS AND TURNS Twisted Edging Hoops, L 40cm x H 35cm, £31.50 for set of 6, Leander, 01773 550495, leanderplantsupports.co.uk NATURAL CHARM Woven…

James Basson James lives in the South of France where he runs Scape Design, a practice 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. She lives…

Weed prevention As garden plants come into growth, so do weeds, and catching any undesirables now will save you time later in the year. Mulch or hoe borders and bare soil to prevent annual weeds, and hand weed perennial species. Feed containers To promote healthy growth, top dress containers with fresh compost or feed with an organic option such as seaweed. Or make your own liquid feed with comfrey and nettle. Prepare for summer containers Plan your summer container schemes now, ordering any seeds or plants. I often use cuttings of pelargoniums, plectranthus and salvias, although small plugs can be bought now and grown on for planting out next month. Prune mophead hydrangeas To maintain shape and size, and encourage flowering, remove old flowers, lightly pruning to the first or…

What Rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial with arching stems and bell-shaped flowers that are usually white and green and sometimes followed by berries. Commonly known as Solomon’s seal. Origins Asia Europe and North America. Season Flowering in late spring and summer. The foliage is good from early spring to autumn. Size 10cm-2m. Conditions Moist, rich but well-drained soil in dappled shade. Some are epiphyte or lithophyte, and grow on trees or rocks. Hardiness Depends on species but most are hardy for UK gardens. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given where available.…

When Chris Crowder was being interviewed for the job of head gardener at Levens Hall, he was asked how long he envisaged staying in the post. “Forty years,” he said half-jokingly. He’s now just four years away from fulfilling his ambition. Why has Chris never felt the need to move to pastures new? “For me Levens is the ideal garden. It’s an old place but it’s a living place,” he explains. “The owners live here and are supportive, but they’re not driving the garden’s development.” VISITORS NOW SEE THROUGH A CAMERA LENS, SO I TRY TO PRESENT THE GARDEN AS A SERIES OF MINI PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES When he applied for the job at the age of 23, Chris was drawn to the garden’s heritage. Levens is well known for being…

From the moment we wake up each morning, we are making decisions that affect our wellbeing and our environment. Many of them may not seem to make much impact, but collectively they have the capacity to do great good. As a landscape architect of 20 years, I make design decisions every day, and early on in my career I sometimes wished I’d had better information to help make those choices and to explain them to my clients. Over time, I have developed an approach that is part practical and part spiritual. I listen to the land and the people who live there, and each time aim to create somewhere that is both beautiful and nurturing, for the people and for all the other beings that share the space, from deep…

1 Brassica oleracea var. italica ‘Early Purple Sprouting’ Saving their own seed is fundamental to how Sue and Ian grow at Nant-y-Bedd, and they allow some brassica flowers to set seeds for planting the following year. 90cm x 60cm. 2 Iris sibirica Sue loves this iris for its spring strip of vibrant blue in one of the garden’s boggy areas. 90cm x 40cm. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b† . 3 Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ This decorative cow parsley adds frothy umbellifers for pollinators. Sue uses it throughout the potager and in containers with spring bulbs. 1m x 60cm. RHS H6. 4 Saxifraga ‘Knapton Pink’ A spreading evergreen perennial that produces masses of rose-pink flowers above mounds of fresh-green foliage. 20cm x 25cm. 5 Galium odoratum A magnet for bees and other insects,…

KEY FACTS Where South London. Size 6.5m x 26m. Soil London clay, improved in previous design work. FUN FOR NOW The pretty spielhaus, designed and built by Garden Club London, is a nod to Quincy’s childhood playhouse on Nantucket Island. The stilted structure is underplanted with a decorative selection of ferns. It has been designed so it can easily be removed without disrupting the surrounding garden when Quincy’s daughters outgrow its attractions. IN THE NIGHT GARDEN Garden lighting can be roughly divided into two types – the atmospheric and the utilitarian. In both cases, it’s best to keep it as soft and subtle as the situation will allow. “No one needs floodlights in their garden,’’ says Filippo. “Here we washed light up several significant trees and spread subtle pools of…

South African designer-maker Shannon Clegg has called her extraordinary series of shaped floral forms Bouquet. Like a traditional bouquet, they are made entirely of plant material, but unlike their namesake, the flowers are skilfully moulded into an elegant vessel form, which allows them to stand alone without a vase to distract from their natural beauty. She says, “I want the pieces to look as though I have just grabbed a bunch of flowers and pulled them out of the ground.” The flower forms evolved as a result of Shannon’s interest in biophilic design, a concept that explores the way objects can enhance people’s wellbeing by indirectly connecting them to nature. “I was trying to work out how I could develop something new that would create a natural experience within the…

THE ORNAMENTAL WILDERNESS IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN by James Bartos, Unicorn Publishing Group, £30, ISBN 978-1914414350 A poignant read that details how the concept of wilderness helped shape the formal English garden during the 17th and 18th centuries. 50 GREAT TREES OF THE NATIONAL TRUST by Simon Toomer, The National Trust, £10, ISBN 978-0707804613 A collection of 50 beautiful trees with detailed, informative information and stunning images exploring each example. CITY VEG: INSPIRATION FROM AN URBAN GARDEN by Cinead McTernan, Bloomsbury Wildlife, £20, ISBN 978-1472987846 Get inspired to grow your own organic produce in a small, city space and pick up lots of helpful tips along the way. THE VERTICAL VEG GUIDE TO CONTAINER GARDENING by Mark Ridsdill Smith, Chelsea Green Publishing Co, £26, ISBN 978-1645020790 Make the most of…

As Cole Porter sings in I Love Paris, the city is not just lovable in the springtime but during all the seasons, especially for visitors. It’s fun to be a tourist in Paris, just as it is in New York; you can be as clichéd as you like and the city will rise up to meet you, with an overabundance of beauty, flavours and inspiration. Scenic route The parks of Paris are often an amuse-bouche for the ticketed attraction; the Jardin du Palais Royal, on the way to the Comédie-Française, for instance, is a lesson in baroque grandeur, with endless cuboids of lime trees supported on narrow trunks. The Tuileries, designed by André Le Nôtre, will get you to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Jeu de Paume, or the…