Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Spring is on its way at last and this issue we are revelling in the start of the new growing season with beautiful seasonal gardens, planting and design insights, and interesting ideas. From Doddington Place, a historic garden in Kent (page 30), to an enchanting terraced garden in Ibiza by designer Juan Masedo (page 88), and the small, urban back garden of designer Arjan Boekel in the Netherlands (page 68), there is inspiration aplenty for all sizes and styles of garden. We also visit nurseryman John Massey's own garden (page 52), filled with wonderful spring displays, and White House Farm, where flowering shrubs and trees put on an exceptional show at this time of year (page 80). We're delighted to start our new Pots of Style series this month too…

20-31 MARCH Festival of Blossom Admire magnolias, fruit trees and other spring flowers at Agatha Christie's former home. 10.30am-4pm. From £16.15. Greenway, Greenway Road, Brixham, Devon TQ5 0ES. Tel 01803 843235, nationaltrust.org.uk 21 MARCH Abstract Floral Painting Workshop Take floral painting to a new level on this workshop. 2-4pm. £35. Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS. chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk 22 MARCH Forest Bathing Take a meditative woodland walk and learn relaxation techniques. 10.30am12pm. From £19.80. Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HR. Tel 0370 333 1181, englishheritage.org.uk…

Dr Chris Thorogood is a man who looks very closely at things. This is apparent in his extraordinary botanical art, of which the hyperreal detail is breath-taking. But spend a little time in his company and you realise that this intense looking runs like a philosophical seam through all that he does. “I'd like us to move away from just seeing plants as a green backdrop, and move towards a place where we appreciate them for their own sake, not something to use or wipe out, but to care deeply for,” he says. As a child he was drawn to “all kinds of living things, particularly ugly ones”. All his life he has kept pet common toads in his garden. “They all have distinct personalities,” he says; an explanation you…

We know that gardens and green spaces are important for our health and wellbeing, but it turns out that their impact isn't restricted to simply keeping us healthy. When we have been unwell or injured, gardens can be invaluable in our recovery. Modern healthcare is rediscovering the rich heritage of ancient wisdom that dates back to therapies used in medieval monasteries, and even earlier. I love this 900-year-old quote from St Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the leading lights of the early Cistercian monastic order, and a founding father of horticultural therapy: ‘The sick man sits upon the green lawn… he is secure, shaded from the heat of the day. For the comfort of his pain all kinds of grass are fragrant in his nostrils. The lovely green of herb…

As with many children of horticultural parents, my sister and I developed a love for plants at a young age – picking up snails in the garden with our mother, and running around our grandfather's allotment eating strawberries. Inspired by this earthy upbringing, I went on to study horticulture, while my sister Alice developed our plant shop, Forest. As this venture grew, so did our fascination and love for houseplants, so we began experimenting with propagation, and took our time researching and reading about the origins of our favourite plants, and how best to keep them at home, based on their natural habitat. Since then, the houseplant trend has boomed, and our customers have an ever-expanding interest in unusual cultivars (Alocasia variegata ‘Polly’ is a current favourite), propagation, terrariums and…

Huw Morgan Huw photographs our March plants, page 18. “Photographing the plants at Hillside was a gratifying opportunity for repeated close observation that is often lacking day to day.” Rhoda Parry Rhoda visits Doddington Place in Kent, page 30. “It's a delightful and poignant family garden; honouring memories and determined to make new ones.” Richard Wilford Richard shares his enthusiasm for lewisias and recommends the best to grow, page 42. “I love lewisias for their colourful flowers that soften a stone wall or fill awkward cracks and crevices.” CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Charlotte Harris Charlotte co-founded the values-driven landscape design practice Harris Bugg Studio with Hugo Bugg in 2017. She has won three Gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as Best Show Garden in 2023. Fergus Garrett Fergus…

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.…

Plant lewisias in a location where excess rain can easily drain away. You can plant them vertically in the gaps in a stone wall or at the top of a wall with the rosettes at an angle to avoid water collecting in the crown of the plant. If you have a rock garden, you can plant them between rocks in the same way. You can also grow them in pots of free-draining soil. They like a sunny position but do best when sheltered from the hot, midday summer sun. Early spring and autumn are ideal times to plant lewisias. You can plant lewisias bought in pots at any time, but avoid hot, dry days and cold, wet conditions. In spring they will just be starting into growth and in autumn…

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.…

To stroll around Maurice Foster's undulating hillside garden in Kent in springtime is to take a lesson not only in botany and horticulture but also in geography. Prize magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias flower at every turn of the grassy paths and this master plantsman can tell you a tale about any one of them. In the 52 years that he has been assembling his unrivalled collection of woody plants, Maurice has travelled widely on plant-hunting expeditions to remote areas of western China, northern Pakistan, Bhutan, Mongolia, Japan, Tasmania and Aotearoa New Zealand, and many details of these trips are fresh in his mind as he describes the provenance of particular specimens. White House Farm lies east of Sevenoaks, on a broad ridge about 150 metres above sea level. “Wind is…

SALIX CANDIDA One of the last shrubby willows to catkin here at Hillside. A strong grower from North America, where it forms a fastgrowing, rounded shrub, it responds well to biennial pruning and is useful in a damp spot but adaptable to a drier site. Offering bright-green shoots and plentiful silver catkins the size of broad beans, it is much loved by bees when the catkins rupture to a halo of primrose-yellow anthers. Its sage-green leaves are downy and light absorbing. Grown here on moist slopes where plants are happy among the giant horsetail. Height and spread 2.5m x 2.5m. Origin North America. Conditions Moisture-retentive soil; full sun to part shade. Hardiness RHS H5, USDA 2a-6b. Season of interest Spring for catkins. CALTHA PALUSTRIS The marsh marigold is happiest with its feet in liquid…

I like to feel the weather on my skin. The energising prickle of cold on a late winter's day. The shaft of early spring sunshine, moving my jobs of the moment according to the sun's rays. Even a light shower can spur me on, pushing me to get a job done before the rain properly sets in. I wrap up against the weather only when absolutely necessary. I would rather shiver while pruning the roses than be stifled by a padded anorak. Most days, you will find me pottering about in an old and voluminous moss-green cardigan, threads pulled, holes in its cuffs, but a true friend. But on a cold, wet spring day, some proper protection is needed, and that is when the old coats prove their worth. The…

Gardening is a creative vocation. Have fun, be adventurous, try different colour combinations and don't be afraid to make mistakes Earliest garden memory Summer days in my granddad's small back garden. He had fruit trees and a greenhouse full of tomatoes; their distinctive scent reminds me of him. First plant love Sempervivum. When I was younger a neighbour had pots full of them and kindly showed me how to take cuttings. I was fascinated with how easily they could carpet the top of a pot. Who has inspired your career the most? Carol Klein. I watched her series Life in a Cottage Garden on repeat for her infectious love of plants and artistic approach. Who are your horticultural heroes and why? Gertrude Jekyll because I love her application of colour theory…

CROWNING GLORY The flora in Benton End's walled garden has dwindled since the time artist-plantsman Cedric Morris gardened here. Yet one of the persistent and surviving plants, which still appears exotic today, is the crown imperial fritillary. These chunkystemmed plants rise through late-winter, flowering as soon as the season shifts, when they become a blazing statement. Morris painted both yellow- and orange-flowered cultivars among tulips and wood spurge in his 1934 work Easter Bouquet. How to achieve the look Container and composition I found this galvanised water tank tumbled down a hedge bank, covered in brambles, on a countryside project I worked on several years ago. The landowners kindly let me take it, and I've created many plantings in it since. I like to try short-term displays in a container…

1 Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana This unusual small tree or large shrub prefers neutral to acid soil. In spring, yellow flowers with showy white bracts appear on bare branches before the glossy, deep-green foliage unfurls. Height and spread: 6m x 4m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-7b†. 2 Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ Offering a long season of interest, this purple-leaved wood spurge produces long-lasting, acid-yellow flowers for many weeks from spring to summer. The foliage is evergreen, offering interest in winter, too. 75cm x 50cm. RHS H6, USDA 6a-8b. 3 Pachyphragma macrophyllum A tough, shade-tolerant perennial, the round, scallop-edged, green foliage may persist over winter in sheltered areas. In spring, showy heads of small, white flowers appear on slender stems. 40cm x 60cm. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b. 4 Anemone blanda The daisy-like flowers of this…

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.…

*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.…

While back gardens are for private enjoyment, the front is a place for people; an act of gardening altruism. It gives a little daily injection of joy, not only for us but also to passers-by and wildlife – a small contribution to the environment, and a way to minimise our impact on infrastructure. My own London front garden is tiny, but I love every inch of it, not just as a practical and planted place, but as a shared source of happiness. We make every inch count. Lockdown had its ups and downs, but one of the positives for us was how it reset our use of the front garden: folding chairs, a bottle of wine and visits from friends. There can be a gentle sociability to gardening here (and…

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HOW TO DESIGN A GARDEN by Pollyanna Wilkinson DK, £22 ISBN 978-0241648810 The award-winning designer explains all the steps you need to work through to create your dream garden, from making early mood boards to creating timeless plant combinations. The book also contains month-by-month growing guides to help you to nurture your garden for years to come. THE BOOK OF GARDEN FLOWERS by Angie Lewin and Christopher Stocks Thames & Hudson, £16.99 ISBN 978-0500027073 Following on from The Book of Wild Flowers, painter and printmaker Angie Lewin and writer Christopher Stocks celebrate 19 garden flowers grown in the British Isles, including artichokes, tulips, dahlias and hellebores. The text explores their journeys from around the globe to our flowerbeds, and Angie's illustrations highlight the beauty of each one. BOSCO VERTICALE by…

What prompted you to write this new book? During Covid we had to close our garden school. Mrs Frost was really poorly and in hospital for 11-12 weeks and I was juggling that with four kids at home. There were times when Monty Don couldn't film, so I had to record ‘Hello, welcome to Gardeners’ World’ in the morning, then run off to the hospital at lunchtime. Then I was shut in a room with Covid for ten days. Next thing, I was sat in front of a psychiatrist with depression and burnout. We talked about everything from my childhood to where I am now, and why plants and gardens have played such a big part in my life. So I suppose that's why I wrote it. I sat down…

APRIL • Expert Claire Austin recommends the best tree peonies • An eclectic new garden near Naples in Italy • Terrific tulip displays at Morton Hall • A romantic, country garden around a Georgian house • How to design a small urban garden for interest all year round PLUS Dan Pearson's top plants for April, designer advice on creating a sense of privacy in your garden, and the mollusc-proof plants that slugs and snails won't eat ON SALE 2 APRIL 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.…

I have a somewhat relaxed attitude to gardening; I define my own garden as wildlife-friendly. Unfortunately, my neighbours are not garden lovers of any persuasion. A letter from my local council informing me of their complaint that windfall apples and a compost bin at my premises ‘could be providing potential food or harbourage for pests’ was a sad reminder of how disconnected from the natural world many people have become. What hope is there for the future of gardens, when a tiny apple tree warrants a formal complaint? Whatever approach to gardens you may take, if you have a green space, you are the custodian of habitat, and this is important for the wildlife it supports, the people who enjoy it and the wider environment. As Jennifer Owen showed through…