Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Late summer into autumn is one of my favourite times of year, and this issue we are enjoying that slide into September with seasonal plants, gorgeous gardens and stories from interesting people. Antique Perennials is a nursery known for its adventurous plant introductions, and now its new display garden offers a living showcase to home gardeners in Australia (page 26). Another first-person account this month comes from designer Adam Woodruff, who reflects on how years of travel and study shaped the design of his special harbour-side garden in New England (page 62). And there are UK gardens too with a stunning outdoor space built for socialising on the Cornish coast, designed by Matt Keightley (page 48); and an accessible, immersive meadow garden in Sussex created by Kristina Clode (page 78).…

With heatwaves and hosepipe bans, it’s safe to say it’s been a tough year for gardeners. The UK had its warmest and sunniest spring since records began, and by August gardens felt autumnal. Climate change is now causing plants to flower a month earlier on average than they did pre-1987, which has a huge impact on the wildlife that relies on them. Admittedly, the hot weather has been good news for insects, triggering a ladybird and butterfly boom. It has also produced a glut of fruit, with apple, apricot and plum trees flourishing after peak spring conditions for blossom. But it’s clear the scorching temperatures have been extremely challenging for gardeners. Annie Reilly (above), who grows flowers in southeast London for her floristry business, Floralkind, plans her sowing schedule so…

25 SEPTEMBER A Taste of Autumn and Spice Join Sarah Smith-Roe for a spicy tasting menu. From £52. 10.30am-3pm. Goldstone Hall Hotel and Gardens, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 2NA. goldstonehallhotel.co.uk 26-28 SEPTEMBER Malvern Autumn Show Find food, flowers and talks from the likes of Monty Don. From £22. 9am-6pm. Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW. malvernautumn.co.uk UNTIL 2 NOVEMBER Sculpture at Hidcote Discover nature-inspired artwork. Free with standard admission. 10am-4pm. Hidcote Bartrim, nr Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6LR. nationaltrust.org.uk For more events this month and throughout summer, scan the QR code with your phone camera or visit gardensillustrated.com/events-and-shows…

Tucked deep into the corners of the garden, hidden under the canopies of acer, apple and magnolias, lie loose piles of leaves. Sweepings from my stone terrace and the garden path, the kitchen steps and the tiny, brick-floored courtyard, these fallen leaves are quietly rotting down into garden gold – the light and airy leaf mould that I will mix with bagged peat-free potting compost and grit, to use in my pots and planters next year. The best time to collect is from now until Christmas, giving the entire winter for the leaves to break down. Here lie cherry and medlar, apple and hazel, greengage and plum. Slowly, they will crumble to a light but rich tilth, a home-made compost to enrich my own garden soil and the commercial compost…

Horticulture is about more than plants. It’s about people and place, exchanging ideas, energy and enthusiasm Earliest garden memory Gardening with my grandfather, who loved his pelargoniums. I can smell them now. First plant love Growing up in the Hampshire countryside, I was captivated early on by ancient and veteran native trees; their seasonal changes, towering habits and enduring presence drew me in and sparked a love for trees. Who inspired your career the most? While working at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, I was fortunate to be mentored by Barry Clarke. His passion for plants, his generosity with people, and the places he took me opened my eyes to the rich and varied world of horticulture. Horticultural heroes The Victorian plant hunters who travelled to far-flung places. They remind me…

IN BRIEF What A coastal garden where structure meets naturalistic planting. Where Massachusetts, USA. Size Around 930 square metres. Soil Custom blended, well-draining, and low in salts. Climate Temperate, maritime, exposed to salty winds and variable weather. Hardiness zone USDA 7a. Redstone Lane is more than my home garden. It’s an experiment shaped by years of designing plant-driven landscapes; a space where art and ecology meet through careful observation, instinct, and a willingness to let go. Perched above a working harbour in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the garden unfolds as a layered response to its surroundings. Designed and planted over several years, it reflects my evolving understanding of naturalistic planting and a desire to reconcile the tension between wildness and order in a domestic landscape. We purchased the property in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2019 that…

Dead hedges, compost cakes, log piles and upright posts with drilled holes all offer habitat for wildlife, while also giving a garden structure, and when repeated, can create a strong visual cadence. They are made from natural, biodegradable materials, often what you already have to hand or what neighbours might be trying to get rid of. Designed ecologies can both look good and do good. At the Horniman Museum in southeast London, head gardener Errol Reuben Fernandes (above) ties lignified, senesced perennials to sweet chestnut posts, allowing them to stand through winter and early spring, providing shelter and egg-laying sites for overwintering invertebrates and creating compelling natural garden structures. Log piles, like those in Nigel Dunnett’s own garden, and dead hedges, such as those within the masterful Generator Garden at…

Derry Watkins Derry shares her secrets for saving seeed, page 72. “Saving your own seed and growing your own plants from the seed you have saved is about the most satisfying thing you can do in the garden.” Rob Cardillo Rob photographs Adam Woodruff’s Massachusetts garden, page 62. “This garden perfectly balances colour and form, revealing a designer who knows that the real art lies in the edit.” Rebecca McMackin Rebecca documents the planting of a Piet Oudolf garden, page 87. “Piet Oudolf is a renowned designer, but his craftsmanship of landscape construction is also brilliant.” 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…

CreateAcademy, the online school that offers a programme of video-based creative courses from a wide range of experts, including Dan Pearson, Sarah Raven and The Land Gardeners, is launching a new course this month. Filmed in Sissinghurst’s garden rooms, woodland and meadows, The Art of Gardening at Sissinghurst with head gardener Troy Scott Smith (above), will introduce you to techniques, planting insights and practical advice from Troy to help you create beauty and structure in your own garden. Beginning in autumn with tips on naturalistic bulb planting in Sissinghurst’s orchard, the course will follow Troy throughout the year as he explains how to lift and divide perennials, re-work border layouts, and prune and train roses. The in-depth course is available from 25 September, and includes more than ten hours of…

The World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) has unveiled the fragrant pink Rosa Gertrude Jekyll (= ‘Ausbord’) as the world’s favourite rose for 2025. The ballot, which has recorded the most-loved cultivars every three years since 1968, involved rose enthusiasts from 40 countries, who gathered in Japan to discover the winner. Rosa Gertrude Jekyll, named after the celebrated Victorian horticulturist, can be grown as a medium shrub or short climber. It was first introduced by David Austin at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 1986 and has remained a favourite ever since. davidaustinroses.co.uk…

ROSA X ODORATA ‘MUTABILIS’ If I could grow only one rose, this would be it. Fine, coppery foliage on thornless stems form a wiry, many-limbed shrub. Small, tapered buds are held in loose sprays and open into single flowers of soft buff-apricot, which age through clear-pink to cerise. It has three main flowerings, but is rarely out of flower for the duration of the growing season. Eventually attaining some size, it needs support or even wall training and always performs better in a warm, sheltered position. No perfume, but such constancy of flower and innate grace are more than compensation. AGM*. Height and spread 1.8m x 1.5m. Origin China. Conditions A warm position in fertile soil; full sun. Hardiness RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b. Season of interest April – November. PENNISETUM MACROURUM The African feather…

I love a challenge,” says Clare Matterson, which is lucky. Since she took over as director general of the RHS in 2022, times have been tough. Roadworks have cost an estimated £11 million in lost revenue at the RHS flagship Wisley garden, and The Newt’s headline sponsorship of the Chelsea Flower Show has come to a (scheduled) end before a new sponsor has been announced– although, at time of going to press, there were reports of ‘exciting and unexpected’ conversations taking place – while opposing factions mutter variously about both elitism and wokeism. Add to that the existential question of how to run a non-profit organisation in the modern world, and she’s had an interesting time. “Finances have been a particular challenge, and I won’t apologise for our commercial activities.…

Imagine planting 37,000 perennials, laid out in a tapestry of matrix plantings, block groupings and shaded woodlands, while also dodging excavators on an active construction site. It’s business as usual for Piet Oudolf and his team as they lay out his latest masterwork, Calder Gardens a new multi-layered cultural space in Philadelphia. This 1.8-acre landscape is in conversation with a new, low building with a tapered metal façade, and many works by renowned artist Alexander Calder that will rotate over time. The garden is unusual in its breadth and stature, cloaking the entire site, and in no way a backdrop to the architecture or sculpture. On a hot day in June this year, Piet and his plant team arrived on the site to oversee installation, conducting percolation tests, co-ordinating plant…

Steep rises in prices over recent years have made garden budgeting harder, but it is still possible to create a thoughtful, considered space that is a joy to be in. Start with clarity, and avoid long wish lists; just pick your top three priorities to stay focused. Sketching over photographs is an excellent way to visualise ideas in context. Whether using tracing paper or apps such as Morpholio Trace, start mapping out how you want to use the garden. Making changes in phases is often the most practical route and what we do in the studio to manage budgets. It might focus on hard materials at first, or the least accessible areas, and work out from there. This spreads the cost and helps you really understand the nuances of the…

GEOMETRIC Ecology Outdoor Rug, black, from £29.90, The Rugs, the-rugs.com SWEDISH STYLE Faro Sky Blue Rug, from £370, Weaver Green, 01548 431902, weavergreen.com COLOURFUL POP Outdoors Rug, dark green, from £55, Dunelm, dunelm.com TEXTURED Akalla Outdoor Rug, £145, Cox & Cox, 0330 333 2123, coxandcox.co.uk REVERSIBLE Furn Mustard Tocorico Outdoor Rug, £18, Next, 0333 777 8000, next.co.uk RECYCLED MATERIALS Varia Trellis Outdoor Rug, royal blue, from £149, Ruggable, ruggable.co.uk TROPICAL Wylder Hawaii Outdoor Washable Rug, green, £50, Furn, 0113 543 1381, furn.com MONOCHROME Global Outdoor Rug, £15, Habitat, 0345 640 2020, habitat.co.uk HAND WOVEN Garden Layers Rug Diagonal Almond Blue, £1,299, Heals, 0333 212 1915, heals.com To find more outdoor rugs, scan the QR code with your phone camera or head to gardensillustrated.com/rugs…

THE MODERN JAPANESE GARDEN by Stephen Mansfield Thames & Hudson, £50 ISBN 978-0500026243 An overview of the most iconic and influential gardens in Japan, on a large and small scale. Includes the history of the Japanese garden, and analysis of the contemporary gardens of Japan’s corporate buildings, museums, hotels and public spaces. LITERARY GARDENS by Sandra Lawrence Frances Lincoln, £19.99 ISBN 978-1836002208 From The Secret Garden and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to The Importance of Being Earnest and Daphne Du Maurier’s Gothic romance Rebecca, 30 very different literary works that all celebrate gardens are explored and their fictional spaces brought to life through Lucille Clerc’s illustrations. LASTING IMPRESSIONS: A GUIDE TO DRIED FLORAL DESIGN FEATURING MORE THAN 50 ARRANGEMENTS by Tennessee Jane Artisan, £25 ISBN 978-1648294044 Easy-to-follow guides from the…

There’s a front garden I pass that always stops me in my tracks. It contains grasses, erigeron, a large silver birch and a water trough. Large clumps of rosemary spill onto the pavement. It doesn’t have railings, a wall or hedge. It feels like a garden its owners see in the same way wildlife might – space for everyone. I have many favourite plants in front gardens across London: a gnarled, leggy Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ spilling over a low wall in Camberwell; a monkey puzzle tree monopolising a tiny space in Hackney; and a waterfall of Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ in Islington are just a few. I want to see into everyone’s front gardens. They can disclose so much about the gardener while also contributing to the making of a community (human…

• Hylotelephiums thrive in sunny sites. They will flower well in areas shaded from the side by a fence or wall, but not if shaded from overhead by trees. • Plant in spring, improving both heavy clay soil and well-drained sandy soil with organic matter. In many soils, the stems are self-supporting, but a wire mesh frame, or canes looped round with twine, will provide unobtrusive support if needed. Avoid planting in rich soils. Soil that is starved is also unsuitable but can easily be improved with the addition of organic matter. In rich soil, growth will tend to be soft and weak and may collapse outwards. • As they grow, the less attractive lower part of the stems can look bare. This can be disguised by snipping back the…

• Draw the outline of the garden on squared paper and divide it up into areas with regular shapes that will be easier on the eye. Here, Matt set the plan on a grid, with a series of interconnected rectangles forming the dining and seating areas, and hot tub and shower area. • Set your main seating areas where people will view the garden along its longest axis, which will make it look and feel bigger. • Level up uneven ground with decking that can be built up to create usable surfaces. • Disguise irregular-shaped boundaries with planting beds around your outdoor rooms. Here, Matt used a set of triangular beds, with the longest side along the hedge and the other sides facing into the garden, and forming two edges…

Suppliers Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens Tel 01206 822007, bethchatto.co.uk Edulis Tel 07802 812781, edulis.co.uk Great Dixter Nursery Tel 01797 254044, shop.greatdixter.co.uk  Pan Global Plants Tel 01452 741641, panglobalplants.com The Plantsman’s Preference Tel 01379 710810, plantpref.co.uk Special Plants Nursery Tel 01225 891686, specialplants.net How to achieve the look Container and composition This antique terracotta French confiturn doesn’t have any drainage holes, but I’m happy to make such a simple arrangement for just a few weeks. The urn’s opening is quite narrow, and out of it the leggy Pelargonium sidoides emerges like a Louise Bourgeois spider; its jointed flower stems touching down around the base. The radiant green of the single aeonium rosette acts as a restful focal point and is positioned just on the rim of the urn. The whole…

Why did you write this book? It was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s 5 Ingredients book. Jamie’s got such a beautiful way of simplifying and demystifying cooking, and I wanted to do a similar book for gardening. There are so many different plants and so many complications around what grows together before you even get to what will look good. The book has the ingredients on the left, and the finished ‘recipe’ on the right. All the combinations are good for growing in pots as well as borders. What one piece of advice from the book would you most like to share? The book features combinations of two to seven plants. I think my favourites are the simplest. The combination of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ and Agastache ‘Blackadder’ is really strong. What…