Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i The English Garden

Hermione McCosh Hermione photographs portraits and weddings all over the UK and worldwide. She is drawn to golden light in the evenings and natural beauty. She shoots the gardens at Dalemain on page 70. Sally Nex Sally is a garden writer and professional gardener based in Somerset. Her first book, Growing Self-Sufficiency, is out in September. She visits Church Farm Cottage on page 32. Lynn Keddie Lynn has been a professional garden photographer for 17 years but she is also a contemporary artist. Her work is widely published and her photos of Dianthus feature on page 117.…

RAMSTER GARDENS Ramster Gardens is a unique woodland garden of more than 20 acres, and has opened consecutively for the NGS for 90 years. A Japanese influence is evident throughout the garden, with an avenue of Acer dissectum, now over 100 years old, ornamental stone lanterns, and large plantings of bamboos. While maintaining the essence of the original design, Ramster moves on to new projects and plantings. In May the garden is full of rhododendrons, azaleas and bluebells which make exploring this charming haven a pleasing experience. The gardens will open for the National Garden Scheme on Friday 12 May, 10am–5pm. Admission is £7 for adults, children free. Ramster, Chiddingfold, Surrey, Surrey, GU8 4SN. Find more gardens at ngs.org.uk…

• Keep an eye out for emerging damselfly larvae which begin to emerge from ponds at this time of year. Damselflies burst out of a larval case before pumping and drying their wings to complete their transformation. • Many butterflies will return to the UK in May, so include some butterfly-friendly plants, such as ivy and Sedum to your garden. • Encourage visiting birds by attaching a nest box to a tree or wall, and providing shelter during the nesting season. • Start feeding fish in ponds with good quality fish food.…

“It was a waste of time teaching me if gardening was all I wanted to do” “I was thrown out of school,” is always a good start to an interview. In Mary Payne’s case however, no lurid stories followed, the reason being that she wanted to go into gardening. “The head told me it was a waste of time teaching me if that was all I was going to do,” she says. Mary turned out all right, though: in 2004 she was awarded an MBE for services to horticulture in south-west England. Mary’s career has included teaching gardening, alongside some practical and consultancy work, and for 12 years she has hosted a weekly phone-in programme on BBC Radio Bristol. She has had a few students who have turned out to…

• Smear copper rings with petroleum jelly and slip them around the crowns of hostas in containers and just-emerging shoots of dahlias to keep off slugs. Sink the rings a little way into the compost so they can’t crawl underneath. • Try out different planting ideas by plunging pots into borders and moving them around. Then, if for instance, you think orange suits a particular purple, you can plant it there permanently. • Deadhead self-seeding plants like cow parsley before they set seed, otherwise you will be swamped. Pull up unwanted seedlings ruthlessly while they are still small. • Introduce white or paler pink flowers among strong colours like deep purple. White really lifts other colours, and it is particularly good in early morning and early evening light.…

THE COURTYARD Enclosed on three sides by buildings, the sunken, north-facing courtyard contains an octagonal fish pond with water lilies and Iris laevigata. Ferns hug the shady walls, which are clothed with Clematis montana and climbing roses. VEGETABLE PLOTS Tucked behind the high box hedge are two sunny, south-facing productive beds, edged with box and espalier fruit trees. Michael always grows sweet peas for cut flowers, but otherwise they contain summer vegetables that taste best freshly picked, such as salads. WILDLIFE POND To the east of the steading, a large wildlife pond forms part of an area which Michael manages less intensively. The sloping pond margins are home to impressive Gunnera manicata, as well as other lovers of damp conditions. SOFTENING EDGES Michael never misses an opportunity to plant at…

WINDING ROADS The narrow paths through The Dell are a sharp contrast to the formal areas. They make you twist and turn as you explore the space, push through shrubs and contort your body – the garden influencing the gardener, as well as vice versa. DELICATE CREATURES Alderwood is a garden of strong contrasts and energetic foliage displays, but it is important not to overlook the delicate and ephemeral. The Chinese magnolia vine, Schisandra rubriflora, seems sprinkled with tiny gems. RARE AND SPECIAL The garden is packed with unusual species, many of which came from Crûg Farm Plants in north Wales. This Illicium simonsii is a small evergreen shrub that is related to magnolias and likes the same conditions as rhododendrons. JUNGLE LAYERS Layered one above another, plants create intense…

BRILLIANT BLUES Amid the dappled shade of the Low Garden, which opens out to the imposing Ullswater valley, the magnificent and enviable blues of Meconopsis ‘Dalemain’ stand tall and proud, turning a deep purple as the flowers age. TOUGH CUSTOMER Reliable and robust roses ensure a floriferous display in the north of the country, and Rosa spinosissima fits the bill. This suckering shrub makes good ground cover and is covered in simple, single creamy white flowers in May and June, followed by hips. ANIMAL INSTINCT The children’s garden is a wonderful profusion of colour where the glowing orbs of Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ blend with Nepeta x faassenii, all marked by wooden animal-shaped signs made by Jane’s children over the years. WEATHERED WALLS Sited against weathered-stone walls, deep well-tended beds feature…

• Designed and built by Daniel Bristow.propagatingdan.com • Pond from Kingfisher Aquatics. Tel: 020 8366 2666; angelfishaquatics.co.uk • Cobbles and setts from Thompsons of Crews Hill. Tel: 020 8363 1383; thompsonsofcrewshill.com • Lighting The electrician who worked on this garden has retired. For lighting and irrigation Dan uses Waterwell. Tel: 020 8742 8855; waterwell.co.uk • Woven chair and stools sourced from RE. Tel: 01434 634567; re-foundobjects.com • Dining set from IKEA. Tel: 020 3645 0018; ikea.com…

Set within a quarry inspired by the landscape of Malta, James Basson’s garden tells the story of how nature has reclaimed a man-made landscape over time. Inspired by the landscape and ecology of Malta, James’ garden stems from his love of quarries and of the native flora of this southern European island. “I’m crazy about dry landscapes and quarries,” says James. “And quarries for me symbolise our ability to destroy the landscape. The idea of the garden is that the quarry has been abandoned and nature has come back to it. And then humans have started to tend a garden there.” Focussing on how nature has adapted to reclaim the altered landscape, the garden will include grasses and heathers, and plants indigenous to Malta, such as Maltese spurge (Euphorbia melitensis)…

Inspired by the Yorkshire coastline, Tracy Foster’s garden brings the diversity of the county’s landscape to Chelsea. The garden includes references to the sea, chalk cliffs, arable farmland and a ruined abbey. “I want to bring attention to the more underrepresented parts of Yorkshire,” says Tracy. “I am interested in the idea that nature profiles a garden of its own. And the chalk boulders have a unique community of plants growing among them.” Tracy will include plants common to the coastline, such as sea pinks, foxgloves, Achillea and red campion. “There is such diversity in the region and it should make for a very colourful garden,” she says. A trompe l’oeil of farmland will fill the doorway of a ruin to show a glimpse of the inland landscape. The ruin…

Covent Garden market in London has a long, colourful history, and as well as portraying the centuries of change, this garden will also leave a legacy at this famous tourist haven. Most of the planting from the garden will be potted into containers and moved to Covent Garden after the show, in a bid to green up the famous Apple Market. In the early 13th century, an orchard existed at Covent Garden. A section of the area was walled off and the land within used for farming. The district was owned by Westminster Abbey at the time, and fruit and vegetables were grown on the site, then known as The Garden of the Abbey and Convent and later as The Convent Garden which was shortened to Covent Garden. By the…

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RUNNER BEAN ‘FIRESTORM’ This self-fertile hybrid between a runner and French bean ensures a good crop of stringless pods from its vibrant scarlet flowers. ‘Tenderstar’ is similar. BORLOTTI BEAN ‘LINGUA DI FUOCO’ Try Seeds of Italy for a range of borlotti beans, with colourful carmine marbled pods. The beans can be eaten fresh in soups and casseroles or dried. FRENCH BEAN ‘COSSE VIOLETTE’ A climbing French bean with deep purple-black pods produced from mauve flowers. The well-flavoured beans turn green when cooked. RUNNER BEAN ‘ENORMA’ “This variety is good for massive pods,” says Ollie, of this runner that produces high yields of long, slender pods with good flavour from red flowers. FRENCH BEAN ‘COBRA’ A climbing French bean that has been given the RHS Award of Garden Merit for the…

At Home With Plants by Ian Drummond and Kara O’Reilly, Mitchell Beazley, £20 For too long, lovers of houseplants have been let down by the books available on the topic. There have been houseplant books containing excellent growing advice – Hessayon’s House Plant Expert, first published in 1960, with revised editions, remains authoritative – but few books have managed to make indoor plants seem remotely stylish. This is largely due to a lack of good, contemporary photographs. At Home with Plants has managed to pull off this feat. To be fair, other stylish houseplant books have appeared over the past few years, but Ian Drummond and Kara O’Reilly have married sound growing advice (Drummond is an interior landscaper and RHS medal winner) with impeccable taste (O’Reilly is a style writer…

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THE BISHOP’S PALACE & GARDENS, WELLS Off Market Place, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD Tel: 01749 988111 | www.bishopspalace.org.uk Over 14 acres of spectacular RHS partner gardens, with wonderful spring flowers, including picturesque, romantic, formal and Victorian styles, a wild flower arboretum, specimen trees, a contemporary Garden of Reflection and Community Garden alongside waterfalls, well pools, a moat with resident swans and a stunning medieval Palace. Booking now open for Garden Festival 9-11 June. OPEN: Daily 10am-4pm. ABBOTSBURY SUBTROPICAL GARDENS Bullers Way, Abbotsbury, Dorset DT3 4LA Tel: +44 (0)1305 871 387 | www.abbotsburygardens.co.uk A recent winner of the HHA/ Christie’s Garden of the Year Award and described by Alan Titchmarsh as “one of the finest gardens I have ever visited”. Established in 1765 by the Ist Countess of Ilchester as a…

“It was taken for granted that anyone might apply to see the garden of any stately pile that took one’s fancy” You spent all of February pruning and tidying up; all of March and April digging and sowing. Now it is time for a treat. Late April or early May is the perfect time for pilgrimages, journeys, adventures. It is when Chaucer’s pilgrims set out on the road to Canterbury; when the poet-narrator in Piers Plowman ‘walked out into the wide world in search of wonders’. There are two bank holidays in May; a host of flower shows from the grand to the local; and innumerable gardens to visit. Garden visiting has been part of the English social scene ever since Celia Fiennes toured gardens and country houses all over…

It’s getting closer. Just a few more weeks and we’ll be gazing with envy and admiration at some of the most stylish, well-planted and covetable gardens imaginable – it’s time for the Chelsea Flower Show. Find a preview of this year’s show gardens and a taste of the world-class design that will be on display this month, on page 85. No matter how stylish it is, a garden still needs plantsmanship to bring it to life. The beautiful gardens we feature in this issue all have planting at their heart, from the fabulous drifts of sky-blue poppies at Dalemain in the Lake District, to zingy azaleas and rare trees at Mount Usher in County Wicklow. At Harewood House in Yorkshire, primulas, peonies and remarkable rhododendrons make for a memorable visit…

• Planting for year-round interest is particularly important in small spaces. You simply don’t have room for blank holes. • Pack the garden with plants that really perform and do not be afraid of repeating plants that really merit their space to maximise impact. • Be severe in your choice of plants. If it doesn’t flourish then chuck it out. • Work with nature and encourage self-seeding plants. Combinations that have popped up where they are happy tend to be better than those a gardener may have contrived. • There is a lot of competition in packed beds, so select plants tough enough to stand up to their neighbours.…

SCHEFFLERA TAIWANIANA A hardy version of the popular houseplant with long, finger-like leaflets that create a wonderful tropical effect. KALOPANAX SEPTEMLOBUS This architectural tree has sycamore-like leaves and prickly stems. It is hardy, but likes being sheltered by taller trees. ACER CAMPBELLII SUBSP. CAMPBELLII Leaves emerge copper-purple before turning green; trunks and branches have purple-red, snake-patterned bark. ACER SIKKIMENSE Young shoots are an intense maroon-red on this semi-evergreen species, best in a sheltered, warm garden. GUNNERA MANICATA More familiar, but no less dramatic, Gunnera suits moist soil where it will unfurl enormous umbrellas of leaves. SORBUS COMMIXTA VAR. RUFO FERRUGINEA An elegant small tree with white flowers in May that turn to red fruit in autumn. AESCULUS WANGII Rare and endangered in…

BUDDHIST STUPA The Stupa was built in the summer of 2004 and is likely to be the only Bhutanese stupa in Europe, stemming from the current Earl’s interest in Buddhism. It was built by Buddhist monks from Bhutan but made from local stone. ROYAL SHELTER This shelter was built for HRH Princess Mary in the early 1930s and originally had a glazed tile roof. It has a small pool below it, fed by spring water, which then flows out via a rill through the Primula glade. The shelter is adjacent to the original 1930s Rock Garden. PERIMETER PATH In 2005, this footpath that runs along the perimeter of the Himalayan Garden was built by Trevor and his team. Cutting into steep banks, it made areas of the garden that had…

• Our lovely Meconopsis ‘Dalemain’ likes acid soil, and is quite happy in dappled shade; it seems to be even better for having been flooded. It needs a good feed – we use farmyard manure each year. • ‘Dalemain’ does not grow well from seed, since it is a sterile clone; it makes no sense for visitors to take a seed head home. We propagate it vegetatively: it simply clumps up, grows sideways and has lots of babies. • When visitors buy a plant here, we advise them not to let it flower at first – let it plump up and get a good body on it, and then it will just go on spreading and give years of pleasure every June.…

A garden enclosed on all sides by a thick hedge might not sound unusual but at the Chelsea Flower Show it is a significant departure from the norm. Darren Hawkes’ Chelsea garden is a secret garden, with a three-metre high hornbeam hedge concealing what lies inside it. Slots in the hedge and an opening for a handcrafted wooden gate will offer glimpses inside the garden, and visitors to the show can also scale a staircase to view the garden from above and see it in its entirety. The garden is designed for Maggie’s, the charity that provides outdoor spaces to support people with cancer and their carers. “The garden harks back to a classical secret garden,” explains designer Darren Hawkes. “All the Maggie’s gardens have an enveloping feel to them;…

Inspired by the Boreal forests and freshwater lakes of Canada, Charlotte Harris’ Chelsea garden celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. “I like making spaces that resonate with the landscape around them, so that the garden feels like a man-made interaction with a wider natural space,” she says. The planting gives a flavour of the Canadian arboreal landscape, including Cornus canadensis. “I have tried to strike a balance between Canadian natives such as Trillium and Anaphalis, and accessible alternatives that will grow well in the UK.” A body of water planted with aquatic marginal plants reflects the river edges of the forest, and a timber pavilion will be lined with copper, in which this Boreal region is rich.…

This garden will highlight Wellington College’s ambition to break down barriers to private education with access based on merit rather than means. “The idea of disappearing walls became part of the design process and that is what the structures in the garden will represent,” says Andrew of transparent walls that will flow through and connect parts of the garden. “The walls will be the height of a double decker bus so we hope that it will help people engage with the space,” says Gavin. The garden also strives to raise awareness of diminishing Berkshire heathland. “The planting is mainly heathland to reflect the surrounds of Wellington College but we want to highlight that over 90% of native UK heathland has been lost. We don’t want ‘perfect specimens’ but plants that…

Stephen Woodhams considers the best locations for outdoor seating The first thing to think about is the position of the sun. I always look for early evening sun traps as these make a good spot for seating because the sun isn’t quite as strong at that time of day. Quite often you do not want to eat lunch in direct sunlight, either. I suggest positioning furniture under a tree that can provide dappled shade. Before deciding on furniture for an outdoor room, ask yourself ‘do I want to lounge?’ or ‘do I want to eat?’ If the idea is to lounge then I would recommend an L-shaped sofa rather than a sun lounger. Choose hydro-draining cushions so they can be left outside all year without becoming mouldy and damp. Take…

Meaning ‘flower of the gods’ in Greek, Dianthus is a varied genus of plants comprising dainty alpines, garden pinks, sweet William and the native Cheddar pink among others. Prized in medieval Britain for their fragrant blooms, they featured in literature of the day and symbolised love and marriage in Renaissance art. Their delicate beauty found a way into gardeners’ hearts and many have gone on to become classic cottage garden plants. The term ‘pink’ refers to the shaggy edges of the petals, which look like they’ve been snipped by pinking shears, rather than the colour. The depth of the snips varies with variety – some petals have shallow indentations creating a delicate scalloped edge, while others have deeper cuts that form a distinctive serrated appearance. Flowers can be single, semi-double…

Runner and both climbing and dwarf French beans are a highly prolific crop, producing pod after pod over the summer months. Keep picking and more flowers and beans will be produced, yet for all the bounty, they are incredibly easy to grow. Ollie starts off his runner bean seeds in April, normally during the first week. “They are sown straight into 9cm pots,” he says, “with two or three beans per pot so we get nice thick growth straight away. By having several plants to each station along the beans’ row of canes, we get really good coverage, and a solid wall of foliage.” Once sown, put the pots somewhere warm to germinate – an unheated greenhouse is fine at this time of year, or a bright, light windowsill in…

How would you describe your new book? It is about how to make meadow-like areas by sowing seed, as opposed to through planting. It is based on 20 years of research and practice into how to do this reliably, with a wide range of plants from around the world, in settings from public landscapes to domestic gardens. What do you hope this book will achieve? The book will help to create this look in the flesh. You may buy a bag of pre-mixed seed and hope for the best, but how do you control the number of seedlings you might want of each species? When you buy a commercial mix, the producer decides on the ratio of the species, but by using the techniques in the book it is possible…

SHOPPING Floral Beauty…

• Create a jungle look by using vines and climbers to link everything together. Plants like Akebia quinata and Holboellia latifolia, will braid their way through shrubs and into trees and in so doing link different types of leaf together. • Texture is achieved by layering, but thinking about what is behind each plant will help to deepen the space. Contrasting foliage with hard-landscaping can also be pleasing. At Alderwood, the white-and pink-tipped leaves of the ornamental climber Actinidia kolomikta look good against the orange-toned Berkshire brick. • Plants with clear, tall stems that have been pruned to carry their leaves above head-height provide an unusual perspective: the strong leaf-shapes become more visible and are silhouetted against the sky. • Ornamental acers are a hugely diverse group of plants. The…

It is not often you hear a garden described as ‘disgusting’ or ‘horrendous’, but that is how garden designer Daniel Bristow and his client, Sophie Brown, describe the former 14m x 10m side plot of this ex local-authority house in Islington, north London. “It was just concrete and crazy paving,” explains Sophie. “The house had been rented out and the garden hadn’t been maintained. It was just rubbish and ivy, and there may have been a pond in there somewhere.” Dan adds: “It was like a miniature village for gnomes. You know that a lot of excavation is going to be needed when there is a big pile of stuff in the corner with weeds growing on top. When we started digging, we found buried fibreglass insulation and an ironing…

THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S Chelsea Flower Show is arguably the most famous flower show in the world and represents the pinnacle of horticultural expertise. Perfectly timed for late May, when spring turns to glorious summer, Chelsea is an extravaganza of both floral and landscape perfection. There are 28 show gardens in this year’s show, and we preview them all, including five gardens in the new ‘Feel Good Gardens’ category.…

ROSE ‘DAME JUDI DENCH’ With flowers in a rich shade of apricot emerging from red-tipped buds, this latest variety from David Austin Roses could well be one to cherish. The flowers bear a fruity fragrance. CLEMATIS ‘TAIGA’ A double form with spiky flowers with a green-white edge, from Thorncroft Clematis. Flowering occurs from summer to autumn and the plant can grow up to 2.5m tall. IRIS ‘RACHEL DE THAME’ This classy bearded Iris, from Cayeux Iris, offers a delicate mix of copper and red-brick shades on the falls that will add style to a sunny patch in summer.…

The latest Chelsea garden from Chris Beardshaw has a big aim: to explore how the emotional responses created by a garden can be expressed in music. “I met up with some composers from the National Youth Orchestra to talk about the concept of making gardens from a structural perspective, looking at the similarities between making a garden and making music,” says Chris. Following their meeting, young composers in the orchestra wrote a piece on this theme and it will be played in the garden at the show. The work will inspire the finished garden, too. “I will listen to the composition, played by a full orchestra and the idea is that this will influence what I decide to include in the garden,” explains Chris. “I have always had a sneaking…

With a Silk Route ‘bridge’ running through it to represent historic East-West trade links, this garden is inspired by China and contains plant species from Sichuan Province to illustrate the floral diversity of the region. The garden aims to reflect the topography of Sichuan’s capital, Chengdu. “There will be alpine planting at the top of the garden, which will be quite sparse, with thicker planting lower down to reflect the densely planted valleys,” says Patrick (above). “There are so many different landscapes in China, so the planting palette available to choose from is just huge, which is a challenge,” says Laurie. “The planting has been narrowed down to plants from Sichuan, and some of the plants, such as buddlejas and Viburnum davidii, are surprisingly familiar.”…

UPHOLSTERED COMFORT New for 2017, the Pal Garden Sofa has been designed by Francesc Rifé for garden furniture specialists, Point. It is a completely modular outdoor seating collection comprising upholstered cushions that are placed in various configurations on a teak platform to create chairs, sofas and chaise longues. A-grade teak ensures durability; the cushions are made from quick-drying foam and covered in stain-resistant outdoor fabric. Pal garden sofa, from £4,100, gomodern.co.uk BOHEMIAN COMFORT Conjure a laid-back bohemian atmosphere by hanging a comfortable, enveloping cocoon seat. This one is made from light-weight, all-weather, maintenance-free wicker and comes with season-proof cushions. Oakridge hanging cocoon, £389, bramblecrest.com CASUAL SWING Made from naturally contoured oak and available with a range of five different back designs (pictured is the Swirl Back), this relaxing swing seat…

It is amazing to think that this popular plant was raised and introduced by Bressingham Gardens 60 years ago, in 1966, by my father Alan Bloom and his helper Percy Piper. I imagine it is still the best-selling Crocosmia today; it is certainly the best known. It is the earliest to flower in early July, and perhaps the hardiest and most robust. Many gardeners know it and have a clump in their garden – they will be familiar with its bright green, ribbed, sword-like leaves appearing well before the vermillion flowers develop. These usually last for several weeks and, brought inside, make a striking cut flower. Later, the plant offers architectural interest with brown-black seed heads. Few plants are without faults, sadly. The main one with ‘Lucifer’ is that it…

GROW TWO PLANTS PER CANE Maximise the harvest from your available space by sending two or three bean plants up each cane. They’ll also form a thick wall of lush green foliage. HELP POLLINATION Wait until early evening or a cloudy day and use a hose to mist the beans with a fine spray of water to help fruit set. Avoid sunny days or foliage could scorch. PINCH OUT THE TOPS When they are at the top of their canes, stop the beans to prevent them spending energy on vegetative growth and direct it instead on flowering and fruiting.…

At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2016, the attention of many visitors was drawn away from the varied rows of show gardens and toward a rather more dramatic scene unfolding near the Great Pavilion. Two large bucks were rutting, tangled in a ferocious battle of male dominance, with such raw and lifelike emotion that it was difficult to believe they had been crafted from dead wood. These dramatic driftwood sculptures were the work of James Doran-Webb, a regular exhibitor at this show, who has a penchant for creating wild and wonderful pieces. The son of two antiques dealers, his early career was spent hunting down rare artefacts around the world. He would often assist in refurbishing antiques in his parents’ workshop and this lit a creative fire within him…

The essence of early summer • Cedric Morris irises at The Manor House in Cambridgeshire • A white garden and topiary around Worcestershire’s moated Birtsmorton Court • Colourful rhododendrons at Ardmaddy Castle in Argyll • Cotswolds romance at Oxlease Farm • At home with Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain of West Dean Gardens PLUS Claire Austin’s bearded irises, unusual herbs, how to grow edible flowers and a guide to choosing sheds and summerhouses Don’t miss out. Buy single copies or subscribe now at theenglishgarden.co.uk  or telephone 01858 438854…