Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i The English Garden

Andy McIndoe Andy is a practical horticulturist and author who has been responsible for 25 gold-medal winning exhibits at Chelsea. He recommends trees for autumn colour, from his garden at Sandhill Farm on page 85. Helen Hays Helen is a professional garden designer and keen amateur naturalist based in North Yorkshire. She explores the autumn-toned landscape at Melbourne Hall on page 54. Bob Purnell A designer and author, Bob has been gardening since he could first lift a trowel. His next book, Pots for All Seasons is due next spring. Find his ideas for tulip containers on page 93.…

LAWSBROOK The garden at Lawsbrook was founded in 1959 and most of its trees were planted in the mid-1960s. Today there are between 150-200 trees on this six-acre site, including oaks, beeches, redwoods, pines and acers. Lawsbrook is the perfect place for a family walk through the trees and meadow, with secret paths, games and activities for children. There is also a kitchen garden with soft fruit, seasonal vegetables, herbs and a small nursery: something for everyone to enjoy. Open for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 12 November (10am-4pm). Admission is £3; children enter free. Lawsham, Brodham Way, Shillingstone, Dorset DT11 0TE. For more gardens to visit see ngs.org.uk…

“I like the kids to go away having learnt the names of three trees” “Itook a large pay cut to leave IT and go into gardening. It’s a passion.” So says Ian Mould, head gardener at Potters Field Park in London. The park is small, only 0.6 of an acre, but occupies a key position, next to City Hall and with one of the world’s most famous landmarks, Tower Bridge, in the background. “There’s been a park here since 1894” says Ian. “The local community includes a deprived area in Bermondsey, but also City Hall and financial institutions,” and, he adds, “all the tourists.” Unlike many London parks, this one is thoroughly modern, the planting designed by Dutch superstar designer Piet Oudolf, who laid out ornamental grass and perennial combinations…

• Steal a march on spring, which is always ridiculously busy. Do everything you can to get ahead. Look at the notes you made during the year – scrap this plant, put in more of that one – if it can be done now, do it now. • When it pours with rain take hardwood or root cuttings, sow seed of larkspur, antirrhinums, ladybird poppies or Persicaria orientalis, which actually needs winter cold to germinate. • Roots keep growing until December, so you can usefully pot on young plants in containers to build them up for next year. • Overhaul and divide perennials now for a strong fresh start. When you replant them, put tulip bulbs in at the same time.…

• This garden drags its heels as far as ‘going to bed’ in autumn is concerned. There is no wholesale cutting back of anything that remains handsome, so sedums, Phlomis and most grasses stay until Christmas and beyond, while echinaceas and ghostly remains of Perovskia are edited as needed. Hydrangeas are not de-mopped until April. • Plantings are monitored annually. Any that grow beyond their allotted space are stripped out in spring or autumn, reduced in bulk and replanted. • Lavender ‘Folgate’ is hard-pruned once in September, then regrows to form silvery hummocks for winter. Belinda expects to replace it every five to seven years, and buys ‘spares’ at the same time, heeling them in – in case of casualties.…

LILAC LOVELIES It is easy to overlook autumn-flowering bulbs. The delicate lilac flowers of Crocus speciosus contrast well with autumn foliage shades, and, unlike colchicums, they don’t have enormous leaves in spring so are easier to place. Grow them in a sunny position with good drainage. ANNUAL LEAF Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis ‘Hemelrijk’) is one of the best large trees for autumn colour, its deeply lobed leaves elegant and shapely. Turning brilliant red in autumn, the leaves tone down to cinnamon shades and remain on the tree well into winter. DOUBLE ACT Tall and airy stems of Verbena bonariensis look their best when planted en masse and paired with plants of contrasting form and colour. At Melbourne Hall, they are partnered with the billowing heads of Hydrangea ‘Limelight’, which…

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Alnus ‘Foggy Bottom Sunshine’ This golden-leaved alder arose as a chance seedling at Bressingham, but many other golden-leaved shrubs would serve as a great background contrast to ‘Mönch’. Cornus alba ‘Aurea’, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’ or Cotinus ‘Golden Spirit’ would all provide season-long contrast. Rudbeckia ‘Viette’s Little Suzy’ It is worth trying this dwarf form of the popular ‘Goldsturm’. Growing to 30-45cm and smaller in all its parts, it lights up the garden in late summer and early autumn. Both Aster and Rudbeckia have daisy-like flowers but they grow well together, and each enhances the other with seemingly cheery abandon. Cornus canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’ This autumnal picture taken at Foggy Bottom illustrates how floriferous ‘Mönch’ still is late in the season, and how effective…

So many elegant flower forms, so many remarkable colours: en masse, tulips can leave you dizzy and gasping for breath, but in the most acceptable way. No other plant so reliably, easily and flamboyantly colours in the months of April and May. It is no wonder they sparked a mania. From the off-the-wall parrot types through shape-changing lily-flowered varieties to the classic goblet-shaped Triumph and Darwin hybrids, there is a tulip – or many – to please each of us. And far from being short-lived in bloom, many varieties will go on for a month or more. Planted in pots, their properties are amplified. In fact, tulips excel in pots: they look splendid in any type and style of container. Maximum impact, though, comes from simplicity. Pare down the planting…

RHS Genealogy for Gardeners by Ross Bayton and Simon Maughan, Mitchell Beazley, £14.99 The origins of the botanical names of even the most common garden plants can be fascinating and some understanding of a horticultural family tree can prove to be extremely useful. Using clear design and straightforward text, RHS Genealogy for Gardeners, the third in this series which includes Latin for Gardeners and Botany for Gardeners, explains the grouping of more than 70 plant families, including roses (Rosaceae) and magnolias (Magnoliaceae,) as well as such broad families as the daisy (Asteraceae). Alongside this nomenclature are the particulars of such things as the family’s size, range and origins and its plants’ typical flower, fruit and leaf characteristics. Each is peppered with nuggets of advice on how to use each family’s…

ROUSHAM HOUSE & GARDEN Rousham, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX25 4QU Tel: 01869 347110 | www.rousham.org Rousham represents the first phase of English landscape design, and remains almost as William Kent left it, one of the few gardens of this date to have escaped alteration. Many features which delighted 18th century visitors to Rousham are still in situ, such as the ponds and cascades in Venus’s Vale, the Cold Bath and seven-arched Praeneste, Townsend’s Building, the Temple of the Mill, and, on the skyline, a sham ruin known as the ‘Eyecatcher’. OPEN: Daily from 10am, last admission 4.30pm. HEVER CASTLE & GARDENS Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG Tel: 01732 865224 | www.hevercastle.co.uk Autumn is the season when Hever’s striking trees come to the fore. Colour abounds with vivid maples and brilliant beech.…

“All summer they’ve stood unused in the back of the toolshed, gathering spiders’ webs” Now the hurly-burly is over: hedges given their last cut, fruit all safely gathered in, the garden gate closed to visitors until next year. A quiet time in the garden – so quiet you can hear the whisper of leaves falling: the big soft leaves of the mulberry drifting onto the steps of the temple; the rustle of horse chestnut leaves spiralling down in the yard. Leaf fall. Time for bonfires and making leaf mould; time to get out the big, gap-toothed leaf rake and long-pronged pitchfork which, all summer long, have stood unused in the back of the toolshed, gathering spiders’ webs. The interior of the toolshed is dim and dark. It has that smell…

Autumn colour comes in many guises. We think first of trees and their colourful seasonal garb, but of course there are plenty of other options that will add interest to gardens at this time of year. Take the beds of crimson-russet Sedum spectabile (Hylotelephium) seedheads at Old Cross Street Farm in Sussex and the borders at Lanton Tower in the Scottish Borders, full of determined late Cosmos flowers and berry-covered Berberis. Of course, Great Dixter needs little introduction, suffice to say that this garden, renowned for its inventive, experimental, height-of-summer planting, does not disappoint this late in the season either, looking especially autumnal shrouded in mist. But there is a reason it is trees that spring to mind the moment autumn colour is mentioned, and you need only look at…

• Clear autumn leaves from ponds so they do not decompose in the water. Stretch netting over small ponds to stop them falling in. • Plant tulip bulbs in November and December. Later planting, with lower soil temperatures, lessens the risk of tulip fire, the fungal disease. • Move tender pot plants into the greenhouse and wrap the containers of those staying outside in insulating bubblewrap. • Prune large rose bushes back by half to prevent winter wind rocking their roots loose from the soil. • Put grease bands around the trunks of fruit trees to prevent winter moth damage. • Pot up bulbs such as Hippeastrum, scented hyacinths, and ‘Paperwhite’ daffodils (below) for indoor displays this winter and over Christmas.…

AUTUMNAL FIREWORKS Japanese maples produce spectacular autumn colour. A highlight in the shrub borders is the burnished foliage of A. japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’, draped in scarlet-flowered Tropaeolum speciosum. FLOURISHING POND The large pond creates a wildlife-friendly feature that adjoins the lawn to the west of the house. Its margins are brimming with candelabra primulas and irises for colour in spring, while a backdrop of willows conceals a newly planted rock garden. WOODLAND GEMS Hidden to the south of the house, the woodland garden is a colourful haven in autumn. Cercis canadensis flushes red, while the leaves of snake-bark (Acer capillipes) and paperbark (A. griseum) maples turn fiery shades of yellow and orange. CHILDHOOD ADVENTURES A sculpture of two children dressing up as native Americans marks the entrance to what was a…

UNUSUAL SUSPECT Container planting doesn’t have to be tender bedding or statuesque shrubs. You can use garden perennials such as dahlias (here, the ever-popular orange ‘David Howard’). Tall varieties will require a broad-based pot and sometimes support to keep them upright. SPECIAL CHARMS This Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ was a present to Christo from Beth Chatto. Spindles are not the most remarkable of shrubs so do not deserve a prime position, but they are second to none when autumn comes and their red and orange capsules burst open. BEST FOR BERRIES Cotoneaster horizontalis may be a common shrub but it is first class. Its arching, herringbone habit is shown off perfectly when it is grown against a building and it never ceases to cover itself in berries. Bees love the…

What makes a garden a ‘grown-up garden’? Perhaps it is the inclusion of veteran plants reaching the height of maturity, or an aged tree looming over the landscape. For Tom Bannatyne, a ‘grown-up’ garden meant one that no longer served as a place for child’s play. With their children grown up, and no longer using it to play football or indulge in some trampolining, Tom and his wife, Rebecca, decided it was time for their walled garden in north London to be redesigned. So a grown-up garden for outdoor entertaining is what designer Peter Reader (above) was asked to create. Tom kept seeing Peter’s car – advertising his design service – in the area, discovering that they were almost neighbours. That close proximity allowed for an easy working relationship, with…

For colour in the garden, autumn is a season definitely worth savouring. The first tints of yellow and orange appear in the leaf canopy in early September, then grow in intensity to reach a crescendo in late October before continuing their swansong right through November and even into the first weeks of December. I have always believed that we do not put enough emphasis on planting for autumn. Historically it has been seen as a time for clearing up and preparing for another season but that is to miss an opportunity. The other pleasure of autumn is the season’s warm, mellow light that brings out the best in glowing foliage. Gone are the harsh glare of summer afternoons and the contrast of bright mornings. What is more, those autumn colours…

• Buy the largest bulbs you can source or afford as bulb size is relative to that of the flowers. • Optimum planting time is late October and November, once the weather has cooled down, which helps to reduce the incidence of the fungal disease tulip fire, but it is possible to plant until Christmas. • Plant bulbs 10-20cm deep and 5cm apart. To cram in more bulbs, plant them in layers. • Site pots in full sun and keep them well watered. The critical period is in early spring, three to four weeks before flowering. If they go short of water at this point the plants may be stunted. In windy areas, tall varieties may need support such as twigs. • Aside from the species tulips, bulbs are unlikely…

How would you sum up the English Garden style? English gardens have changed over the centuries, as intellectual, cultural and horticultural fashion and creativity have changed. That is what makes it such a fascinating subject, for there are examples still existing, all over England, of the various styles that have developed since Elizabethan times. How do you think English gardens have changed since the book was first published? When the book first came out in 2006, the newest styles, in particular the New Perennial movement, had begun to make a sizeable impact on gardeners, and these have continued to this day. The changes since then have been more in emphasis than in kind. In gardens open to the public, one element that has made its presence felt in the last…

BLUEBELL ARBORETUM & NURSERY Specialists in hardy trees, shrubs and climbers including a huge selection of unusual and rare species and varieties. Expert advice is available from our helpful staff. The nursery is open to the public and surrounded by a lovely nine-acre woodland garden (RHS Partner Garden). Visitors are welcome all year round. Informative website and a reliable mail order service is available if you would like plants delivered. Tel: 01530 413700 sales@bluebellnursery.com | www.bluebellnursery.com Annwell Lane, Smisby, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 2TA SPRING REACH NURSERY Spring Reach Nursery grows a fantastic range of clematis, trees, hedging, ferns, shrubs, fruit, perennials, roses, climbers and grasses. STARRING NOW stunning autumn colours of Japanese Acers, Parrotia Cercidiphyllum, Liquidamber and spindle trees. Visit one of Surrey’s finest nurseries – a…

SKETCHING 2 November, Birmingham Join RBSA artist Wayne Attwood to develop techniques and approaches for sketching, using the grounds of Winterbourne House and Garden as a source. £40. Tel: 0121 4143003; winterbourne.org.uk NEEDLE FELTING 2 or 3 November, Devon Fibre artist Tracey Benton will be at RHS Garden Rosemoor running two day-long sculptural needle-felting workshops in which to create a whimsical sleeping fox. £104, or £82 for RHS members. Tel: 020 3176 5830; rhs.org.uk WATERCOLOURS 14-16 November, London Botanical artist Penny Price leads this three-day course on recording edible and wild varieties of mushrooms and fungi, first as pencil sketches, then in watercolours. £210, or £180 for Friends of Kew. Tel: 020 8332 5641; kew.org BOOKBINDING 15 November, West Sussex A soft, leather-covered journal is ideal for recording garden notes.…

Dr Wilfrid Fox (1875-1962) was a leading dermatologist of his day, practising at St George’s Hospital in London. Fox led a colourful life before leaving an even more colourful legacy at Winkworth. Having converted his car to an ambulance while in France as a military officer in the First World War, Fox reprised his driving role aged 65 in the Second, escaping France just before the mass evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. Fox was a founder member and honorary secretary of the Roads Beautifying Association (RBA), a government organisation founded in 1928 with the task of making Britain’s roads more aesthetically pleasing, primarily by planting trees. In 1948, his work for the RBA was recognised by the RHS when they awarded him the Victoria Medal of Honour. Addressing the RHS…

• # In autumn treat your lawn with a low-nitrogen, high-potash feed to toughen it up for the winter. Regularly clear leaves from the lawn to allow as much sunlight to get to it as possible. • # Gather any fallen leaves that are affected by pests and diseases and burn them, rather than adding them to the compost heap. Doing so will help to prevent the spread of pests such as horse chestnut leaf miner. • # If you’re planning to make changes to your borders, take plenty of photographs now. We use colour-coded pegs to remind us next year what to take out, what to move and where any gaps are.…

For most homeowners, a conservatory is a beautiful new addition to their living space. Sun-filled, light and airy, it soon becomes a valuable place for entertaining, or a relaxing spot to sit and unwind. For gardeners, a conservatory is all of these things but with an important addition: it also provides a new opportunity to grow plants. Because it is part of the home, a conservatory is unlikely to be affected by frost, so the potential for growing tender plants is huge, and with none of the fuss that goes with keeping a greenhouse frost-free. A light, warm space to fill with beautiful foliage and exotic specimens, a well-staged display of plants in the conservatory will ensure the perfect transition between home and garden. SELECT A STYLE If you are…

If I had to chose one Aster for the garden, it would be Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’. I have known Monch since 1962, when I worked in Switzerland at the nursery where it was raised and got its name. In fact it was in 1918 that Karl Frikart introduced three hybrids which he named after famous Swiss mountains: Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch. One hundred years later, Monch is still going strong. What makes ‘Monch’ so impressive is its longevity, both as a long-lived perennial and, given the right conditions, longevity in its period of flowering. Its characteristics are impressive, too. In spring, slender stems emerge from dormancy branched with light green leaves, growing to about 90cm when, in late June or early July, the first pale lilac-blue flowers appear rayed…

• It is often said the best autumn colour is shown on plants that are growing in acid soil. However if the right plants are chosen, the colour can be as good on alkaline soils. Take a look at autumn hedgerows and see just how good the colour of Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Acer campestre and Viburnum opulus is on chalky soil. The British native Prunus avium thrives in similar conditions and colours brilliantly. Sandhill’s neutral to slightly acid sand is particularly good because it allows us to grow Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum and other trees that are less happy on chalk. • Deciduous plants grown in open, sunny situations always develop far better colour than those growing in semi-shade, the possible exceptions being a few of the real acid…

‘PAUL SCHERER’ Impressive satin goblets of aubergine-purple top stout, 50cm stems. Pair with contrasting light greens and creams. ‘ELEGANT LADY’ Cream buds become suffused with pale pink and lavender as they develop into well-sculpted, shapely blooms. ‘GAVOTA’ This is a supremely weather-tolerant first-rate Triumph tulip that retains its deep maroon petals for weeks. ‘BROWN SUGAR’ An unusual and effective shade that appears to glow in fading light. Held on tall stems, blooms have a light scent. ‘PEACHES AND CREAM’ A late peony-flowered beauty with double blooms that have a noticeable fragrance at close proximity. ‘BABY DOLL’ Top notch for containers in windy spots, short-stemmed bulbs are topped in April by peony-like flowers in blood red. ‘BALLADE’ An elegant, lily-flowered variety with shapely, weather-resistant violet flowers. Distinct white margins help it…