Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i The English Garden

Richard Bloom Richard is based in Suffolk and was voted International Garden Photographer of The Year 2016. See his beautiful pictures of the undulating, naturalistic planting at Wildside in Devon on page 28. Constance Craig Smith Constance grew up in Tuscany, where she learnt not only how to garden, but also how to deter wild boar and porcupines. She visits the gardens at The Salutation in Sandwich, Kent, on page 20. Matthew Bruce Photographer Matthew ventured south of London, to capture the quirky charms of the public gardens at Hall Place in Bexley – including topiary beasts with middle-age spread – on page 51.…

The Old Mill in Wiltshire is a whimsical garden of pollarded limes and naturalistic planting. While the mill itself is no longer operational, paths meander alongside pretty streams that are tributaries of the river Kennet, and over small bridges. Vistas are dramatic, thanks to the garden’s setting in the glorious North Wessex Downs. In the grounds themselves, a potager-style kitchen garden and separate cutting garden provide a more formal contrast to the relaxed planting schemes that can be found elsewhere here. The Old Mill opens for the NGS on 19 August from 2-6pm. Home-made teas and refreshments are available and sold in aid of local charities. Entry £5; children free. The Old Mill, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2PN. For more details, visit ngs.org.uk…

• Make the soil your first priority because healthy soil grows healthy plants. • Don’t add too much nitrogenous fertiliser as this will encourage the weak, sappy growth loved by aphids. Grow plants ‘hard’ and they will be resilient. • Make compost from your garden and kitchen waste, aiming for a balance of green and brown (wet and dry) materials, and use as a mulch on beds when well-rotted. • In winter, put out fat balls for wild birds but remove in spring to encourage the birds to feast on pests instead. • If you do have a pest problem, make sure you take time to accurately identify what it is rather than assuming you know from a quick glance. • Grow vegetables alongside useful ornamentals, especially plants from the…

Before going off to war, the gardeners hastily planted the topiary, higgledy-piggledy, in the lawn HALL PLACE, NESTLED IN A VALLEY on the River Cray in Kent, is a house of two halves. A handsome, chequered-flint, north-facing edifice, dating back to 1537, opens out into an elegant south-side of crisp red brick with surprising harmony. There is nothing to prove a local legend connecting the hall with the Black Prince, but it has had several other curious owners, including, briefly, Hellfire Club aficionado Sir Francis Dashwood. However, the grounds themselves remained largely unremarkable until the 1950s, when an explosion of ideas sparked what is now a Grade II-listed pleasure garden that reads like a textbook of late-20th-century horticultural history. A once enormous estate, today’s Hall Place covers 65 acres, “but…

Brantwood On the shores of Coniston Water is the former home of John Ruskin. He laid out the 20-acre garden, which includes a maze of more than 250 native ferns. Tel: 015394 41396; brantwood.org Dalemain Close to Penrith, there has been a house here since Saxon times, although this incarnation, with a knot garden and a stumpery, dates from 1744. Tel: 017684 86450; dalemain.com Fell Yeat Old roses, ferns and wildlife ponds feature at this private garden near Casterton. A nursery sells ferns, hostas and hydrangeas. Open by appointment. Tel: 01524 271340; ngs.org.uk Hill Top The former home of Beatrix Potter, near Hawkshead, is now owned by the National Trust. Informal planting beds and a more formal vegetable garden hint at the inspiration for her popular books. Tel: 015394 36269;…

Bramham Park This landscaped 18th-century park, near Wetherby, is almost unchanged due to periods of neglect from 1773-1906. It was built by the first Lord Bingley in 1698 and is still in the family. Tel: 01937 846000; bramhampark.co.uk Harewood House Home to the Earls of Harewood, 100 acres of gardens and Capability Brown landscaping exist on the edge of Harewood village, and are filled with borders and terraces. Tel: 0113 218 1010; harewood.org Middlethorpe Hall A York hotel with historic gardens planted in a grand cottage style. A kitchen delivers produce to the hotel, and there are also roses and a number of specimen trees in the arboretum. Tel: 01904 641241; middlethorpe.com Scampston Hall In the walled garden, a contemporary New Perennial garden designed by Piet Oudolf contrasts with the…

Antony House This silver-grey stone house has been home to the Carew Pole family for 600 years. Find formal gardens and landscaping by Humphry Repton. Tel: 01752 812191; nationaltrust.org.uk Boconnoc Rhododendrons and magnolias, plus 34 varieties of hydrangea, are the stars at this Lostwithiel estate, owned by the Fortescues since 1717. Tel: 01208 872507; boconnoc.com. Bosvigo Gardens On the outskirts of Truro, Bosvigo Gardens is a private garden that is open to the public until the end of September. Heleniums, lobelia, dahlias and salvias abound in August. Tel: 01872 275774; bosvigo.com. Glendurgan Famed for its 180-year-old laurel maze, this subtropical garden slopes down to the Helford River. Tel: 01326 252020; nationaltrust.org.uk Lost Gardens of Heligan These famously restored gardens near St Austell include an impressive walled kitchen garden as well…

Beech Court Gardens Close to Ashford, Beech Court Garden was established in the 1930s and today comprises a mature collection of colourful maple trees, with hydrangeas in summer. Tel: 01233 740641; beechcourtgardens.co.uk Chartwell This was the home of Winston Churchill for over 40 years, and the splendid 20-acre gardens that still exist today reflect his influence. Here you’ll find terraced lawns, a ha-ha, a rose walk and kitchen gardens. Tel: 01732 868381; nationaltrust.org.uk Goodnestone Park Gardens Once the home of Jane Austen’s brother, these gardens feature a parterre and terraces, and walled and gravel gardens. Tel: 01304 840107; goodnestoneparkgardens.co.uk Hever Castle The garden of this double-moated fortress close to Edenbridge is infused with romance, not least from a rose garden of 4,000 bushes. Tel: 01732 865224; hevercastle.co.uk The Salutation This…

Abbey House Legend has it that Athelstan, first King of England, is buried in the grounds of this five-acre country garden near Malmesbury. Roses and topiary abound. Tel: 01666 827650; abbeyhousegardens.co.uk Asthall Manor Former home of the Mitfords, Asthall Manor near Burford now hosts On Form, an open-sculpture exhibition running until 18 July, in gardens designed by Isabel and Julian Bannerman. Tel: 01993 824319; onformsculpture.co.uk Barnsley House Formerly owned by Rosemary Verey, Barnsley House is now a hotel but the spirit of Verey remains in these gardens set close to Cirencester. Tel: 01285 740000; barnsleyhouse.com Bourton House Garden A three-acre garden surrounding an 18th-century manor house, with terraces and fine borders. Near Bourton on the Hill. Tel: 01386 700754; bourtonhouse.com Painswick Rococo Garden A maze and a host of intriguing…

• Garden design Anthony Paul Landscape Design. Tel: 01306 627677; anthonypaullandscapedesign.com • Landscape Outdoor Options. Tel: 01483 415602; outdooroptions.co.uk • Rill and pool stone CED Stone. Tel: 01708 867237; cedstone.co.uk • Water bowls and planters Urbis. Tel: 01759 373839; urbisdesign.co.uk • Aquatic plants Anglo Aquatics. Tel: 020 8363 8548; angloaquatic.co.uk • Sun loungers and furniture Kettler. Tel: 01527 591901; angloaquatic.co.uk • Planting Rae Wilkinson Design Ltd. Tel: 01403 782250; raewilkinson.com • Other plant suppliers Orchard Dene Nurseries. Tel: 01491 575075; orcharddene.co.uk…

Enduringly popular, a hydrangea in full flower is a sight few gardeners can resist. From the blowsy pink and bright-blue balls of the mophead hydrangeas, so evocative of seaside gardens, to the wonderful climbing hydrangea, H. anomala subsp. petiolaris, oak-leaved types, and the delicate entrancing flowers of so many other species, there is sure to be a hydrangea that will win you over. Not least because they flower all summer, bring colour to shady spots and are almost pest-free. Maurice Foster knows the genus very well, although his heart is tugged in other directions, too. His 15-acre garden and arboretum on the bluff of a hill on the edge of the Kent Downs features a large collection of magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias, a great number of rare trees, plus huge…

It is often the case that the most beneficial activity in the garden is the gentle art of relaxation, and some time this month, with any luck, you will get the chance to contemplate the wondrous display in your greenhouse without actually diving in to do some irritating little task that’s shouting at you. Look around, inhale deeply, examine the flowers and pay attention to their detail, enjoying all that your glasshouse has to offer. This might already be part of your daily routine, but if it isn’t, I recommend it as a regular activity. It’s a timely reminder that glasshouse gardening is good for you in so many ways; it feeds the soul and is exactly the sort of occupation we need in our busy lives. Relaxation over! For…

• Tomatoes germinate easily from spring-sown seed. Plant outside once frosts have passed. • Cordon tomatoes, ideal in greenhouses, need support from canes or vertically suspended string; pick off side shoots to develop a central stem. Simpler bush varieties suit containers or baskets. • When plants reach the top of their supports, nip off the growing tip. Apply a weekly tomato feed when flowers appear. • Water plants consistently to prevent mildew, split fruit and blossom end rot and direct water at soil, not leaves. Tomato blight occurs in humid conditions: good air circulation can prevent it.…

Raspberry and fig leaf; ‘Charentais’ melon and jasmine; sea salt, summer rosemary and pine nut caramel; apricot and rose petal; and peach and blackcurrant leaf are just some of the wildly inventive and deliriously delicious ice creams and sorbets made by Kitty Travers at her South London workshop. The treasures of La Grotta Ices, Kitty’s one-woman company, are produced in small batches and must be sought out. La Grotta supplies just two delis: Leila’s Shop in Shoreditch and General Store in Peckham. However, Kitty also makes ice-cream cakes to order, and from April to September can be found on Saturday mornings selling her confections at Spa Terminus in Bermondsey. She works as a consultant to restaurants that want to improve their own ice creams, and teaches ice-cream making at The…

Damsons by Sarah Conrad Gothie Prospect Books, £7.50 Damsons, those small plum-like fruits produced with abandon in a good season, start to come into their own at this time of year. Cue damson jam, damson compote and even damson gin, but it is often the case that not much more is done with this unassuming member of the Prunus family. In this latest instalment of The English Kitchen series, food historian Sarah Conrad Gothie sketches the timeline of the damson, from its assumed Syrian origins (‘damson’ derives from Damascus) through its strong presence in gardens and kitchens from the 1600s onwards, to its diminishing presence in the modern day. Gothie claims that of an estimated half a million trees in our hedgerows 100 years ago, only 12,500 remain. She includes…

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. THE ROYAL GARDENS AT HIGHGROVE Doughton, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8TQ Tel: 0303 123 7310 | www.highgrovegardens.com Discover the beautiful organic gardens of HRH The Prince of Wales at his private residence in the Cotswolds.…

Holidays and hot weather are the two things I associate with August, so on the assumption that all of us will enjoy both, we’ve made this issue our Great British holiday special. Plan your holiday using our guide to the nation’s hotspots for garden lovers. The gardens featured in this issue will also make you want to pay a visit to see for yourself the wonderfully creative exotic planting at The Salutation in Sandwich, Kent, or Keith Wiley’s amazing naturalistic garden, Wildside in Devon – counties that each make fantastic destinations for a garden-centric holiday in their own right. Then we have some handy advice for your own gardens at this time of year: plants that will inject colour and interest to revive a flagging border, plus that summer-flowering stalwart…

• Kitchen gardens can quickly dry out during hot spells, so be sure to water vegetable and fruit plants daily. • Potato and tomato blight can strike at this time of year. Dispose of or burn any affected plants to prevent the spores from spreading. • Thin out herbs such as parsley, leaving 25cm between plants to allow their roots to establish before winter. • A wealth of fruit varieties should be ready for picking now, including apricots, cherries, peaches and plums. If you don’t grow your own, head to a local pick-your-own farm and take home tasty fresh fruits. • Tidy lavender after it has finished flowering by shearing back the faded flowerheads, just into the leafy growth – but never into the old woodier growth.…

‘BLUE BOY’ This decorative dahlia, with flowers in a bluish shade of mauve, produces its blooms on sturdy 80cm stems. ‘APRIL HEATHER’ A collerette dahlia with a central ruff of yellow petals surrounded by outer petals suffused with an apricot blush. ‘GARDEN FESTIVAL’ Orange-red petals are touched with yellow at the tips on this classic decorative variety. ‘HADRIAN’S SUNLIGHT’ A chance seedling from dahlia specialist Halls of Heddon, with golden single blooms on rich, purple-brown leaves. ‘MAGENTA STAR’ This single dahlia has blooms in an iridescent shade of purple, standing out well against the purple-tinted foliage. ‘TAMBURO’ Velvety dark maroon flowers with the spiky formation typical of cactus dahlia varieties, on compact, metre-tall plants. ‘SHOW ’N’ TELL’ The coral-red petals of this flamboyant fimbriated dahlia are tipped with flashes of…

WATSONIA GALPINII Hailing from South Africa, this cormous perennial needs very well-drained soil and winter mulch to protect from frost. KNIPHOFIA ‘GOLDFINCH’ A dainty kniphofia with bright-yellow flowers opening from greenish buds. Grow in full sun and deep fertile soil. AGAPANTHUS ‘MIDNIGHT STAR’ Widely available, and renowned for its deep-blue flowers on sturdy stems. ECHINOPS RITRO ‘VEITCH’S BLUE’ A bee magnet that produces masses of spiky leaves and ball-shaped flowers. HEMEROCALLIS ‘SAMMY RUSSELL’ An heirloom variety with rusty-red flowers flaunting a golden-yellow throat. DIERAMA PULCHERRIMUM Angel’s fishing rod thrives in moist but well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out in summer sun. Plant the corms in spring. CISTUS × ARGENTEUS ‘PEGGY SAMMONS’ Crumpled, tissue-paper flowers sit above…

OUR COUNTRY IS FILLED WITH EXQUISITE gardens. Across hills and valleys, beside rivers and along its coasts lie some of the most beautiful places in the world, and this month we’ve rounded up 50 of them to visit in picturesque parts of the country. There are historically important aristocratic seats, a Victorian planthunter’s pride and joy, and more modest works of love that will inspire and delight in equal measure. To aid your exploration, we’ve noted a few distinctive places to visit, dine and stay. These include independent nurseries, Michelin-starred restaurants and charming inns and hotels. All that remains is to lay out a map and plan a route...…

VISIT Some of the area’s best-known lakes – Ullswater, Coniston Water, Windermere, and Derwentwater – can be busy in summer. Wastwater, Ennerdale Water and Buttermere are quieter. Follow in the footsteps of William Wordsworth by visiting his home, Dove Cottage, on the edge of Grasmere. DINE L’Enclume in Cartmel, is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms. Tel: 015395 36362; lenclume.co.uk. In Ulverston, historic Gillam’s is the go-to spot for a reviving afternoon tea. Tel: 01229 587564; gillams-tearoom.co.uk. STAY A traditional hotel near Ullswater, Sharrow Bay also has walled gardens and glasshouses. Tel: 01768 486301; sharrowbay.co.uk. The Drunken Duck in Ambleside has 12 rooms decorated in a classic style, with a pub below. Tel 015394 36347; drunkenduckinn.co.uk.…

VISIT A café and plant centre add to the appeal at Helmsley Walled Garden. Tel: 01439 771427; helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk. The pretty town of Hawes, with the Wensleydale Creamery on its outskirts, has a range of independent shops. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery near Wakefield. Tel 01924 832631; ysp.org.uk. DINE With five branches across Yorkshire, Betty’s Tea Rooms is the perfect spot for a proper brew. Tel: 0800 4561919; bettys.co.uk. And the regionally influenced food at the The Star Inn has earned this pub with rooms, near Helmsley, a Michelin star. Tel: 01439 770397; thestaratharome.co.uk. STAY The grand Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa at Bolton Abbey is owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Tel: 01756 718100; thedevonshirearms.co.uk. Yorebridge House has a wonderful location in the heart of…

VISIT The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery near Lostwithiel sells plants and homewares and has a lovely café. Tel: 01208 872668; duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk . Head south to St Ives where the light inspires artists, not least Patrick Heron, who painted his garden series from his home in Zennor. Nearby is the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Tel: 01736 796226 tate.org.uk. DINE In St Ives, at the Porthminster Café, eat award-winning seafood with views over St Ives Bay. Tel: 01736 795352; porthminstercafe.co.uk. Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Port Isaac specialises in fine seafood in the village made famous by TV series Doc Martin. Tel: 01208 880896; nathan-outlaw.com STAY The Nare, a friendly yet luxurious hotel, has panoramic views over Carne Beach, plus gardens and two swimming pools. Tel: 01872 501111; narehotel.co.uk. Tresanton…

VISIT Find trees, shrubs and perennials, at Madrona nursery. Tel: 01233 820100; madrona.co.uk. In Tunbridge Wells, Le Petit Jardin stocks garden goods. Tel: 01892 541152; le-petit-jardin.co.uk DINE At first glance a simple seaside pub, The Sportsman is renowned for cooking inspired by the local terroir. Tel: 01227 273370; thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk . The West House restaurant in Biddenden is set in a former weavers’ cottage. Tel: 01580 291341; thewesthouserestaurant.co.uk . STAY Period flair abounds at Georgian House, which has a respected restaurant, Read’s, with homegrown produce. Tel: 01795 535344; reads.com. The Wife of Bath, in Wye, has a relaxed take on good food, and six rooms named after characters from The Canterbury Tales. Tel: 01233 812232; thewifeofbath.com…

VISIT Find plants, garden furniture and a café at Burford Garden Company. Tel: 01993 823117; burford.co.uk. Stow-on-the-Wold is famous for its antiques shops; in Chipping Norton, visit Lichen Garden Antiques. Tel: 01608 678890; lichengardenantiques.com. DINE Longstanding Le Champignon Sauvage offers Michelin-starred fare from premises in Cheltenham. Tel: 01242 573 449; lechampignon sauvage.co.uk. The Wild Rabbit, meanwhile, uses organic produce from Daylesford. Tel: 01608 658389; thewildrabbit.co.uk. STAY A former stately home, Calcot Manor is a hotel with luxury spa facilities. Tel: 01666 891232; calcotmanor.com. The Bull Inn at Charlbury has homely rooms and a popular restaurant. Tel: 01608 810689; bullinncharlbury.com…

SHRUBS FOR SHADE Hydrangeas are often thought of as woodland shrubs. They enjoy shade, but must have moisture at the roots. “To grow them optimally, you’ve got to give them a degree of shade,” says Maurice. “The ideal is full overhead light with some shade during the hottest part of the day.” HARDINESS Not all hydrangeas are fully hardy – some mophead types, (H. macrophylla) for example, can be vulnerable to frost damage. If you garden in a colder part of the UK, consider varieties of H. serrata instead. “They’re from montane woodland and rocky mountain outcrops,” explains Maurice. “They have a shorter growing season so toughen up more quickly and aren’t as vulnerable to early and late frosts.” What’s more, many H. serrata varieties flower early, some from late-May…

In late summer at West Dean, we begin the annual process of taking cuttings from tender perennials we want to use again the following year. Our list includes pelargoniums, salvias, felicias, cupheas and penstemons. Most are easy and root happily without the application of rooting hormones, but to avoid disappointment, I try to avoid tricky plants that are over complicated in their propagation requirements. We place 2-3-inch long semi-ripe cuttings around the edge of a clean plastic pot, three to five depending on the size of pot or cutting, and use one-third all-purpose compost with two-thirds medium grade perlite as our cutting medium. It’s a mix I haven’t changed for more than 40 years! These pots are placed onto a gently heated propagating bench covered in a hood of clear…

‘Gardener’s Delight’ Prolific and well-suited to growing in containers, this cordon cherry variety will reach 2m, with a spread of 90cm. ‘Tigerella’ Striking stripes make this a distinctive variety. It’s half-hardy and good in colder climates, but needs full sun for early cropping. ‘Sungold’ A sweet cherry tomato, with yellow-orange fruits produced well into autumn provided they are kept away from frosts. ‘Brandywine’ A large heritage beefsteak variety, dating back to 1885, with a delicious, old-fashioned tomato taste. Slow-growing but prolific.…

In Britain we have a rich heritage of fruit-growing, thanks to our temperate climate. But since the mid-20th century, orchards have declined in numbers and traditional crops have fallen out of favour in the face of competition from imported fruit and crops that are easier to grow on a commercial scale. These ‘forgotten fruits’ conjure up images of old recipe books, walled gardens, medieval banquets and kitchens filled with copper pans and jelly moulds. From luscious honey-tasting gages to unusual quince and medlars and a host of hedgerow relatives of the plum, there’s a whole palette of flavours waiting to be discovered, and gardeners can do their bit by finding space to grow these plants in their gardens. Plum relatives The range of fruits belonging to the plum family makes…

• Fig leaves are really easy to find. The leaves are very big and you don’t need many to make a batch of ice cream. They have a really surprising coconut flavour. You can use them in other cooking, too, such as when baking fish. • Green walnuts are very bitter until you process them. I steep them in alcohol and sugar to make a liqueur called nocino, which has a wonderfully sweet spicy taste redolent of dried fruits. Or I candy them, which makes them taste of butterscotch and coffee. They make unique and delicious ice cream. • Blackcurrant leaves have a very particular flavour that is hard to describe. It comes from their lovely perfume, which has notes of white acid drops and green undertones. Add them to…

What were the circumstances that gave rise to you writing the book back in 2007? The book had been welling up for a long time when I started writing it 12 years ago. The first chapter I wrote was on the art of not digging because I had been feeling that no-dig gardening wasn’t being explained anywhere. How do you implement no-dig in your garden? I have not dug, except to clear perennial weeds and turf, for 30 years. I use a system of permanent slightly raised beds and permanent paths of soil between them. I allow worms and other soil life to do the ‘digging’ and keep the soil open. There are few weeds because the soil is not panicked by being disturbed into re-covering itself. What is living…

SPRING REACH NURSERY Spring Reach Nursery grows a fantastic range of clematis, trees, hedging, ferns, shrubs, fruit, perennials, roses, climbers and grasses. STARRING NOW Agapanthus, Abelia, Echinacea, Gaura, Hydrangeas and Penstemons. Visit one of Surrey’s finest nurseries – a gardener’s paradise! Just five minutes from RHS Garden Wisley. Tel: 01483 284769 info@springreachnursery.co.uk|www.springreachnursery.co.uk Spring Reach Nursery, Long Reach, Ockham, Surrey GU23 6PG ASHWOOD NURSERIES A traditional working nursery situated in the West Midlands. We specialise in Hellebores, Hardy Cyclamen, Salvias, Hepaticas, Hydrangeas, Lewisias, Dwarf Conifers, Snowdrops, Primula auriculas and offer many more choice plants. We feel Ashwood Nurseries is a plantsman’s paradise. Our mail order service sends plants, garden essentials and gifts to UK and EU destinations. Special events throughout the year. Please visit our website for more details. Open Daily.…

• Exuberant hot borders at Coughton Court, Warwickshire • Find inspiration in the truly imaginative garden of York Gate, Leeds • The restored kitchen and cutting garden at Fulham Palace in London • Grasses and naturalistic planting at Treverra in Cornwall • Explore the colourful range of echinacea PLUS The fascinating history of mulberries; ideas for late summer colour from Norwell Nurseries; and a profile of plantswoman Margery Fish Don’t miss out. Buy single copies or subscribe now at theenglishgarden.co.uk 01858 438854…

Summer Walk & Talk 1 August, Cheshire This relaxed stroll through Cholmondeley Castle’s gardens takes in endless summer colour. Adult entry from £7. Tel: 01829 720383; cholmondeleycastle.com Meet the Gardener 1 August & 29 August, Gloucestershire Meet Thornbury Castle’s Head Gardener for an informative garden tour, followed by a delicious afternoon tea. 1-3pm. Tickets £35. Tel: 01454 281182; thornburycastle.co.uk Draw the Gardens 8 August, West Midlands Artists from the Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists lead a relaxed session of plant drawing at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. Tel: 0121 7494100; castlebromwichhallgardens.org.uk Plant Hunters Weekend, 25-26 August, Kent Learn about Britain’s intrepid plant hunters, with free guided tours of Lullingstone Castle’s World Garden (right). Adult entry £9. Tel: 01322 862114; lullingstonecastle.co.uk Handmade & Homegrown Festival 31 August-2 September, Kent Watch demonstrations by…

• The secret to success with dahlias is preparing the soil really well before you plant them. We dig in lots of manure in late spring before the dahlias go in, and because we do that we don’t need to feed them as much during the summer and autumn – we’ll give them an occasional foliar feed with liquid seaweed, but that’s it. If you didn’t prepare the soil well, you can give them tomato feed regularly to give them a boost. • By August, you should already have staked your dahlias – if you haven’t, do it as soon as possible or they will be collapsing all over the place. One lesson we learned from bitter experience is to put a stake next to each newly-planted dahlia. Before we…

• After planting, water your hydrangeas well, and keep on watering at first, especially if there’s no rainfall. But that’s it. Plant in real soil straight away; I add fish, blood and bone in the second year. • Pruning depends on type. Leave Hydrangea quercifolia alone until they reach maturity, then take out about a quarter of the stems each year in early spring to generate new growth from the base. • For Macrophylla hydrangeas (lacecaps and mopheads), as soon as you see buds breaking in spring, take out about a quarter of the entire stems, so you get air into the bush and new growth from the base. • Hydrangea paniculata flower on the new season’s wood, so prune in spring. If you want big flowers on short shrubs,…

Anthony Paul has been designing gardens for over 30 years. He’s a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers and his contemporary and innovative gardens feature architectural plantings incorporating water and sculpture. The tranquility and simplicity of Japanese gardens are a major inspiration, as are the stunning landscapes and rainforests of his birthplace, New Zealand. “New Zealand plants are quietly beautiful; they are not showy and full of flower, but are understated and earn respect from being singularly adaptable to the environment they have created,” says Anthony, who, with his Dutch wife Hannah, owns the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden at Black and White Cottage in Ockley, Surrey. Anthony was commissioned to design a cool, contemporary outdoor room to harmonise with the dark, weather-boarded walls and modern glass-panelled entertaining room of…

“Their exotic appearance means they are often wrongly assumed to be semi-desert plants” Kniphofias, descriptively known as red hot pokers, are plants that seem to do very well in the west of the British Isles. In particular, they took off on the west coast of Scotland in the 1860s, soon after their introduction from South Africa, where they acquired the name of ‘Bailie Nicol Jarvie’s Poker’ – a reference to the magistrate in Walter Scott’s Rob Roy, whose weapon of choice was a poker. That they do so well here is a pointer to the fact that, on the whole, they prefer moist soil, although their exotic appearance means they are often wrongly assumed to be semi-desert plants. Cornwall’s Eden Project offers a near-perfect climate for a Kniphofia National Collection.…

AMERICAN CRESS This land cress has a similar peppery flavour to watercress, and tastes good in salads or sandwiches. It prefers moist soil and is available from Suttons. GREEK CRESS Lepidium sativum is a fast-growing, leafy crop, with a fresh taste of cress followed by a hot kick. The leaves lose their heat with age, so cut and eat while young. CHERVIL Aniseed-flavoured chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) works well with fish dishes. It’s a pretty crop with delicate ferny leaves. Keep it well-watered to stop it running to seed. PAK CHOI Brassica rapa can be picked as a leafy crop, or allowed to develop its bulb-like stem. Growing it under glass reduces potential problems with flea beetle, too. MIBUNA Use these long, narrow spear-shaped leaves in stir-fries or salads.…

“‘Serotina’, has soft maroon and yellow colouring, its foliage like August thunder clouds” If I were to dream a garden – my ideal garden for August – it would have shade and scent and the sound of water. And honeysuckle. Nothing more would be needed. And if water were in short supply, the honeysuckle alone would do, twining over the rough poles of a little arbour, just big enough for one person to sit. The honeysuckle I’d choose would be Lonicera periclymenum ‘Serotina’, a late-flowering form of our native woodbine. There are 180 or so other species – from the Americas, from the Himalayas, from Japan and Southeast Asia, from Southern Europe – but I take comfort in this old cottage-garden favourite, with its soft maroon and yellow colouring, its…