Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i The English Garden

Nic Wilson Based in Hertfordshire, Nic is a garden and nature writer with a passion for the nearby wild, who blogs at dogwooddays.net. She visits a charming cottage garden in Letchworth Garden City on page 51. Ruth Chivers Ruth is a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. She has a passion for garden visiting and a keen interest in 20th century garden history. Read her comparison of Russell Page and Lanning Roper on p59. Jim Cable Jim is a Kew-trained plantsman and gardening journalist, and his Staffordshire garden is a rich fusion of Mediterranean- and cottage-style planting. His new series on botanical plant families begins on page 101.…

Shillingstone, Dorset November is the perfect time to visit this Dorset garden, when you’ll see a spectacular range of autumn hues. Lawsbrook contains over 130 different tree species, spread over six acres, and visitors to these wonderfully diverse grounds can enjoy an array of both native tree species as well as many unusual specimens, including dawn redwood, damyio oak and wollemi pine. The garden, which has been opening for the NGS for 11 years, offers a full day out, with variation and extended space for everyone to enjoy its autumn colour. Snowdrop days take place in February. Lawsbrook, Brodham Way, Shillingstone, Dorset DT11 0TE. Opens for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 November, 10am-5pm. Adult: £3.50 Children: Free. Home-made teas are available.…

Forage, cook and feast day with the Fat Hen 8 & 15 November, Cornwall Learn how to forage safely and then turn your gatherings into a three-course lunch. Tickets: £125. Tel: 07767 792417; fathen.org Happy Gut nutrition at River Cottage 10 November, Devon Enjoy a day of superfood tuition with a focus on the nutritional benefits of fermentation (right). Tickets: £195. Tel: 01297 630300; rivercottage.net ‘The Perfect Christmas Table’ with Daylesford 13 November, 6 & 20 December, Gloucestershire Learn festive recipes, including canapés, starters and pudding, while partaking of a glass of prosecco. Tickets: £195. Tel: 01608 731620; daylesford.com Artisan winter preserves at WI Cookery School 27-29 November, Oxfordshire Make wintry preserves such as spiced vegetable chutney, pumpkin and orange marmalade and duck confit. Tickets: £440. Tel: 01865 391991; denman.org.uk…

Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ Leaves as finely cut as a lace shawl that turn beautifully. It can be grown in a pot but make sure it has enough water. Acer campestre The field maple is usually a hedgerow tree but it has wonderful butter-yellow autumn foliage. Perfect for a wild corner. Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ A real showstopper. It’s a little understated in summer, but zings in this season. Best positioned in partial shade. Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ The best for dark red. Its purple-tinged spring and summer leaves go pillar-box red in autumn. Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ Young leaves are a shrimpy-pink, turning green and then bright yellow. In addition the bark is a striking coral red, which stands out particularly well in winter. Acer…

Timing is crucial, especially if you’re growing salad crops. Try to practise successional planting to avoid ending up with overwhelming gluts of produce. Interplant crops. This is particularly useful if you’re short on space but would still like to grow lots of different varieties. You could, for instance, try interplanting radishes with parsnips. Space plants correctly, especially root crops. If you sow them too thickly, you’ll have a heavier crop but the roots will be small. If you plant lettuces too close together they’ll swamp each other and there will be more space for slugs and snails to hide. Know your common pests and diseases because they can sneak up on you. Potatoes can be as happy as Larry one minute and wiped out by potato blight the next. Get…

There is a special relationship in gardening between the UK and the USA that has developed ever since the original East Coast colonies were established four centuries ago. While the dominant story may appear to be the exporting of the ‘English’ style of gardens and gardening, in reality the flow of ideas and influences was always a two-way process. The lifespans of British designer Russell Page (1906-1985) and the American Lanning Roper (1912-1983) were almost identical. There are other similarities between these two giants of the garden design world, but some interesting differences too. Russell Page was born in Lincolnshire in 1906; six years later, Lanning Roper was born in New Jersey, but service in World War II brought him to the UK and he remained here for the rest…

A path has to have a purpose. There’s no point in having one that meanders with no objective. If it does meander, it needs to offer an experience. We’re very concerned about things being straight and accurate. As a designer I’m probably a little bit obsessed by it, but a path has to be right. Where a path hasn’t lined up with a house, we’ve moved it to make sure it does line up. Gravel or self-binding gravel is cost-effective and is one thing you can save money on. Be careful of using it too close to the house though, because you don’t want to pick it up on your feet and carry it inside. The colour of the gravel you use should depend on the design of the garden.…

Dig large square holes when planting crab apples. Alex isn’t a believer in improving the soil that trees are to be planted in, preferring to backfill with the soil that has been removed, as long as it is friable. He does, however, scatter a handful of mycorrhizal fungi into the hole at planting time. Support newly planted trees with a wooden stake that’s in proportion. Alex likes to use stakes angled at 45° towards the prevailing wind. To avoid tree ties cutting into the bark, check regularly to make sure they aren’t too tight. Weed and mulch around the base of the tree to allow moisture to reach the shallow, spreading roots. “We keep a 1-2m circle around the base of the tree, or bigger if at all possible,” says…

Flavours to try: Most herbs work well, so which you use is a matter of personal taste and depends on how you intend to use the syrup: lemon verbena (below), chocolate mint, ginger rosemary, pineapple sage, orange thyme and scented pelargoniums (above) are my favourites. The method: Dissolve 500g sugar into an equal weight of water, stirring often. Remove from the heat and add your chosen herb – a handful is good, although it doesn’t matter too much as you should taste it frequently as it cools. When it has the required intensity of flavour, remove the herb. Store: Keep your syrup in the fridge, where it should last for a few months. Syrups can also be frozen in freezer bags. Uses: As a cordial diluted with still or sparkling…

The Wildlife Pond Book by Jules Howard Bloomsbury Wildlife, £16.99 Autumn and winter are the times to embark upon new technical projects and few produce as many benefits for garden wildlife as a new pond. The Wildlife Pond Book is both comprehensive and practical in its guidance on building and maintenance, so if you are considering installing a pond this season, this is an invaluable book to keep to hand. Chapters follow pond construction from start to finish, with notes on determining a design that suits the site and advice on preparing the ground. There are tips on pond management, dealing with such bugbears as algae, duckweed and leaks, plus suggestions for good aquatic plants to grow. Author Jules Howard’s experience in zoology and wildlife conservation is very much apparent:…

Say ‘November’ and thoughts of vibrant flowers aren’t normally the first that come to mind. But there are flowers that are very happy to show up late to the party, and they’ll stay even longer if the first hard frosts don’t strike too soon. Dahlias are a case in point – get your brilliant hit of these at Forde Abbey in Somerset, and at Great Comp in Kent, where they’re combined with another colourful latecomer: salvias. And it’s not just flowers that keep gardens looking interesting at this time of year: berries and fruit step into the limelight now as well, and you could do worse than plant a crab apple if you wanted to give your garden a boost in this department (see page 85). Then there’s autumn leaf…

Clematis vitalba is a vigorous woody vine that produces plentiful wind-dispersed seeds. It ousts other plants and has a reputation for doing the devil’s work by choking those living around it, giving it the nickname of ‘devil’s guts’. Other common names for Clematis vitalba include ‘traveller’s joy’ and ‘old man’s beard’. The former because its branches are adorned with a mass of white flowers in summer; the latter is an allusion to its wispy winter seedheads.…

SALVIA ‘PASADENA’ A relatively new shrubby sage cultivar introduced in 2017, which flowers from May to November. DAHLIA ‘MYSTIC ILLUSION’ The blackish-purple foliage is the ideal backdrop to these bright-yellow single blooms produced from August. SALVIA ‘LOVE AND WISHES’ Long, tubular, purple-pink flowers are produced from June until November on a bushy plant with aromatic foliage. DAHLIA ‘MYSTIC SPIRIT’ Mahogany foliage combines with apricot-orange flowers that are loved by bees and bloom well into autumn. SALVIA ‘BLUE MERCED’ Bluish violet flowers are borne by this 60cm tall salvia, which will thrive in a sunny, sheltered, well-drained position. HEDYCHIUM DENSIFLORUM ‘ASSAM ORANGE’ Stately spikes of deep orange flowers thrust upwards from August to autumn. BIDENS AUREA ‘ HANNAY’S…

By late autumn, many gardens have grown a little lacklustre as herbaceous perennial displays begin to fade and deciduous trees are stripped back to bare bones. Not so in Renata and Colin Hume’s cottage garden, where variegated evergreen foliage, tall grasses and seedheads, clusters of vivid berries and heritage apple trees infuse the borders with seasonal colour and glory. The couple bought the property 20 years ago attracted by the history and potential of the cottage and garden, which are situated on land that is believed to have originally been part of a large orchard. Renata and Colin’s cottage was one of the earliest properties to be built in the newly established Letchworth Garden City as part of a group of 131 dwellings created for the Cheap Cottages Competition. This…

Despite the shorter days and cooler evenings, it is possible to enjoy the dwindling golden hours of autumn outdoors, as the chill of winter draws ever closer. Late autumn days may still be warm and tender, while evenings offer clear starry skies. Wrap up warmly and focus on comfortable seating and lighting to make the most of your garden’s last hurrah. FURNISH A Space Entertaining outdoors takes on a different mood in autumn. Picnicking is probably best ruled out by now, but long weekend lunches should definitely be on the agenda. Gather throws and cushions for warmth as the shadows lengthen, and take care to include comfortable seating. Good garden furniture makes all the difference, and the adage of buying once and well could scarcely be more true: Andrew Crace,…

Tours include all garden entries, guided tours, executive coach travel and tour representative. To view full itineraries visit www.heritagetouring.co.uk. The tours are administered and managed by Heritage Touring on behalf of The English Garden. Heritage Touring has been offering quality garden tours for over 30 years. Please contact them directly to book places on these tours and for any further information. A non-refundable deposit of £175 per person is required to confirm your reservation. Heritage Touring, Flaxmans, West Tytherley, Salisbury SP5 1NR. Tel: 01794 342249; email: tours@heritagetouring.co.uk…

‘All The Year Round’ Grow ‘All The Year Round’ in late autumn to harvest in spring/summer. It’s good for successional sowing, and only the hottest and coldest months should be avoided. ‘Graffiti’ Sow this unusual F1 hybrid under cover in early to mid-spring for a harvest from July to October. Curds lose some of their colour on cooking, but remain lilac-hued. ‘Cheddar’ The florets of this F1 variety are the lurid colour of Red Leicester cheese and reach up to 18cm across. Sow now and overwinter in a coldframe to plant out in spring. ‘Romanesco Early’ Enjoy the Fibonacci sequence florets of this cauliflower alternative, which is crunchier and a little nuttier in taste. Sow it in May and June for an autumn harvest.…

We enter autumn with our sights set on spring. Between these seasons comes winter, when a north wind blows cold and storms bundle in from the west. For the best chance of surviving the worst of this weather and to be poised and ready for spring growth, a garden needs mulch. Think of mulch as an eiderdown for plants: insulating, protective, restorative, decorative. It keeps the worst frosts off vulnerable perennials, traps water to reduce run off, and improves soil health. Since soil never likes to be left uncovered and always works to recover with weeds where nothing else is available, the virtues of mulch can hardly be praised highly enough. Almost anything can be turned into mulch and at this time of year you would do well to put…

You’ve drawn parallels between Piet Oudolf and William Robinson. What are their similarities and where do they differ? Both Oudolf and Robinson have worked with herbaceous perennials in a ‘naturalistic’ style, drawing inspiration overtly from how plants grow in the wild, their natural forms and how they combine with other plants. There is a well-established, rich seam of naturalism in traditional English gardening that can be traced back to Robinson and beyond. Oudolf and his cohort have innovated substantially – perhaps the chief point of difference for me is the new-found appreciation of the decorative potential of decay in herbaceous plants. Piet has used both matrix and block planting in the gardens at Hauser & Wirth. What are the characteristics of these planting styles and what do they achieve? In…

• Lift hardwood cuttings from last autumn, which will by now have rooted, and plant them in permanent positions. • Move bulbs that are being forced for early flowers to a cool greenhouse, windowsill or coldframe once they are about 5cm tall. • Sow overwintering broad beans and peas outside, with cloches to hand in case of severe winter weather. • Net all brassicas, if you’ve not done so already, to keep the birds away. • Pot up amaryllis bulbs so they flower in time for Christmas. • Plant bare-root trees and shrubs by digging a generous hole in the ground, placing the tree or shrub with a low stake on its windward side, re-filling and gently firming.…

• Plant early-flowering spring bulbs now to ensure an attractively colourful display that will also supply hungry bees with one of their earliest sources of pollen. • Mimic the traditional English hedgerow in your garden and provide a feast for the birds by planting a fruiting hedge that is mixed with a variety of hip-bearing roses, elder, bramble and hawthorn. • Young hedgehogs are often found to be weak and underweight at this time of year, having failed to put on sufficient weight in the months leading up to hibernation. Help them boost their energy reserves by leaving out small amounts of meat-based cat or dog foods, unsalted peanuts and dried mealworms. • If you’re building a November bonfire, don’t do it too far in advance and when you’re ready…

Albert Camus is not a chap to whom one usually turns for garden writing. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957, but most of his stuff had nothing to do with horticulture. Anarcho-syndicalism and absurdism, yes, but if you are looking for garden tips you are probably better off with the works of Mr Titchmarsh. However, he did contribute a very neat little quote about this time of year: “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” – a rather wonderful way to look at the setting of the seasons as we slide elegantly from the loucheness of late summer into the chill of winter. Every season conjures up deep seated memories in all of us. Winter is about Christmas, spring is chock full of…

Nandina domestica Fiery red-purple foliage in autumn, along with clusters of shiny red berries. Heptacodium miconioides White, scented flowers in early autumn, with pinkish bracts that remain after flowering. Renata particularly enjoys the peeling, striated bark. Cotoneaster x watereri Dark green, semi-evergreen foliage persists throughout the winter in Renata’s sheltered garden. Masses of red berries for the birds in autumn. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Wrinkled Blue’ Smoky, silver-blue, variegated foliage with wavy leaf margins and striking black stems. Itea ilicifolia Glossy, evergreen foliage and honey-scented pendulous racemes, which keep flowering well into autumn. Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis ‘Soft Caress’ Growing in the lower border with ferns, this evergreen has spine-free foliage and scented yellow flowers in autumn.…

At their most basic, paths lead a person from one destination to the next by the most efficient means possible. Historically, the Romans were masters of such routes: that their dead-straight, 2,000-year-old roads remain important thoroughfares today is proof of the merits of this approach. In the garden, surfaces are level and durable so as to sustain heavy traffic, from footfall but also from equipment such as wheelbarrows and lawn mowers. They lead perhaps, from the front gate to the front door, from the back door to the washing line or greenhouse. At the opposite extreme, paths are both literally and figuratively transporting, perhaps meandering through abundant planting or, as the landscape gardeners of the 18th century were fond of doing, borrowing a view of surrounding scenery. In today’s terms…

Writing about crab apples is a straightforward task – as straightforward as these trees are to grow. There are no complicated growing instructions and no sinister pests or diseases that require explanation. They’re simply a winning combination of beautiful and useful garden attributes and an easygoing nature. All that’s required is to extol their virtues, of which, happily, there are many. Their biggest virtue is their small but manageable size. Most crab apples won’t grow any bigger than 7-8m tall, and many species and cultivars are even smaller, making them superb trees for gardens that are tight on space or in areas where ultimate growth must fall within certain bounds – like in an avenue or allée of trees for example. Crab apples also offer several seasons of interest, an…

• Sow summer cauliflowers 50cm apart under cover in early spring, early autumn cauliflowers in mid-spring, and autumn cauliflowers in late spring. Winter cauliflowers grow very slowly: sow them in summer for harvest the following year. • Grow cauliflowers under netting to protect them from birds and butterflies. If cabbage root fly is a problem, use cabbage collars. Rotate crops to prevent club root. • Tie up leaves around the developing curds to protect them from sun and wind damage.…

To help grasp the essence of Lamiaceae, the first plant family in our new series, think of a jar of herbes de Provence. The ingredients label is a list of some of its best-known members: basil, marjoram, oregano, savory, rosemary and thyme. Many of our staple garden plants belong to what is commonly referred to as the mint family and share one of its key characteristics – aromatic leaves. These are typically arranged in pairs up a stem that is square in cross-section. These plants’ volatile oils, which we value for their scent and flavour, offer an evaporative cooling effect in the plants’ home climates, which tend to produce hot dry summers, as well as a certain amount of protection from grazing animals. Mint family flowers are arranged in circles…

I sometimes think of my garden as a ship, sailing through the seasons – particularly at this time of year, when we are stowing away the hand tools, the balls of string and the kneepads, putting things in the drawers and shelves that line the kitchen and the garden shed. Everything has its place so it will readily come to hand when needed next. We oil machinery, sharpen saws and secateurs and make all ship-shape, preparing for bad weather and battening down the hatches. Remember the gales last year? The snow the year before? “My garden is only a small boat, but it is part of a flotilla of many similar gardens” We are an island nation and the English language is full of maritime words and phrases. I think…