Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i The English Garden

Howard Rice Howard’s birthday treat, aged ten, was a trip to Kew. Later, photography and conservation joined his childhood passion for plants. His photographs of Abbots Ripton feature on page 22. Mark Lane A former publisher, Mark is now an award-winning garden designer, writer, TV and radio broadcaster, who works alongside several charities. His new series on Iconic Gardens starts with Sissinghurst on p75. Eva Nemeth Eva grew up watching the changes in her grandmother’s cottage garden, first as a child and later from behind the camera, which she uses to create worlds of her own. Her Babington House images are on p103.…

Great Dixter East Sussex Spectacular plants, setting and people: Great Dixter is the pinnacle of gardening and head gardener Fergus Garrett has produced a whole generation of keen, down-to-earth gardeners. Tel: 01797 252878; greatdixter.co.uk Marchants Gardens & Nursery Laughton, E. Sussex The beautiful surrounding garden sits perfectly within the landscape. I have an issue with gardens that are just ‘plonked’ – this one is the opposite of ‘plonked’. Tel: 01323 811737; marchantshardyplants.co.uk…

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As the sun sinks behind the Old Rectory, it suffuses the myriad flowers and grasses with a golden glow so that, glimpsed from a nearby hillside, the garden appears as a jewel set within wildflower meadows and copses, hills and hollows. “It’s hard to believe that when we first came, there was no garden,” recalls Louise Ness. “Derek and I had wanted to make a garden from scratch, and then we found this blank canvas.” Today there is nothing blank about the outstanding garden created by this husband-and-wife duo, the bare canvas transformed into a vibrant tapestry of plants contained within a framework of yew or beech hedges. A strip of bearded irises flanks a rose cutting garden, while beyond, an allée of peonies leads past twin sunset-hued borders towards…

Establishing perennial wildflowers in a grass sward can be difficult, especially if you’re working on fertile soil. Try growing your plants from seed and then potting them on into 9cm pots before introducing them into grassland – this will give them a better chance of competing with the grasses. Meadows take time, so don’t be impatient and expect instant results. Many wildflowers will take a couple of years to bloom. Include flowers with lots of pollen and nectar and you’ll soon see more butterflies and insects. This doesn’t just apply to wildflowers: choose cultivated garden varieties with wildlife in mind too. You learn by planting things. When you find plants that work, grow them in number.…

Susie Hartley Figurative sculpture, including animals in bronze and bronze resin. Tel: 07719 917480; susiehartley.com Simon Allison Artist-led fountain designs. Commissions include the Water Garden at Kiftsgate. Tel: 01295 758066; allisonfountains.co.uk Nigel Hall Recent work includes circular forms in varied materials, from bronze to beech wood. nigelhallartist.com Giles Rayner Sculpture is combined with water to make dramatic, large-scale focal points. Tel: 07989 320335; gilesrayner.com…

Buy specimens of appropriately sized cultivars from weed-free nursery tanks to avoid contaminating your pond. Plant in late spring to late summer, in full sun and still water. Use sizeable aquatic baskets, allowing room for rhizome growth. If the leaves protrude above the surface, they need larger baskets or deeper water. Trim any long roots and remove yellow or damaged foliage. Line the aquatic basket with hessian, fill it with aquatic compost, add aquatic slow-release fertiliser and plant the crown so that it’s level with the soil. Water well before submerging the crown, initially to a depth of 15-25cm, allowing the leaves to float on the surface. Stack bricks or use an alternative support to achieve initial depth. Lower plants as they mature and grow, until they’re at the cultivar’s…

Ashley Corrigan waves her hands in the air as she enthuses about her favourite confetti petals. As marketing manager for Shropshire Petals she knows more than most about the best way to throw confetti, and the team’s dedication to their job is evident from the petals that eddy around the floor every time someone opens the door. Large tubs line the walls of the packing shed – each with an evocative label: Icing Sugar, Pinch of Plum, Midnight Bloom, Mellow Meadow – where Amanda and Dawn are busy packaging samples to send out to brides-to-be. What’s on show here is a mere fraction of the 820 million petals the company harvests annually by hand and sends out to brides and companies near and far. “It’s quite humbling really, when you…

The four weeks that have passed since our last issue seem a blur of sun, heat and watering. Sunshine certainly helps make the ongoing lockdown more tolerable, but my garden is as dry as a bone. In between praying for a really good downpour, I’m concentrating on keeping my tomato plants happy, and giving the sweet peas a good soaking every few days to keep their flower stems long. I’ve been picking their scented flowers for my dining table/home office for a couple of weeks. With them and the weather, it feels as if summer’s truly here. The gardens in this issue have the same summery feeling: clear, bright colours in the herbaceous borders of Abbots Ripton Hall; blowsy, fragrant rose blooms at The Old Rectory on the Isle of…

• Make sure plants in tubs and containers are kept well-watered in hot, dry weather. Even after rain they will usually need a top-up. • Keep an eye on garden ponds and scoop out any blanket weed or algae that’s starting to proliferate in sunny weather. • Deadhead bedding plants such as zonal geraniums and petunias so they keep producing flowers. • There may be crops to harvest now, such as strawberries and currants. In the vegetable patch pull radishes and pick courgettes while they are small and tender. • Make sure your tomatoes are in their final planting positions, grow-bags or containers by the time they produce their first flower trusses.…

The historic county of Huntingdonshire is, in parts, a place of quiet country lanes, majestic elms and wide arable fields. There is nothing but the distant hum of a tractor or the warbling of skylarks to break the sound of the breeze rolling in across the flat fen landscape. Lying almost exactly in the centre of the county, Grade II listed Abbots Ripton Hall was built in around 1720, and although it was altered in both the 19th and 20th centuries, it retains an elegant Georgian air. Twentieth century alterations came in the form of the addition of striking white-painted trelliswork and a loggia designed by Peter Foster – a nod to the 1700s craze for Chinoiserie that gripped the nation as trade expanded and the foundations of the British…

‘RHAPSODY IN BLUE’ A sweetly fragrant shrub rose that has semi-double flowers of deep purple-magenta fading to slate-mauve. ‘BONICA’ This modern shrub rose has clusters of small, rose-pink flowers on a sturdy plant that’s pretty yet tough. ‘GRACE’ Neat rosette blooms of purest apricot, darker in the centre, are produced in profusion throughout the summer. ‘LADY OF SHALOTT’ This David Austin-bred English rose bears masses of highly fragrant, orange, chalice-shaped flowers from June. ‘THE LARK ASCENDING’ Another from David Austin, with graceful, semi-double loose-petalled flowers in a soft shade of apricot. ‘BLUE FOR YOU’ The small, purple-mauve flowers produced from June on this Floribunda rose have a scent akin to violets. ‘GENTLE HERMIONE’ Myrrh scented, light-pink, cupped flowers are borne from June on this David Austin English shrub rose. ‘DUCHESS…

THALICTRUM DELAVAYI Choose this wiry-stemmed perennial for clouds of mauve flowers up to 1.5m tall. CAMPANULA ‘LODDON ANNA’ Pastel lilac-pink flowers are carried from June to August on this reliable performer. ACHILLEA ‘WALTHER FUNCKE’ Brick-red flowers fade to warm orange as they age on this grey-leaved, upright plant. TROPAEOLUM SPECIOSUM The Scottish flame flower weaves through hedges and seeds itself into moist soil. ROSA ‘JAMES GALWAY’ A repeat-flowering English rose. Grow as a large shrub or train its stems as a climber. ERYNGIUM ALPINUM Give this large-flowered eryngium, with its finely cut metallic ruff, good, fertile soil.…

At Sissinghurst, notable Renaissance towers cast shadows across one of the most iconic gardens in England, just as they have for the past 500 years. Although the gardens here are a modern concept, in terms of age, the surrounding landscape has changed very little. Thousands visit each year from every continent, yet it is still possible to find a quiet place to sit and reflect on a history that has never been lost. The Sissinghurst estate, home to Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson from the 1930s, is vast at 450 acres, but the gardens cover a manageable five, and it is easy to imagine exploring its agreeable spaces in pyjamas. It has a soft, relaxed feel, with scent in the air and bees buzzing in every direction. A series of…

Established in 2010, Malverleys in Hampshire is a sumptuous flower garden set within a larger estate. Head gardener Mat Reese trained at Great Dixter and the garden bears this influence as well as taking inspiration from the writings of William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West. Malverleys’ abundantly planted terraces and long borders are at their peak right now, but a visit will also reveal wonderful themed rooms, including a cool garden, hot garden and a rose-clad cloister garden. Here, Mat selects ten of his favourite annuals and biennials to grow for a loose, English country look, with an eye on biodiversity. Malverleys, Fullers Lane, East End, Newbury, Hampshire RG20 0AA. For details of openings, visit ngs.org.uk or malverleys.co.uk 1 Papaver somniferum This is a beautiful, pure white, single poppy with just…

The best sort of garden is one into which its owner goes every day of the year, using it for inspiration and reflection in every season whatever the weather. You might expect a florist’s garden to be full of roses and other big statement flowers, but Fiona Pickles, of Firenza Flowers, is no ordinary florist. In her West Yorkshire garden, which clings to a steep hillside overlooking the Ryburn Valley, she is more likely to snip wispy tendrils of clematis, the seedheads of scabious and poppy, or even a ‘weed’ like shepherd’s purse, than cut the more showy flowers. Her maiden name was Wilde, apt for someone who has taken her skill as one of the country’s most sought-after florists in a direction that is more in harmony with the…

Pots For All Seasons by Tom Harris Pimpernel Press, £20 It was when author Tom Harris was confronted with a “rocky, almost soil-free garden” that “pots leapt heroically” to his aid. So began a lasting relationship with these often overlooked and even neglected elements of outdoor spaces. Transportable and contained, pots earn their place. For tenants unwilling to invest heavily in a garden that isn’t their own, they are ideal. For those wishing to grow plants that local soil conditions won’t accommodate, they open a world of opportunity. Pots bring spring cheer to the front door when the March wind blows and they turn terraces into something more than mere paving slabs and outdoor furniture. Pots for All Seasons offers practical, inspiring advice on how to make the most of…

Gooseberries make unlikely heroes. After all, no one wants to be a gooseberry – the embarrassingly superfluous third in a trio of two lovers, plus one. Lowly, green, hairy, rebarbative, unlovely. Who could love a gooseberry? But we should. When did you last see gooseberries in a supermarket? They are the home gardener’s best-kept secret: left to ripen on the bush they attain a succulence and sweetness that rivals that of any imported kiwi fruit or grape. And the gooseberry is undeniably British: the best pears in my garden have French names, but gooseberries have the names of 19th-century British prime ministers or the lower ranks of the British army at Waterloo: Gunner, Rifleman, Lancer. Native to the whole of Europe, but especially well suited to the cool damp British…

Derry Watkins The author, passionate plantswoman and owner of Special Plants Nursery on the joys of her day job, and how to make your garden work for you My garden at Special Plants Nursery sits on a sunny, south-facing slope near Bath with unbelievable views. It was just thistles to start with, but my husband, who is an architect, kept designing little sections of land that he handed over to me to plant up. He continued until I had to tell him to stop – I couldn’t handle any more! The garden is one acre on heavy clay soil. Straight away we created a gravel garden to provide the right conditions for Mediterranean plants, planning around one bulb in particular: Tropaeolum polyphyllum from Chile. It has amazing blue-grey foliage and…

Nationwide Find a virtual library of tours around National Garden Scheme gardens on the charity’s website. So far, the library includes tours of varied gardens across the UK, including the gorgeous seven acres at Great Comp (below) in Kent, a packed plantswoman’s garden at Loughbrow House in Shropshire, and Alan Titchmarsh’s own private garden with wildflower meadows, topiary and rare plants in Hampshire. Everyone is invited to view and enjoy these videos, and then make a donation in lieu of what they would have spent on a garden visit. ngs.org.uk…

ALSTROEMERIA Choose a refined cultivar of these clump-forming plants, such as ‘Orange Glory’ rather than the invasive species. DELPHINIUMS High-maintenance, but worth the effort of staking each spire and protecting from slugs for these vivid flowers. ROSA ‘JENS MUNK’ Fragrant mauve-pink flowers appear from June to July on this rugosa rose, with a second, autumn flush too. CLEMATIS ‘ PRINCESS DIANA’ A texensis type with trumpet-shaped flowers in a beautiful, glowing magenta-pink. EUPHORBIA GRIFFITHII Choose ‘Fireglow’ for bold orange bracts, but watch for wayward advancing shoots. INULA RACEMOSA This bristly member of the daisy family is a classic for borders. Keep this tall and robust grower at the back.…

The secret to creating a successful wild garden lies in its preparation, which begins with the removal of coarse grasses. A combination of mowing, removing the clippings, weed killing and rotovating started the process at Brillscote House, after which various native species of flowering grasses were sown with a liberal scattering of yellow rattle, Rhinanthus minor, a semi-parasitic plant that weakens nearby grasses. The grasses are topped once or twice if needed, particularly in spring when bulbs begin to emerge, but generally mowing is left until everything starts to flop, which is usually sometime in September, after everything has set seed. At Brillscote House we use a motorised strimmer, which is similar to a modern Allen scythe, to chop down the grasses, after which they are left out to dry…

ON REFLECTION Outdoor sculpture is integral to its surroundings, affected by and affecting the elements close to it. Consider reflective surfaces for echoing nearby planting and forms. Torus (left) by David Harber has mirror-polished steel, convex curves and an aperture that frames the view beyond. Tel: 01235 859300; davidharber.co.uk SET ON STONE The base on which sculpture is displayed affects the way it is viewed. A rustic stone setting brings a different mood to a formal plinth. Sycamore Seeds (above left) by Andrew McKeown, in cast iron but also available in bronze, can be assembled at home on a base of your choice. Tel: 01642 321104; andrewmckeown.com ORGANIC FORM Nature and gardens offer endless inspiration for organic shapes. Anne Curry strives to evoke the power of life at work in…

ROSA ‘CONSTANCE SPRY’ An English climbing rose with fully double, rich pink flowers with a heavenly myrrh scent, held on nodding stems. ROSA ‘ MULLIGANII’ A rich musk scent from myriad small white flowers held in large clusters on a plant that can reach an incredible 11m. BETONICA MACRANTHA An upright perennial, also known as Stachys macrantha, with dense spikes of hooded, pink-purple flowers. TULIPA ‘ORANGE EMPEROR’ Perfect in pots or the border, this stunning tulip has petals in deep carrot-orange shades with a pale-yellow base. TAXUS BACCATA ‘FASTIGIATA’ This columnar evergreen with deep green foliage adds form and structure. CLEMATIS X DURANDII A long-flowering herbaceous clematis covered in a mass of rich-blue flowers – a mainstay in the Purple Border.…

Waterlilies are the jewel in the water garden crown: a Monet painting of them may be unattainable, but waterlilies themselves are not. The majority are hardy, easy to grow and, once planted, require minimal maintenance. They can produce a succession of buds that open and flower from June through to September in a colour palette that includes white, pink, red, yellow and copper. They are not just iconic pond decorations either, but also practical aquatic plants. “They help keep ponds clean by preventing algae from growing,” explains James Bennett, of Bennetts Water Garden in Dorset, where the National Collection of waterlilies is held. “Their floating foliage provides summer shade and shelter for pond fish and they attract pollinating insects and amphibians.” The crucial factors to consider are size, spread and…

Tomatoes Of all the harvests, a crop of tomatoes is among the most anticipated. From seed sown under cover in March, plants develop into either bushes or cordons, and the first fruits will be ready to gather by mid-July. Tomatoes benefit from the protection of a greenhouse, which they enjoy at Babington, but they also grow well outdoors during a hot summer. All tomatoes need some support, but if they’re cordons, as most varieties are, pick off the side shoots to maintain one central stem, and grow them up a cane, or twine suspended from an overhead support. “If you use twine, wind it all the way down the stem at first, then keep winding the plant around it through summer,” explains Babington’s head gardener, Sophie Turner. “Avoid using wire,…

SPRING REACH NURSERY Spring Reach Nursery grows a fantastic range of clematis, trees, hedging, ferns, shrubs, fruit, perennials, roses, climbers and grasses. Current feature plants for July are Achillea ‘Red Velvet’, Agapanthus ‘Northern Star’, Francoa ‘Pink Bouquet’, Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’, Hydrangea ‘Miss Saori’ Hoheria ‘Stardust’ and Salvia ‘Amistad’. Tel: 01483 284769 info@springreachnursery.co.uk|www.springreachnursery.co.uk Spring Reach Nursery, Long Reach, Ockham, Surrey GU23 6PG WEASDALE NURSERIES Weasdale Nurseries have been growing hardy trees and shrubs on our site at 850ft elevation in the Howgill Fells, at the heart of beautiful Cumbria, since 1950. Specialising in mail-order from the outset, our careful packaging system has become legendary and guarantees safe arrival of the delicate contents anywhere in the UK. Contact us for your free copy of our highly readable, illustrated catalogue, listing over 900 different…