Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i The English Garden

James Alexander-Sinclair James is a garden designer, lecturer, writer, broadcaster, judge and a member of the RHS Council. He explores Middleton Lodge and its Tom Stuart-Smith-designed garden on page 20. Veronica Peerless Freelance writer Veronica loves writing about garden design and gardeners and is the author of The Gardener’s Year and How Not To Kill Your Houseplant. She visits a rural Oxfordshire garden on page 48. Ray Cox Ray has been a garden photographer for 20 years and his family has run the renowned Glendoick nursery in Perthshire for three generations. His photos of Shieldhill Walled Garden feature on page 56.…

Cotehele Cornwall This garden on the banks of the River Tamar has a lovely bluebell grove in spring and orchards filled with local apple varieties. Bees are celebrated in a sculpture by Brendon Murless. Tel: 01579 351346; nationaltrust.org.uk Hidcote Gloucestershire The Pillar Garden at Hidcote has conical trees and precise hedging that separates the area into rooms. It’s totally striking and there’s something new to see around each sharp corner. Tel: 01386 438333; nationaltrust.org.uk…

Prune back all the whippy lateral growth on wisteria to five or six leaves to encourage the formation of flower buds rather than leafy growth. Cut the same growth again in January or February to two or three buds. This is the time I cut yew: any sooner and new growth fizzes back and ruins the sharp winter lines you want. You could end up cutting twice if you do it too early. Deadhead perennials and annuals as much as possible to promote more flowers and keep them looking attractive, but be sure to nip back to the next bud or leaf below so you don’t leave unsightly headless stalks. The rambling roses get lightly cut back now, just to remove dead flowers and keep them in check. Cut lavender…

In the courtyard outside his farmhouse in the quiet Herefordshire countryside, Ed Greenall has created a gorgeous garden that’s just perfect for entertaining over the long summer weekends and light, balmy evenings. Unfortunately, as a doctor who mostly works twilight and night shifts in accident and emergency, he doesn’t get to entertain in it as often as he’d like. Nevertheless, this is a garden that’s party-ready, the ideal place to spend a summer catching up with friends and family outdoors – something we’re all more likely to be doing this year. Originally a working farmyard when Ed and his partner Charles arrived in 2012, it was laid to gravel and used as a car park. But after they moved the entrance to a less dangerous spot further along the lane,…

SAMBUCUS NIGRA ‘GERDA’ Black-burgundy leaves and sweetly scented clusters of pale pink flowers are followed by purple-black fruits. TAGETES ‘CINNABAR’ This upright, bushy annual can reach 90cm, with velvety-red flowers edged in yellow from late spring into autumn. FUCHSIA ‘ENFANT PRODIGUE’ A large and vigorous hardy fuchsia with semi-double red and purple flowers. FERULA TINGITANA ‘CEDRIC MORRIS’ A handsome mound of glossy leaves with towering umbels of yellow-green. GERANIUM ‘RUSSELL PRICHARD’ In May and June, vivid magenta flowers top a carpet of silver-grey leaves. VERBASCUM ‘CHRISTO’S YELLOW LIGHTNING’ Dense, pale-yellow flowers on multi-branched spikes on this Dixter mullein. BEGONIA GRANDIS SUBSP. EVANSIANA This hardy perennial begonia has pink flowers and leaves with a red…

A sure way to pick out the monardas in a prairie-style border is to listen for the loud buzzing of the insects that are drawn to this rich source of nectar. The buzz explains the plant’s common name of ‘bee balm’ – although, in fact, not all bees can reach the nectar in the long tubular flowers. “Short-tongued bumblebees have to bite through the base of the flower to reach the nectar, leaving holes that honey bees use later on,” explains Carole Whittaker of Glyn Bach Gardens, who, with her husband Peter, has established a National Collection of Monarda in their six-acre, wildlife-friendly garden in Pembrokeshire. With some 100 different cultivars of this spectacular herbaceous perennial planted in drifts or in combination with others, its charms are plain to see.…

“It’s terrible but not totally terrible,” is how Sir Tim Smit explains the effect of lockdown on The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. With just a skeleton staff, the gardens “look like a person who has just got out of bed – not tatty, just slightly wild, which lends a slight air of rakish possibility to the whole thing”. It’s an optimistic outlook. The RHS, which has had to cancel shows, puts losses at £18 million this year; the National Garden Scheme estimates an 80% shortfall in planned charity donations; and the National Trust anticipates being down by £200 million. In terms of garden tourism, economist Professor Sir Roderick Floud estimates a conservative loss of £1.5 billion, at least half of normal income. “These are sobering figures, demonstrating how…

In a nutshell, describe the modern cottage garden style you have written about. In the modern cottage garden, nostalgia meets modernity. All the hallmarks of traditional summer cottage garden planting – romantic roses, rustic hollyhocks, herbs and sweet peas – blend with sleek grasses, sedges and late-flowering perennials to make a garden that looks good for most of the year. The cottage garden style tends to reach its peak in midsummer, while the more contemporary New Perennial planting, championed by designers such as Piet Oudolf, will peak from late summer into winter. Combining these two styles allows for a long season of interest in the garden. How has this new style come about? Emotion plays a big part in the plants that gardeners choose to grow and the plants that…

As the country’s lockdown eases and we can enjoy gatherings of friends and family outdoors, our gardens are even more important than ever – they really are our ‘rooms outside’ now. It’s lucky, in a way, that this period of al fresco socialising comes at a time when our gardens have probably never looked better, thanks to the extra love and attention they’ve received during these long months at home. This is certainly the first time in all my years of gardening that I’ve run out of weeds to weed – bring on the guests, my garden’s ready! If you feel in need of some inspiration before you open the garden gate, this issue will help with that, I’m sure. Surround your terrace with blowsy hydrangeas as designer Sean Walter…

• Keep containers, baskets and window boxes well watered in hot, dry weather, using saved rainwater wherever possible. • Cut or deadhead dahlias so they keep flowering. Deadhead plants, such as roses and bedding to keep the show going. • Harvest crops such as figs, runner beans, sweetcorn and summer squashes. • Mow the lawn less frequently and raise the blades to a higher setting if it’s hot and little rain is forecast. • Shorten whippy shoots on wisteria by cutting them back to five or six leaves, before their second winter prune. • Give lavender a light prune after flowering to keep bushes tight and compact, but don’t cut into old wood.…

MONARDA ‘SCORPION’ Vivid carmine flowers rise from purple-tinged bracts on this mildew-resistant variety. HELENIUM ‘WALTRAUT’ Yellow and orange-brown flowers are held on stiff stems from July well into autumn. HEMEROCALLIS ‘CATHERINE WOODBERY’ Pale pink blossoms with a golden eye reach 75cm tall. HELENIUM ‘ MOERHEIM BEAUTY’ Flowers start brick red and fade to a burnt orange, with a long-lasting central cone. ASTRANTIA MAJOR ‘LARGE WHITE’ This clump-forming astrantia has white flowers tipped with green on branching stems. HEMEROCALLIS ‘STAFFORD’ A classic, in bold red, this daylily grows almost anywhere, reaching 75cm to 1m tall.…

Glasses Robust glasses with a wide base are always useful outdoors. Boston Water Glass in blue, £16.90 from Villeroy & Boch. Tel: 0800 68648110; villeroy-boch.co.uk Tumblers Use these green glass tumblers for water, or to hold statement bearded iris blooms as Ed does. Fish+Fish Medium Green Glass, £8 from Abode Living. Tel: 01273 621116; abodeliving.co.uk Garden room Not everyone has a 15th-century barn, but an oak-framed garden room recreates the look and feel. Oakwrights Garden Room, £POA. Tel: 01432 353353; oakwrights.co.uk Plates These pretty plates are adapted from ancient Persian designs and hand painted. Set of four Isphahan Porcelain Dinner Plates, £250 from Oka. Tel: 03330 042042; oka.com Lanterns Hang these over-sized, solar-powered lanterns from trees for an instant warm glow. Set of 3 Cloud White Miami Solar Lanterns, £29.99…

M. didyma species are usually red in colour and, because they originate from the swamplands around the Oswego River, prefer moist conditions. M. fistulosa is the largest group, and comes in shades of purple, violet, white, pink or lilac. Originating from the American prairies, these monardas enjoy moist to dry conditions. In very hot, dry weather, spray the foliage before noon to wash powdery mildew off the leaves. Full sun or dappled shade are the preferred conditions. Grow in moist, humus-rich soil that neither bakes hard in summer nor waterlogs in winter and ensure air flow between plants. Protect potted plants as new foliage emerges, by regularly lifting the pots to remove slugs. Plants in the ground at Glyn Bach are little affected by slugs because of the many resident…

CORNWALL Carlyon Bay Hotel Luxurious hotel with sea views at St Austell. carlyonbay.com Hotel Tresanton Perfect respite on the Roseland Peninsula. tresanton.com The Gurnard’s Head Fine food meets rusticity in St Ives. gurnardshead.co.uk THE LAKE DISTRICT Borrowdale Gates Country hotel with big views in Keswick. borrowdale-gates.com Lakeside Hotel Old-world elegance on Lake Windermere. lakesidehotel.co.uk L’Enclume Lovely rooms and Michelin-starred food in Cartmel. lenclume.co.uk HIGHLANDS The Fife Arms Fine hotel from the pair behind Hauser & Wirth. thefifearms.com Cose Farmhouse Self-catering on the Cawdor Estate. cosefarmhouse.com Inverlochy Castle Fine dining in Fort William. inverlochycastlehotel.co.uk…

Anne Rowberry Chair of the British Beekeepers Association and a Master Beekeeper with over 20 hives, Anne Rowberry discusses this important pastime Bee colonies are fascinating. A queen bee can lay an infertile egg that develops into a male drone, or a fertile egg that develops into a female worker. The workers produce cells out of the wax they make and can work themselves to death within six weeks. Bees select which plants to pollinate and tend to remain loyal to those. They’ll let other bees know the location of their chosen plant through the medium of a waggle dance. Soon after, many more bees will be swarming around that flower. I think we know only a fraction of the ways bees communicate, though. I spend hours watching my bees…

Nationwide Several gardens that were previously open under the National Gardens Scheme are once again opening their gates to visitors on specified dates, although advance online booking is essential. Each week, the charity will be adding new gardens to its growing list of reopenings across England. Gardens to visit in August include Holworth Farmhouse in Dorset, chosen by the Monks of Milton Abbey for its peaceful situation, Castor House (below) in Cambridgeshire, which features Italianate ponds, exotic borders and a potager, and Lewis Cottage in Devon, with its informal planting and natural structures. Keep checking the website for details of further garden openings and to make bookings. Visit ngs.org.uk or call 01483 211535 for more information.…

“This is a technique that’s been evolved for large-scale planting, but it’s equally applicable to a border or even a pot,” says Owen. “Research plants that suit your location and soil, then group them into three types – structural, groundcover and seasonal – then whittle the list down. When planting, think in 3D, with the layers of planting overlapping. Spread an even mixture of plants over the whole area with a few key structural plants placed in a rhythm. Then sit back and let them sort it out between themselves.” Groundcover Use clumping, spreading plants that cover bare ground and suppress weeds. Good examples include Alchemilla mollis, hardy geraniums, small grasses such as festuca or Stipa tenuissima and nepeta. Structural layer Include bold, architectural plants for impact, such as grasses,…

A strimmer or a flail mower has worked well for us. After cutting, leave the clippings for a few days to let seeds drop, then rake the cuttings out thoroughly. We cleared the ground and used weedkiller before sowing the flower meadow within the walled garden. For the first year of the newly established meadow inside the walls, we cut twice, in June and again at the end of August, to take off as much grass as possible. Now we cut both that meadow and the long-standing meadow beyond the walls, which is mostly spring bulbs, once, at the end of August. Mowing paths through the grass is fun to do. It comes out a bit differently each year. Our bees love foraging amid a variety of flowers all season.…

The Tudor house and medieval buildings sit towards the centre of the garden. Originally set out by Lutyens as a collection of formal spaces, the late Christopher Lloyd, avid plantsman, gardener and author, and head gardener Fergus Garrett turned the gardens into a riot of colour, form and texture, with plants jostling for space. Well-known for unusual plants from around the world, this Arts & Crafts garden is a feast for the senses. Wherever you look at Great Dixter there are plants of all shapes and sizes, in every colour imaginable. The creative Christopher Lloyd wanted to stimulate the ‘precious world of gardening’ by introducing shrubs and herbaceous perennials in the same border, as well as small trees and exotic plants intended to extend the season. He believed borders needed…

In summer, the gardens at Packwood House, the National Trust property just south of Birmingham, are filled with jubilant colour. Making the most of all the vitality this season has to offer, the gardens have become particularly renowned for the sustained colour and interest of their cleverly planted borders. Head gardener Mick Evans, who has worked for the National Trust for 30 years, is behind much of the ‘mingled’ planting arrangements here, in which small groups of plants are repeated at intervals. Latterly, he has mentored Robyn Booth, who is gardens assistant at Packwood. Here she shares her ten favourite plants for glorious summer colour. Packwood House, Packwood Lane, Solihull, West Midlands B94 6AT. nationaltrust.org.uk/packwood-house 1 Calendula ‘Indian Prince’ As comfortable in a border as they are in a…

Space for Flowers There are 20 flower beds in the Walled Garden at Babington House. These beds are set close to the hotel spa, Cowshed, so head gardener Sophie Martin always needs to make sure a beautiful view can be enjoyed from the treatment rooms. In spring the beds are packed with tulips, but as these die down annual meadow flowers emerge and continue to bloom until early October, filling the area with a mass of cheerful colour. “We had used cosmos for a year or two, but to keep them flowering we needed to deadhead them and that proved to be very time consuming,” Sophie recalls. “Now I use the Classic annual meadow mix from Pictorial Meadows. I don’t have to do anything with it, and it usually looks…

Gardening With Drought-Friendly Plants by Tony Hall Kew Publishing, £25 There could hardly be a better moment for the release of this title by Tony Hall, senior arboretum and gardens manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Figures gathered by the Met Office show that England and Wales received only 47% of average monthly rainfall in May. By June, the RHS had released a statement asking gardeners to use water wisely. Written with our changing climate in mind, this work profiles more than 200 drought-tolerant plant species and cultivars suitable for all types of gardens and garden situations. In this, the geographical range of material that it wasn’t previously possible to grow in the UK becomes apparent: many suggestions originate in the Mediterranean basin as well as Mediterranean biomes in…

THE GARDEN AT MISERDEN Winner of Historic Houses Garden of the Year 2018, this timeless garden, with spectacular views over parkland and the rolling Cotswold hills beyond, was created in the 17th century and retains a sense of peace and tranquility. There are extensive yew hedges, including a notable topiary yew walk designed by Lutyens as well as some carefully planted mixed borders, containing a wide range of roses, clematis and herbaceous plants. The garden is a preserved, hidden gem in the heart of the Cotswolds. OPEN: Please visit www.miserden.org for details. Tel: 01285 821303 gardens@miserden.org | www.miserden.orgMiserden, Near Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7JA RIVERHILL HIMALAYAN GARDENS Now re-opened for pre-booked ticket holders only. Please visit our website to book. The Rose Walk is perfect for a lazy, sunshine soaked stroll.…

For a rather sparsely populated, out-of-the-way sort of place, our part of Shropshire is well provided with proverbs. ‘All on one side like a Bridgnorth election’ dates from the period 1621 to 1870 when every Bridgnorth MP was a member or a protégé of the same local family. It can still feel a bit like that now. ‘Where the grey mare is stalled, rosemary grows apace’ is a saying from Much Wenlock, five miles from us in the other direction, where it was recorded in 1905 by Lady Catherine Gaskell, who lived at Wenlock Abbey – and no, I don’t know what it means either. A more useful saying is the expression ‘to give someone a Shropshire gift’, which comes from my next door neighbour Ian. He says it means…