Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i The English Garden

Richard Bloom Richard is an award-winning garden photographer based in Suffolk, who travels widely photographing beautiful gardens for books, magazines and garden designers. Find his images of Beckley Park on page 24. Marianne Majerus 2018’s European Garden Photographer of the Year, Marianne is internationally renowned for her photography for books and magazines. She captures Mona Abboud’s colourful winter garden on p67. Jim Cable Jim is a Kew-trained plantsman and gardening journalist. His own garden errs on the wild side and exploits the microclimate of central Oxford. He delves into the Ranunculaceae family on page 95.…

RHS Garden Wisley Surrey I love visiting Wisley, especially on a Sunday afternoon – there’s always something new to see. My favourite time to visit any garden is autumn, when the leaves are a riot of colour. Tel: 01483 224234; rhs.org.uk Kew Gardens London Kew Gardens is special to me because my husband and I visited on Good Friday last year, the day after we got married. The Dale Chihuly exhibition was on, the plants looked fantastic next to the glass sculptures and it was such a memorable day. Tel: 020 8332 5655; kew.org…

• Take hardwood cuttings from shrubs like cornus, buddleja and honeysuckle. • Keep harvesting winter crops such as leeks and parsnips. • Remove yellow leaves from winter brassicas and protect against pigeons by covering with netting. • Ensure greenhouse heaters are functioning properly. Equally, if it’s a warm day, ventilate the space to reduce humidity and disease. • Leave out fat balls for birds and put a tennis ball in the bird bath or fountain to stop the water freezing. • Move vulnerable container plants to a sheltered spot to protect against frost. • Winter is a great time to prune open-grown fruit trees, wisteria, climbing roses, acers, birches and vines.…

It is a short stroll from Highgate tube station to Mona Abboud’s home in North London. As you approach her 1930s terraced house on a quiet residential road, a huge grevillea and a parasol-pruned phillyrea in the small front garden signal a horticultural treat in store. You might also spot some olearias, a topiarised corokia and a Pistacia lentiscus before Mona herself appears at the door, bursting with energy and keen to show you the main garden at the back. Mona, who is of Lebanese extraction, is a classical singer by profession. She has gardened in the south of France and lived in Italy, which, along with a trip to Australia, fed an abiding passion for Mediterranean climate plants. Back in 2001, the year after she had begun her Highgate…

Having always wanted to garden, Alexander Hoyle trained at both Pershore and RBG Kew, with a spell at Aberglasney along the way. This experience, combined with a a good eye and an interest in decorative arts, has helped him develop his sought-after creative planting schemes. He is particularly skilled at bringing the aesthetic of the modern country garden to smaller spaces: eye-catching containers outside the doors of Colefax & Fowler, the interior design company on the Pimlico Road in London, are a case in point. While he famously produces distinctive schemes for planters, terraces and events he will also consult on larger garden plans. Here, Alexander selects ten star plants to bring interest to the garden over winter. For more information, visit alexanderhoyle.co.uk; @alexander.hoyle 1 Helleborus ‘Ice ‘n’ Roses…

The five glossy yellow petals of the buttercup, so often reflected under a child’s chin, have evolved not to signal a liking for butter but, to insects, the presence of nectar secreted at their bases. They are held in a calyx of five green hairy sepals, and for most of the buttercup’s relatives in the Ranunculaceae family, these sepals contribute to the showiness of the flower. The welcome longevity of a hellebore bloom is down to its persistent sepals. The petals make up those enchanting ruffles in the fresh flowers, which are then shed. Aquilegia flowers have an equally intriguing structure with brightly coloured sepals, again five of them, alternating with petals that are shaped like elongated hats and form the spurs behind the flowers. In the case of marsh…

The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes. Very much Enlarged and Amended by Thomas Johnson Citizen and Apothecarye of London (1633) An extensively illustrated first edition of Johnson’s edition of John Gerard’s major work, in which he marked his additions and major alterations to the original. £3,750 at peterharrington.co.uk Flora Londinensis: or plates and descriptions of such Plants As Grow Wild In The Environs of London by William Curtis (1777-98) A first edition of Curtis’s survey of the flora of London. This was the first comprehensive English flora to be illustrated with colour plates. £15,000 at shapero.com Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening by Humphry Repton (1745) A first edition of Repton’s first book which employs clever aquatint overslips by William Bulmer to demonstrate the transformation of the landscape under…

Now it’s looking as though Christmas this year will be quieter and more low-key than we might ordinarily like, I’m thinking about how best to spend the festive season. What can I do to assuage the disappointment and frustration of pared-back holiday plans? Vast amounts of food and copious festive tipples immediately spring to mind but, more sensibly, I think reading would be a better use of my time. Like gardening, curling up with a book is an activity unaffected by the ongoing pandemic – and I have a big stack to catch up on. Also, there might be new tomes under the Christmas tree. Books always make thoughtful gifts, more so than ever if other activities are curtailed. Katherine Swift suggests those she’d like to give in this issue,…

In the heart of the Norfolk countryside, among gently undulating expanses of wide open fields and stands of mature woodland sits an unlikely fusion of farm and formality. This is the home of renowned garden designer and historian, George Carter. “It’s the absolute antidote to the English picturesque aesthetic. I try to look at the landscape without that picturesque lens.” To those who know his work, his garden will come as no surprise, steeped as it is in the baroque style of the Dutch and Italian gardens of the 17th century. “It’s the absolute antidote to the English picturesque aesthetic, to the landscape gardens of Capability Brown and Repton,” he explains with a smile. “I’m not rejecting it, but I try to think myself back into looking at the landscape…

Good drainage is most important. I have incorporated many tons of grit and gravel into my garden, which is prone to flooding, and I’ve also used gravel setts to build low retaining walls to raise the level of borders. Corokias are an excellent choice for a seaside garden and can withstand salt-laden winds. Most perennials, grasses and other shrubs work well with corokias, but these plants have a particular affinity for fellow New Zealanders. Give them sun or dappled shade.…

Is there a conifer that’s more Christmassy than spruce? The resinous scent of a fresh Norway spruce (Picea abies) encapsulates Christmas. It used to be the Christmas tree of choice until the Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) came along and challenged for the crown with its superior needle-retaining prowess. But many people still won’t consider anything else: a Norway spruce is the epitome of Christmas, even if you have to hoover up its needles every day. Christmas, and winter in general, is certainly when spruce, especially those left intact, outside in the garden, shine. Like most conifers, they’re evergreen, so they step into the spotlight during the colder months when deciduous shrubs and trees lose their leaves and herbaceous perennials retreat underground. Many are beautifully coloured and few things are more…

ADVOLLY RICHMOND Garden, landscape and social history researcher. advolly.co.uk; @AdvollyR Plants in Garden History by Penelope Hobhouse (Pavilion) Plants have driven the evolution of gardens for centuries and the influx of exotic specimens has led to the creation of dedicated spaces to display them while meeting their specific cultural needs. I love this book because it highlights the invaluable contribution of plants to society and also demonstrates that every garden large or small contains a bit of garden history. Oxford Companion to Gardens by Geoffrey & Susan Jellico, Patrick Goode & Michael Lancaster (Oxford University Press) This is the first book I reach for when I have a new idea for a lecture, and it has rarely failed me. The contributors are all specialists in their subjects, which cover the…

Jamey Seaman IKEA sell houseplants in their millions, globally and in the UK. Meet the man who’s responsible for deciding the UK’s next big indoor plant trends I’ve loved plants from a young age, so I was thrilled to get the chance to move from working in IKEA’s global team in Sweden to my current role in England as home furnishing business leader for decoration and outdoor living. While many of our main range purchase decisions are made on a global scale, I select the seasonal plant offers for the UK and Ireland. These are updated four times a year, and I’m now planning our spring collection, which will include more flowering plants, more exotic varieties and some good Mother’s Day presents! We sell over 3.1 million plants in the…

Big Spenders Splash out on a luxurious Christmas gift for that special someone in your life Festive Food Indulge yourself by filling your larder with these gourmet Christmas treats Hand Crafted Artisanal gifts made with the personal touch to delight friends and family And Relax Take a break from the festive frenzy and treat yourself or a loved one to a little pampering Finishing Touch For perfect Christmas cards and gifts, it’s all about the detail and presentation Stocking Fillers If you’re looking for something extra, these small but stylish gifts won’t break the bank…

Before we start I feel that I should come clean: I love Rousham, it is about ten minutes from my house and I try to visit a few times every year. I acknowledge its imperfections (sometimes I wish that I could take a chainsaw on my walks around the gardens!) but still love the atmosphere, the views and the general ramshackle romanticism of the place. It has no shop, no café and, until very recently, the only way to get an entry ticket was by putting coins into a re-purposed parking machine. Yet underneath this charmingly shambolic beginning lies a world-class garden. Anybody who has studied garden design will know about Rousham: it is held up as an exemplary example of a classic 18th-century landscape. The background is well documented,…

Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is the plant that I have used most for hedging. This is partly because of its historic use in the 17th century and partly because of how it adapts to wet and dry conditions. Plant 60-90cm tall plants closely, at 30-40cm to make them grow up rather than out. Hornbeam is a very fast grower; keep it thin with vigorous pruning. It partially retains its brown foliage in winter and has a very dense network of twigs when clipped, so it maintains good winter structure. For an evergreen hedge, use yew (Taxus baccata). It’s not at all slow growing and needs only one annual clip. Other evergreen options include Rhamnus alaternus, which needs very good drainage, and Phillyrea latifolia, which seems tolerant of quite wet ground. I…

Wrap up warmly and a winter forage for nature’s seasonal decorations will always be most rewarding. The traditional trappings, holly, ivy and mistletoe, come gloriously gift-wrapped in Christmas custom, but there is a wealth of more imaginative and ethereal pickings to be gleaned from nature’s larder. A hedgerow interwoven with drifts of old man’s beard, teasels and downy thistleheads is a real treasure trove. In the garden, scented or colour-stained twigs and stems and salvaged, desiccated seedheads will provide additional alternative decoration. These are the finds that Shane Connolly, florist by Royal Appointment, values the most: “Making beauty out of things we find rather than things we buy or which come at great cost,” as he puts it. Shane works in tandem with the seasons and his artisanal-style is “led…

Avoid planting spruce in spots that might be vulnerable to late frosts or cold winds, which can scorch their new spring growth. “The damage isn’t the end of the world though, since you can trim it off and that will ultimately make the plants more compact,” John explains. Don’t overcrowd. “A lot of these conifers do much better in full sun with a little bit of air around them,” John advises. Free-draining soil that retains moisture in summer is ideal. John recommends planting on a slight mound if your soil is very wet, and in a slight hollow if it’s dry. “In the first two or three years after planting, make sure they have enough water until their roots are properly established,” John says. “I’d give them a thorough soak…

The first botanical books to be printed on paper were those writings on the medicinal uses of plants known as ‘herbals’. They didn’t contain anything very innovative for the time – rather, they were inky presentations of ideas put forth as far back as the first century by Pliny the Elder and other polymaths of the Roman Empire. The earliest published herbals originated in Germany. German Herbarius (1485) was a foundation for many later publications, and it was followed by Otto Brunfels’ Herbarum vivae eicones, which includes woodcuts drawn from nature – stem bends, leaf rips and all – and finally De Historia Stirpium by Leonhart Fuchs, which made notable original observations alongside its intricate illustrations. Though the earliest recorded print occurred in 1454, the Caxton press didn’t start up…

I am an easy person to buy presents for: all I ever want is books. And since I never get rid of any, the house is awash with them. I long ago ran out of shelf space: there are books on the floor, books up the stairs, books in multiple piles beside the bed – though not (or not yet) books in the oven, a location reputedly used by the ecclesiastical historian Canon Jenkins. I haven’t quite given up all sense of domestic propriety. It’s just that when I look at the books on my shelves I remember the people who gave them to me, or when and where I bought them: the facsimile of Parkinson’s folio bought from Mr Lloyd of Kew, or the bookshop in Carnforth where, one…