Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2021 i The English Garden

Ann Treneman Ann is an award-winning writer and columnist for The Times who writes on a wide variety of topics including gardening, which has been a life-long interest. She pays a visit to Church Cottage on page 28. Rachel Warne Rachel was raised on her family’s flower farm, which instilled in her a love of botany and the natural world that has influenced her 13-year photography career. Her photos of Selina Lake’s lovely garden appear on page 58. Holly Farrell Holly trained at RHS Wisley and is the author of books for the RHS, Kew Gardens and the Chelsea Physic Garden, most recently Do Bees Need Weeds? She visits cut-flower seed supplier Higgledy Garden on page 89.…

Bodnant Garden Conwy An awe-inspiring and evocative garden with fabulous planting. I recommend walking among the Champion Trees in The Dell. Tel: 01492 650460; nationaltrust.org.uk Trebah Garden Cornwall I like Cornish gardens generally – the warmer climate enables such a rich mix of garden heritage. I particularly love the huge gunnera at Trebah, which make you feel like you’re a small child again walking beneath them. Tel: 01326 252200; trebahgarden.co.uk…

Pinch, prune & cut back Most perennials that flower before midsummer’s day can be cut back to ground level after blooming. New foliage will quickly return and stay fresh into late summer. Plants such as nepeta, geranium, aquilegia and Iris sibirica all benefit from this approach. The other technique to try now is to pinch out the tips of summer perennials, such as helenium, veronicastrum and phlox. This delays flowering and makes the stems branch. The plants won’t be as tall and may not need staking. Feed wisteria Hopefully, we will escape any late frosts, which in just one night can cause the developing blooms of many of our early-flowering plants, including wisteria, to blacken. Wisterias are greedy plants, and their flowering will be improved if you can apply a…

Selina Lake is a popular interior and garden stylist whose unseen hand conjures inspirational settings for a range of publications and corporate clients across the UK and abroad. In 2019 her bright, uplifting arrangements for conservatory firm Alitex caused a stir at the Chelsea Flower Show. At Hampton Court later that year, she worked closely with designer Jo Thompson on the BBC Springwatch garden. She has written ten books, including Garden Style, which draws upon a project close to her heart: her own town garden, within walking distance of Guildford town centre, which she shares with her husband, Dave. If a garden chooses its owner, then this one picked well. Selina has a great talent for seeing the potential of things, and in the unloved, unkempt space that lay before…

Boundaries The Garden Trellis Co. Tel: 01255 688361; gardentrellis.co.uk Jacksons Fencing Tel: 01233 750393; jacksons-fencing.co.uk Stuart Garden Architecture Tel: 01984 667458; stuartgarden.com Jay Davey Tel: 07983 783426; jaydavey.co.uk Majestic Trees Tel: 01582 843881; majestictrees.co.uk Paving Mandarin Stone Tel: 01600 715444; mandarinstone.com Limestone Gallery Tel: 020 7828 6900; limestonegallery.com London Stone Tel: 07562 205171; londonstone.co.uk Yorkshire Handmade Brick Company Tel: 01347 838881; yorkhandmade.co.uk Westminster Stone Tel: 01978 710000; westminsterstone.com Vande Moortel Tel: 020 3633 2422; vandemoortel.co.uk Containers & Details Andrew Crace Designs Tel: 01279 842685; andrewcrace.com Lichen Garden Antiques Tel: 01608 678890; lichengardenantiques.com Pots and Pithoi Tel: 01342 714793; potsandpithoi.com Architectural Heritage Tel: 01386 584414; architectural-heritage. co.uk Bronzino Tel: 020 7370 4344; bronzino.co.uk Atelier Vierkant Tel: +32 50 370 056; ateliervierkant.com The Heveningham Collection Tel: 01242 838483; heveningham.co.uk Whichford Tel: 01608…

At this time of year, border perennials are few and far between, which makes corydalis a must-have. Forming a cloud of dainty, tubular flowers above fine, fern-like leaves, they inject the spring garden with lovely colour. The name ‘corydalis’ comes from the Greek word for crested lark, since the narrow, spurred flowers resemble the quiff-headed bird. Blooms appear over delicate foliage reminiscent of bleeding heart, Welsh poppy, and other members of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), to which corydalis also belong. The majority are woodlanders that flower in cool, light shade in spring, but some forms grow in sun, and some bloom into July. “Corydalis are great for early flowers in a range of colours and for attractive leaves,” says Brian Wickenden, who holds a Plant Heritage National Collection of corydalis…

Ben recommends cut-flower beginners start with hardy annuals, such as Calendula officinalis ‘Indian Prince’, cornflower ‘Blue Ball’ and sweet peas. Phacelia is more usually regarded as a green manure, but Ben rates it as a cut flower: “If you grow it, your garden will be full of bees and butterflies”. He’s also a big fan of biennials, such as foxgloves, honesty and sweet rocket. “By using biennials you have a really solid patch of plants in March, long before the hardy annuals get going.” In fact, Ben cautions against over-keenness in sowing annuals. Wait until mid-April before sowing into pots (he creates mini-greenhouses out of sturdy plastic-lidded boxes) or directly into the soil. The warmer soil temperatures and longer hours of sunshine mean that seeds sown then will grow into…

Can you outline three good hacks for growing and arranging cut flowers? Think of your seed as gold dust and be stingy with it. For this, gutters are good for concentrating the mind – sow 1.5 inches apart and you can’t go wrong. Galvanised water troughs make brilliant containers because they retain moisture down to the base and are excellent for an intensive cutting patch. For floristry, instead of using floral foam or chicken wire, crumple up pliable woody stems, put them in a vase and you’ve got a lovely, organic, natural equivalent. Debunk a myth about growing cut flowers. When I started teaching, there was a perception that our homegrown flowers wouldn’t last. This is not true. If you grow the right varieties, pick them at the right time…

Each year, we devote our spring issue to smaller gardens, celebrating the many ways in which gardeners make the most of less generously sized spaces and the huge variety of styles with which they do so. This year though, quite a few of the small gardens you’ll find on these pages have something else in common – we should perhaps think about renaming this the ‘awkward gardens’ issue. Whether it’s a plot steep enough to rival a ski slope, a garden perched on top of a garage roof, a narrow wedge between a road and a churchyard, or a tiny courtyard requiring flights of steps to navigate its levels, these spaces really do showcase some ingenious solutions to making beautiful gardens from unpromising beginnings. Another thing has struck me: whatever…

Lynette had the idea of creating a chicken on a nest because she wanted the box garden to have more of a whimsical, “cottagey” feel. She found a two-stem yew tree in the reject section of a local nursery, planted it in the centre of the parterre and “fed it like Billy-o”. The stems were forced apart by pieces of wood that she kept widening. Clever pruning soon produced a proud chicken and, in 2020, ten years since its inception, the chicken gained a rather rambunctious topknot. The wren that nested in it last year seemed to approve!…

PERSICARIA AMPLEXICAULIS Try the cultivar ‘Orange Field’ for whippy flowers in coral-pink above arrowhead leaves. CROCOSMIA ‘GEORGE DAVIDSON’ Golden flowers make a bright change from red varieties and team well with purples. EUPHORBIA ‘FENS RUBY’ Beware – this plant can be invasive, but here it provides an exuberant border edging. SALVIA ‘AMISTAD’ Black hooded calyces enclose velvety purple flowers produced all summer on one-metre-high plants. ANGELICA GIGAS This stately biennial produces huge umbels of maroon flowers on stems up to 2.5m tall above divided leaves. WATSONIA PILLANSII Produces spires of orange, but in cold climates its corms should be lifted in winter.…

Kingfisher Farm Shop Set in the Surrey hills near Dorking, this shop sells a range of good local produce and plants sourced from local and British growers. Offers a good range of ‘New Wave’ perennials. Tel: 01306 730703; kingfisherfarmshop.com Petersham Nurseries “I love Petersham Nurseries. It’s a huge inspiration,” says Selina. This smart garden centre in Richmond upon Thames has an award-winning cafe and a second branch in Covent Garden. Tel: 020 8940 5230; petershamnurseries.com Le Petit Jardin This small shop in Tunbridge Wells sells vintage pieces and modern accessories, including Fermob furniture, with a display that tumbles onto the pavement near The Pantiles. “I always enjoy visiting,” says Selina. Tel: 01892 541152; le-petit-jardin.com Perry Hill Antiques “This is my favourite old-school house-clearance. I drive past and I need everything,”…

Beatrix Havergal established the School of Horticulture for Ladies at Waterperry in 1932 and ran it until her retirement in 1971, having trained generations of gardeners. Pat Havers grew up at Waterperry, joined the garden as an employee in 1997 and became head gardener in 2013, having done her training “in-house, The Waterperry Way”, she explains. “My childhood was spent around Beatrix Havergal and the amazing ladies, so I always refer to myself as a Home-Grown Head Gardener.” Here, Pat selects her favourite plants from Waterperry’s striking 100m-long Colour Borders for the best early-summer hues. Waterperry Gardens, Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX33 1JZ. Tel: 01844 339254; waterperrygardens.co.uk 1 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Bowl of Beauty’ “This showy pink peony has an unusual shape,” says Pat. “It needs staking but looks good in a…

Care differs for shade and sun-loving forms of corydalis. Ensure the shade lovers are kept moist and free from other plants encroaching. Don’t allow the sun-loving corydalis to be smothered by other plants when they enter dormancy over summer. To enhance the flowering display, divide corydalis (including C. solida and C. flexuosa) every three to four years to make new plants. Lift, pull the corms apart and replant separately. Grow sun-loving corydalis in well-drained soil, with added grit if you’re in a clay area where winter wet is a problem. They will grow in acid or alkaline soil. C. lutea and C. ochroleuca are thugs, so consider whether you want them before introducing them. Every seed is viable and will grow anywhere, assisted by ants who spread the seeds around,…

The sun is out, the days are longer, the sounds and scents of spring gladden the heart and, underfoot, the grass is beginning to grow. Which means it’s that time of year to start paying attention to your lawn, particularly given that the lawn care jobs carried out now in spring are the ones that will help get the grass in the best possible shape for the summer to come. How much time and effort you lavish on the lawn really depends on the finish that’s desired – and how much you enjoy looking after it. A perfectly smooth, weed-free, striped baize obviously takes more effort than a laissez-faire lawn studded with daisies and clover, but both types will benefit from a little care and attention now. And even for…

DICHONDRA ‘Silver Falls’ is a drought-tolerant plant with delicate, shiny, brilliant silver leaves, which trails elegantly. PELARGONIUM Ivy-leaved geraniums are a classic trailing plant, available in many different colours and forms. PETUNIA The Surfinia Series is a range of reliable, cascading petunias often simply referred to as ‘surfinias’.…

Marcus Chilton-Jones The curator of the Royal Horticultural Society’s new garden at Bridgewater explains his role and the history of the site, which is due to open in May Some people love taking something that’s run down and making it beautiful again, while others find such projects a terrible faff. Luckily I fall into the former category, and the prospect of transforming a weedy, arsenic-riddled site into an elegant RHS garden was hugely exciting. Here was a chance to paint over the framework with a new composition – a renaissance rather than a restoration. When I began here in 2017, I knew the role would come with challenges, but I couldn’t have predicted Covid-19 or the discovery of arsenic in the soil of our proposed Kitchen Garden. The solution to…

Cut back CLEMATIS The queen of all climbers is the clematis, and it stands out from the crowd in more ways than one. Clematis take up so little space in a garden, adding quick height to a planting scheme when trained up a support or scrambling through trees and shrubs. They are members of the Ranunculaceae family, the same family that contains buttercups, hellebores, and aquilegia. This gives us a helpful clue to their preference for a moist but well-drained soil. To grow clematis at their best, try to provide a cool root run but with the opportunity for the plants to have their heads baking in the sun. Although I already grow clematis at Iford, there are many possibilities to add even more, with walls, columns and pillars aplenty…

When garden designer Sean Walter was asked by his friend, the interior designer Charlotte Crosland, to remodel the garden behind her Notting Hill house after a new garden studio had been added, he couldn’t have been happier. “I’ve worked with Charlotte for years,” Sean explains, “and over time I’d tweaked the previous garden, but it was always frustrating – I never got a good feeling from it. I felt almost resentful doing it, because nothing quite grew. It’s a tall house and the back of it faces east, so a lot of the garden is in its shadow – plus it was bone-dry at the back because of an oak tree in the neighbour’s garden.” The game-changer, he says, was when Charlotte had her new studio-office built, which prompted an…

Most Londoners are grateful if their house or flat comes with any outdoor space at all, so it seems churlish, if you do have some, to question its size or suitability for creating a beautiful and useful garden. But it would have been easy to sympathise had the owners of this house near Hampstead felt slightly crestfallen on first surveying the outside space that came with their new home. It wasn’t very big, it skewed away from the house at an odd angle and, perhaps most challenging of all, the second half of it was built on top of a garage accessed at street level below. A path along the right-hand side dropped down to the back gate, beyond which was a flight of steps to reach the garage below,…

Designers will agree that in small spaces every element must earn its keep, from paving and planters to perimeter treatments and the planting itself. Yet these parts of the garden, seemingly mere accessories, are intrinsic to a design. When well-planned from the outset they can make a garden sing, no matter how restricted its parameters. Humaira Ikram, designer and course leader at the KLC School of Garden Design advises deciding what you’d like from the garden before you begin to design it – and crucially, what you would like to feel when you’re in it. Then, as you plan the garden, consider four design principles. “Simplicity is the first thing. Always step back and ask: ‘Is it simple enough? Have I added too many ideas?’” It is tempting to fill…

A shimmering meadow of indigo-hued camassias in late spring is one of the great joys of this time of year. These striking bulbs are native to North America, mainly the Pacific coast, and make an enchanting addition to relaxed planting schemes. But they have uses beyond the ornamental. Camassia tubers have long been used as a food source by indigenous Americans, as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson to explore the western reaches of the continent, came to learn. During their three-year expedition, between 1804 and 1806, Lewis and Clark made an arduous east-west journey. By the time the expedition crossed the Bitterroot Mountains into Idaho, food supplies were low and the men were forced to eat their horses. It was the Nez Perce tribe that came…

“Higgledy is a nice story of boy made good I guess. When I started out, people were doubtful I could succeed – the big companies have so much buying power that nobody thought I could make it profitable… but that’s what we did.” Benjamin Ranyard is a maverick seed merchant, proving that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’ with his small company Higgledy Garden. With no land of his own and operating in the main from his narrowboat home, over the past ten years he has built up a highly successful cut-flower seed company that now employs four people. Of course it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Ben, who was working in hospitality, managing bars and restaurants, before he started growing flowers. Initially he was a flower farmer, “but I…

However nice your pots, the plants should be the stars of the show. The general rule is to ensure that the plant mass is always as big or bigger than the container. Most small spaces look better with one large pot with a decent specimen plant, rather than small pots dotted about, which can get rather lost. Bigger pots will also dry out less quickly if you are away over a sunny weekend and can’t water them. If you have only small pots, grouping them into collections can create the sense of mass needed to make an impact. The advantage of this is that individual pots can be moved into the display when at their best and hidden when the plants go over. The affordability and temporariness of bedding plants…

When Philip Miller, chief gardener of the Chelsea Physic Garden, collected a sample of Lavandula x intermedia subsp. intermedia in the summer of 1731, he could scarcely have imagined it would still be in a collection some 300 years later. Yet today, pressed and labelled, Miller’s specimen is the oldest entry in the herbarium collection at RHS Wisley. What’s more, Lavandula x intermedia is widely grown today, being especially good for oil extraction. In this lies the brilliance of preserved flowers and herbaria specifically: they provide a window on the past and help us consider what the future might look like. With about 90,000 pressed plant species, the herbarium at RHS Wisley is not the largest in the UK but it is unique. “RHS Wisley’s is special because it contains…

The Kew Gardener’s Guide To Growing Roses by Tony Hall Frances Lincoln, £12.99 Like Astaire and Rogers, Simon and Garfunkel, and French and Saunders, roses and English gardens are a dream partnership and it is difficult to imagine one without the other. Yet even to the well initiated in these matters, it can at times be almost impossible to decide on the perfect rose to grow. To assist, author Tony Hall has selected 78 good candidates, grouping them by wide-ranging functions or locations and noting their idiosyncrasies. There are roses for hips, shady spots, training as standards or growing in containers. He makes the case for ramblers and climbers and picks good roses for training against walls – ‘Reine des Violettes’ , ‘Roseraie de l’Hay’, ‘Rosy Cushion’ and Rosa roxburghii,…

I write this in January, as the sleet and snow comes skirling down sideways between the house and the heavy-boughed yew tree opposite. Snow has bookended my life: the winter-long drifts of 1946-7 at my birth and now this fitful blast, coming and going as the temperature alternately hovers and dives. Last April I made a bargain, amid the incandescent white blossom of the pear trees, the air full of the drifting white petals of damson and plum. There had never been such a spring. In the silence of lockdown, time stood still. It was like the silence of a perpetual Sunday morning, or a day of deep snow when the garden paths are obliterated and all traffic on the road stops; or the first day of the summer holidays…