Innholdsfortegnelse for A Year in the English Garden 2021 i The English Garden

It is hard to believe that the tranquil gardens surrounding Felley Priory in North Nottinghamshire are a mere half mile from the busy M1 motorway. Built on the site of an original hermitage chapel and 500ft above sea level, Felley Priory was established in 1156 before falling victim to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Although much of the priory was destroyed, some parts were used to construct the house and garden a year later. Stone pillars at the entrance to the garden are thought to be the remains of the original priory church, and an ancient pear tree, Pyrus communis ‘Jargonelle’, planted in 1555, still flourishes by the south-east wall of the house. The Chaworth-Musters family bought the house in 1822 but only commenced living there in…

PRUNE clematis These showy summer climbers need a prune this month to encourage the best display of flowers and to prevent a tangled mass of stems In February it’s the clematis in Groups 2 and 3 that should be pruned, so you do need to know which clematis you have. Once that’s established though, the pruning itself is easy. Group 2 clematis are those large-flowered varieties that bloom in late May and June. Well-known examples are ‘Nelly Moser’, claret ‘Niobe’ and purple ‘Jackmanii’. Group 3 clematis flower in late summer and include ‘Princess Diana’ and ‘Polish Spirit’ as well as Viticella types such as ‘Étoile Violette’. Regular pruning stops the plants developing into a tangled mess of stems that only flower at head-height. Method 1 Group 2 clematis produce their…

Pulmonaria ‘Majesté’ Pulmonarias are invaluable for shady borders, and with its silver-speckled leaves ‘Majesté’ is a superb choice. It’s a vigorous cultivar, topping its distinctive foliage with sprays of pink and lavender-blue flowers in early spring. Helleborus niger The misleadingly named Christmas rose usually flowers between January and March, its long-lasting white blooms developing hints of greenish-pink as they fade. Its leathery foliage ensures it remains a presence in the border. Primula vulgaris Primroses are one of spring’s most charming flowers and it doesn’t take long for a few plants to bulk up into clumps large enough to be divided. This means you can spread its pale flowers throughout a lightly shaded border. Anemone blanda Soak windflowers’ knobbly little tubers in water overnight before you plant them into humus-rich soil…

There are thousands of colourful tulips for cutting in the Dorset potager of New Zealand-born plantsman and florist Charlie McCormick. They continue in the ‘more grown-up’ parterre beds to the east of the early 19th-century parsonage he shares with his husband, architectural and interior designer Ben Pentreath, in the village of Little Bredy. This is their country bolthole, a place for Charlie to garden and grow flowers for cutting; bucketfuls of springtime tulip blooms end up cheerfully furnishing their London apartment. “I grow flowers for pleasure,” says Charlie, “but my enthusiasm led to surplus stems, so I developed a seasonal special events floristry business founded largely on my main passions: brilliant tulips and luxurious dahlias.” The Old Parsonage sits squarely on a one-acre plot, the enveloping garden sloping steeply away…

In Private Lives, Noel Coward wrote, damningly, “Very flat, Norfolk”. Warborough House proves him so wrong. Perched on top of a windy hill next to the North Norfolk coastline, the early Victorian building sits within a garden that slopes so steeply a quad bike is used to ameliorate the human effort involved in working its seven acres. The house has turned its back on the sea and faces south, presumably to shelter from the biting Siberian winds, although prevailing south-westerlies have meant that a solid shelter belt of trees and shrubs is still a prerequisite to successful gardening here, enclosing and protecting this once-exposed site. At sunrise on a May morning the garden has a mysterious, almost magical feel, with wildflowers and woodland blending inwards and upwards to the more…

Good design, followed by a seamless build, can completely transform a garden from one that’s used every so often, to one that becomes an integral part of its owners’ lives. In other words: an outdoor room. When he set up his garden design and construction company in 1995, David Dodd had exactly this in mind. A landscape designer and construction specialist, who also tutors and lectures on both disciplines, David brought together a team of designers, landscapers and horticulturists so that The Outdoor Room could successfully deliver high-quality gardens from conception to completion. The company has gone on to build both residential and commercial gardens, and is a regular at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, building gold medal-winning show gardens. In a garden in Kingston upon Thames, the company created…

The gardens at Arley Hall vary greatly in character as each twist and turn of the pathways leads unpredictably from hushed inner sanctums to wide open spaces with far-reaching vistas. Ranging from enclosed courtyards bathed in soft sunbeams and fresh fragrances, to rose gardens of singular profusion and lavishly planted herbaceous borders, around each corner lie sights, sounds and scents designed to captivate and soothe. The estate is set amid parkland and a patchwork of fields and copses in Cheshire and has been owned by the same family since the 15th century. As head gardener Gordon Baillie explains: “The gardens have a special warmth and intimacy that derive from having been a much-loved family garden for many generations. The family are very engaged in every aspect of the gardens.” He…

DIVIDE bearded iris Glorious spring weather will have prompted a fantastic flowering display from bearded iris – and now is the time to reinvigorate any tired clumps Over time, as with all perennials, clumps of bearded iris lose their vigour and flowering potential, and need to be divided to give them a new lease of life. This is done about six weeks after they finish flowering, normally around late June or July. If you’ve noticed the amount of flowers has tailed off, or spotted a lot of old, nonflowering rhizomes in the centre of a large clump, now is the time to tackle them. This is something you’ll normally need to do every three to five years. Gently lift the fleshy rhizomes from the soil and either cut or break…

CARE FOR raspberries Once their juicy berries have been harvested, summer-fruiting raspberry canes should be pruned to ensure a bumper crop for the next summer Nothing beats a fresh, plump, raspberry, and caring for this fruit is straightforward if you know which sort you have. Raspberries can be summer or autumn fruiting, and each type has slightly different pruning requirements. Summer-fruiting raspberries include popular varieties such as ‘Glen Ample’, ‘Tulameen’ and ‘Malling Jewel’, and produce their fruit on year-old canes. By August, most will have finished cropping, at which point canes that have fruited should be cut back to ground level. The rest of them should be left untouched, since these will bear fruit next summer. It’s easy to distinguish the canes that have fruited from those that haven’t –…

Sow hardy ANNUALS Get hardy annuals sown in position this autumn and they’ll put on an earlier display of flowers as soon as the weather improves in spring Next summer may seem a distant prospect, but sowing seeds in your garden now will pay dividends come next year. Hardy annuals can withstand frosts and many will benefit from being sown directly into the ground in autumn, flowering earlier than spring-sown seeds. By following these steps, you could enjoy an early-flowering display next summer. Method 1 There’s a wide range of hardy annuals to grow – look for an HA symbol on seed packets. Try Ammi majus or Nigella damascena (above) for delicate, lacy flowers, Briza maxima or Hordeum jubatum for tufty grass, and add shots of colour with cornflowers (Centaurea…

Plant lilies in CONTAINERS Autumn is a super time to plant lily bulbs – they root and establish well in cooler soil temperatures to give the best possible flowering display Early autumn is the perfect time to plant lily bulbs. Most lilies fare well in containers, although bigger ones need the right support to flourish. Plant up pots now so you can enjoy a beautiful display of these striking blooms next summer. Method 1 Choose an assortment of containers with drainage holes. Large, single bulbs should be planted in 20cm-wide pots, while smaller bulbs can be planted four per 25cm-wide pot. Add crocks or gravel to provide good drainage. 2 Different varieties need to be planted at different depths. Asiatic hybrids root from the base only and should be planted…

Start a GARLIC CROP Now is the time to plant garlic cloves for an early summer harvest next year, when the grower’s patience will be rewarded with flavour November is the best month to get garlic in the ground, since it needs cold temperatures to develop a fully formed bulb. Follow these simple steps and you’ll soon be harvesting bulbs packed with cloves that you can be using in the kitchen by early summer next year. You will need: Garlic bulbs Soil improver General-purpose fertiliser Trowel Method 1 Buy garlic bulbs from a mail-order supplier or your local garden centre, which will be certified virus-free. Bulbs from the supermarket are not, and since they often hail from warmer climates, aren’t suitable for growing here. When ordering, seek varieties labelled as…

A Year in The English Garden is dedicated to helping its readers achieve their dream year-round garden. And one of the easiest ways to bring that about is by growing bulbs. Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show will know that Bloms Bulbs is renowned for spring-flowering tulips, but this established specialist offers a huge range of other bulbs for year-round colour. Set up in 1860 by Walter Blom in Holland, Bloms started out selling hyacinths. Helped by Walter’s son, Anton, this expanded to include other bulbs and mail order to England. In 1913, Anton’s son (another Walter) set up a nursery in Surrey to restart trade with England after the hiatus caused by World War I. But during WWII, when The Netherlands was classified ‘enemy occupied territory’, Bloms’ UK nurseries…

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ Vibrant scarlet stems make this easy-to-grow dogwood stand out in winter, but remember to prune annually for a fresh crop of vivid bark each year. Its colourful stems will be all the brighter for being grown in a sunny position. Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’ Creamy variegation gives this reliable evergreen shrub a soft grey-ish hue. It makes super year-round groundcover and will look fantastic surging around the base of the cornus, acting as a simple foil for its vibrant colour. Ophiopogon ‘Nigrescens’ Beneath and around both shrubs, try planting this dark-leaved lilyturf where it will gently cover the ground. Its slender strappy leaves have the most dramatic colour when it is grown in full sun. Pink flowers appear in summer. Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’ Weave this early snowdrop…

In a picture-postcard view of Parsonage Oasts, from the towpath on the opposite bank of the River Medway at Yalding, the four, square, cowl-topped ‘towers’ and the ruggedly defensive stone and brick walls, softened only by a magnificent overhanging specimen of Magnolia x soulangeana, can seem formidable. Only when you cross a narrow canal bridge and scrunch your way up the hidden drive past massed daffodils and pretty trees to be welcomed by the owners in their gardening clothes with two sociable geese in attendance, does a more gentle picture emerge. It is one of devotion to a family home and garden, created from derelict farm buildings set in an acre of equally derelict land, that is now a place of immense tranquillity. Under and around the great magnolia and…

Containers brimming with colourful plants make the perfect finishing touch in a year-round garden. Whether it’s a simple pot of a special snowdrop in late winter, a container filled with vibrant tulips, summer’s vibrant pelargoniums, a flaming Japanese acer in autumn or winter’s shapely evergreens, a selection of well-planted containers rings the changes throughout the year. The pots you choose are crucial. Stick to one material for a cohesive display, and invest in quality pots that are frost-resistant so they’ll last for years. The terracotta containers in Pots and Pithoi’s range are made with a unique blend of clays that can withstand the harshest UK winter. Unlike modern terracotta, which is fired in gas kilns, Pots and Pithoi works with the best potters in Crete, where hand-thrown pots are fired…

Lunaria annua Brightly coloured honesty is one of the best foils for tulips, flowering at the same time to create bold contrasts or soothing complements, depending on the combination. Sow in summer for flowers the following spring. Euphorbia polychroma Another excellent foil for bright colours, this mound-forming euphorbia bears acid-yellow flowers in spring and sports bronze hues in autumn. It also teams well with blue flowers such as April-blooming camassias. Tulipa ‘Ballerina’ With its glowing orange pointed flowers, this reliable tulip is a popular choice, creating vibrant colour-wheel contrasts with purples and greens. Order early and plant the bulbs in late November, threading them through your borders. Dicentra spectabilis Feathery foliage and graceful, arching stems of distinctive ‘bleeding heart’ flowers make this spring perennial a must for borders in dappled…

GROW perfect carrots Cover your crops with fleece or netting to ensure your harvest isn’t ruined and rendered inedible by tunnelling root-fly larvae Growing your own carrots is so satisfying: the taste of a shop-bought carrot is nothing compared to that of one pulled fresh from the soil. Few things, however, are more disheartening than unearthing the orange roots to find them riddled with the brown tunnels created by carrot fly larvae. Flies lay their eggs at the base of the plants and the larvae burrow down to eat the roots. Flies are attracted by the scent of the foliage, so try not to release that fragrance unnecessarily: sow thinly so you don’t have to manually thin plants out later, and generally avoid handling them. It is believed that carrot…

Rosa ‘Wisley 2008’ An English rose from David Austin, these perfect pink flowers, produced along the length of elegantly arched stems, bear a light, fruity scent. Grow in full sun and good soil, and it should repeat flower from June onwards. Geranium x magnificum All hardy geraniums are reliable performers, and this species is no exception. It’ll throng around the rose to cover any bare stems at the base. After flowering, cut it back and feed it for a fresh flush of foliage. Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ Soft cushions of aromatic, grey-green foliage make this the perfect front-of-border plant. But its quality becomes even more apparent in early summer, when it produces masses of flower spires in the prettiest shade of lavender-blue. Digitalis purpurea So easy to grow – simply…

A wash with colour, the garden at Aston Pottery in Oxfordshire celebrates the seasons with bold variations of enticing plant combinations. The garden is a business sideline to the pottery and café it surrounds, so you would be forgiven for thinking it might not be all that remarkable. But owner Stephen Baughan’s enthusiasm has helped make this a destination garden: it’s a clear reflection of his passion, and the borders are brimming over with it. Big bold borders are what this garden is all about, and there are five of them – each one bigger than the next. The smallest is a pair of dahlia borders on the north side of the pottery, measuring 320m2 . The perennial border, is 330m2 , and the largest, known as the Hot Bank,…

A journey along winding Essex lanes, brings you to Ulting Wick, the garden equivalent of a stage, where Philippa Burrough’s palette of colourful plants creates theatrical impact. Her many plant passions are the starting point, but it is what she creates with her plants and how she weaves them together that makes Ulting Wick a magnet for confirmed plant lovers and first-time visitors alike. “I am drawn to flower colour and the shape and texture of foliage. Exotic gardens lean more towards foliage. I like to think my style is a riff on this with softer colours offered by my ‘pretties’, such as cosmos and Verbena hastata, Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’ and heliotrope or ‘cherry pie’,” she explains. Regular visitors know that Ulting Wick usually opens for the National Garden Scheme.…

For Rupert Eley, a walk through his arboretum is akin to a meeting of old friends as he pauses beside individual trees, explaining their idiosyncrasies and origins. “Each has its own character and while some hark back a century or more, others have been planted by me and my wife, Sara. They are all special and very much loved,” he explains. Rupert is the fourth generation of his family to garden at East Bergholt Place, in the Stour valley on the Suffolk-Essex borders. His great-grandfather, Charles Eley, laid out the 20-acre arboretum and garden at the turn of the 20th century, establishing rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias as well as trees and shrubs for autumn colour. “He loved plants and lived in an era when plant hunters such as George Forrest…

Craft CHRISTMAS CARDS Slow down and take pleasure in printing your own botanically themed greetings cards this Christmas, using a handful of simple materials Making your own hand-printed cards is a sure-fire way to get into the festive spirit. With the right preparation, it’s easy to do and will result in a beautiful selection of nature-inspired cards to share with your loved ones. British printmaker Molly Mahon takes us through the process – which is best started sooner rather than later! You will need: Plain cards and envelopes A sponge Paint (of any sort, from emulsion to children’s poster paints) A block (buy a stamp online or carve a design into a potato) Method 1 On a sturdy table, lay down a wad of newspaper or an old blanket with…

MAKE a hedge The dormant winter period is the best time to establish a new hedge in your garden, especially if you use bare-root, deciduous hedging plants If you have the space and the opportunity, always opt for a hedge over a fence when it comes to garden boundaries. It’s obvious that a barrier of dense greenery will create a home for wildlife in a way that a panel of shiplap timber can’t, but recent research by RHS scientists has also shown that hedging plants are superb at capturing airborne pollutants and retaining rainwater, to help reduce flash-flooding. Hedges with smaller leaves were the most effective at absorbing pollution, so look to species like hawthorn (right) and cotoneaster. Deciduous hedging species such as beech, dog rose and hornbeam can be…

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ One of the best daphnes, slow-growing, semi-evergreen ‘Jacqueline Postill’ has an upright habit, making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens. It will reward you with fragrant, pale pink flowers in January and February. Corylopsis pauciflora Reaching around 1.5 metres tall, this February- and March-flowering shrub is also known as the winter hazel. Its pale yellow flowers carry a light scent and are followed by fresh, new foliage, which often turns golden in autumn. Narcissus ‘February Silver’ Along with its ‘sister’ variety ‘February Gold’, this cheering daffodil reliably blooms throughout February. Its white perianth and primrose-yellow corolla offer a slightly more subtle combination of colours for pastel schemes. Crocus tommasinianus As one of the earliest crocuses to bloom, delicate Crocus tommasinianus is invaluable for spring’s emerging…

PRUNE roses It might look and feel drastic, but giving roses their annual prune is the key to healthy plants and a formidable flowering display this summer A good general rule for all rose bushes is to cut them down by about half before the buds burst. That always used to be around February or March, but many gardeners find their roses coming into leaf sooner, so adapt timing to suit. If you delay, the rose will have wasted its energy producing shoots that will be pruned away and flowering will happen later. The vigorous new stems that result from what may at first seem like drastic cuts, have much greater flowering potential. Pruning in this way also removes old stems that can harbour spores of fungal diseases such as…

SOW annual climbers Try something different on arches and obelisks this summer, by sowing a fast-growing annual climber. There’s an exciting range to explore Beyond sweet peas, the annual climber we all love to grow and are almost conditioned to sow, other climbing plants grown from seed each year tend not to get that much of a look in. But there are lots of others, all with exciting attributes – colourful foliage or gorgeous flowers, often in late summer – that we could be growing. Best of all, they can be changed each year in the spirit of creative experimentation. The majority of them are half-hardy, so around late March or April is an ideal time to sow in the warmth of a propagator or on a windowsill. Once they…

Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ Nothing flowers for quite as long as perennial wallflowers, and ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ will often bloom from early spring through to July. Take some easy-to-root cuttings in early summer to replace plants when they get tired or leggy. Artemisia ‘Valerie Finnis’ Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’ is one of the best plants for silvery leaves, producing a gorgeous mound of soft-textured foliage. Insert a discreet support early on to stop its stems flopping, which does happen on rich soil. Iris ‘Frost and Flame’ It’s no wonder bearded irises so often star at May’s Chelsea Flower Show: chic and flamboyant, they steal the show. Grow in a hot, sunny spot and ensure that neighbouring plants don’t smother or shade the sun-loving rhizomes. Allium hollandicum A variety of A. hollandicum such…

COLLECT hellebore seed They put on their enchanting show of flowers earlier in spring – now it’s time to collect and sow hellebore seed to produce even more plants By June the pretty flowers of hellebores will have faded to green or papery beige and, at the centre, seedpods should have formed. Left to their own devices many hellebores will self-seed, the precious cargo of seeds falling out and seedlings appearing around the parent plant. If you’d like to be more deliberate about how your hellebores spread though, collect the seed when it’s ripe and rattling inside the pod. Hellebore seed should not be stored. The seed loses its viability if it’s not sown fresh, so fill a seed tray with free-draining seed compost and sow straight away. Leave the…

Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ Beloved by garden designers across the board, the upright, deep purple, summer flower spikes of this salvia inject borders with a chic quality that’s hard to beat. Grow it in full sun and well-drained soil for the best results. Anemanthele lessoniana The arching mounds of bronze-hued pheasant grass are the perfect foil for these summer-flowering perennials. Give it enough room – clumps can reach 1m tall and the same across – to excel from summer through to autumn. Phlomis russeliana A true year-round performer, the velvety sage-like leaves of this perennial stay green in every season and look great with a dusting of frost. Its flowers develop into attractive seedheads that you can leave to stand for winter interest. Geum ‘Prinses Juliana’ Orange, semi-double flowers are produced…

Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ One of the best perennials for rich colour in late summer, heleniums thrive in a sunny position. The orange-red flowers appear from July to September; weave some hazel sticks around the plants in spring to help them stay upright. Stipa gigantea In late summer the tall arching flowers of this lovely grass, known as golden oats, turn a glistening gold. Delicately swaying above its border companions, it’s the perfect finishing touch – like a spun-sugar cake decoration. Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ is one of the best-known cultivars of this Julyto-September-flowering perennial, with whippy scarlet flower spikes above mounds of arrowhead-shaped foliage. Vigorous and robust, it’s happy in sun or partial shade. Agapanthus ‘Dawn Star’ Introduce an element of contrast with the sky-blue, firework flowers of agapanthus. Choose a…

Verbena bonariensis Instantly recognisable for its rigid, wiry stems topped with ultraviolet flowers that butterflies love. Keep your fingers crossed that your Verbena bonariensis self-seeds and overwinters, to give you those perfect airy drifts of colour. Ricinus communis Sow the seeds of this half-hardy annual in April, and grow on in the greenhouse before planting out when the frosts are over. Its huge, purple leaves and spiky, red seedpods make a real statement in late summer and early autumn. Pennisetum advena ‘Rubrum’ Mounds of burgundy foliage come alive with crimson and cream flowers from summer through to September. This eye-catching grass thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and needs protection from winter wet and cold. Dahlia ‘Bishop’s Children’ These colourful dahlias can be grown from seed in spring and…

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ Ever popular, this fantastic perennial blooms from August through to October, when it produces a sea of its jaunty, golden daisy flowers. Reaching 75cm, it’s the perfect, no-fuss, no-flop plant for the middle of the border. Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’ Sedums (actually Hylotelephium nowadays) are ideal for the front of the border. Pinch out the shoot tips in spring to encourage bushy plants and stems that are less likely to splay outwards. This cultivar is a firm butterfly favourite. Eupatorium purpureum This bold perennial can reach 2.5m in height at its largest, so it’s definitely one for the back of the border where it will provide a statuesque backdrop for the lower-growing components. It flowers from August into November. Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ This is the superlative aster for…

Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ One of the best maples you can grow, ‘Sango-kaku’ has buttery yellow autumn foliage, which falls to reveal coral-coloured bark. Its young foliage in spring is green, tinged with lobster pink. Ultimately reaches 6m tall. Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ The perfect contrast to the glowing gold of the acer, this fiery shrub is also known as winged spindle. Its foliage turns extraordinary shades of scarlet and coral in autumn, when it also bears bright orange fruit. Grows to 1.5m tall. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides At 45cm, this low-growing perennial makes excellent groundcover. As the temperature drops, its leaves take on tints of burgundy that help its cerulean blue autumn flowers stand out. Ideal for the front of the border. Miscanthus sinensis Dramatic silky flowerheads characterise this vigorous and, in many…

Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’ The burnished mahogany leaves of this mound-shaped shrub were almost made to be highlighted by frost. Grow it in a sheltered, sunny spot as it may not survive the coldest weather. New growth in spring is Granny Smith green. Euphorbia characias The glaucous whorls of leaves that clothe the stems of this winter-green perennial are the perfect colour contrast to the rest of the garden’s browns and deep greens, while the plant’s architectural shape contributes vital structure. Helleborus foetidus This hellebore boasts hand-like foliage in the darkest shade of green. The leaves contrast wonderfully with the apple-green, bell-like flowers that appear from late winter into spring. It’s happy in sun or partial shade – and in most soils. Bergenia cordifolia ‘Purpurea’ Cold weather brings out the best…