Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2024 i The English Garden

As is traditional, this year’s Spring issue is, once again, our Small Gardens special, celebrating the fact that size isn’t everything and gardens that are tight on space can more than make up for it when they are full of plants and style. Another traditional activity at this time of year is a satisfying burst of spring cleaning, and that’s just what we’ve been doing over on our website at www.theenglishgarden.co.uk The site has had a refresh and is waiting for you to visit. If you enjoy this issue, you’ll find lots of inspiration to complement it online. Learn how to press flowers the JamJar Edit way, with a step-by-step guide that follows on from our Craftspeople feature on page 125. If our Plant Focus about Sue Martin’s geum collection…

Jekka McVicar The UK’s doyenne of herbs on turning her small garden into an empire – and the benefits herb gardening has for the planet I grow sustainable plants using peat-free and organic methods. Being a child of the 1950s, my mother was totally self-sufficient with a ‘Dig For Victory’ garden; I could tell spearmint and apple mint apart before I’d started school. For a while I played the flute in a progressive rock band, and we performed at the first ever Glastonbury. Then I went straight and got a job with the BBC! I always had a herb garden though, and one day a friend asked if she could pick tarragon for an Elizabeth David recipe, since she couldn’t find it fresh in the shops. So, in 1984, I…

“The council let us buy the land on condition that we also buy the 870m 2 of heavily sloping wild land adjacent to it” Boasting a microclimate that is both warmer and drier than that of most of Scotland, the Moray coast may seem like a hospitable place for a pair of keen, green-fingered enthusiasts to learn the ropes of gardening. Yet Malcolm and Liz Schofield – the owners of Cuthberts Brae, an old fisherman’s cottage that nestles on a hillside in the coastal village of Buckie – would certainly beg to differ. The journey they have been through to create the colourful and vibrant outdoor oasis that they enjoy today has been a particularly steep learning curve… in more ways than one. Malcolm and Liz are both…

Each day, it is from indoors that Julia Hickman catches the first glimpse of her garden at Elmbridge Lodge: a delightful picture that never fails to halt her in her tracks, no matter what the season. In the foreground a rose pergola frames a tiered view of flowers and foliage filling terraces that tame a gentle slope. “Looking out, I don’t see any sky, just the planting as it rises in layers, and it feels as if there are no other houses nearby,” says Julia. It takes considerable imagination to envisage the outlook as it was just eight years ago, when Julia and her late husband, Peter, bought the Surrey townhouse off-plan with only boundary walls delineating the 21m long and 10.5m wide garden. “The plot was a long, nondescript…

LIGHTING If you’ve arranged your garden into different zones, screened challenging boundaries, used a clever paint shade, borrowed views, added focal points and thought hard about paving and pots, there’s still one more element to consider. Lighting can have the most dramatic effect on how your garden is perceived. In addition to boosting safety and security, it’s another tool you can use to make a small garden feel bigger and more welcoming, helping you maximise available space. WORK FROM THE INSIDE OUT A good motivation for lighting a small garden is the positive effect it can have on the view of the garden from indoors. It can soften your home’s interior and contributes to a sense of the garden being a usable extension of the home. Jo Mann, founder and…

Sue Martin’s quarter-of-an-acre cottage garden at her nursery in Kent has been home to her Plant Heritage collection of geums – more than one hundred different cultivars and varieties – since 2006. “I was first attracted by their clear colours and variety,” says Sue. “They flower at a very good time of the year, when the spring flowers have finished but the summer extravaganza is yet to get going. They grow in all sorts of conditions, from shade to semi-shade to sun, and they flower for a very long time.” Sue moved here in 1988 when the garden was a completely blank canvas because the previous owner had grown only vegetables. “The soil was fantastic because the man who lived here also worked on the farm. When he limed and…

CRAFTSPEOPLE Hasn’t every child picked and pressed flowers – nostalgic keepsakes secreted between the leaves of a favourite book? So it was for Melissa Richardson and Amy Fielding, although neither dreamt that in their adult lives they would go on to create JamJar Edit, a modern, flower-pressing studio located in Kennington, South-East London. Melissa opted out of a long career as director of London’s Take 2 Model Management agency, seeking a simpler and more fulfilling way of life. “After one of my children was born I found myself surrounded by bunches of wilting flowers and no vases, so in 2009 I set up JamJar Flowers, which provided five different sizes of ‘jam jars’ to be delivered together with fresh flowers.” Former connections in the fashion industry led to event commissions…

Myddelton House Gardens in Enfield, London, was home to Edward Augustus Bowles until his death in 1954. His influence endures, not least in the number of plants named for him. Consider Anemone ‘Bowles’s Pink’, Crocus sieberi ‘Bowles’s White’ and Galanthus plicatus ‘E. A. Bowles’. Out in the Alpine Meadow, snowdrops, narcissus and camassia bring soft colour to early spring, along with two Plant Heritage National Collections of Crocus. Here, Myddelton’s head gardener, Richard Harmes, selects ten time-honoured favourite plants from Myddelton for guaranteed early flowers. Myddelton House Gardens, Enfield, London EN2 9HG. Tel: 0300 0030610; visitleevalley.org.uk and eabowlessociety.org.uk…

Beatrix Havergal established the School of Horticulture for Ladies at Waterperry near Oxford in 1932 and trained generations of gardeners until her retirement in 1971. 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…

If there is one flower associated with June it must surely be the rose. Right now, passionate rose growers are almost certainly assessing their collections and wondering if there is room for just one more. Those bewildered by the choice available could visit Roses UK (rosesuk.com), the public-facing arm of the British Association of Rose Breeders, where you can whittle down the choice by selecting desired characteristics. Marilyn Stevens, project manager at Roses UK, has some advice to offer: “The ‘ankles’ of roses are not their best feature, so I always underplant with low-growing perennials,” she says. “Once my roses are established, there is no special treatment beyond extra water during dry spells. Those in containers receive top dressing and slow-release fertiliser in spring.” Here she suggests a selection of…

Set within Windsor Great Park, the Savill Garden covers 35 acres of interconnected spaces. The keeper of the gardens is John Anderson, who, in addition to the Savill Garden, has responsibility for His Majesty’s private garden at Frogmore and the 250-acre Valley Gardens. He is a member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee and in 2020 was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the RHS for his contributions to the advancement of science and practice of horticulture. At this time of year the Savill Garden is filled with autumn colour, plenty of it coming from shrubs that bear autumn berries. Here John suggests ten good varieties to try. The Savill Garden, Wick Lane, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey TW20 0UJ. Tel: 01753 860222; windsorgreatpark.co.uk…

Nic Wilson Based in Hertfordshire, Nic is a writer, editor and country diarist for The Guardian with a passion for nature, wildlife and wild plants. She explores the remarkable garden at 28 Fishpool Street, St Albans, on page 62. Rachel Warne Rachel specialises in botanical, outdoor living and interior photography and has won numerous awards. She works with major garden designers and has shot two gardens for this issue, on pages 24 and 41. Arabella St John Parker Arabella writes about gardens, interiors, and buildings, edits Garden Design Journal and judges the RHS Portfolio photography competition. She visits Laura Heybrook’s Oxford garden on p70.…

SHOPPING Indoor hanging baskets are a clever, decorative way of using natural elements indoors, while maximising space, letting you pack a floral punch with dried flowers or providing a snug home for a favourite houseplant. Ensure you’re equipped with pruning snips, an elegant plant mister and a quality feed to keep them happy. Slim hanging baskets, from £12, bohemiadesign.co.uk…

Although you often hear about a garden that was ‘a blank slate’ and ‘a dream to design’, it’s usually easier to work with one that has a few existing elements to factor in. This was certainly the case for Lucy Conochie and Jane Heather, who helped turn a small North London courtyard into a garden that suited both its location and the needs of their client perfectly. “It’s tiny but it was such an interesting little space,” recalls Lucy of the courtyard, which is a literal stone’s throw from Primrose Hill. “The lovely thing about the garden is that it has this borrowed landscape from the trees and the hill, which you can see over the wall, and that brings a beautiful light contrast throughout the day,” adds Jane. The…

Tucked away in the historic heart of St Albans, close to the cathedral and the River Ver, lies an oasis of serenity. 28 Fishpool Street, located on one of the original Saxon roads leading though the city, was once surrounded by five acres of land including market gardens and orchards. Now owned by retired accountants, Jenny and Antony Jay, the 16th-century house has only half an acre to the rear, yet this is a sizeable garden compared to many in the area. The couple fell in love with the garden on their first viewing nearly 20 years ago. Though the planting was tired, the space was already divided into rooms defined by undulating box hedges, and Jenny immediately felt at home in this lovely calming space. “You’re in the city…

It’s the time of year when thoughts turn to the tantalising prospect of eating outdoors. The weather may not be quite ready, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan and dream of supper outdoors on warm summer evenings, and long, lazy weekend lunches on the terrace. Every garden, whatever its size, needs a dining table and chairs. For the smallest gardens, a bistro set comprising a table and two chairs is perfect. If there’s a little more room, a larger table with seating for four to six could be squeezed in. However many seats there are, ensure chairs are comfortable or come with cushions, and that tables are the right height. Be wary of tables with wide gaps between slats on the top, which can easily topple a drink. If…

Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with growing a range of edible ornamental flowers (also known as edimentals) in my small London garden. With no space for a vegetable plot, this has satisfied my need to marry two vital life forces: growing and eating. My home-grown blooms have gone beyond the purely decorative and fuelled my creativity in the kitchen, elevating the run-of-the-mill family recipes that I cook on repeat to a very special level. Using flowers in food as an ingredient, an enhancer or an appetising garnish is nothing new – the Romans frequently added roses, violets and lavender to their menus for good reason. Edimentals can turn an ordinary looking plate of food into a feast for the eyes and there is no doubt that the…

TO CONCLUDE When I first visited Silver Street Farm, the Devon home of landscape designer Alasdair Cameron and his wife, Tor, plans were afoot for a new kind of living terrace. Everything about the garden that surrounds the yellow-painted Georgian farmhouse is generous in scale, and the ambition throughout is to enjoy the happy surprises that follow if well-chosen plants are left – more or less – to do their own thing. Having created one of the most romantic and covetable front gardens I know – an intimate space erupting with erigeron and white valerian – Alasdair wanted to go further and use a different palette of plants to set out the extensive entertaining terrace at the back of the house. This terrace was to be big enough for proper…

Sally Petitt joined Cambridge University Botanic Garden 35 years ago and is now its head of horticulture. “I love the diversity of plants and the setting here. The landscape changes daily and we have a great team,” she enthuses. The garden has a historic Plant Heritage National Collection of Tulips, containing some 70 species. “When they’re in flower, they have such a diverse range of sizes, shapes and colours,” says Sally. “I like T. cornuta: it’s the epitome of what you think of as an old-fashioned Persian tulip. But T. montana is pretty good too.” Here she selects ten plants to complement these vibrant spring bulbs. Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 1 Brookside, Cambridge CB2 1JE. Tel: 01223 336265; botanic.cam.ac.uk…

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 Malverleys bears its influence as well as taking inspiration from the writings of William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West. Its abundantly planted terraces and long borders are at their peak in high summer, 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, while keeping 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…

In summer, the gardens at Packwood House, the National Trust property just south of Birmingham, are filled with jubilant colour. Making the most of the vitality this season has to offer, the gardens are renowned for the sustained colour and interest of their cleverly planted borders. Head gardener Mick Evans, who has worked for the National Trust for over 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. Tel: 01564 782024; nationaltrust.org.uk/packwood-house…

Around 150 plant species chosen for scent, texture and colour feature in the 450m-long Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey. Senior gardener David Jordan is coming towards the end of a three-year project to refresh plantings and rethink areas of the garden in honour of its 21st anniversary. “We want to create new layers, including shrubs and bulbs that will keep the Winter Garden beautiful for future generations,” he says. For planting success, he suggests trees and shrubs underplanted with smaller winter-interest plants and early and late-flowering bulbs to extend the season. Here he selects ten of his favourites. Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9EJ. Tel: 01223 810080; nationaltrust.org.uk…

It is bluebell time again. Our local woods are carpeted in the cobalt-blue of the English bluebell, Hyacinthoides nonscripta. It is daintier than its Spanish cousin Hyacinthoides hispanica which is common in gardens and as a garden escapee. The individual bells are less flared and of a more intense colour. They hang to one side of the flower stem creating the curve of half a Gothic arch. The stockier Spanish bluebell sports flowers all around the stem, and its pollen is blue compared to the creamy white of the British native. Perhaps most significantly, English bluebells have a much stronger scent. The two species interbreed freely and in gardens you often find hybrids with intermediate characteristics. If you would like to introduce more English bluebells, they are available ‘in the…

With its exuberant colours and textures and artful mixture of formality and informality, the outdoor haven that garden designer Laura Heybrook has created behind her family’s Victorian semi-detached villa in Oxford fizzes with energy and interest. It is a testament to her love of plants and romantic expression, and through her skilful use of scale and perspective it is a perfect example of how to use planting to make an urban postage-stamp plot look and feel four times its size. “I wanted the garden to have a rhythm, a bit like a lovely song, and for there to be movement, and I wanted there to be a sense of never quite knowing where things begin and where they end,” says Laura. Her clients include private individuals and commercial clients in…

TOP 10 PLANTS Unlike occasionally strident orange, yellow or red, blue flowers seldom come in for criticism. Slotting into most colour schemes, they can lift and contrast with surrounding hues, while a strong blue flower can easily hold its own in a crowd. At The Newt in Somerset, the all-blue garden echoes the work of Nori and Sandra Pope, who owned the property in its previous life as Hadspen House. Its garden is now managed by Stephen Herrington, an experienced gardener who has also worked at RHS Wisley, Tresco, Nymans and RBG Edinburgh and is well placed to suggest ten excellently performing plants with blue flowers for colour all year. The Newt in Somerset, Bruton, Somerset BA7 7NG. Tel: 01963 577750; thenewtinsomerset.com 1 Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’ “Morning glory is a…

GROW YOUR OWN Spring comes to Tresillian in a flurry of blossom, from the most delicate, iciest pink to deepest shades of plum. Out in the orchard, around 84 different varieties of Cornish apple trees come into bloom. These were planted by John Harris, head gardener from 1985 to 2023, in the early 1990s as single whips set in a diamond pattern, so they’re in a straight line whichever way you look. Today the orchard contains what is probably one of the best collections of regional apples available anywhere. “I wanted the orchard to be 90 per cent Cornish,” reflects John. “This is the sort of thing people would have had a hundred or so years ago, when we grew apples that ripened throughout the season. I thought if we…

With its packed benches of tempting plants, the garden centre can sometimes be an overwhelming place. While it’s fantastic that we gardeners have so much choice when it comes to what we plant in our gardens, who hasn’t occasionally wished for an on-hand expert who can guide us and make sure we always choose the very best? Look no further: our seasonal guide to some of the best and most beautiful plants you can grow is here. Ten of the country’s top gardeners have selected their favourite plants for each season. Do you need bulbs for early-spring colour, an easy, reliable rose for the summer, or a shrub that will be smothered in bright berries come autumn? Our guide will help you select the best: 100 great plants, chosen by…

The joy of early spring lies in its blossom flurries that assure us warmer months are on their way. For 35 years David Bouch has worked in gardens across the South West. Now he is head gardener at the National Trust-owned Cotehele and Antony estates, among the first in the UK to fill with pink and white. “Managing two distinct gardens is exciting: from the orchards and flower gardens at Cotehele to the Repton landscape at Antony,” says Dave. Here he picks ten plants for spring blossom. Cotehele, St Dominick, Cornwall PL17 6TA. Tel: 0344 800 2070. Antony, Ferry Lane, Torpoint, Devon PL11 2QA. Tel: 01752 812191; nationaltrust.org.uk. The National Trust celebrates Blossom Watch Day in April. Follow #blossomwatch for details…

In the walled garden at Wormsley, the Getty family estate in Buckinghamshire, head gardener Charlotte Tremlin grows brilliant beds of flowers for cutting. These are used for indoor arrangements and large events – not least the hospitality tables at cricket matches and the Garsington Opera season, both of which are held here. “All our flowers need to be versatile and have a good vase life,” she explains, “and we choose plants that are timeless.” She sows her annuals and perennials directly, even though the microclimate at Wormsley is cool for the South East. If it’s too late to sow, try online seedling delivery for fast flowers this season. Wormsley, Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire HP14 3YE. Tel: 01494 484443; wormsley.com…

SEEDS Chiltern Seeds Seed supplier with a strong selection of pretty annual and perennial plants. Tel: 01491 824675; chilternseeds.co.uk Kings Seeds Well-established seed supplier with a particularly good selection of sweet peas. Tel: 01376 570000; kingsseeds.com Marshalls A range of seeds, summer bedding and garden sundries. Tel: 01480 774555; marshallsgarden.com Mr Fothergill’s A wide range of flowers from seed encompassing all the old favourites, as well as some newer introductions. Tel: 0333 7773936; mr-fothergills.co.uk Plants of Distinction Large range of flower seeds including rare, heirloom and more unusual varieties. Tel: 01449 721720; plantsofdistinction.co.uk Sarah Raven Longstanding champion of bold and impactful plants for containers and borders available from seed, with bulbs and young plants also sold. Tel: 0345 0920283; sarahraven.com Special Plants Derry Watkins’ Wiltshire nursery specialises in unusual and…