Woman's Weekly Living Series October 2019

Buy British trees! The risk of unwanted tree pests and diseases through plant imports are turning gardeners’ attentions to the benefits of buying British. Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial plant disease that has not been detected in the UK but poses a serious threat. In July, restrictions were put in place on imports of oaks after trees infected with oak processionary moth were intercepted in Holland. The Woodland Trust has created an accreditation scheme to highlight when nurseries sell trees of UK provenance. This means that the saplings they grow have come from a safe source, and will not be contributing to the spread of pests and diseases from other countries. Lee Dudley, Projects Manager said, ‘The Woodland Trust has been exclusively planting UK trees since 2012 but we need…

Hardy cacti Hardy down to -7°C, these tough, brightly coloured cacti should be planted in a sunny, well-drained rock garden or containers in a sheltered position. H 10-15cm. Flowers Jul-Sept. £14.99, thompson-morgan. com, tel: 0333 400 0033. Zinc tube planter Cover a bare wall inside or out using hanging cacti planter in a ladder design of zinc tubes. Fill the bottom with a layer of gravel before compost to prevent waterlogging. Each planter size: 25cm width x 90cm drop. £29.95, londongardentrading.com. Tuscany glazed pots These beautiful stoneware pots finished in a turquoise crackle glaze feature a textured daisy-like pattern. Small 14cm diameter, £9.99, and medium 16cm, £14.99, burgonandball.com, tel 0114 233 8262, and garden centres. Hanging container We love this indoor planter, especially fun when teamed with the easy-to-grow string…

Campanula ‘pink octopus’ An unusual-looking campanula with hanging lantern-shaped buds opening to thin spidery petals all summer, above attractive, deeply cut foliage. Height up to 45cm. Prefers fertile soil, £9.99, larchcottage. co.uk. Clematis ‘Elodi’ Launched at Chelsea, this gorgeous miniature clematis is low-growing, reaching around 30cm in height, it’s perfect for patio pots, hanging baskets and borders. Deep-pink flowers are produced from May to September, £13, taylorsclematis.co.uk. Rose ‘Chawton Cottage’ Launched at Chelsea to mark the 70th anniversary of Jane Austen’s House Museum opening to the public. It is described as a ‘sensational new climbing variety with exemplary health’, and produces soft pearl-pink with rich red eye from summer and autumn. Pots, £16.95, bare root, £14.45, roses.co.uk, tel 01462 420402.…

As summer slips away, the light softens and gradually the colours of flowers and foliage throughout the garden at Coton Manor become less strident. ‘The pale colours become almost luminescent in this gentler light,’ says owner Susie Pasley-Tyler. ‘This is when we feel the garden reaches its zenith – it is my favourite moment with so much to see.’ Autumn’s abundance heralds a new cast of flowers – asters and dahlias in gem-like hues, red-hot pokers, ice plants, milky mophead hydrangeas, eupatoriums, coneflowers, salvias, roses in their second flush, and Japanese anemones trembling in the breeze. ‘I think a lot of gardeners have given up on their gardens by now,’ she suggests, ‘and perhaps don’t realise what a rich palette of plants is available, and how much longer things flower…

GARDENERS Ian and Susie Pasley-Tyler LOCATION Coton Manor, Coton, near Guilsborough, Northamptonshire LANDSCAPED The garden’s framework was laid out during the 1920s by Ian’s grandparents, who had the vision to plant the trees, yew and holly hedges, lay terraces and establish the water garden throughout the 10 acres. Since the 1990s, Susie has masterminded colour-themed borders filled with exciting plant combinations. SPECIAL FEATURES Mature hedges and trees divide the garden into different areas, creating surprise vistas round every corner. ASPECT Most of the borders face south. SOIL TYPE Much-improved clay. CHALLENGES Planning long-lasting border displays is as much a logistical exercise as a never-ending balancing act to ensure that as one plant retires, another takes its place. INSPIRATION Susie has gleaned ideas from many gardens, but among those that inspire…

With so many different areas to choose from, it is surprising to learn that Susie’s favourite place is the woodland. ‘It’s amazingly tranquil and has lovely views to the reservoir,’ she says. It is planted with shiny-leaved evergreens such as choisya and fatshedera for the year-round, reflective quality of their leaves, while in deepest midwinter, there are also snowdrops, aconites and silvery-pink Crocus tomasinianus , a charming little bulb that quickly spreads. Come spring, and a fragrant Wisteria sinensis flowers, the ancient beech wood is carpeted with English native bluebells, and there are some pretty herbaceous peonies. ‘They’ve been here for decades,’ says Susie. ‘I love peonies, and they make wonderful cut flowers.’ By summer, pink ‘Seven Sisters’ roses are climbing up the walls of the 17th-century farmhouse, but it…