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AWARDS
2011
 EDITOR'S LETTER

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T l kgd f tt g
season . 5umme r may offer us such
rewards , bu t it is now th at we ca n
create , add , change and experimen t
th ou r plo. Aumn colour is now
creeping into my garden and the seedh eads of
perennials are dispersing <heir bounty onto the
soi!. My challenge is to clear a n ursery bed in the
garden and make t a temporary home for small trees
and perennials while 1 decide on what to do th the
space. Designer janine Pattison has been to survey
the ste , and she will be helping me wo rk Ollt what
to do with my acre o f glorious Herefordshire. You
will be ab le <o follow our progress too by visitng
.v . theenglishgarden .co .uk regularly My new h ome offers \l lews of an ancient p ear
orcharcl , and one tree leans o\ler my boundary. These
We have dedicated this issue to the glory of TREES , pears ha\le offered us fresh fruit every morning and ,
wit h features on HOWICK in Nonhumberland WO \\l, do they taste good. 50 we bring you some
(pg 41) , ecologlcal tree planting ideas (pg 93) and won clerful PEAR RECIPES (pg 72) , which 1 am sure
THE ENG Ll SH
GARDEN AWARDS a celebraton o f some of the U K's most ou <stand ing will be far more successful than the juice 1 tried to
(pg 8 6). A few years ago , I enjoyecl an af<ernoon at make from mine. I think 1 sh ould have added a drop
201 1 Westonb irt , and the Lime Avenue is truly the most of lemon j uice .. . 01' maybe just stck to gardening!
The Nlchee incredible tree planting 1 have ever seen. 1 strongly
Magazine Awards reommend lhal you Lake l me OUl th is mOnLh and I am also sending Otlt a plea - in our upcoming
8 est Niche Lil estyle viSiLthe arboreLum closesl lO you. Few o f u s have Janua r iSsue we'U be SLaning a new selies on charily
Consumer Magazine
lhe room for Lhe more g ianL speunens 111 our and commurlly gardening schemes and are keen LO
2010 gardens, bUl the re i$ no reason why we can'l eroy find OUL abouLmore o f them , 50 if you know o f o ne
Garden Media Guild lhem in lheir wo nde rful ma Lu rily a L these ve ry in your area , please get in LOuch LO tell U$ abouLil
Gardenlng Col umn special places. E oy thiS firerack o[ a month
OIThe Year

~~
Mark Diacono

2009
Garden Media Guild
Gardening Column
OIThe Year
Jackie Bennett Tamsin Nesthorpe EditOl

Garden Media Guild

Je
E
G
New Garden M ed la The English Garden magazine page on Facebook
Talen t 01 The Year to see what we get up to this month
Stephanie Mahon

2008
Garden Medla Gulld On the cover:
New Writer Award Toby Buckland's new nursery ('g54)
Joe Reardon-Smith Phgraph: J ason Ingram
GN
FOR EVERYONE WHO lOVES BEAUTIFUl GARDENS
WWW.T H E ENG Ll SH GARDE N .CO.UK

EDITORL
Tel: +44 (0)1 242 2 11 080 Fax: +44 (0)124 2 21 1081
Email: theenglishgarden@archant.co.uk
W ebsite: www.th een glishga rdon.cok

Editor T3msin Westhorpo

Deputy Editor Clnead M c Ternan
A Edito r Frances Wallace
Productlon Ed ltor/Wrlter Stephanie Mahon
Edtoral Assistant Victoria Kingsbury
G a rdens Edlt or Claire M asset
Desig n e Karen le Gallez , Claire Hicks

lJ K ADVERTl Srt\ G
Tel : +44 (0)1242 211 072
Fax : +44 (0) 1242 255116
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PRODUCTION
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PUBLISHING
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Th. .. e IUK i~suel ISSN '' ted in E.nd

?. "!I Mcmbo r 0 1 t ho Aud l1

a.. B uroau 01 C(cu lns
Contents
NOVEMBER
10 The Rake Our columnist James Alexander-Sinclair picks his
lavourite courses , exhibitions and events lor November
14 Shopping.. . for focal points Key pieces l or great impact
18 National Trust Time to plant and pne at Kingston Lacy
24 Editor's choice: Tape measures Tamsin calculates the
merits 01 these garden design essentials
54 Toby's Nursery As he gets ready to open up lor business,
Toby commissions his logo and sells plants at a local lestival
93 Ecowatch Anne Gatli considers lhe best trees for wildli fe
106 Library leaves This month's new gardening books review ed
114 Guest speaker $ue Biggs on being RHS director general

Glorious gardens
27 Ll1'\:\1BU I{G The love of Piet This Irosty garden is
gradWlth delite seedheads and gracelul grasses
34 S'TLND Going global Thousands of rare perennials and
grasses create an autumn spectacle '" this p1anthunter's plot
41 NORTHL \18RLA Sylvan sanctuary We lebrate
the beguil,ng beauty 01 trees W1 th a \11 M to Howick Hall
47 L \IHRIA Nostalgia Up north At the start 01 rose-pnting
season, we II1 sit one 01 the).mtry's most romantic rose gardens

Design
61 IN (_''ERSATI7 WITH... Tom Stuart-Smith looks
at how to revive mature gardens that have existing elements
63 A GARDEN REBRN The Iceman cometh Winter
arrives early at Bridge Eal, blanketing the garden in a layer 01 snow
69 H I STORI(' FEATt JRES Surprise, surprise After its 18th-
century heyday, is the ha-ha relevant in contemprary gardens?
The edible garden Offers & competitions
71 Mark Diacono Mark vours the last of this ye's harvest and 17 Subscriptions FREE Burgon & Ball Professional Soft Squeeze
looks forward to the year ahead. picking seeds and trees for his plot Shears, worth (25.95, when you subscribe
72 COOK YOUR OWN Pears Expert advice on buying, planting, 23 Christmas gifts For great deals on magazine subscript ions
protecting. training and cooking the most delectable pears 85 Plant offers Add sparkle to your garden w ith a FREE' scented
76 BATS & TREATS Backdoor bounty Restored Victorian winter-flowering shrub - pls great 0ers on other winter shrubs
kitchen gardens provide a country house hotel with delicious prodce

Plants
9 Plant swatch Indoor flowerers to really brighten up the home
79 PLANT FOCUS Berberis This reliable plant deserves more
attention than it gets - particularly its nore dazzling varieties
86 Woods with the goods Our pick of the count's best
arboretums in autumn , with glorios trails and beautiful trees
95 Sow and sew Two arts are combined at this lovely cutting
garden wi th an embroidery workshop business in Scotland
100 Wonders of Wisley Autumn delights at this iconic garden,
and the chance to w in a year's membership of the RH S

6 (1\1(01. .\II~".
UII"'E

...,
charnwood
Exceptional British made wood burning stoes. Permitted for use in smoke contro/ areas.
For a brochllre and stockists teiephone 01983 537780 0 1' visit www.charnwood. com

Hippeast'um
Apple Blossom'
Also known as amaryll. the impressive
blooms o f this bulb (abo are sure to brighten
up the windowsill in winter or ke an elegant
EE SE u Z JO J E t
centrepiece for a table. Its lily-shaped flowers
reach 15cm in dmeter. and are tinged a
dellcate plnk. It has short strap-shaped green
a zzq
leaves, and a stout stem holding several
heads hlgh. Helght 5Ocm: spread 30cm
clTlVATlON
Planted IlV th the neck and shoulders above the
dSZPZ33EZESEZ
surface, this bulb should be kepl in a dark ce
andwatered Iy sringly unU shtsemerge
Once growing , il willlhrive .n full sun and enJOV
liberal walenng and a fortnighlly feed Once
Ilowers have I ,nished , redce w81er, keeping
il dry when dormanl. Propagate Irom seed
Ph.laenopsis
Brother J ohn'
e seductive Ilowers 01 the moth orchid (to.
righll appear in sprays year-round, lastlng lor
abo Ul three months each. Its leaves are thick
and Ileshy, with delitely arching flower Slems
Thanks to its tropical origins , it enjoys the
warmth 01 central heating , nnaking .t a popular
choice, and is one of the easiest orch.ds to
grow. Height 1 5ct1m; spread 20-45cm
CUlVATlON
Enjoyir a sun!Ty spot in w.nter and a shaded
one in the summer, it grows st in dayt.me
temperatures 01 19-30o C and 1& 19"C at nht
Growinor.id mpost. watenng Iy spanngly
in winter, and more Ireely spnng to autmn.
Propagate by pouing up the snnall plantlets
that appear on the flower stem
PLANT SWATCH
FLOWERING H OUSE PLA N TS
A~thu~un
'Mikra'
The unusual pink 01 Ihis Ilamingo Ilower (aboe
righ~ sels il apa Irom the almOSI garish red
blooms o f ils relalives. Wilh ilS highly glsy
and archrteclural arrow-shaped leaves. il looks
labulous nexl to Ihe IrOlhy delicale 10liage 01 an
IndrsIwart. the maidenhair lern. It doesn'l
need a 10101 'r.t rm so go lor a pot Ihat is
a fairly snug ~t He.ght 60cm spread 3Ocm.
CUlTIVATl ON
AtroplCnt that grows tree-trunks in Ihe
W1 ld, It prefers a medium 01 brs Ioam , sand,
af mould and char.lIVthsgnum ITss
arour theown . It enjovs high humidity, bright
oght and a constanl temperature abo 1 6"C. ln
growth. water freely and lertilise every IWO
weeks Propagation IS easiest by division.
THE FNG lI SH GARDEN 9
 News & events
In his regular column , James Alexander- Sinclair rakes up the latest
happenings in th e garde ning world, and shares his favourite places to v isit

This month, autumn has us held firmly between its shiny teeth . So this seems like the peect

U moment to start thinking of suitable garden activities that can be enjoyed with the benefit of
central heating and without rain trickling down the back of the neck. Not exclusively, mind

J
you - 1would not like you losing condition and becoming soft. Besides, a cup of tea earned
after a few hours labouring in the cold is a cup of tea that tastes better than the finest

< champagne. Almost

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Fwh
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2z LE
FUEOMEd
Z E 3"32 2J
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JANE FROST

PMd
WILLOW

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WORKSHOP:

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Living wi l low M
Jz--m

Z XE ZJOUaEg3D
d og3E d
and garclcn
Wothy nes
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UwOZ

SlrucLUrcs .
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rVT Vclncy The Best 5mall Garden Award at the Hampton Court green wall, and we not only gave it a Gold Medal but a
d

rfol k.
Z
dL

Ffower 5how this year was presented to William speClal award for Most Creawe Garden. Ti me was when
FZ3uZ azo-MO
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Ouarmby and the British Heather Growers Associatlon , heathers were a: over the . t lashion is fockle and
12 o\'cmbcr
0

10heir garden 'Heathers in Harmony' (above) 1was they slipped from lPularity. so perhaps it is time lor a
lOam-4pm .
FUX

Judg,ng this categy and 1must admit that when 1 W resurgence In the popular'ty 01 this reliae p1ant? Most
2

Ttckcts COSl L 5 the IItle, my heart sank , becase 1 was expect,ng

zEg

are evergreenarrv Ilower in the oepths 01 winter, and

"

something a bit old lashioned. Th is was based on my youn sleep on them w ,thout caUSlOg much damage.
booking S
3
du

Jo,n The Heather 50ety (, t accepts members Irna

preludicassaton 01 heathers with brown m

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F

l. For
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3JJ-MUd

csscntia
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1970s SWlrIy patternins 1was so wrg.ltwas over the world) and rece've yearb bulletins and
morc go lO a modern garden, with heathers used as a wonderful a 'ree advlce selVlce , www heathersociety org
E

'.\\l\\' l. org.uk

10 THF EN GIISI.I GARDEN

 THE RAKE
NEWS AND EVENTS

FRUITFUL FANCY
Many of you have more than one fruit
tree , and unless you have extraordinary
appetites , 1 am willing to bet that (on
a good year) they produce more apples
and pears than you can comfortably
ea t. You could , of cour store them , but
how about making apple juice instead?
Harrod Horticultural have a range of
good-looking fmit prs (le) that can
convert your windfalls into something
delicious. For more infonnation , call
0845 4025300 or visit the website
\vww.harroclhorticultural.com

Apply ithin
The 1te Christopher Lloyd is renowned not jst for his BUNNY
prolific writings and the extraordinary gardens tha t he
maintained and developed at Grea t Dixter in Sussex. He HOPS TO
is also well known as an inspiration and guide to many WHICHFORD
young people who came to Dixter to help and to learn ,
Bunny Guinnss
and since then have gone on to great things all over the
(she of the six
world. His legacy is being contined under the eye of
Fergus Garrett, the hugely talented head gardener at Chelsea Gold
Dixter. The Christopher Lloyd Scholarship allows a young medals , Gwner'
gardener to spend a year immersed in the gardens. Not Question T me ,
only this. but the Christopher Ll oyd Bursary encourages various book<; and
trainees to expand thei r knowledge through travel nviably lond
As Fergus so wisely says: 'I t is so important to keep upper arms) is
broadening your horticultural horizons.' Applications
giving a talk at
can be made through the website. Just as importa
Ihichford POllery
they are seeking donations to keep these two great
ideas afloa t. www.greatdixte r. co.uk in Warwickshire
on 19 November
Her subjecl is
'Transforming Your

Historic exhibition Garden' , which

see lS lo cover
Many years ago, I did History of Art for A most bases. 1 hav
Levels. One of the things I still remember
heard Bunny talk
was an essay about the two great 17th-
century landscape painters, Nicolas Poussin bdore , and can
and Claude Lorrain. Between now and assure you that she
8 January , I will be tootling over to the certainly knows
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for an her onions , nol
exhibition called ' Claude Lorrain: The to mention her
Enchanted Landscape'. Lorrain influenced herbaceous borders
many of our great landscape gardeners Tickels COSl Ll 0
including William Kent and Capability
ancl need to be
Brown, as they replicated his idealistic
booked in advance.
landscapes at grand houses like Blenheim
Palace, Rousham and Chatsworth. Tel: +44 Tel: +44 (0)1608
(0)1865 278002 or visit www.ashmolean.org 684416. ~

TH E ENG lI SH GAR OEN 11

THE RAKE
NEWS AND EV ENTS

ART ATTACK
I'm llOt qlli le ure what you would call
(hc malr rqlllvalent of a Gran d e D am e ,
But i rT lid lhen lhat Lit le wllld b e
Len~1glhome g lvcn [l)nclrew l.awson , one of our
grealCSt rdrn photographers. His
Want to line tune your garden skills or learn more about such diverse sbJects as
p lClurhavc adorncd lhe glssiesl pag
treehouse buildlng, vegetable grow1ng, water gardening or deslgn? There is now
a way that you can achieve your dream Irom the comlort 01 your ergonomically f lllany magazincs and shclvcs of books.
deslgned desk chlr , My Garden School IS the world's lirst online gardemng school but hr IS alsl) a \'r lalented artist. There
ollenr9 inspirational ssons wlth lippy.top tutors direct to yoor computer. For example, nehibiLon of his painlings and
you can hang onto the golden words 01 deslgn in John Brookes or learn about tulplun::> b)' hi'ife Briony at The
OC'gan1c gardenlng Irom Stenle Donaldson (who on liv InaWelsh mmune Gallcr ll1 Cork reet. London. It;11
and you don't get much earth,er than thaU Each urse lasts four wi<sand g'syoo cckbralc o )'carr creali\'il}' and
v l(l'eo tutorIS the ability to ask qlJ eSl10n s and to chat to your fellow pupils Th e number
wgclhcmcs:>. Thc shoruns from
and varty 01 courses ISJnstantly belng updated tere will be melh.ng to kp
yamused and educated on a Id winter evening. www.my-garden-school m
21 .27 0:l)\' . Tr l. +H (0)207 2878408
\\\\\\'.lIeincorkslreel.COm

O UT&ABOUT
IN NOVEMBER
Wednesday 2, Gloucestershire
Learn how to make classic
seasonal French dishes at Thyme
al SOUlhrop, The day-course costs
(185 , To bo kyur place, Isl: +44
(0)1367850174 ,
Saturday 5, Derbyshire
Join Chalsworth Hose ror a
speclacular lireworks display,
bonlire and live entertalnmen t. For
al Waddesdon Manor with a
special Nine lover's dinner. The
evening begins with a glass 01
'Baron de Rothschild' champagne
and seasonal canap Iollowedby
an introdUClion 10 wine by Peter
Tompkins, Tickels cost (95
Tel: +44 (0)1296 653226
Wednesday 23 . Sunday 27,
Birmingham BBC Good Food
Show Winler al the NEC with 10P
celebrity chels including Rick Stein,
shopping district between Bath Sunday 27 , leicestershire
Abbey and lhe Roman Baths Slart the leslive season with
Huge seleclion 01 stalls selling a Christmas wreath workshop
umque 9 decora tions and 10 withttor Sue Jarvis at Barnsdale
www.bathchristmasmarket co ,uk Gardens, ( 25 , Booking is essential
Tel: +44 (0)1 572
813200 or email
courses@barnsdale
gardens,co , uk
. AII month
1, alon9 with Gold
MedalInOlng

lickets, lel +44 (0)1246 565430 Great British Bake 011 sessions, designers, writers,
www.chatsworth.org Worfd Cheese Awards, speciality phOlographers and
prurs and greal shopping other 9rden l oIk
Wednesday 9 Sunday 13, Ticket prices start Irom (20.50 wil' be attempting to
l ondon TheCntry Livlng and Vl P packages are aible growa mstad

Ch riSlmaS Fair at The Buslness www fshow m Friday 25, Surrey The B aid 01 'Movember' , which raises
Design Centre. For tickets Slt Tree Switch On takes place 8t moneyto mbal prostate and
WWWun~lV.ngfalr m Th ursday 24 November WakehurSI ce at 6 1 tesl oCU lar cancer. Al I support and
Sunday 11 December, Bath Cho.r and cralt actes AdmlSSlon sponrs very welme. Search
Saturday 12, Bucklnghamshlre Th e Bath Chrislmas Markel (rightl, is by donation For mO<e delails, for Th e Bristling Gardeners on
Start your lestIVeIsbralions earty is silualed in the heart 01 the lel +44 (0) 1444 894067 http. lluk movember.m

12 THF EN GIISI-1 GARDEN

 Thc Classic "Tcn" Thc Roscmoor The Wisley

Gabriel Ash sllperior g reenhollses are made in che UK by mascer crafcsmen. Prodllced lIsing
only the fnest \Vestern Red Cedar, we enSllre every detai l fun ctions exactly ic shou ld .
Avlable in a range of sizes and scyles CO sll ic any gardcn and endorsed by che RHS ,

a Gabriel Ash g reenhouse will remain a ching of beauty for years co come

[
lhM
m1i1

sho
ument F arm , F arndon ,



OW
hester H3 6 _ 1[ i~T 0800 0851 652
Greenhouses Patio Glasshouses I Coldframes I Shed Combi I Planthouses I Staging
SHOPPING
FOCAL POINTS

14 THE ENG Ll SH GARDE N

 ~~
LF-

d
Fdd-
duhDUEZ
ga
L
UF

OPPOSE PAGE Roman garden arch , avallable in ree dfferent wdth and heght optlons, as well as e cholce to nstall below or above ground

OZZ d
Md
ggoud-

Prces start from E206. Tel: 0845 4025300. www.harrodhortcul1.m 2 Rusty alphabet sign , E30. Tel: +44 (0)1434 634567. www.r.foundobjects m
-g

3 Be lmont luminar water feature speclally handcrafted in rainbow- loured natural sandne . Available in small (3Ocm diameter), E379; and medium
OFU
-
d PMQdU-

(40cmdiamer) E499. Tel: +44 (0)1732 832299. www .l ngarden.co.uk 4 Star candle holder, E26. Tel: 0844 8580734. www.coxandcox .uk 5 Handmade

sllver wlre robln, E10 each. Tel: +44 (0)1434 634567. www.re-foundobjec com 6 Oak leaf ctir produced ftom wrought Iron and oak. Made to order

@ah

Tel: +44 (0)1270 5222n. w .davldfreedmansculpture.co.uk 7 Rusted Iron hexagonal gazebo from E2,555; roof liner from E870; clematls obelisk from
wd-a
wJ

E255. Tel: +44 (0)1730 816881 . www.roominthegarden.com 8 Citronella candles in terracotta p E8.5Or a pack of 12. Tel: 0844 8580734.
hJ
E
U
a

WWW. xandcox.uk
d

THE ENG lI SH GAROEN 15

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NOVEMBER
NATI ONAL TRUST

FORMAL FANTASY
Kingston Lacy in Dorset is a vast est at e w ith a variety of interesting gardens and landscapes. This
month. Head Gardener Andrew Hunt gets to work on the last autumn t asks before w inter arrives
PHOTOGRAPHS JASON INGRAM

K W may no
tb
eaf
fl
10W

place. but it is beautiful nonetheless

The original 17th-century mansion

was remodelled by Sir Charles Barry in

1835. and looks like a giant dolls' hose.lts

Italiana te terrace gives on to a grea t sweep 01

impeccable lawn. an immaculate gravel walk.

elegant avenues 01 trees and lormal gardens

Adorning the space are superb architectural

ornaments assembled bya previous owner.

William John Bankes. including many stone

urns. bronze lions and tortoises. Venetian

wellheads and , larther on, a soaring Egyptian

obelisk. The parkland is doned with oaks ,

beeches and other majestic trees , and Red

Devon canle are free to graze, creating a
wonderfully pastoral scene . Other highligh ts
include a restored Vi ctorian l ernery. a large
Japanese garden , a secretive Blind Walk . so
called because it is hidden Irom view behi nd
evergreens . and a Sunk Garden with formal
beds. Th e Edwardian Parterre was lald out
in 1899 l or Henrietta, Walter Bankes' new
WI and is still planted every year w ith
FACT FILE
PLACE Kingston Lacy is located 1. 5
m iles west o f W imborne in Dorset
SIZE 8.500 acres of estate. including
3 2 acres 01 lormal gardens, p lus six
acres 01 kitchen garden
SOIL Sand. clay and chalk
ASPECT South lacing and open
SPECIALlSMS Victorian lerne'. restored
Japanese garden. superb architectural
rnaments. grand landscape with ancient
trees, Edrdian paerre and lim e avenue

seasonal bedding plants.

WHAT'S IN SEASON
In autumn , the glorious foliage 01
Berberisx 0'awensis f. purpurea 'Superba'
(far leffJ changes Irom red to orange to
yellow. Prized lor its Li ly 01 the Valley scent
Mahonia x media 'Charity' (centre) Ilers
EE -

Irom November to Mar making a focal

point in the w inter garden. The lerleaved
bee Fagus SVI''8tica var. hererophvlla
3-UEaa ZES

spleniilolia' Uef, has unusual. deeply cut

10liage that turns gold in autumn . ee
can grow to about 15m in heigh t. ..

18 THE ENG Ll SH GA RD EN
NOVEMBER
NATIONAL TRUST

STEPBYSTEP
PLANTING A TREE
Tree plenting is best done in autumn ,
when the soil is still relatively warm
end the moisre levels are high.

1 0iga imes
Ihe size 01 the tree's rOOlball. Fork 0r
Ihe base and sides 01 Ihe hole
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20 T H E ENG lI SH GARD EN
 mD
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Wlt 1 H rcw lmt IN THE GARDEN

THIS MONTH
At the crossroads bet\ a utumn

and winter. Novenber is time for

m any important garden tasks
Cover agapanthus. tree fems
PRUNING ROSES and any other tender plants with
hortlCUltural Ilee (00 0II\II
'
Andrew prunes the roses at Kingston
lacy in autumn. rather than in spring.
This helps avoid wind rk damage and
also encourages the bulbs that are
planted under the roses to come up in
early spring. lways prune a rose stem to
an outward-facing bud using clean. sharp
secateurs: Andrew explains. 'and remove
dead. damaged or diseased wood.
Prune stems to about 2-3ft in heigh t. Th e
remaining stems should lorm a kind 01
goblet shape: The leaves at the base o(
the plant should al50 be removed

TAKING DOGWOOD CUTTINGS

Collect ng. straight stems and cut one. making a clean. straight cut acss the base. just
below a leal . and a slop,ng cut about 2na. Prepare your pot with free-dra ,mng compost
and d ,p the stems .n rting )\III(jer Insert e ttJngs. bv aut haJf 01 their 1ength .nto the
compost and then water in wel:. Allow the cutMgs to see arke Jre you keep the 50, mo

Collect leav to make leaf mould

f()( the lollowng spring and summer.
Plant or move trees. shrubs and
hedg,ng while the nditions are 9d
Avo ,d dOlng 50 1I there is a risk 01 frost
Dig up dahlia tubers once the lirst
frosts have killed their top growth
AJternatIVely. cover the plants in straw
Plant out hyacint h and tulip bulbs
for a sparkling spring display
Mulch trees and borde with
manure or wood chip. Andrew uses
cow manure Irom the estate.

WINTER COVER
These ll\den boKes are
traditial to Kingston lacy and
were used bv tOO Ba nkes lamily
to protect the many garden
omaents in tOO grounds n
boxes are made Irom the wd
on the estate. It takes the
garden staft twoys to put all
the omaments to bed 1wlnter

2 2 nlE ENG lI Stl GAROEN

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Tamsin gets le long and short
of garden tape measures
T hE P M din en now
has arrived. In junc. I moved 1O a property with an acre
that needs 1015 or work. and my de5igner fnend Janine
mn

Paltlson ha5 olTered 10 help me come up Ih a plan. The house

dales back more lhJn 500 years. 50 I am keen 10 creale a very
sensmve garden for Ihe seumg. Janme has been <o survey e slte
and she and I \\'\11 be Ireaung you to regular upda <es onhne
t.V .theengh~hgJrdenuk). Llke all ~d des\gne she carne
spomng 50me very SlZZ}' lJ pe m~ures. 50 her V\S\ I was the spark
lhat mou\'llted me 10 see whal was on Ihe market.
Iler Ia< mcluded J lenglhy lJpe measure and a dlgJlJl measu
She adnuued lhal lhe lape mea5ure was sull her preferred 1
b Ul lhe dlgl lJ l opuon , whlch works Ih a laser. IS wonderCul
on very dull day; and when measunng al dusk. But even \\11th
lhesup-lo-dale meJsurtng 1001>, \l 15 sull a Job ror lWO people.
A11hough mOSl manual measures ha\'e a hllle claw on lhe end.
lhese are nOl adequale enouh lo pull aga insl
Even 11' yO Ll don 't a'>l)I to bcmg lhe nexl gold medal designer.
mOSl gardeners \\1 111 necd a ldpe measure al some p0 1l11. M"ng
[0 1' new rencing , workln OUl h (l rder Wldlhs and planning ror
garden real L1l'eS 3rt: part 0 1' cve ly garden ll1 g yea r. My personal tape
measu is a mClal vcrsion lhal 15 deslgned for builder's use. Thes
are nOl so appropnate ror ga rd cnc rs as lhey rUSl ve ry q uickly
wh en used on damp ground . and 3rc rarcly long enough. They
also s nap at you whcn lhey rccoll into the C3se - ouch! The
standard length of a dCSlgrr's tapc mcasurc is 30mJ1 00ft. which
fo r mOSl 0 1' US IS more than adeql1ate an d it seems that those
vith an open casing are more pra Cl1 cal when it comes to cleaning
them - measure5 11 500n collect mud and loose leaves.
I am rast reahsmg Ihm h.1\1ng a plan of your garden is 50 useful.
Knowing the W1 dth of galcs and door openings is handy when
you're shoppmg for new realures. Once ]anine has created my
plan J( wl l1 be far ea51er ror me to work 0111 coslngs. Geung a
quole ror pavmg and lurf 15 Slratghlrorward when you ha\'e the
correct measumcnts. The quesllon no\V 11 she and I agree
on what Ihe plOl should look hkc1 Tlme IItell.One 1I1g IS ror
sure: It'S a real lreal 10 havc someone to bounce Ideas off.

Wi[/101ll1l /1[(1 .\(< /11(111 RIII .I gw c1 .. v.ww tOikWlI bw)'.co.U/1

1 The R L Tape IS n This model is designed lor Indoor use , but can garden , it is possibly a li ttle bulky fo r some .
metallic and offers feet and metre readings be used oulside il kepl dry. It won'l stand Priced at (17 96
of up to 30m/100f t. The tape IS housed In a temperalure fluclualions or being dropped Very
solid casing with a flat handle on the bacl( The straightfoard tou- just tum on and point the 4
Fh
ts
c
30rnJ
/1 ft
v and is the sma||
est 01
the group. 1
wmding mechanism IS a slmp1e metal clip that laser at the end poinl 01 whal needs measuring
SltS Ilat unl required It does not have a locl( t (tricky to see the laser on a bright day). Ideallor wouldn't descnbe il as pockel sized, bul nearly-
prevent the lape Irom being pulled Oul 1preler small cOU r1yards , but nol SO great lor ground It'S a neat model. It IS a fully endosed tape Wf a
l he wonding mechanlsms that have a bigger measurements. Only welghs 180g. Thls is a snnal n-anut handle. The tape is meta
rOlal,on as they are more comfy and quicker t good aompaniment 10 a tape measure and 11 ,
so 1 you bend it will kink. 11 does nol have a
use. This neal lape measure would Slt well in a was great lun to use. Batter;es are required claw at the end and Ihere is no lock. My nm
bag 01 bllS and bobs and not gel all tangled up. Comes with ase. Priced at (84.99. aboutchSlng an enclosed lape is being able t

The end hookn be pushed into the ground to keep Ihe tape clean. Prioed al (24.27.
hold It on place . As wilh all the ol hers, it is easily 3 The Open F Tape longest 01
pulled oul Pnced at (9.72 t he bunch at 50m/1 65tt. It has very clear 5 The s
numbers. an open case and a large rewind 30m!100ft. It i
s a bright yelowtape WIth a
2 he BoseHM25 Rans hand le. There is a diagonal 1lplale which very god lock. 11 has a large handle and a
laser lechnology 1 measure areas up 10 25m allows you to sit the measure n the ground for genero
us wind~n handle. which makes it easy 10
(distance, area and volumel. You may have seen accracy. The w idth 01 the tape is the standard rewind lhe tape al speed. and lor this reason it is
them used by estate agents 10 measure rooms 13mm. It does the trick, bUI il you have a smaller my EDITOR'5 CHOICE. The markings on the tape
seem a little lainter than the ot hers , but it is
suHicient. At the end 01 the tape, there is a little
hook that will hold it in place to some degree. It
has an open case that will withstand heavy use. It

uv huOuw pLV eanwnHau du nAU WnuvHuvnAU U nv wknevn waut

H

00
MO

v ,

which lor me is essential. Priced at (19.10

mZhUUM
-
Ozoau0

STOCKISTS
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UU
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Tel: 0800 7832202.

THE FNG lI SH GARDEN 25

 ALITAGS Gifts & Gardens
PLANT LABELS
WWC 110g: C m
Annuollobellng is 0 Ihing 01
Ihe post with Alilogs. Simply
write on Altogs oluminium
Iobels wilh AlitOgs or HB
pencil. The pencil will reocl
with OUf speciolly mode
olumlnum tOgs ond become
permonenl. AlilOgs lobels con
0150 be punched wilh AilOgs
chorocter punches &
Jig. Copper, Teok, Bomboo
Iobelsore 0oovoiloble

Alitags , 32 Bourne Lane, Much Hadhom, Topiory . Elepha. Co l. Dog. Plg. etc
Herttordshire SG 10 6ER , UK. Tel 0 1279 842685
Bamboo Cloches Candle Lantems
C t , Dog, Pig, Owl, Mouse, Li 2ard, etc

Mde 01 bomboo woven inlo on open

dome nd voiloble in 5 sizes plus 0
lunnel cloche. nese ottroclive cloches
prolecl plonls & seeding Irom domoge
by o nimots, f.Ibofls. lighl frosl ond
wind-c hill. Aeecenewspoper con be
used 10 cover Ihe plonls inside Ihe
cloches during periods 01 heo"Y frosl
-he micro c l'mole inside Ihe cloches
promotes growth ond ollows roin
Ihrough 10 Ihe plonls.

Teo k Honging Boske Wooden Doof; lops - Cof, Qwf, e fc

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GLORIOUS GARDENS
LUXEMBOURG
PREVIOUS PAGE Neatly mown lawns and
clipped edges frame the 'free-form' plantng of
perennlals and grasses at Altlorenscheuerff
THIS PAGE, TOP LEFT Shape and form are vital
and key plan include the blue.white stems of
Perovskia 'Blue Spre'. ABOVE LEFThe skeletal
heads of Tha/ictrum rochebrun;anum.
28 TH E ENG Ll SH GARDEN
F
w f pe (O me
person al hero face (0 face , let
alone spend time working with
or beds - only a lake that had been du g. But
the garden \Vas set on a south- facing slo pe
in the most beautiful rolling countryside .'
them. Pau l and Paulme McBride The garden th ey created over th e next 12
no t only mel Piel Oud olf, b ut years is a combina Li on ()f garden rooms wiL h
also crealed a magical garden in Luxembourg crisp hed ging a nd neally edged and mown
with hiS assiSla nc We h ad seen P ie l's la \V ns . BUl \Villin thal fra mework is wha t
bo rders al W isley an d had b een follo \V ing Pau line d esc ribes as free- form planling'
him for some lime: says Pauline , 'sO il was a loose groups o f peren nials and grasses , very
dream ome l rue LO wo rk Wilh h im.' much ins pired by Oudol f. 'We we re given a
See n aS one free h and a nd
()f lhe wo rld s a n u n limiled
g reatest li vi ng
We'd seen Piet's borders at Wisley , so
J ' ~~ bud eet \V h e n
ga rdeners , Piel it was a dream to work with him' ,. _'_~~ : . _ . 1
Il came LO tLl e
Oudo lf is a t design ing and
th e forefro n t o f th e New Pere n n ia ls pl an ting of this ga rden ,' says Pauli ne. 'It's
Move me n t , which has s ha ped the look of won derfu l to have the s trai ght li n e of an
ma ny contempo raly garde ns over th e past avenue 0 1' a hedge to d raw you into the
decade o r so. His na tu ral is ti c pl anti ng garden . Then you set something Id inside
s ty le has inspi red a who le ge ne ratio n of that frame and it becomes exciti ng .'
gardeners. For Pau I and Pauline , there was no Paul and Pauline busied themselves for three
do ub t th a t his s tyle \V ou ld p rovide the years plan tng a cutting garden and an organic
ins pi ration fo r the three-ac re ga rde n they vegetab le potager. Plantings around the la ke
M creating wh tich s
ur
ro
und d a
alouse and in the 'four asons' garden featllred looser
in he Lux embourg countr
y
s id
e group ings o f perennials , shrubs and trees (0
sa
rte
d there w: nothing here - no borde rs reilect the changing asons
 GLORIOUS GARDENS
LUXEMBOURG

Then, in 2001 , the owners rad an an icle as their fiowers , and once sad , memorably:
abom Piet Oudolf and suggested that perhaps Brovn s also a colour.' For him , gardening
they should ask him (0 desgn a large border is abom approaching p lams h olistically
arou nd the h Ol\se. [[ was amazng [ 0 work ' [f you have beaufu l plams , !t doesn't mean
WiLh him. and h e was so ins piralional: says LhaLyour ga rd en is beau Lifu l. Some Lhing is
Pauline Il was as though h e had opened u p mplele when everylh ing \Vo rks tO gether:
thiS b ig ne \V sweeLsh op LO us - imroducing us he has previously SLa[ed.
LO planLS we had no idea abouL and had never While lhe plaming gives plemy oflour and
come aCross lt was a h uge learning curve
, imereSLduring the summer momhs , in winter
Th e result was a huge bo rde r th at looks il comes in LO i[S own Il re minds Pau line of
,

like a b ig a rm Lhe look o f an

embrac ing Lh e old sep photo
house, and this Some 20,OOO plaIts went int o the border, m thbands of
iS lhe piece Lhal many grown in Oudolfs o\<vn nursery mUL ed h u es ,
ties the who le textu res a n d
garden togethe r. Some 20,000 plants went into seedh eads tha t catch the fros ts a n d the
the border, many of them gro \Vn in O l\ dolfs lo\v nter sunlight to great effect. We were
own nu rsel. and many nO\V rm favo Ulites very consci ous that we had to consid er the
of Pau l and Pau li ne's , 'Piet says that plants whole panorama. sening up juxtapositions of CENTRE Easily vewed from the hse the
h ave to d ie in an inte res tin g way: says p lan ts that loo ked great togethe r. but that planting marks the changing seasons
Pau line , 'Flowers a re so l1 eeting that many also framed the setting: says Pau line , These Architectural stems and flowerheads make
ga rdens give up the ghost in Augus t and 'dream partnerships'. as Paul and Pauline11 strkng shapes n the frosts , TOP RIGHT The
Septe mbe r , wh e reas this gard e n goes o n th em . have info rmed the ir O\V n ga rde n in low sunlght iII uminates the golden stems of
<hro l\ ghollt a l\ tumn and nter.' West Sl\ssex , ' [t is something we've tried to Echlnacea purpurea 'Rubinglow'. ABOVE
Finding beallty in decaying plallts , Piet l\ se in our o \Vn garden. although we d Ol RIGHT Spres of Astilbe chlnensis var. taquetii
believes that their skeleto llS' are as imponam have the hillside setting to work with: she ... 'Purpurlanze' take on russet shades

THE ENG lI SH GAROEN 29

 GLORIOUS GARDENS
LUXEMBOURG

exp lains. Although flauer and th milder
wim ers th an Luxembourg , t has a similar
heavy clay soil, and man y of the key plams
remain the same . As well as the n umerous
grasses o ne would eXpeCl. Lhe key !1owering
planlS incll1de echinaceas s l1ch as Rl1b inglow
and Gree n Edge' , as well as aSLi lbe and
phlomiS for faruaslic wi l1ler SLrUlure
l nsp ired by Piel O l1 dolf's app roach LO
gardening , l he und erpinn ing ethos iS how
these plams wo rk WiLh each anOlhe r , l1 sing
big, bold groups LO really geLlhe impaCI of a
contrast and work against one another , and
the wh ole plaming h as to look loose an d
unst rt\ ctured .'
But wh ile the planting may be free and
ope n , the con fines o f t he bo rde r m l1 SL be
sharply defined for the look lO work. Pauline
adds. Edges m l1Sl be111 neatly and the lawns
mown regularly lO prov ide lh e neessa ry
COnlras l. Co me a Ul l1 mn , lhe app roach iS
hands off. however, with all Lhe seedheads
and Slems le fl intaCl for Lhe wi11ler sh ow.
Resist lh e urge tO CUI th ings back - keep

particu lar vllli ety. thin gs loose a nd u nstructu red : advises

The Lall sp ikes o f Persicw1a amplexiCllUliS
'Sptember Spires' might be pa rtnered vi th
the similar coloured but daisy-like Echillacc
Rubinglow' ilnd a grass such as Deschampsi
espitosa also known as tu fted hai r grass.
Pa111ine. 'll's greal for wildlif . and it iS good
p rotection for the p lan ts too. And i t' s so
bea utiful when you ge t those won derfu l OPPOSE PAGE, TOP Lush and luxuriant
frosted sedheads.' even when rmed with frt Veron;castrum
'rgnicum 'Fascination' and Misnthus sinenss

Another favourite is pin k-flowered Stachys
ojjicillalis 'Humme lo' , which is planted with
the fragrant and bronze-Ieaved Ac simplex
'J ames Com pton' an d t he ay grass Molinia
cent1ea subsp. anminaa Transparent'.
'We look for comb inations o f plams thilt
reverberate against one another: says Pauline.
Texture is so importam - textures have to
A/t1orenscheuerhof garden il1 L.u.xembo<< ! new
WJ1ers al1 d JS 110 1l1j{er opeJ1 10 j{arden vJSJ10rs.
Pau/ a l1 d PauIJlle I;lcBI Sussex Prairies is
al Morla l1ds Farm, Whealsheaf Road, Hellfie/d,
Wes15ussex BN5 9AT. Tel +44 (0) 1273495902.
WlVw.sussexpralnes..ult
Turn over for garden notebook ...
are invaluable for adding ructure to e winter
landscape. BOTTOM Phlomis ruellana
Nothofagus antarctica, Panicum virgBmand
echinacea. THIS PAGE, TOP LEFT A firm
favourite is Echinops exaltas. TOPRIGHT
Echinacea purpureB 'Rubinglow' and Nothogus
antarctica. ABOVE RIGHT GrBsses such as
Pennisetum alopecuroidesfeature often.

THE ENG lI SH GAROEN 31

GLORIOUS GARDENS
LUXEMBOURG

The notebook
A lt loren sch e u e rhof in L u xembourg covers three acr es on a south- facing slope . The heavy clay soil is fertile b u t
the main c ha ll e n ges lie in the b itterly c o ld winter tem peratures and the high. exp osed p o s it ion

SEEDHEADS
Pauline suggests leaving
seedheads on many plants
into autumn and w inter
to see how they evolve.
Many seedheads add
fantastic structure and
texture to the garden , as
well as providing a
wonderfullarder for
visiting birds. The best
include inula, sedu
Echinac purpurea 'G
Edge' (belo and alliums.
GRACEFUL GRASSES
About a third of the garden is made up 01 diverse grasses,
such as Sesleria aurumnalis {abo They are vital to the
overalllook and longevity of the design. Their structure and
robustness is what gives the garden its cohesion during
the autmn and winter months. The sound they make as
the wind moves through them adds atmosphere.
PAUL AND PAU Ll NE'S TIPS
Don't be tempted to cut things back as
they lade. It is labour saving and great lor
wildlife to leave them , but the seedheads
also add to the look 01 the garden in winter
Make the most of 'veiled lr':use
bold colours but soften them by planting
behind grasses, SO you can look through
and glimpse the songer colours.
Taller plants sometim work well
at the front 01a border, giving the eye
something to surprise and interest
Be bold. Try different plants and if
they don't wOrk, then dig them up and
move them somewhere else.
Use big plants even in a smaller garden
as they add 'oomph' to the planting.

DRIFT PLANTING
Plants grow in communities in the w ild rather than in ones
and twos , and Paul and Pauline have adopted this style in
their planting. They use large drifts 01 individual varieties t

create a more natural and dramatic 1k (abovel, which they

believe also shows olf the best characteristics 01 the plants

CONTACTS
PIET OUDOLF'S WORK IN THE UK
The Barn at Bury Court, Bentley,
Farnham , Surrey GU 10 5LZ
Tel: +44 (0) 7771 663437
www.burvCOU l1barn.com
The Piet Oudolf Border at RHS
flsley Woking , Surrey GU23 60B
Tel: 0845 2609000
www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/w isley
Sca mpston Hall, Malton, Noh Yorkshire
Y017 8NG. Tel : +44 {0)1944 759111 .
www.scampston.co.uk
CATCH ING THE II NTER Ll GHT Trent ham Gardens, 5tone Road,
As the light changes in winter, the colour seeps away and becomes more subtle and muted. Trentham, 5toke-on-Tren t. 5taHordshire
Aording to Pauline, capturing this delicate light requires one to think 01 the garden as a 5T4 8AX. Tel: +44 (0)1782 646646.
w hole panorama , with bands 01 shape and texture ming Irom large sweeping groups of www. tren tham . uk
plants {abo'el rather than from smaller combinations.

32 TH E ENGLl SH GARDE N
34 THF ENG Ll SH GAROE N
GLORIOUS GARDENS
SCOTLANO

THE FNG Ll SH GARDEN 35

 s
GLORIOUS GARDENS
SCOTLAND

hbbhl fY gardener and lh

chances a you 1 fmd a few I11 lnguing bookletselr
covers bearing a l Jn ocu l Image of an enCh anting walled
ga rd e n fill e d Wilh g ianl pe re n l la l s p rod u c li ve
g reenh o uses , an orch ard ancl polted pla nlS in nea tly
orde l'cd I'ows. Th ese a Lhe a n n ual alalogucs of Cally Gardens , and
the ga rdcn e r house tuc ked away in the co rner o f the prin1 t
1 5 home
to M i
c h:1
cl W lc
k en

d en the plan t h Unlc r and nurserym an w ho
almOSl 25 yea rs ago rescued this s l1 pe rb example oC an 18th -century
walled garden from dereliction .
Thls was previously the kitchen garden of nearby Ca lly House in
soulhwcst scland and sits amid dense woodland on what was on
a ralsed beach on the edge of the R1Ver Flecl. By November. most of
l he l rces have shed their 1ves and the lalc al1 tumn sunshine picks
OUI thc barc stems and decorative seedheads al mam once the lush
growlh of Sl1 mmer has faded a \Vay
The garden is contained whin 5m-h igh walls o f warm red b rick
that wcre handmade on site between 1765 and 1770 , and although
the h Ol walls that once bisected have gonc (they were l1sed to bring
peaches and nectarines to npen ess). the rest 0 1' the garden remains
mtact , inclllding the potting sheds. thc mushroom hOllsand the v1ne
hO l1se , \\1th IIS elegant system of wClghted vents.
At thls tlme of year. late perenmals are sull nowering in deep
borders. blmmg amid vi\'1d alllumn Cohage. Despne the presence
of lhe Solway Flrth jllst a few nllles soulh. and lhe prOlcction afforded
by lhe hlgh walls , fros<5 are not lIncommon here , crystalhsmg splders
webs and lllm mg bemes [0 sparkhngJewels. '] h ad been looking for
a walled ga l'den for almos< a decade when ] came lIpon [hls one: says
Mlchael. ' ]t came on the market j l1 st 48 hOl1 rs before 1 had [Q leave on
a planl-h unting exped ition 10 the An des , 50 ] d ashed over from
Northern lrelan d , where [ was Ii ving , 3nc! asked lhe owners not to sell
the house tO anyone else

PREVIOS PAGE fie Comus alb. 'Sibirica' lights up e bordr. THIS

PAG TOP LEFT Anthus seedheads em.rge between POtilla frut
'Vo lmorini.n.' and Misnthus sinensi 'Gr.elllmus' LEFT The 20-year-old
beech hedg Ip create shelter. BELOW Frost du 5ts the border that runs
between th8 Vctorian vinery and th8 19605 Duth lght houses. OPPOSITE
PAGE Gr8 5$88, sedums and 8 yua rlve Inhe griY 80l 01 a raised bed

36 THF ENGUSH GAROEN

 For more than two decades, lVlichael has scoured the globe searclng out plants, from Russia New
Guinea and from Uganda to South America. 1ese tlips were not without their dangers
The owners wel as good as Lheir word , and when MicMeJ returned ,
b ringing with h im eighl tOns of plams from h iS previous home in
IreJand , he sel abou l cJea ring the brambJes , res tQ ring lhe gJass-
houses a nd pUlting a roof on lhe ho use, which had been Slripped o f
ilS sJate. From the o Ulsel, MichaeJ's imemion was lO grow exCeptionaJ
perenniaJs and in particuJar tho with s tatuesque propo nion s
'1 started out with Graham Stuart 1ho111as's book Perennial Garden
Plants , and 1 g rew evelyt hing recommended in it that d idn't appeal
in the Blo0111S of Bressingha111 catalo
Ad rian Blo0111 , owner of Blooms 0 1' Bressingham Ga rden Centre ,
was amused by this ta le when he visited Cally Gardens earlie r this
year to see for hi111self the incredible range of rare and unusual plants
that flou ri s h h ere. Many of th ese plan ts are g row n fr0111 seed
coll ected on Mic hael 's exped itio ns to some of the world 's most
remote and inh osp itable loca <IO I1S
for more than two decades , he has scoured the globe sarching Ollt
pJants , from Rllssia to New Gllinea and from Uganda to Som h
America. These trips are not thom their dangers. Last year , he got
Jost for a wek on the b order b etween Chin a and Burma , when
difficulties Slruck h is Ch inese guides One gu ide feJJ and d isJocaled
h iS shouJder and couJdn l climb OUl of a Sleep vaJJey , SO we had lO
find a new rOUle lhrough very rough te rrai n
On o ne expedition tO Uganda , MichaeJ was held al gunpoil1l , and
on every lrip he isnscious tMt jeopardy is nver far away Allimes ,
we mighl be 10 days !aJk from the neareSI medicaJ pOSl, and in lhal
time , a Sim ple cut cOllld Mve tu rned to septicaemia.' Yet , despite the
d angers , Michae l's appetite fo r tracki ng d own new plants remains
llndimmed , and the garden is filled \\<th his discoveries. Hundreds of
new rhododendron seedlings grow under shade , the p roducts of his
most recent trip to China; and a brilliant red Vitis amurensis clothes
part of the walls , a treasure Michael found growing in Russia.
Plants here a re encou raged to self seed , setti ng up colonies 01
popping up unexpected ly in the gravel paths a nd a re o nly rei ned
in when they threaten to get om of comro l. Al l of them are stlldied
cJ osely for signs of new and llnllsllal colours , or forms tha < haven't
been seen before. Anothe r reason why MichaeJ concentrates on
growing new plams is that many established varieties are Sll ect to
Plant Breede Rights. This system, which was Jallnched in 1997 , w '
THE ENGlI SH GAROEN 37
LEFT, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM Th. sal.s area of the nurry and the
furtional glasshou$ with th. garden'$ house in the distan'; Oianells

tasmaniCJJ, or Tasmenlan Flax U Iy, has striking purp-blue beres with a

slightly meta lOc tint; th. bl.ached and f.athery stipa foHage catches the
sunlight with agapanthus Iruit in tt.eg.nd and the .ed stems of
>rnus 1I lbll'Siblrlca' behind. this hardy , fast -g towing dogwdis

particula.ly .asy to 9'ow 8nd Ioo ks be$t n 11 sun

designed 10 reward plam breeders for Iheir 51..;11 and e tTons byallowing
Ihem 10 c1aim royallies for every plam sold.
I1 a ll sounds very reasonable. eve n commendable , bUI Micha eI
bel ieves Ihal Ihc syslem has bee n ope n 10 huge a bus es , a n d
has caused dHtculllcs and confusion bOlh for Ihe buyi ng public and
the growers , 'Unfortun ale ly , there is abso lute ly no requiremenl to
prove Ihat any actual b rceclmg work has taken place ,' he says. and
the pubhc are paying royalt ies for breedmg that , in many cases ,
has never actua lly hap pened.'
For many garclencrs. lhc arrval of the new Cally Ga rclens catalogue
every Novembcr is a long-amiclpaled event. and Ihey spend many
happy hours pounng over new addltions and composing their orders
Olhe r cuslO mcrs prefcr lO viSll m person, amvmg along a track where
signs wam dnvers LO walc h OUl for red squirrels , One visitor wh o
amved earlier lhlS ycar had driven all the way from Holland m order
10 add all of Mlchacrs las lO hls collectlon
Such a dlSlance IS nOlh ll1 g. however. compared lengths !ha t
Mlchael hlmself IS prcpad lO go to 111 order to collect the plan
111 Ihe flTSt place , and al lhe moment he has hl5 slghlS set on the
mOU l1lalns of sOUl hem Elhlopla. '1 have been lhe before but pans
of lhe reglon are Sllll lI nexplored by bota l1l slS , 50 there may be
mllch 51111 10 be found: he explams.
Cally Gardens cUSlomers. whose plots are probably already
overnowmg Wllh rare specl had beller slart makmg 5pace for
ye < more excepllonal plants ,

Cal C
dr Ca
tr
h
(I'I'II!
F 11Pt
DG72Dj. /'('11 , , ,
!' ("'1 Ea u' S II (1 y cil Clae laSI S lI nday in
Sq1Crn" In!oI l w: +.I'f (0) 1557 815029. .Clly!!urdens.co. 1I11
 GLORIOUS GARDENS
SCOTLAND

The notebook
Cally Gardens is almost t hree acres in s ize. It faces sou t h/sou t hwest , s loping gentl from t he s t ock beds d own
to an o rc ha rd . The soil is f ree d raining and has been e nric h ed b m ore than 200 yea r s o f c ult ivatio n

GO BANANAS
Michael grew this banana (Ensere venrricosm) COVE R IT
from seed that he collected during a plant-hunting In natural environments,
expedition to Uganda. It is brought into the frost- every inch is colonised by
free vinery during the winter months (below). This plants, so it Iakes sense
statement plant can groN t0 2n in height to do the sarre in the
garden. Try Acaena
microphylla 'Kupferteppich'
(rig htl with bronze leaves
and burr-like flowerheads
that persist for mont s.

BE D IFFERE N T
One 01 the simplest
ways to make a garden
interesting is to seek out
more unusual forms 01
co o n plants. Perennial AUTUMN COLOUR
honesty (abo'e) has I f yu are planting for autumn cl don't ju rely on

beautiful ovate leaves and leaf shades, but use late flowers , berries, seedheads
scented lilac flow ers, but and coloured stems , such as the brilliant crimson 01
most gardeners grow the CornU$ alba 'Sibirica' (bo'e). AII of these can help to
annual form of the plant add uplifting hues to the garden late in the season ,

TIPS FROM MICHAEL

We have l05t a lot of plants in recent harsh
winters, so 1 ways take cuttings of evergreen
shrubs and of the more tender perennials to
ensure that we always have them in the garden.
. Wheny thetops 0 perennials in late
M

OM ANT'Tt
VG

VS

CUO autnn pile them over nore tender species

V QUTI and around the roots of plants such as fuchsias

H Ann A
M

TE
Brought on Garden, 12 High Street,
Kirkcudbright DG6 4JX. www.nts.org.uk
Botanic Garden, POI'l Logan, Stranraer
DG99ND Tel : +44 {0)1 776 860231
www.rbge.org.uk/logan
C8 stle Kennedy and Gardens, Stair
Estates, Rephad, Stranraer DG9 8BX
Tel: +44 {0)1776 702024.
www.castlekennedygardens.co.uk
Threave Garden, Castle Douglas DG7 1RX.
Tel: 0844 4932245. www.nts.org.uk
to help protect the from the frost
. Don'tet down everything though. In
fact, if you cut the tops from delphiniums,
ou expose hollow stems that w ill fill up w ith
water. Dead stems and seedheads not only
provide protection for the roots, but they can
also look very decorative and be a valuable
source of food for birds
If a plant is in the wrong place, then make
sure you move it before it gets too large. And
don' t be scared to be ruthless. If a shrub or
Hee isn' t dOlng its job, then just ditch it ,

THE ENGlISH GAROEN 39

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Iver Stud, Iver, Buckinghamshire SLO 9LA
Tel: 01753 652022 Fax: 01753 653007
Email: sales@pracbrown.co.uk www.pracbrown.co.uk
PREV10US PAGE An
entlcng path winds
through azaleas and
towerlng rhododendrons
In SIIvwood THIS PAG
LEFT. TOP TO BOTIOM
Rodgc l'$las have textured
purple foliage In sprlng
Acer mllxlmowicziil a
snakebark maple with
pretty leaves; with its
heart.shapcd leaves and
regular spacing. this
Cercidhy/lum jllponlcum
from Slchuan is particular1v
dellghtful; red.tinged
leaves are unfurling on
the tips 01 Acer caeslum.

E November a L Nonh umberland fronl faade of lhe Hall. Meadows envelop Lhree sides
HOWlck Hall , som600 new Lrees and of lhe hou ,>e , sp n nkled WiLh snake's head frilill aries
shrubs are planLd. IL S a prime lime of and decora Led wllh purple and red Luli ps in sp ring ,
lhe yea r for selLi ng lhem OUl, bUl whaL hke a medieval La peslly.
makes Lh ese so s pecial is Lhal lhey have The garcle n h as a dream)' Lmeless qualily , the
all been grown fro m collected wild seed. As a resu lL, s pell enha nced by lh e rea L e mpLy h ou se lhaL was
lhi s developing a rboret u m is o ne o f \Vo r l dvide gll lled by a fi rc in 1926. Th fa mi ly live in t he
i mponanc a safe haven fo r conserving pla nts that wesl wing , while what was once the ballro0111 is now
may be th reatened in their n atura l hab it ats. lt is lhe Ear l Grcy Tca House. From lhis elegan t room ,
lhe calion of mod em- you can loo k through
day p lant hunter Lo rd large vindows Ollt onto
'he arbo 1'et lUl1 b a sarp hun' l1 1'0 1'
Charles Howick , who the ga rde n , where a
C'onS('1 ng thrcat t>l\('d plani spading Adantic cedar
has been on 22 plant
expedilions since 1985 , stands tall above a yew
oflen [0 remOlC regions of the world. Head gardener hedge. l! was LO SlIll the warat Howick at a Chinese
Roben Jamieson has taken part in sf these. Mandann (a bureallcral of Imperial China) blended
h was Charles' grndparents the 5th Earl Grey and eeponnotea \VJlh bergamot for e 2nd Earl Grey ,
hls wlfe , who created an informal garden (o contrast who was pnme mmlSter m the 1830s
wllh lhe grand Georgran hOl. Lnuenced by Wilham The Tea House fllS m perfeclly vh the elhos al
Robmson's namral planting yle their love of relaxed HO\ck 'lC c1 ear message we gel from VSt ors al
planllng was carried on by L.a dy Mary , Charles's everyone appreclalcs lhe lack of commercialism,' says
mother, and now by Charles himseU. Flowmg perenmal Charles. For lhls IS a lrue planman5 garden , fllll of
borders , Ii nes of lavcnder and agapanthus and self- rare plams, yCl SO anlessly laid Olll lhal it belies lhe
seeding alpines soften the teaces that drop below lhe sClenufic imponancc of lhe ld collecled perennials
 GLORIOUS GARDENS
NORTHUMBERLAND

and trees. The arboretu lTI cove rs 65 ares and comai11$ TOP LEFT The simplicV of
13 ,000 specime ns of 1,800 lax3 , in na lural-looking the massed planting of
woodlands lh al represem differnl geogra phial areas. Narcissus 'Seagu ll' lends a
When Roy LanC3Ster pla 11led a Chinese wingnut lree serenity to Howick Hall.
al lhe official opening in 2006. heompared Howick TOP RIGHT Camellias and
lO C. S. Le ficLional land of Namia. Going through rhododendrons thrive
the stone gateposts a t the e ntra nce is li ke fi n ding in the sheltedcalm
yourself in a mca l world: he said. of Silverwood. RIGHT
The key to successfu l establishment is the su mmer The woodland floor of
heat , and shelter proded by the valley of the Ho\V; ck Silod is humus.rich
Bu rn . 'e lost remarkably little last \\.nter' comments and perfect for prlmroses
Charles , 'though so me big o ld things were brough t and erythroniums
dow n b y the m ost sn o \v we ve had since 194 7 ..
Th is has brought n ew opportunities to Sil verwood ,
a d elightfu l area full of scented g lades among
rhodoc\endrons and magnolias , staned by Lorc\ Grey
in 1930 tO celebrate his silver wedding
The new trees and shrubs <hat are plamed OlH
in a lH u mn have been gro \Vn in a nursery in the old
walled garden. Seed origina <es from one o f the many
expec\ itons that Charl5 and Roben have taken pan in ,
in conjunction wth <he botanic gardens of Kew ,
Edinburgh and Quarryhill in California. The specimens
are grown in air pots (pots w1th perforated sidewalls) , ....

THE ENGlI SH GAROEN 43

LEFT , TOP TO BOTTOM
Dte emerging leaves
on the Chlnese wingnut ,
PreroCllrya stenoptera,
plantd by Roy Lanca er
to celebrate the opening of
the arboretum; Euptela
plelosperma from seed
1 cted In Sichuan, Chna;

seed r thls Illclum

slmonsi was lIected

900t up on a Chnc
"untan; 11"" fargesi.
RIGHA cherry blossoms
above 8 flowery mead of
tulips sprinkld through
meadow grasses.

whlch we re origi n ally deloped in AUSlralta for
lhe eucalyplus. whlch are vul nerablLO roolballmg
Whe l1 lhe leaves fall o ff lhe nu rSry SLOck , II is
lhe Slgnal 10 betn planling
AUlumn pla l1 ling $UilS lhe Howick s ile beSL As
Cha rles expla ins: 'My g randfalher always said lhal if
yo u p lant a tree befo re Christmas. yo u expect it to
Sll rvive; btlt if you plant in spring. you hope it wi ll
survi ve Locatio ns for n ew trees are chosen early
so that the sites can be sprayed with glyp hosate il1
AllgllS t. Horse manure is worked into the bottom of
a squa re ho le. and leaf mou ld is mixed w ith the
backfi l1. '1 don 't like overfeeding: says Cha rles. as 1
want to avoid soft growth. In Northumberland. slow
and gradual is better than f:.
Newtes are thickly mulched th bracken that 15
Cll t from moorland in July d left <o heat up m large
heaps. This gives some proteclion agams< frost and
SIOpS weeds from in\'ading errs and snmnng thelr
growth 'It's also a more naturallook lhan bark: says
Charles , 'bU! il has no feed value.' He has had the
bracken mulch analysed and it does no < alter the pH
f lhe s Ol l, whlch is mostly lime free II is OexIble for
gronga .vide range of genera
'The expedilions have , fo r Ihe mOSI part. been
enormous fun : says Ch arles. 'La ndshdes could be a
aner bUL oLherwlse we usual1 y fell preuy $afe. In
Ch m3. we were always accompa ni ed by a n armed
po1iceman.' Days tn Ihe fiel wOllld be spenLLrekking
tn mounLa ll1 arcas. coll ec Li ng seed . pho tO graph ing.
maklng rcco rds and prcssing herba rium specimens.
Trips 10 China , India Am r i ca. Europe a n d the
SOllth crn hcmisphcre arc all renected in the themed
woodlands back at Hock Hal l.
Therc IS a Slrong emphasis on Asiatic trees , as these
do parllclllarly wcll here. The vingnut planted by Roy
Lancaster is a Ptrrocwy tenoptera collected by Roben
on the banks of the Tumcn River in China. Some of the
wmgnuts are startlng 10 nower well , their branches
covered m pendulous tresses of pale , nged fruits.
They stand m the ldnower meadows arollnd the
Hall , wherc m spnng Ihe slopes are crowded th
snowdrops and daffodlls. It's a perfect example of the
blendmg of lhc natural and Ihe sclenfic that is at Ihe
hean of Ihls beaunful place
11
 GLORIOUS GARDENS
NORTHUMBERLAND

The notebook
Howick Hal l' s in forma l gardens and 65-acre arboretum occUPY a wooded dene t ha t runs eastwards down to t h e
Nor t humb rian coast. A very w ide range o f trees can be grown in t he n eu t ra l. medium loam soil

CRACK NG KATSURA STRANGE BEHAV OUR SWEET SCENT S BIRCH BEAUTY

Katsura trees. cercidiphyllums,
(above), have long been
favurites at Howick. having
ften been chosen by l ord
Howick's grandfather. 'A love
f cercidiphyllums runs in the
family: he says. 'Easy to grow,
they have beautiful, heart-
shaped leaves that turn
golden in autumn and give
ff a wonderful scent of
strawberry or burnt sugar:
When w ild collected trees are
grown in England , they often
exhibit different characteristics.
This rare ao Acer caesium.
(above) has much whiter bark
in India. Th. Lord Howick
suspects, is because the light
is so m uch stronger there. Not
often grown in this country, it
is doing well at Howick, and its
pale. lightly furrowed bark adds
another texture to the garden
Azaleas are well known for
their soen t. but rhododendrons
can also be fragran t. W ith pink-
blushed white blooms, the
Ahododendron 'Princess Alice'
(abo'e) is a cross between
A. edgeworthii and A.
fragrantissimum. Being a
hybrid, this plant is rather
hardier than its parents. With
a compact habit and slow
grrth's ideal in a container
Catkins bring delight at one f
the bleakest times of the year.
These lovely pendulous
blossoms grow on 8etula
calcicola (above). 'This is a rare
and difficult little birch to grow:
says Lord How ick, 'which Roy
Lancaster collected in the
mountainous Yunnan province
f China. Its young leaves
are almost silver before they
slowly turn grey-green

LORD CHARLES HOWICK'S CONTACTS

TREE-PLANTING TIPS RECOMMENDED TREE NURSERIES
Planting snaller trees neans that Hilliers Nurseries, Ampfield House,
staking is less necessary, so long as they Ampfield, Romsey. Hampshire S051 9PA
are put in a sheltered posit ion Tel: +44 (0)1794 368733. www.hilliertrees.co.uk
Shelter is key - so try to avoid planting Majestic Trees, Chequers Meadow, Chequers
in an open site. Shrub shelters help w ith Hill. Flamstead , near St. Albans. Hertfordshire
establishnent as they increase summer Al38ET Tel : +44 (0)1582 843881
heat around the plant www.majestictrees.co.uk
Make the planting hole square ra ther than Ornamental Tree Nurseries, Cobnash.
round. as it is better for root developmen t. Kingsland, Herefordshire HR6 90Z. Tel: +44
W ith our good soil, we prefer a hole that is (0)1568708016. w .ornamental-trees . co.uk

slightly bigger than the size of the pot. On Tendercare, Southlands Road , Denham ,
poorer soils, you may need a larger one. Uxbridge, M iddlesex UB9 4HD. Tel: +44 {0l 1895
Make su re that young t rees have no 835544. www. tendercare.co.uk
competition from grass. A thick mulch PLACE TO STAY f\l EARBY
of bracken helps to keep the weeds and Esh Hall. Morpeth, Northumber1and NE65
grass down. 9EN . Tel: +44 (0l1670 787454. www.eshotl.com

T H E ENGlISH GAROEN 45
 porches
wall trellis
planters

catalogue available
01225 85 1577
garden-requisites.co.uk

46 THE ENG lISH GARDEN

Nostalgia up north
Dalemainh one ofthe lest most romantic rose g~dens in e n01111 of Englande
perfect inspira on and a great way to celebrate e beginning of rose-plan19 season
PHOTOGRAPHS AN DREA J ONES WORDS CARO Ll NE seCK
withV8" .n. peta .nd C'ltmb<f';101;8.
ABOVE ROS8 Ope n Arms. RIGHT ROS8 'Vanity'
scr8mbles over tt. top of the ha-ha.
I h d hg dfDZ
Lhcrc is a d iScreel. well-lended glveyard.
The II1scriplion5 make it c1ear lhal thiS
15 l he reslll1 plae for ge ne ratio n5 o f
mllch-Ioved fa nily d ogs. Therein lies
the key 10 Ihis gard en's character and charm.
Therc5 been a hOllse he re si nce medieva l
times - added 10 ove r the cen ru ries . it has
clllmmaled 111 an arresti ng property th a
lovcly sandstone Georgian faade. Walking
arollnd ilS gravel palhs. particularly i n
mldsummer when the extensive collection of
old sccmed rose5 is a < it5 height. there is a
scnse of n05talgia. and coming home.
1C PSldmg Sptrit ovcr is garden is Jane
Hascll-McCosh who. th a blend of romantic
scnslbllllle5 and dccp garden knowledge , has
SClllpled 11 II1 tO lhe besl rose garden in tl '
THE FNG lI SH GARDEN 47
WJT| J
/

TOP LEFT ROSII lC odorllt. 'Pallda' scmbl8S up th8 pink sandstone 'acade 0' Dalemain Manslon in Cumbr. TOP RIGHT Dusky pink 'o lCgloves and hostas
make a spring di lay beneath e old fnlit tr88S. BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT RoSll UIe Rambl8r 'Iowera continuously and is wonderfully scented;
R. 'Cramoisi Suprir'; R. Rhapdy in Blue is eclost lour available to a bl r088; . onc.fIowering R. 'Tea Rambler'.

nor Engla.nd. Jane and her hllsband Roben
look lhe relnS 20 years ago arter Roberfs
mOlher Syla herselr a greal planlswoman,
psed away. The wk was dallnnng. '((vas a
garden m mOllmmg: says Jane. 'Because Syl Vla
had been 111 for a few years. lhe garden was
looking ragged and unkempL We look over
knowmgverlrlLle bUl \ V1 lh a knowledge lMl
Il mUSl relain her love 0 1' planlS
Jane lhen had a slroke of lllCk , She mel lhe
serendipilOllsly na01ed Rose Harper. a lalemed
and inSl ll1 Clivc local a rnalC lIr ard el1er. and
employed her 10 help m lhe gardn. Th ey've ::-I ow , from mld-J lI ne onwards , Dalemam
worked 10er ever smce vresnng Il back IS an enchanled place lh more lhan 100
from becommg a sad memonal and makrng dlrferem vanelles of ross lh chmbers
sure II mssens10 IISIlOrs lI nderplanted wllh shrub roses , so denseJy
BOlh women wanLed beauly and frdgrance . planled lhey semble woven rabri Toamble
Thy we re also very keen lO respecl ilS long down lhrollgh lhe rose walk tS a dlighl and
h i$ lOry but nOl be hldbOllnd by IL Almosl the essence or an Enghsh rden in rnidsummer;
lhe [l rSI lh ing lhey d ld was lO add more e~peclally wo nder[lI l arle r a rain sh ower ,
rOses , lraining l hem u p over arches , lhrOllgh when complex scems or lemon, nUlmeg and
lrees and lI P walls The palhs were wldened
, cinnamon a al lhetr mOSl inLeE
$0 IWO peo ple ould walk side by side ralher Jane shudders shghlly when she recalls whal
lhan singly - a lovely LOuch . she (.h in lhe early days. 1came in like a new
TOP LEFT The part8ITe garden wh clipped box and e glasshse in tt background. TOP RIGHT A vlew into the glasshouse with a plumbago climbing
up the walls. BELOW, LEFTO RIGHT RO$ll 'Viokttte' is a vigoroos rambler with striking crimson purple bloom the perpetual-flowering R. 'White Pet';
R. -Albertine' is weU-known for i fabulous scent; easv-togrowR. he Oueen Elizabeth' will reward you with fIoW8.. from July to Se ptember.

broom eager tO make my mark , and made
some awrlll mlstakes. For example , 1 nearly
gmbbed Ollt an annt apple lree becal I
dldn't cogmse I(S Importance: Two decades
on , she reels her slyle 15 less hasly. She hkes
to grow thmgs rrom seed and cUlllngs I"'.Ilh
lhan Opl ror lhe tn5lanl grallrlcallon o f new
planls brOllghl in rrom olllslde.
ThlS melhod or slow galening' comnbllLes
lO the Li meless qual ity or Dalemam. Walk
l h rollgh lh e rose garden or alons i de lhe
hih wall lhal's cl l'apecl Wilh climbers on lhe
broad terrace , overlookmg the Cumbnan
cOllmryslde , and )[ cOllld be any decade m
the pasl 200 years
Jane's [amlly are woven mto the rabnc or
lhe garden. \Vhen her chlld ren were small ,
she made a little patch ror lhem wllh planls
named a [te r animals , Wilh roxgloves , bea r's
breeches (Acanthus spinOSIIS) , hOllnd's lonlIe
(Cynogl'SSlInt officinale) and Calmml (NfpCtCI
catwia) being some of lhe me nagerie. She
says she did il W amuse l he m while she gOl
stllck inlO the borders. Roberl5 gl"'.l ndmOlher
Gertrude was [rom Soulh A[nca , and It
was she who mlroduced the collec t1 on or
agapanthus lhat stlll glows blue m late
summer m polS along the pas and te rl"'.lces.
An earher chatelame called DorOlhea Hell
planled an uncllStmguished hr tree , Abies
ccphaloni CCl, al the encl o[ the long bo rder 111
lhe miu-19lh cenlllry - now it's th e la rgest
specimen of a Greek [i r in England
There a mocent add1l1Ons as well. Slip
3way [rom lhe [o rmal iL y o[ l he main garden
311d lhere is a shady meadow neXl lO the river, ..
 ABOVETheinrmal gravel path framed by wooden pergolas creates a seamingly endless vista through the rose garden. The rose in the foground is

t he damask tvpe 'La Ville de Bruxelles'. BELOW LEFT Leucanthemum vulgare (.eye daisyl grows by the stam adjacent to fields. BELOW RIGHT W
its gnarled old roots emerging from the ground, the atmospheric stumpery has a surreal quality that adds an extra dimension to the gardens.

ancl for a whole momh from late May , this area
is lu minous with hundreds of exo <ic blue
I Iimalayan poppies (Meconopsis grandis) . They
are recognised by the RI 15 as beng from the
oli girull slrain brought back from Bhulan from
the planthunter George Sherriff in the 1930s
Further down intO lhe woods , you discovel
Jane's reem adclition , a Slumpery, which looks
like lhe trees have sudclenly come lo life ,
marthed over ancl l1 0pped clown exhauSlecl
Jane woulcl walk paSl lhe stumps 0 1' anciem
oaks fel!ecl years ago ancl lry LO lhink of lIses
for these SC lI l p lU ral fealll re s thal no-one
wamed. She contacted fi.mher educaton cenrre
Newton Rigg College, part of As kham Bryan
Colle and started a three-year project Wi1
the horticultul"al stl.ldentsmake the snunpery
ancl plam il with ferns ancl oLher rullive shacle
lovers. The stumps are like organic sculptllres
Lhal have slowly evolvecl from the landscape
Roses , however , are always at Dalema in$
hearl. J ane is t rialling rose pelal ancl lemon
marma lacle for a n annual galh e r ing o f
worldwicle mannalacle makers that she h OSLS
in lale February , ancl is alreacly planning LO
g row an avenlle o f Rose ra ie de l' Hay ' , lhe
fragrant , purple- l1 owered rugosa rose often
usd in rose ice-cream, jellies an cl jams. Ask
what is her favourite rose , ancl by her nce
you can tell this is as painful a question as
aski ng which o [ her children she prefers
Eventllally , however, she concedes. '1 hover
bel ween Lhe frOlh iness of Zphirine Drouhin'
and lhe s im plicily of someth ing like Rosa
Ge ranium' , single-<:upped c1 imbing varielies.'
Dalemam M <lllsiotl f" Histonc Gardctls, Pellrith,
nbn<l CAll OHB. Te!: +44 (0)1768486450. For
mo itlfonnatl' go t(1 emaif1.com

50 TH E ENG Ll SH GA RDE N
 GLORIOUS GARDENS
CU M BR IA

The notebook
Oalemain gardens cover approximately f ive acr es an d ar e surrounded by a larger es ta te , inclu d ing a farm a nd
deer park. P r edominan t ly s o u t h f acing , t h e garden r ar e ly suffers f ro m dro ugh t d ue t he high r ain fall in C umb ria

CUTIING IT
By dead-heading regularly, head gardener Rose Harper
ensures that roses keep flowering as long as possible
(belo Many old roses w ill have a scond flush I

in the season after their initial early summer flowering.

SHADE BABIES
Foxgloves (abo'el look

paicularly striking in
the shade of trees, are
easy to grow and
flower for a long time.
PRETIY PO PPIES They' lI also happily self-
Attractive self-seeders such as the op poppy. seed. In early spring.
Papa'er somniferum (bo. look almost ethereal in you can thin out young
the summer ligh t. The seedheads dry and last in the seedlings and plant
borders well int the w inter. Birds such as goldfinches them in the best spots
also feed on the seeds for optimum effect

CO NTACTS
REC O MME N DED GAR D EN S AND N U RS ERIES IN CU MBRIA
Cath's Garden Plants An award-w inning family-run nursery specialising in
unusual perennials, shrubs, grasses, ferns, herbs and climbers. The Walled
Garden, Heaves Hotel. Heaves, Nr Levers LA8 8EF. Tel: +44 (0)1539 56 1126
www.cathsgardenplants.co.uk
Co pt Howe A tw o-acre plantsman's garden w ith spectacular views of the TRUE B L U E
Langdale Pikes. Chapel Stile, Great Langdale , Ambleside LA22 JR. See Blue and purple plants such as Meconops 'Dalemain'
www.ngs.org.uk for open days and further details (abo'e letfl, De.'hinium Black Knight Group (aboe
Halecat Nursery Opened in 2011 and run by two young plant enthusiasts, this right}, Salvia otficinal 'P p ura s:e ns' Tradesntia

nursery has an interesting and eclectic list. Halecat, Witherslack, Grange Over Andersoniana Group and nepeta look great in northern
Sands, Cumbria LA11 6R T. Tel: +44 (011539 552946. www.halecatplants.cok gardens where skies are often g rey. They keep t heir
intense colours and appear to glow in t he low light

JANE'S TOP ROSE GARDEN TIPS

Plant barert stock roses in November. They might look like dead twigs, but they
establish quicker and bloom better. Order them online from reputable suppliers
Prune back climbers such as R. X odorata 'Pallida' (a.k.a. 'Old Blush China') and 'Madame
Alfred Carrire' after the first flush and t hey' lI produce a second flowering later in the season
Underplant shrub roses with perennials such as lim e-green Euphorbia characias, delicate
white violet Viola cornuta Aiba Group or silver-Ieaved plants such as Anemisia ludoviciana.
In spring , add as much organic maer as you can , either well-(otted horse manure or
compost. to feed the plants, protect from weeds and keep moisture in the soil.
Remember to deadhead. Old roses have a reputation for being fleeting , but regular
deadheading w ill help prolong flowering.

TH E ENGlISH GAROEN 51

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 PART 3 NEW SERIES - TOBY' S NURSERY

B The
ymgree10Us are
Iy
t to burst Wlth lush
bananas. and the tomatoes are touching
1e roo f. The polytunnel has been deared
and has become a plant- producing
machi.and e stock beds are 110weting. We are pret
much ready lO Sla rl trading . The p roblem is lhal ()u r
I()calion in the walled garden ()f Powde rha01 Castle in
Dev()ndoesnl allow us lO sell diClle publiand our
online O1ail-order website WOI bready unlil autumn
grew ClIt 110wers for Covem Garden Markel - once PREVlOUS PAGE The
worked. The letters are in copper-plate. harking back to now famous Pashley
the days befo homogenous computer-genel".m:d foms bike. OPPOSITE PAGE.
Ed gets whal we're after al once , hand-draws evetletler CLOC KW1 SE FROM TOP
and , inspired by something old. creates somelhing new LEFT Ba nanas grown on
but reassuringly old-fashioned. We love Il the nursery; Toby packages
CO O1 pulers have Il 5 lhough. We whizz off up bareroot perennials; the
logo lO a signwriler we nd on lhe imernel , and a week stock beds in full bloom;
laler we have il prinled on apro. Our sleel ~19n and lhe propagating stock. ABOVE
frame\ork of an old Pashley biyde lhal Lisa rescued tFT Toby keeps on top of

BUl planlS a dynamiand Lheir shelf-Ii[e in S01all pOlS [ro01 a 10l ge yard. We plan lO take lhe b ike wh the weeding. TOP RIGHT
laSlS only so long 'e need lO go tO markel. and faSl us lO shows and use lhe baker baskel on lh fronllO Usa and Toby love their
InJune J'm invited show 0[[ our Oowers new 1090. ABOVE RIGHT
lO o pen lhe ArlS and People stop to tke pictU1'es Qf the ,flowers The weekend o f lhe Though eve ne iss
Crafts Ga rden Festival iU.g from the icker bsket Coo mbe Trenc hard bu. plan must II be

at COO O1 be Trenchal Festival arrives. and watered and cared for

in vVest Devon festival . and asked if we want to set up
stall for lhe weekend too. It would give us a chance to
spread the vord about the nursery. get fedback from
gardeners and sell me stock. It wi 11 alfo(.'Us our minds
on getting the fundamentals sorted - the logo. signage.
vehicles. plant labelling. public liability insurance, caniel Carefully packing erything in so it ani ves in one piee
bags. .. and evely thing else we havel yet thought of.
The logo is uicky - where do you start? Fortunately.
ou r webte designer Ed is vely talented . we hand ovel
the job to him. along th an old tourist guide belonging
to my uncle. Among e ochre-tinged pa~s is an adven
[rom the 1890s for a nursely where my grandfuther - wh
Lisa and I 'e buzzing chatting to gardeners all day and
helping them th their garden queries. Setting up and
selling is the fun part - the hard bit is getting everthing
there in a trailer and a beaten-up old Toyota Hilux. It's a
bit like moving house \\thout the help of a removal van.
knowing how m uch to ta ke and not forgetti ng a ll t he
little things you need. such as secateurs. watering cal
money belt and change. waterpl (and suntan cream)
and a very large thermos of cof!le Pashley bike a
great Sl\Ccess. as people keep stopping to take picmres of
all <he fiowers spilling from the wicker baske t. ..

THE ENGlI SH GAROEN 57

 1I1];DI."Ul1J.
TOP LEFT German ga ic. The first day it pours down, bm by the seconc\ day ,<he
A l1ium senescens. ABOVE sun comes om along with rhe crowc\s. Brigir Srrawbric\ge
LEFTysimachia ciliota of lt's Nol Easy Being Grec l1 fame is ging a talk that
'Firecracker'. ABOVE moming anc\ comes over 10 cha t. 1 offer her some bee
RIGHT Toby plants p!anrs lOshow andnsequeny sa!es oflmi11l sa!a
Verbena bonariensis to and scabious 50ar rhrough e roof in the a[remoon. We
encourage aphid-eating quick!y learn thallhe pla11lS thar sell beSl are rhe ones
hoverflies in to protect lh eye -calching llowers lhal stick oul lhe IOp of lhe
nursery stock fro ... aphids. arrie r bag , as visilor5 wander arou nd lhe show Wilh
lhem almostlike walking adve rt$. II'S 50011. LimlO pack
up and leave, richer a< least in experience anc\ looking
fOlward lO nex['s year show
Back at rhe nursery our focus lurl1.S lO whal we wiJJ be
selling in aulumn and nte r when we !aunch online
bareroot perennials. Although once the traditional way
to pla nt 111any herbaceous nowe rs , the adve nt of
containelisation has meant this old 111ethoc\ has fallen
fr0111 favou r. But 1 think it's more relevant than eve r,
being envi ronmentally fliendly and economical. No pots
orcompost 'e required as plants are gro \Vn in the soil ,
so they develop a strong spreading root system. They are
Ii fte c\ in the c\ om1ant season , \vith the 50il removed. and
dis patched wrapped in moist newspaper , ready fOl
planting straight imo the border. This means they are
Iighter to transport and post. As a result , bareroot offers
grt value for gardeners. lt just a shame bareroot is oruy
possible in the winter momhs - bm we will also be
growi.ng plants to sell in po too.
Of course, it's not just what you grow , bm how you
grow it that coums , anc\ goo c\ gardeni.ng practie is still
at the heart of all we do. We are as namre-frienc\ ly as
58 THE ENGLl SH GARDE N
possible anc\ to rackle the aphc\s we have usec\ plan at
draw ll1. hoverlles among the rows of bareroOl, such as
fenneI anc\ Vcrbena bonariemis . To keep weeds dow
generous mulches o[ green .vaste recycled from Exeter
Cily Council havbeen laid on all lhe bec\s anc\ have
done a great job of locking m moisrure roo.
'vVe are only selecling plants lO sell thal we know lObe
gooc\, reliable ioers and make excellent garc\en plants
For example , ou r range of roses includes some new
nalura!istic PerSian varielies wiLh simple Ilowers and a
dark ruby blolch in lheentre of Lhe perals. They are
111redibly robusl: c\ rought tolerant and disease resiSlant ,
even Lhriv'ing in Lhe welter 'vVeSl Cou11lry , where funga!
blackspOl makes roses mO hallenging [0 grow
Setting up a nursely is no 11all undertaking and there
have been times when J've wondered how we 'e gomg
<o do it all - and tha t's before we have even openedl I'm
su re there are plenty of challenges ahead , but for now,
Lisa and 1 are incredibly excited and not a Ii ttle proud of
what we 've achieved so far. Here's hoping the best is yet
<o come. Pay us a visit online soon!
Toby'sonline nrse www.tobybuckland.com.
is due 10 open lor business lowards lhe end 01
OClober. As well as lhe range 01 perennials. roses
and bareroot planlS on sale. here youn also
watch videos 01 Toby showing how 10 grow and
care lor your purchases. and find OUl delails 01
open days at lhe nursery. YOcan also conla
lhe nrsery by calling +44 (0) 1626 867013.
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60 THE ENG lI SH GARDEN


Working with history
Tom Stuart-Smith has brought new life to many of our more
mature and hist Oli cal gardens_ Andrew Duff from le Inchbald
School of Design asks how he goes about it in a sensitive way
Q Tom , when you are asked to create a
garden around an existi ng d esign , what
ae the principles you employ?
1\ The f rst thing you have to aertain is how
much of the original dgn is left. lf it is a vety
old landscape , then you can sometimes have
several layers of design on one site. Once you
have decided which layer or layers you are
going to keep , then you need to discover what
the original dsign intent was. rm designing a
garden at e moment in a woodland clanng
and we have unearthed an 18th-centuty en
that was overgro."11 by trees. The lrst thing 1
have to do is tty to find Otlt what the original
design inten c\ed the desgn (Q feellike - only
<hen can 1 star t (Q ad d my b t. Thls peeling
back of hiswrical layers is vety exciting
Q Oneof e most difficult problems with
reviving a mature garden mt be the fact
that ere are so many existing features.
How C\O you chse whiclt ones are kept?
A lf the gar c\en is hlStOrical, then we tend to get
a h iSwrical Lopographical su["\.y. This will give
us the d ata needed to make decisions abotlt
what tO keep. ln anOLher CO nLexl, we migl
simply \Vorking LOgelher Lh the cl iem an c\
decid ing belween U$. Sometimes iLhas to do
th emoLional ties: ror ample Lhere may be
a tree given LO [hcliem by a nOLher ramily
member nd LO be realistic aboul ho \V
thiS may arfeCl any new designs. MOSl lhings
n be moved. Working Wilh a d iem is aboul
bJinging an alte ll1 ative to [he table .
Q How do you design so that the
XMa d-
con ti nuity bet\een the existing and new?
1\ EveJy item in a matu re garden has a characteJ
oad
and we need to be careful that if we remove
b g
it could impact on the overall dign . The last
FZ
E DO
th ing we wa n t to do is start to erode the
E
character of the esting space , which is what
FL
MZD
OH
makes it so special. Any new design should be
U
ZE go -
honest and Jight for the landscap I t has to
be continuous - a new layer of design must
- zoE L
g z L
read with integrity. lt is important to do your
research - does what you are choosing lt in
E
F
what's existing , or is the contrast so great
|N CONVERSA ION WITH...
TOM S TUART-S MITH
it spoils what was there? Sometimes, on a large
si <.e , you cou ld make 1,000 linle inteJventions
to the existing rather than add endless modem
things saying Tm here'.
Q A lot of older gardens have wonderful
spirit of place . Do you use is as a1l
adva1ltage? And if le site doesll't c01lv ey
,
these feeli1lg s , do you thl it is possible
to create lem?
A We tlyidentify the geJJt!S loc and discover
what makes a space different - what gives it
that special quality. lt is so easy to destroy is
by over designir jtlSt ignoring the existing
elements. lf you a reVlng a mature garden ,
then it s abot1t sensitve steps to merge <he
two . What wou l c\ happen f you n eeded to
add a swmmmg pool or tennis court7 Think
frs t abo t1t how ths could mpact on the
q u alties of the space. ls there a way 01
harmonisng th e two together7 Think abo t1t
careful choces o f materals and p lantng.
Sometmes a clear d stncton between old
and new can work \Vonderfully well , bUl only
f t s well exec t1te c\
Q A 10l of your work shows a lremendOu5
respt lo lhe suounding coun lryside
Howdolh acl your choicof planLS
an d lhe slruclurallayou l of a garden?
A /he n you are \Vorking in ga rdens \V iLh
beauLi lul surroundings , you cannOI help bUI
be inspired by Lhem. Somelimes iLis simply
a case of colou r , or it may be a cho ice o f
mate Ji a l. Sometimes the shapes 0 1' the felds'
msn dJive a design , or the shapes of the
trees in the distann be repeated within any
new p lanting. Sometimes a view can be so
strong that you need to add equa l strength in
the garden to stop the eye travelling straight
out into the rie\v.
TOP RIGHT Tom Stuart-Smth s responsble for
transforn ing many gardens; see examples
at www.tomstuartsmth.co.uk CENTRE Tom
has deslgned a garden at Broughton Grange,
whch features n our Oecember ssue. RIGHT
Hs 2008 RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden.
TH E ENGlI SH GAROEN 61
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62 THE ENG lISH GARDEN

 The Iceman cometh
Mid-November sees temperatures plurmet and the first snow fall - for Susie and David, it's a case of all
hands on deck to ensure e garden survives such une}ected conditions, and prepare for more to come ..
PHOTOGRAPHS TOM WHITE WORDS SUSIE W HITE

ABOVE Th e yew domes and the faint outline of the path give structure to the winter garden. BELOW LEFT A faint mist in the valley burns up in the
slanting sun, creating a painterly silhouette of the three hawthorns on the haugh. BELOW RIGHT Hakonechloa macra and a frosty line 01 sedums.

TH E ENGlI SH GAR OEN 63

A GARDEN REBORN
NORTHUMBERLAND

ABOVE LEFT A wint 'hat' for Bdge Ea l. ABOVE RIGHT 'When icicles hang by the wa ll'. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A little oasis in
the snowy garden; over a foot of snow covers the garden furniture; hazel hurdles a picked out in snow patterns; Ammi mus stems shine in e sun.

J ;."l' t',- 1:,-0 3 1 A l l
N wetld
day , a day when the valley
i s seen through a fiher of
b lurred grey and the light
goes quickly, by four o'clock
There is such heavy ram in the night that the
burn sounds like a rrtillracc , fonning a brown
chute thaL pounds unde r the footbridge. The
w ork LhaL we d id in $umme r has paid off -
building up Lhe embankmenL Wilh SLone and
felling a Lree LhaL narrowed Lhe charmel - and
Lhe waler gush es away unimpeded tO meeLLhe
main river. How can Lhe m igraling salmo n
$utvive $uch mpeSluoUS curren And whal
happens to their eggs when the water can move
whole boulders dO\Vllstream?
We both feel very sluggish when it com es to
gardening, and work vithout much enthusiasm
or energy doing w hat we can \vithout walking
on the satu rated soi l. 1 plant the glori ously fat
t: ll

? /T rrh .].
bulbs of Madonna lilies in t he bed by t he
summerhouse , imagi ning thei r \Vhite trumpets
jJ o~la Jj,' d
against the pebble grey paint\Vork O thers 1 put
4 8ur k 7'''rr4{'1.
in the nal1"OW bed by the telTace wall sthat \Ve
,," d .'1 ,. , 1
can see them when sitting out here in summer ,
Ij Frll " ' 7 " "r orp
1 link that they \VilI be 50 much taller than ollr
7 O"k '' 11 1' Ut' Jt
cat Jack that this is safe; many peo ple don't
realise that lily pollen is p oisonolls to ca'

64 THE ENG Ll SH GARDEN

 A GARDEN REBORN
NORTHUMBERLAND

,
_..:'!~ . .

'
--
MWK

-P

THE ENG lI SH GAROEN 65

A GARDEN REBORN
NORTHUMBERLAND

v '
..... ./

.

ABOVE lEFT Susie uses a broom to carefully brush a foot of snow from the yew topiary - though she leaves some on , as the snow helps to insulate
them against the hard fross. ABOVE RIGHT Susie is gra I for a fulllog store to help keep them warm during the unforeseen early cold spell.

fhenever 1 have ies in the hous 1 ke Otlt seedlings next year , bllt its [rosted beallty small leaves in summer. 1 have my fingers
the smens in case he bmshes against them surprises and delights me. 1 have decidedcut crossed that next sprin g will see it happily
and then licks his [Ul' down perennials in the shady border, because settled in , so [01' now 1 must make sure that it's
500n the weather ntms more tranquil , and this is where the early bulbs .vill emerge, but 1 not damaged by snow
we wake to lovely autumn momings. A [aim have Ie[t plan ts standing elsewhere as all- Thepiary also needs to be kept [ree 01
mist in the valley bums up in the slanting sun , imporm cover [01'vildli[e weight , so 1 brush the yew domes care[ully.
c realing a painterly silhouetle o[ the three II is now lale November , and we wake up lO ThiS lime laSL year , there was nOLhing in lhe
hawlho n1S on lhe haugh. Wilh calmer days, we s now. Each day il [alls silently overnigh l , ga rden a l all . but now the s ix yew shapes
have [rOSlS , SO 1 fieece lhe large agaves lhat 1 building up inch upon inch , unlil everyLhing is anch or th e d esign , giving il a solidily and
have in le rracOlla pOlS by lhe pennanence thal is so calming
house walL 5maller specimens of In lhe bo rde rs lhe s n ow-
th iS dramalic. s piky pla nt are The garden is transfonned, its beauty so covered shapes of herbage hav
tucked u p tO bed under a 'tent', unexpected this ear in\\ter a w ild , wi n le r exuberane
alo ng Wilh back- u p pOtS o f 1 clear palches to expose leaves
rosemary. flat pans containing and soi l, because insect-eating
echeverias . sh rubby penSlemons and othe l covered in pSline whiLeness: bles hairs birds are 50 vulnerable now
borde rI ine plants. Here too T have my trays of Is wheelban'ows , trees, arches and dlpmg We walk up out of the valley , traci ng the
tarrago n (on Iy the French valiety is worth plants . The ga rden is transforrned , its beauty d ouble line of flues leading to the Al lendale
growing) and this fvOl\lite he rb 1 cut do so u nexpected this early in winte r. There are chim neys. These skyline landmarks mark the
and covel th compost. T just need to keep some 'onderful mom ents - white snow on end of the flues that canied lead fumes from
them a ll going un ti l n ext year , whe n OUI the cream of honesty pods , speckled do <s of the smelting mill way below , and today they
greenhouse anives. artemisia heads, the outlined crazy CUI'es of are long mounds outlined in the snow.
These momings of frost look spark ling and the contorted hazel The land is tolly silent , muffled by snow
pretty , the Flower Garden backli t in the early Having transplanted this 6 ft sh rub , T don't and wi thout t h e b i rd so ng of s umm e r ,
lt. Ctystals outline the th V1stmg stems want to risk it bei ng broken by snow, so T Gardening 11 be on hold for some while , 1
and 110wer heads of Ammi majltS; what a shake its branch5 regularly and scoop out the think. The forecast for tomorrowe lrst day
wonderllll plant this for winter skeletons and build-up from inside ts centre. lt was moved of Decemb is an unequivocal atroClOt'
surprisingly wind-resistant for an annuaL By th quite a large rootball , but it was s till a
leaving t standing, 1 was hoping for sell~sown shock for t , rsulting in sporadic and rather Ncxt month: Susic (lcals with nwrc ld wcathc ,
66 THE ENGLl SH GARDEN
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22-25 March - "Architectural Digest Design 5how", New York 1."' ._'v fo
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2 |1ID7. '{) n and their stab<l ity which
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OOUBLE SNOWOROPS 1:15 per 100 1:70 per 500 1: 125 per 1000
ELWESII SNOWOROPS 1:17 per 50 C28per10

ENGLISH BLUEBELLS 1:14 per 100 1:65 per 500 1: 120 por 100
LARGE FLOWERING CROCUS 1: 8 per 100 1:35 per 500
SPECIE CROCUS
RUBY GIANT 1:3.25 per 25 FRITILLARIA MELEAGRIS 1: 15 per 100
BLUE PEARL 1:3 .25 per 25 AL Ll UM GLOBE MASTER E27.50 per 1
_ . _&e1'y 29.25 peo 2 AL Ll UM IVORY aUEEN 1: 14 per 25
PRINS CLAUS C3.25 per 25 I R I S ETICULATA C5 per 50
NARCISSUS
TETE E T ETE C15 per 1 0 FEBUARY GOLO 1:4.75 per 25
TOPOLINO C4.75 per 25 MINNOW 1:4.75 per 25
SUN OISC 1:4.75 per 25 PIP rT 1:4.75 per 25
JACK SNIPE 1:4.75 per 25 RIP VAN WINKLE 1:4.75 per 25
HAWERA 1:4.75 per 25 THALIA E4.75 per 25
PSUEDO NARCISSUS 1: 15 per 50 1:27.50 per 100
PHEASANTS EVE 1: 15 per 50 1:27.50 per 10
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T H E ENG Li SH GARDEN 67
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68 THE ENG lISH GARDEN

 SURPRISE , SURPRISE
Kn OWll for eir amusing nne ha-has were a key element of the British Iandscape movement

s Claire Masset ponders whether they can play a prut in contemporygdens

exp\alll1dgd i
ng 10 less. knowledgeable
compamons what a 'ha-ha IS.
harmomsed \V1 lh the lawn wuhm: and lhe
garden ln 1[5 !U m was to be 5t free from IlS
pnm gu\arity lhat 11 nught asson wuh lhe
But 11 s qUlle slmple really: H'S wllder coumry \V! thom:
a ditch , Why lh e fllnny name? The ga rden and park\a nd merged inlo one
can also be fasluoned lnlO au:racuve Jandforms
lhal add drama 10 a scene. In hlS Ga rden of
CosmlC Speculanon. Charles Jencks crea <ed
lhe Black I lole Terrace. an degant curved ha-
ha ln lhe shape of a wave
&cause - as many of you mlght well know - beauuful pastora\ and pJCntsque scene , i\nd Dcslgner George Ca ner has produced many
lhe ha-ha m as a ;urprise lO unsuspeCLln so , as Walpole famously wrote , 'AII nalU l'e for h l~ chents. In Camhrideshire.l recemly

ZOWL

viSltorS. The le nn accu ralcl y desribes one's was a ga rden .' Although e\le ry l hin was dcs igncd a series of retained te rraces. wh ich
aSLO l1 is h menl al a vlcle Lr cnch suddc l1 ly designed LO l()ok natural , It waS actually the gi \l c onlO a landscape lh lakes , making in
F3gLF

com ll1g mlO V1CW e ffeCl a dee p ha-ha belween

Desig ned lo kc e p lhe fo rmal ga rde n and lh e
Modem ha-has nght not be crealed to keep liveslock OUL,
ZJO

graZ In 3 111mals OUl of landscape: he explains

dFd

but their use as 'insible' boundruies is still inva1 uablc

Z 5 3aog

the more forml1l areas of Tom Stuan-Smilh made

a garden. lhe ha-ha db elegam use of them when he
away with the l1 eed for a fcnce , 311d creates result of a controll ing ha nd , Trees were dcslgned the famous th ree-tiered te rraced
the illusion of openness , Il enables unbroken removed and new ones broughl 111 , vlllages garden al Broughton Grange in Oxfordshire.

we lransplanted and rivers diverted in order La ndscape architect and garden his !O rian
FZ

views from the hOllse and garden to the

UTLF

parkland or cOllntryslde bcyond - something to cre a perfect \~sion of '!13 ture' , FamOllS Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is also a fan , and
that English landscape garden deslgners such historic gardens \vith ha-has include Stowe . rcfers to Ihem as sunk fences', a termed by

as Charles 8ndgeman 'dham Kcnt and Rousham , Burghley and the National Trust's Ihal Olhcr greal 18th- and early 19th-century
LJ

Fa

cabllity 8rown werc keen to crealC , Petworth and Chirk Castle (cWol landscape designcr , Humphry Repton .
dLF2

Horace Wa1pole , 18th-ccntury man of BU! rather than being stuck in a garden i\ nd whelher you call it a sunk fence ,
J"

lelters and owner of $IrawbcrrH iI1 . wrote histoly timewarp. ha-has have 'leapt the fen ha-ha or an mvisible boundary, there's no
M'U

oC the ha ha ' o sooner was IhlS slmple and made their way 1I1!O the 21st cenlury
Ug--

doubl Ihal IhlS device should be pan of any

enchantment made , Ihan levelling. mowing. Modem ha-has might not always be created good designer's toolki t. If you want your
"GodE-

rolling Collowed , The conllJOUS ground of !O keep lives !O ck Oll!, but thelr use as garden 10 connect wi <h nature. there is
the park withoul lhc s Ul1 k fcncc was lO be 111sible boundaries JS still mvaluable , They no beltcr answer

THE FNG lI SH GARDEN 69

 IN
HARVEST
A surplus of pears Is a wonderful thlng and It
is important to store them wel l. These
tradlonal frul storage racks are perfect for
e job. Great for apples , pears and any other
fruit and veg. Th e fruit sits on the slatted
drawers that allow free circulalion of air which
helps keep the fruit fresh. Remove any spoilt
fr Itfror Ihe rack 10 ensure Ihe ,'est do not
rot. Best kept in a well venlilated shed , garage.
u l ding pantry or smilar, somewhere cool

and dark is ideal. Racks available in 5 and 10

drawer, already assembled In plne. beech or
oak. Stacking trays sold individually 50 ;t
le:.s cd \Vith spccular COaM
aJl d 1I llspoil[ cOllnrryside
Hastings & depends on the sze of your harvest. you can
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70 TH E ENG lISH GARDEN

 It's time to pick the last of the fruit, says Mark Diacono, and then
head back indoors t < about choosing next ye'sseeds
A80VE LEFT The vegetable garden at Painswick
Roc:Garden -e ng for a fruit-training
course , 8ELOW LEFT Ripe medla ABOVE
R HTNows the time to haest quince,
WWWiu
1herm IlleI Novemher means
OL
rm splil bel \Veen harvCSLing l he
laSl fru il - the qumce melars <l n slocs
especially - and sitting by thc 11'c plann ing ancl
ozou
sourcing seeds and plants for 11xt ycar. Olhcr
than picking. there 's little to do in thc garclcn.
dOd
as the p lan ts a re n 't propcrly dorman l for
UZ
prun ing. so it s acceptable id lcness wlllle
d
dreaming of Ihe spring 10 come.
a
MEa-uuz-30Z
COU RSES AND E"ENTS
On 22 No\'en. thcrc lS an Imroducuon lO
Fruit Training at Pains\vick Rococo Gardcn
Trusl near Slroud 65 . Tcl +44 (0 )1 452
DZZO
813204 , There's a 12-day PcmuculmTC Slgn
course \\1Ih James Chapman at Co mne Crofl
m Pcrthshtre stamng on 20 No\'cmber (~\'.
LE
d
comnecro[t.com) , And lf you fancy a COUT!>C
gL
Fg ugd
learrung how <o get the besl Ollt of yOllr 'cg
patch , do jom me on 17 No\'cmber at Rl\'Cr
Cottage l.vriverconagc.nct) orchJrds fllll of blossom.'
TI IINK1NG Of GRO;VING SOMETHING
lNTfR r: ST ING NEXT YEAR?
Then look al catalogucs now to gct the best
c ho icc. A few l' d like to suggest are Real
Sccds (www realseeds.co.uk); O tter Farm
Shop (www.otter[ann.co.uk); Thomas Etty
(www .l homasetty .co.uk); AssoCJatlon
Kokopelh (www.terredesemences.com); and
lhe Agro[orestry Research Trust (go <0
v.agroforestry.co.uk). And lf you re not
alreadya member. Jom the Hemage Seed
Llbrary for access to a fme selectlon of
old and unusual 'anenes (see garden
orgaruc.org.lIhsl). You also ha'e the chance
lO become a Seed Guardlan where you help
conserve vanetJ es by savmg seed.
'ORD 1TH... l-lRONHOCKENuu
Of fRll1THARE.Nl:T
'1 fm mylf flilmg up pCIOllllle bou!sof
homenlde ~Ioe gm , p fS of :rumrny apple jam
an damson cheese in November: says Sharon
MllCh of Ill5 mae from foraged bollnt~ Wilh
lhe reSl comll1 g from lhe fruilshare.nel pleCl
lhal J' m mv()lved Wilh - a simple idea lhal pami
up people V1th excess fluit .vith those looking
for produ. 1 \Vi lJ keep some of these goodies
for mc. and others to make special Christmas
gl lls for famlly and fliends.
'1 ow lhe leavcs arc falling from the trees.
1 q l1l clly plan my prumng. cln and shaen
scalcurs. and dlg Ollt the eannuffs , Fruit
talalogllcs a dottcd around the house. ~ll:mg
for lhal spa moment .\'hen 13 ick through
lhe hSlS of barer<ts - 1 have my eye on apple
Dog's Snout'. or KeSWlck n' and maybe
a greengage. medlar or qllIDce. If 0Y 1 hada
blggcr garden. Bllt thc best thmg abollt the
onset of wmler IS commg mSlde. warmmg
IIp wllh a upple of sloe gm , slouching in the
cosy sofa , and thmkmg ahd to spring and
 TOP LEFT Pear 'Glou Morceau'.
A freestanding example of a linked
espalier, creating a hedge or fenced
effect in front of e orchard house
in the walled organic gardens at t
Audley End. BELOW LEFT
Harvested culinary pe 'Virof
Wlnkfleld' , whlch can be pcked
from October through to Oecember
and wll also keep for a good whlle
prlor to use. RIGHT Jacky serves up
slices of pear and almond tart
OPPOSITE PAGE Poached pears
n wlne can be splced up with
cloves and cinnamon. Serve
warmwithstard or cold with

a dollop of crme frache.

Pears
1leerdesselt, heritage or cmy varieties,
ese home-gro\l'.'l1 fruits have so much more to
offer an commercial supenarket rpes

PHOTOGRAPHS MICHELLE GARRETI WORDS JACKY HQBBS

A hY h dy
nd deliciou$ pea1"s in our Nove


m
lhe
yblu rl .bUl
r [ea
Wh n1
planning and ible garden . it iS essenlial tO maintain
a m onlh ly 110w of taSly produe . While you may be
pl uckin g tender , rosy -ch eeked desse rt p ears from
midsummer o nwards. more ponly , SubSl311lial va rielies soldier on
sometimes until December. These are the fo rgotten stalwarts of the
winter fruit larder , largely helitage cu linal)' prs rarely available from
su permarkets. A de lectable secret for t he edible gardener, they cook
a nd sto re we ll , unlike desse rt pears , which last a matter 0 1' days.

In Sh01t, pem's are lik socks - \ey

always ed come in pairs

Deember surpluses can also be decadently gilded th edible gold or

silver leaf for gifts , sasonal decorations or centrep ieces
Pears are less common in the garden than a pples. bllt have similar
growth habi. are simpler to prune. relatively free from pests and
disease as well as being more vigorous - though they do prefer a
warmer drier spot in slightly acidic free-d raining soil. Some varieties
do well in pots. Those grafted on smaller 'Quince C rootstock are best.
bllt t hey need to be pnmed <o keep specimens j uvenile and restrict ...

72 THE ENG Ll SH GARDEN

THE EDIBLE GARDEN
COOK YOUR OWN
THE EDIBLE GARDEN
COOK YOUR OWN

Expert Advice
TRAINING PEARS WITH
MIKE THURLOW, AUDLEY
END'S HEAD GARDENER
Cordon , fan or espalier t raining is
decorative, ideal for snall spaces and
extremely productive, as horizonta l
stems afford higher yields. I've used
a horizontal espalier as an exanple:
Buy a one-yeaId untrained ,
bareroot maiden pear in Nov-March
Plant centrally to selected pre-
wired framework (horizontally arranged
25-30cm apart). Keep the graft clear of
the ground. Leave 3. 5-4.5m between
espaliers to allow horizontal growth.
Cut the stem at the first horizontal
wire, just above two buds.
Train the main leader pwards and
the emergent side shoots outwards ,
tying them in to straigh t. supporting
nes. Cane young , supple shoots in
an upright position to stimulate grotth .
adjusting to the required horizontal
before stems harden
Prune back by a third after leaf fall.
cuttlng t a downward bud. Remove
any laterals other than the main arms
YEARTWO
Allow the m ain leader to grow to
the next laleral wire . Cut and train
second tier branches as above
Summer prune all , as before
'Rub off' any fruit on Ihe lower lier to
allow plant 10 mature. Prune fruiting
spurs 5-10cm long and 20cm apa
YEAR THREE
Continue growing and pruning.
bui lding a f ramework over time. A
three-year-old lower t ier shou ld be
fruiting from the summer onwards
ABOVE Mike Thurlow , head
gardener at Audlev End. BELOW
Jacky pcks espalier ftuit
BOTTOM The walls offer the
growing frut protectlon
overzealous growth. Re-pOL annually - Lheyn stay in Lhsame pOL ,
but use fresh compOSL AL Audley End O rganic K itchen Garden i n
Essex , Lhe eXlended warmth of Lhe o rcha rd house benentS pots of
lalcr-maluring, partiularly Contine11lal , fruits
Failure Lo fruil iS always a disappointment, and frOSl is u5ually Lhe
culpriL , so prOLet by plaming in a frOSl-free posilion , cosseling wall-
grown crops vith bJan ket o f fleece if frost th reatens , and move pots
indoors. Pear bJossom is ephemeral and early , appeali ng in March and
April , so don't get caught ou t.
Few pears are self-feltile. Dessert pears Conference 'Concorde' and
I nvi ncibJe' are exceptions , consequentJy popu lar in sma lJ 0 1' urban
gardens. Family trees , with suitable polJination partners grafted onto
a singJe root stock , present anothe r 'compact' solution . Otherwise ,
plant addi tional pear trees from t he same polli nation group as you rs
(buy ba 1'e1'oot stock f 1'o m 1'e putable fnlt specialist nurseries and <hey
will advise sound ly on w hat works th w hat) to ensu re you get fruit.
ln shon , pears a1'e like socks - they need to come in pairs!
You 11 still need to choose tlavour , size , colour and style 0 1' tree:
see bel ow 1'01' some suggestions
Growing pears for eating
' Seckle' is a small , tiny , sweet pear that can be
eaten like bon-bons or dipped in chocolate for special
con fections. 'Beurre Six', 'Com ice' , 'Concorde' and
' Conference' are larger dessert pears , which when
ripe need no COOking, and cn be used in many hea t-
free recipes. 'Willlam s' , 'Seckle' , and 'F le' are
versatile varieties , as unripe frui t can be used as
dessert or culinary pears
Culinary pears, in their raw state , are solid as
bricks , but traditionally were grown for slow c king
in the perpe\ually burning ove n of Victorian times
Heritage culinary pears 'Vica r of Winkfleld
'Black Worcester' and 'Cadillac' are still available
from speclist nurseries \0 the home fruit grower
Their lale cropping makes fresh produce available
right through to December, especially as these
keep for a while

Suppliers &: contacts

GARDENS & NURSERIES
Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden , Saffron
Walden , Essex CB11 4JF. Tel: +44 (0)1799522842.
www.gardenorganic.orgk
Thornhayes Nursery, Cullompton , Devon EX15 2DF.
'Trained Frit: How to do it' workshop - 8 December,
2-4pm, (12. Tel: +44 (0)1 4 266746 or see website for
details. www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk
Keepers Nursery, Gallants Court, East Farleigh,
Maidstone, Kent M E15 OL Tel: +44 (0) 1622 726465.
www.keepers-nursery.co.uk
COURSES & GROUPS
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop on 19 Nov at Hanbury
Hall, near DrOtwich , Worcs WR9 7EA, 10am-4pm , (50.
Tel: +44 (0)1386 554609 wwwwarwickshireac.uk
RHS Fruit Group. If you are interested in growing
fruit and accessing opportunities to attend a wide range
of lectures and workshops, join the Society's Frut Group
for (7. For further informa tion, visit www.rhs.org.uk
MAI L ORDER SUPPLl ERS
Reads ursery are fruit tree specialists with
a nursery at Douglas Farm , Faon La ne, Bungay,
Suffolk NR35 2JG. There is also a mail order
website at www.readsnursery.co.uk
Thompson & Morgan sell a 'fami pear tree for
(39.99, grafted with 'Williams 'Conference' and
'Comice' varieties - suitable for containers
www.thompson-morgan.com
 THE EDIBLE GARDEN
COOK YOUR OWN

Recine 1 Recipe 2
Poacbed pears Pear-and walnut winter
(pictured 011 pg 73) salad with goats chese
Serves 3 people
- 3 l irm pears Serves 4 people
- 300ml white or ros wine - 1-2 l irm pears
- 50g sugar - 100gwalnts
- Squeeze 01 lemon juice - 1 bunch 01 w ild rocket
- Optional cinnamon sticks. cloves - Seasonal salad leaves (radicchio. chicory etc)
- 150g soft goats cheese
Peel pea. leaving stalks. Rub in lemon juice
Place in a tall pan so they can stand upright. Place washed and spin-dried salad leaves
and add wine. sugar and spices in a serving dish.
Top up with water until it reaches the pears' Thinly slice pears lengthways. discarding
necks. and gently simmer until they are tender the core. and arrange.
Remove pears and reserve. Reduce Sprinkle with handfuls 01 walnuts and
remaining liquid. pour over pears. and serve decorate w ith slices of goats cheese. Dress w ith
with cstard. olive oil and lemon juice. and season to taste.

Recipe 3
Pear-and almond tart
This is an adaptatlon of NIgella lawson's
Bakewell Tart wlth fr esh raspberries - It is the
best sweet pastry 1 have ever m ade.

For the base:

- 175g plain flour
- 30gg r u ndalmonds

- 65g icing sugar

- 130g butter
-1 egg yolk
Mix together e dry ingredients belore
making a line crumb mix with the butter
Add the egg yolk to bind until it makes
a ball 01 pastry. W rap w ith cling l ilm and
relrigerate lor 20 minutes
RolI out and line a 100SE base Ilan tin. Pop it
back into the Iridge while you make the lilling

For the filling:

- 3 tablespoons raspberry or damson jam
- 3 eggs
- 125g ground almonds
- 125g melted buner
- 125g caster sugar
- 15g flaked almonds
- 2-3 pears. peeled and quartered
Beat together the sugar and eggs. Stir in
the melted butter and the ground almonds.
Spread the base of the Ilan with jam and
pour in filling. Arrange the quaered pears and
decorate w ith a tiny central pear if you have one.
Sprinkle with chopped almonds and p lace in
a prehea ted oven. 200. for 3Q-40 minutes.il
golden. Serve warm or chilled.

TH E ENG lI SH GAROEN 75
S KSlyhmg
Ehzabelhan manor m 35 acres
of velvely grasslands ,<he TeSlaUram
al Combe ll ouse draws dmers
fromaross the coumry [0 sample
[he dreamy surroundmgs and chef I ladlelgh
Barrel t's lop- r.l Wer ckmg.
Wh!le many re~lauranls pay 1I p serv1ce LO
local sourcmg , yO Ll only have lO slep oULSide
here lO see lhal C:ombe Housc walks ilS lalk
Muh of 1L~ fruil and vcg comcs from ilS fOU1
Viclorian l{llche l1 gartlens , \Vh1Ch owners RUlh
and Ken Hunl have pa inslak ingly reslo red
since la kmg over lhe cou nlry hOltse hOlel 111
1998. Th1S is about lood metrcs , not miles.
In their Victorian heyday , Combe's walled
garde ns were dominatcd by coal-fire heated
glasshollSCS that prodllced 'exouc' fruits Ii ke
peaches They fell 1I1tO dlSUSC at the starl of
the 20t h century. when 1mported fruu bt3me
more a fTordable for peoplc
Today, only two ong1l131 glnain i\ rtificial fertilisers are OUI , so plams are
although you can sull scc traces of the others
and Ihe1r bo11ers etched on the gardens' Grade
1 Iisted bnck walls One houses a producrive
l-year.old 'Ba d Homburg' grapene whosc
honey-sweel grapes you can sample 111 allrumn ,
at breakfast or Wilh chcescs al dmner
76 THF ENG IISI-I GARDE N
Apan from the lomatoe5 and herbs grom
in the ot her glasshouse , m051 fnllt and
vegetables are grown organically oUldrs 111
raised beds crafted from railway sleepers.
y.:ar, for eXll mple, the grlic vasa huge
nunured \V;rh a combination of well-roued
horse muck, leaf mould and comled k1ln
waste. Pests are kept at bay \V;lh the help of
colollrflll compuon Ilowers ilke mangolds
The rration of Combe's Io.lchen garden
to its fomler splendour is e brruncluld of E
hoters owner and self-confesd foodle Ken
llum , and ILS head gardener Charhe O-Rellly ,
who has worked he for nearly 30 y
'The plan [0 res[oe gardens unded
all our vallles: says Ken. 'More and more
pcople wa l1t [0 ea[ food [ha[ s fresh , hlgh
qua 1lly and SUSlainably grown. We have ben
lucky 111 h av ll1 g lh e mate rials a nd peopl
here lO make lhal possible.'
Ea ch morning , Charlie meets chef Hadleigh
lO d iSC LlSS wh5 neetled in the kilChn. Then
gardencrs gCl pickin~ and hefs Stall Callllg
The l'SUllS are i mpreve: beelrOOI rnighl be
lurne into a starter o f beeLrOOl mousse wiLh
a goats chcesc ftitter, whi le pumpkins cou ld
end Ll p in a delicio us soup or pured as
accompamment to roast ve l1Ison.
Chefs and gardeners have an an nual sit
down al the slart of the yea r , when they
asss what has worked well or less well the
p\~OllS year , and decide what to plant. last
so th1S year Hadle1gh is keen to make sure
much mo IS plamed.
Hadlcigh believes that 40-70% of the
Imchen's fruu and \'egetables areurced from
lhc garden. dependmg on the season. The
propomon IS growmg all the time l t's brilliant:

he says. 'lf we run Ollt of somethmg, we
JlISl rup Ollt and p lC k 11. Wet en Olll the
n torches befo
Wl <h tlme and praC Il Ce , both sldes are
learrung to adapl and make lhe la!chen-garden
partnershlp work . 'Al ftrst lhe chefs jUS!
wanled baby veg: says Charhe. 'Now they
wlll take the medillm -s izcd swff as well.
If we have lots 0 1' a partiC lI lar thi n they
II change l he menll 10 incl ude it , 0 1' LUrn
il inlOjam 0 1' chulney:
If we nm out of someng we just rup out and pick
it W(.\'ve l>een out thcre torches before'
Planting is planned so that prod l1 ce is
available for as mllch of the y'ras ble. ln
summer, the gardens are an exuberant riOl of
50ft fruits , salad leaves, garhc , onions, globe
artlchokes and cOllrgeues !hile in alltumn
squashes , pumpkl qlllncc and raspberries
come mto thelr 0...." Wmtcr bnngs swedes ,
chard , pule-sprouung broccoli , Jcrusalem
tichokes and cabbagc , crowned m FebntalY
vith JOYous cnm50n rhubarb , forced under
gLant terraCOlla 1$ BOlh gardcncrs and chefs
are el1Jo'lng OUl new vaneoes and more
OPPOSITE PAGE OP AI fresdlning 1..
luxurious affar at Combe House in Devon.
BELOW Chefs Hadlelgh Barrett and Stuart
Brown. THIS PAGE , CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT One of the elegant bedrooms at
the hotel; horses roaft free In the extensve
grounds; home.grown parsnip crisps atop
scallops; head gardener Charlie O'Relllv; th8
kitchen garden has been lovinglv d8.ign8d
bV owner Ken Hunt and Charl;the
twmaining original glasshouS8. .re
in constant use todav , with on8 housng
a magnificer grapevne and the oth
a variety of tomatoes and herbs; a gardoner
mowing Co mbe'. apple orchard
unusual fnms and vegetables. lasl year , lhe
garden ff harvested 11$ 61'Sl crop of Chmte
quince , w h1ch are roasted and seed wllh
mea orb011ed m <o a ruby-red membnUo , a
Spamsh quince paste or 'cheese thal p a. rs
perfecy Wl West Counrry chees.
Pumpkins indude Queensland Blue' and
'J arrowdale' , planted fro m seeds l hal Ke l1
brough l back from AUSlraha, and Charh is
also planting special cobnut l rees Wi ll rOOls
impregnated with trume spores
The highlight of the whole plot, though , has
to be the garden's gargant l1 an 200-year-old
mulbeny tree, whe fnlilS a tumed into eye-
catching 5Orbe lS, jUices and jams 'You Simply
can't buy mulberries: exclaims a dehghted
Hadleigh. 'This is unique: l' m takmg a Jar of
the jam home as a precious memory of a truly
spI edible garden.
C()m"'~ H1I~ Glllls l! alll. :-':..a , Hflilllll f)\'m
:14 3AD Td. +44 (0)1401 540400 "111u
101 malrfI01 '"k/f<Ju<1V'l ((1111
WESTERN AUSTRALIA ITALY - GARGAN S. AFRICA - NAMAQUALAND
~.......r.nr; -

BHUTAN KAZAKHSTAN - TIEN SHAN S. AFRICA - DRAKENSBERG

~~

BULGARIA MADAGASCAR SRI LANKA

CHINA - SICHUAN NEWZEALAND SWITZERLAND - ENGADINE

CHINA - YUNNAN NORWAY - GOL PLATEAU SWITZERLAND - WENGEN

CRETE ROMANIA - CARPATHIANS

ECUADOR

GREECE - PELOPONNESE

IRELAND - BURREN

ITALY - DOLOMITES
PLANT FOCUS
BERBERIS
PREVlOUS PAGE Berberis
'G rgei' offe Snted
f1 owers. THIS PAGE,
ABOVE FROM LEFT
Berberis kawakamii has
vicious thons; Berberis
zabeliania is not so thornv;
the purple fruit of Berberis
beaniana. OPPOSE
PAGE, CLOCKWlSE FROM
TOP LEFT B. thunbergii;
B. gyalaica; B. thunbergii
'Golden Ring'
80 TH E ENGLl SH GA RDE N
Reliable nd undemnding
sh'tubs elso t'tUe m u1ti-season prmers
F w pl u ih bi bb n
Reliab le a nd undemand ing. these
disun ctive th orny sh ru bs are also true
multi-season perfoners as anyone lucky
enou gh to have been dazzled by the rare
Berberis Georgei can vouch . lts arching b ranches hang
wiLh pendan tS of pale yellow scentd flowers in spring ,
only for the tO be utterly outshone by long , abundant
clusters of brighl crimson berries later in autumn . Li ke
other d eciduous ty pes, il also has warm autumn h ues
LO ilS leaves , b ut B Georgei' iS not unique. Berbe ris iS
an (}u tslanding g ro u p of evergree n and deiduo us
shntbs, wh ich all comrib ute handsomely tO the autumn
and wimer garden sene
They are a huge genus , with more than 450 species
in the wild . and almoSl as many h ybrids and cultiva rs.
They h ail frOI11 every conti nent except two , and are
natural pioneer species , often the fi rst to colon ise an
area. Remarkably unfussy abou t where they grow , they
will thrive in most soils and are some o f the most
obliging , versatile plants in the garden. They are both
evergreen and deciduous th the colour o f the berries
they p roduce gene rally dependent on which one they
are -vergreen species \Vill usua lly have b lue-blac k
fru it , wh ile decid uous berries are l11 ainly red. And all
the berries. wha tever the colour. are imp onant food
sources [or birds such as wimer thmshes. redwing and
fieldfare , making them valuable wildlife plams. Denser
species also prode useful nesting and roosting places
these distinctive thony
for small bi rd s such as rob ins and finc hes , and
evergreen types offer excellem win ter pro tection
Th e shrub 's leaves are also the larval food of many
butterfly and moth caterpillars
Th e mos t w ell- kn own berb eris h a s tO be th e
compact Berberis chunbel favou rite of local authorites
eve rywhere and loved fo r its brill iant autumn OIOU l
and bright sarlel berries. It h as ma ny ch a rming
c u lt iva rs. fro m lh e pu r ple Berberis ch un bergii f
acropurpU l'ea tO lh e s u btle B. chunbe rgii Golde n
Ring' whose pu rple-rI leaves appear LO h ave been
painstakingly edged vilh gold pe n. BUl if these a re
lhe only be rberiS you know , you may be su rpriSed by
what the olhers have u p their sleeves.
There is a berbe ris for almost every sp ot in the
gard e n. At o ne e nd of lhe sale is lhe tall. rath e r
u ngainly B. chitlia (tricky to get ho ld o f but growi ng
happi ly at the $ir Harold Hillier Ga rdens in Hampshi re),
which at 5m high and 7m wid e is good for on ly the
largest ga rdens. but magni cen when clothed in its
candy-pin k berries and seed capsules. Do1 the othel
end is the e lfi n B. x stenophy lla 'Cora llina Compacta'.
No more than 50cm high , it is perfect in a con tainer
0 1' as a low , in forrnal hedge.
Most berberis , however. are medi um-sized , often
gorous shmbs , and the perfect plams for a dilTicu lt
Sp Ol. Be aware of their <ho rns when planting , an d
always try to leave enough room around them to give
a wid e ben h. They can be savage plants , as anyone ..
 PLANT FOCUS
BERBERI5

BERBERIS CARE
. Beeri5 re tough, happily pting upwith
stuatns and con<Mlons that wIcI rrkeother
plants wlther and d ,e They wi tolerate almost any
$Oil, expt water logged , includ9 heavy clay ol
Ire tHl'ainlng CIalk and a'en't lussy about pos tn
happy sun 0' ade Decids specSWl do
better in sun , however, lor the best autumn leal
tlnts and beories Theyn handle pollutlon and
exposed , wlndy, coastal sites, and are olten used
lor roundabouts or central reservatlons.
Once estbllshed, they cn prenv much take
care 01 themselves and need very little pruning,
which IS lust as well with those thorns. 11 you are
glowing them as a hedge and wan t to keep it
in shape , wear the thickest gloves you have
and glve it a light tllm immedtelyafter
lIowenng but you should know that you w ill
lorfei t the berries that year when you do it
They Jffer from 8 few problems, the most
signlfint being berberis wfly a recent arr<val
from Europe First spotted in this untry ln Just
22 it IS already widespread in England and likely
to be seen in Stland and Wales sn too. The
,
cate pdlar-like larvae, white with lttle black spots
and disunctr yellow blotches , arelOst often
1nd on 8 erlJefls thunberglj and ItsItivars
delolting Ihe leaves from May to octer. lk
out for the thin , black adult ffles as well, whicl
can be seen flying arnd ~ants ln and
summer. To avoid t much damage, be vigi'an t.
,
inspecting plants from spnng onwa ds , and pick
011 any larvae by hand larger infestations n
be sprayed 0 wi th an appropriate insecticide,
but don't do this when your plants are flowering,

TH E FNG lI SH GARDEN 81
PLANT FOCUS
BERBERIS

STOCKISTS
Burncoose Nurseries, Gwenn Redruth.
Cornwall TR16 6BJ. Tel: +44 (0)1209860316.
www.burncoose .co.uk
Holdenugh Nuery Holden. Bollon-
by-Bowland, Clilheroe, Lancashire BB7 4PE.
Tel: +44 (0)1200447615.
www.holdencloughnursery.co. uk
Th e Place For Plants, Easl Bergholt Place,
Suffolk C07 6UP Tel: +44 (0) 1206 299224
NW.placeforplanIS.CO. uk

one ofthe eonswhy berbve such bundnt berries is

dow quir'ky ttick ey pe1n enSUt'epoUtion

ABOVE Betberis chitria is
very djfficult to buy - ideal
for larger gardens as it will
grow to 5m x 7m. ABOVE
RIGHT Betberis soulieana
has berries that are al st 11ler ga rden at a time when iL needs iL the moSt , with
grape IIke - don't eat them
though. B are easy t Uptight habit and d ark autumn benies, set against its
grow and cope well with
exposed sites
wh o h as p ru ned one and e nco un Lered Lhei r viciouS
spikes will know. One look aLLhe terrifying Lhorns o n
a species $uch as B. zabclillllll is enough to consign the
secaleurs LO a d rawer for good
Evergree n varietieS bring olour and form LO th e
berries is down LO a quirky uick lhey performen$ure
Berberis d willii one of the most va lued. Its dense ,
b right prick ly leaves, make it a n asset to the spin e
o f a mixed borde r , but it also makes a n e ffective ,
impenetrable hedge. B. kawakamii has a similar habit ,
with larger , ho ll y-like leaves, p retty pink fruit and
b rutal thorns that would s urely deter any would-be
intrude r. The leaves o f the d eciduous berbet 111
contrast, play a strong role in au tumn , mming deep ,
g low ing s had es befo re th ey fal l , the co lou rs o ften
beautifully highlighting their berries
B. thunbergi cultivars all colour vivid ly , as does
B. g)'alaica's chief glor y are iLS almOSL metal1 ic b lue
fruiL , dangling in long , 100 bu nches vhile the spa rse
B. soulieall th narrow leaves and clusters ()f g rape-
like beies makes a dramaLifealure plan t.
One 0 1' Lhe reasons why berberiS have such abunda11l
po llination . They have what is de l ightfu
|I y knoW
.vn as
'itrlitabl
esta
mens
a berberis 00W .ver looking for necta r, and it n udges the
base of a 5m en this immediately responds , spri nging
towa rds the pistil at th e cent re of th e Oower a nd
depositi ng pollen onto the bee , which then rries the
pol le n to an othe r t1 owe r's st igma , g ua ran teei ng
pollination. A profusion o f ben ies follow.
lt is at <his time of yea r that <hese reliab le plants
dese rve a closer look. They may be commonly used in
Clty centrs and parks due to their 'don-touch-or-run
< hrough-me' spines , but they also have a jewel-like

B. dictyoph)' its red benies shining among yellow and
red leaves. Some berberis however , are grown simply
for their fan <astic berries . B. bean.ian.a has elegant
racemes of pale yellow fiowers , and gentle , glaucous
leaves , but in autumn it shines large rosy-purple
berries hanging from each leafaxis.
quality and deserve to be part o f planting schemes in
our gardens. lt is rare that you see a good range of types
of b e.rberis , and some are very hard to get hold of -
possibly due (0 lack of demand. Let's look a < them as
plants that offer more than jus< great secunty as a
boundary , and let them s parkle

82 THE ENGLl SH GA RDE N

 ALSTROEMERIA
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THE FNGlI SH GARDEN 85

PLANTS
ARBORETUMS

iVinkworth
Hascombe Road ,
Godalming, Surrey
G8 4AD. Tel: +44
(0)1483 208477. www.
nationaltrust.org.uk

BEST FOR: OOg walkers and

stunnlng vlews

For a change of scenery on your next

outing w ith your pooch. take a trip
to the hillside location of linkworth
Arboretum in Surrey. This hot.spot
was established in the 20th century by
Or Will rid Fox, who was passionately
interested in the environment and
plants, and is now packed w ith 1, 000
diHerent shrubs and trees , many 01
w hich are (are. The azalea walk,
w hich leads to the idylliC boathouse ze ea of rbmt/ Thorp Perrow
overlooking the beautilul lake, is a ?oretums goes back sfar s Be dale, Noh Yorkshire Dl8 2PR. Tel: +44
mass 01 colour at the end 01 April. In the EmlPtinPhanohs 'who (0)1677 425323. www.thorpperrow.m

autumn , the lusion 01 colours Irom the collected ex:otic trees on their
Japanese , American and Norwegian tr'lvels and c'edfo'dm. BEST FOR: Family walks, trails and birds
maples IS well worth a look , and il
Across the UK, 'we have
vu have plenty 01 time to spare , Thorp Perrow is a real lami ly aftair, and is set
fbulous selection o} rbo1'e
take the circular walk across the in the stunning Yorkshire Oales , not lar Irom
wetlands . but don't 1rget t bring
such .s Wesnbirt nd visit the historic town 01 Bedale. The estate was
vur waterproots , Children's trails u ill o.ffer JjOU the oppmtunitJj bought by William Ropner in 1927 and created
are also available enjoy some o.t 0111' most by his son Colonel Sir Leonard Ropn who
beut'ul tive trees long plan ned and plan ted it , Lenard' s son Sir
Open 1 Jan.31 M dally, 10am-4pm; withnre unusu1 species t John Ropner took over , and now owns and
1 Aprll.31 October , dally, 10am -5pm; usully found in this count1y' manages the estate , You may be surprised t

1 Nov.24 Dec, daily, 10am -4pm; and hear that none of the staft wrking at Thorp
Sue Holden, chief executive
26 Dec.31 Dec, daily, 10am-4pm. Perrow throughout this time had any previous
f The Woodlands Trust
arboricul tural experience , but their passion
and hard work is reflected in the beauty 01
the site. The arboretum has plenty ot walks ,
trails and glades 10 explore , and is laid oul in
sections A to Z. The Milbank Pinelum and
Spring Wood will keep you on your toes until
tea time. Thorp Perrow is currently home 10
f ive Nationa l Plant Collections including
walnuts , ash, laburnum and conlinus , all ot
which are held under the aspices of Plant
Heritage. And il this wasn't enough , t here
is a bird 01 prey and mammal centre w here
you can meet the creatures and watch
regular flying displays Irom eagles , falcons ,
haNks. vultures and 0Nls fro live
continents , as well as visit the Meerkat
Island and Wallaby Wood

Open mid.February.Mid November, daily ,

10am.5pm; Mid November.Mid February ,
daily, 11am.3pm.

88 TH E ENG Ll SH GARDE N

The Arboretum Trust
Ca stle Howard, York Y060 70A. Tel: +44
(0)1653 648650. www.kewatch.co.uk
BEST FOR: Furniture making and events
The Castle Howard Arboretum Trust makes
a great day out with the arboretum and
the woodland garden in Ray Wood to visit
Planting originally began in 1975 with an idea
Irom lord Howard and designer James
Russell to bring together a collection 01
hardy woody plants in Europe. In 1997, the
arboretum and woodland garden lormed
a charitable trust between Ca stle Howard
and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to
protect the 1ture 01 these collections
belore officially being opened in 1999 to
thepblic as part of Castle Howard's 300th
'Tre1'e much lik.e humn
beings ul enjoy each other's
compny. Only feu.llove be
lone.' Jens Jensen - SfUngs
anniversary. The
current plant
collection in the Ray
Wood boasts rhododendrons, rare
shrubs and trees. as well as members 01
the ericaceae lamily including vaccinium and
gaultheria. The arboretum covers 127 acres
01 grassland doned with orchids, herbaceous
perennials and exotic trees Irom around the
temperate world. You' lI also lind a selection
01 trees that have been specially grown and
haNested solely lor making lurniture. A new
20ne called Rotters Zone has recently been
created by the Yorkshire Roners and local
volunteers lor mposting and events,
w hich are held all year.
Open every day from the start of March
to the end of Novemb 10am.5.30pm.
National Memorial
Aboretum
Croxall Road, Alrewas, Staffordshire
OE13 7A R. Tel : +44 (0)1283 792333.
lWW.thenma.org.uk
BEST FOR: Remembrance
Visiting The Na tiona l Memorial Arboretum
in Staffordshire is so much more tha n just
a walk in the woods y u' lI come away w ith
a sense of realisa tion and full of natinal
pride. The arbretum is a charity run by sta
and volunteers , pa rt of the British Legion
family , who have all worked hard to presen t
a centre 01 remembrance t celebrate those
who have given their lives or sullered in the
seNice of their country. Plan ting began in
1997 with the help 01 grants Irom The
National Lottery. The Forestry Commission
and The National Forest . The rest 01 the
money came I rom thousands 01 donations
I rom a w ide variety 01 organisations. Today,
the arboretum consists 01 150 acres 01
wooded parkland and plots w ith well over
50.000 trees with a story and meaning behind
each one. For example , the Indn Army and
Royal Indian Navy plots have trees native to
the Himalayas and Southern As such as
Himalayan birch , Kashmir rowan and Bhutan
pine. There's also an avene 01 chestnut trees
called The Beat. l unded by every pOlice l orce in
the UK; w hile Dawn Redwoods can be l ound
on the Ambulance Service plot. As many as
300, 000 people visit each year. including
service personnel, veterans , students, groups
and individuals. They not only walk the trails
but also anend some of the 200 events held
here each yea r. Dona tions are welcome.
Open every day, 9am-5pm , except
Christn as Oay.
"
TH E ENGlISH GAROEN 89
Testonbirt
Th e National Arboretum , Near Tetbu
Gloucestershire GL8 8QS. Tel : +44 (0)1666
880220. www .forestry.gov.uk
BEST FOR: Volunteers and memberships
,
An autumn scene at W estonb rt is truly
breathtaking with its natural display 01 firework
colours lor visitors to admire. Managed by
the Forestly CommiSSion , the arboretum is
an historic Vi ctorian landscape w 'lh more than
160 trees (30 different spec,mens) and
shbs Irom Britain, Chi Noh Amer arbofetum which is currently used as a
Japan, Chi and other temte climales, all
loving!y anted and cared lor. Slrolling along the
17 miles 01 marked paths, you wil encounter
tv man areas to explore The Old Artxtum
andSillcWo 80th areas are rrple hot-spots,
but you" 50 be lucky enoh to e labulous
beech trees and the cherry collect in Silk
wEach tree has a label hanging Irom the
90 THF ENG Ll SH GAROEN
trunk or a low-hanging
branch. A blue label
indicates 'champion trees' ,
the tallest or the largest 01
their kind in Britain. Excitingly ,
there are 82 chanpions all 01
Mlichare worthy w inners. Westonbirt thrives
on volunteers and aims to expand oppounities
by developing the Westonbirt Project - a series
01 phases t o create an exciting new welcome
building and t ree walkway , as we lJ as improve
backstage lacilities and revive the historic
landscape sitated in the centre 01 the
park. Ynbeme a 'friend' by joining thelf
exclusive rremberip scheme, from whch
mem::eive fantastic benelits and offers
througho the~r.
Open every day. 1 April-30 Nov, weekdays,
9am-8pm; weekends 8am-8pm . 1 Oec-31 Mar,
weekdays, 9am-5pm; weekends, 8am-5pm.
Beautiful gardens
...crafted by professionals
Let us help you to improve
your view this Autumn!

Consultation - Planning - Design

Igchl! Cigh aJv ct' 00 [h~ choi of p1am. (0' 't'c:'nng. (01' obrainng
plann i P.CI'ITl10001 v wlising grden borJcrs iS' $econd na ll1:t to g
I!x~rts. Wt' Ill ghc Illakt' [ s buc 50'[ dla[ rssunn'
In$('l il'l) cOt)nl idt:<ls flow (or w Jt::$igI majo l' lll i1 kl.!"ovt:l'S(l'o m rl1t: rall:m d!
d'signers with whom w work. Lct lIS in troduthem [0 YOll~
u r nwJucro VI SI[your gardel'lusn your nds a oJ incl uJ.s an
hour'scon I tution

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A I1 prkes C'xdusi 'e of VAT.

Tclcphone:

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Em ail:
sales@tend ercare.co.uk

T HE ENG Li SH GARDEN 91
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 ECO-WATCH

Tree time
It' s planting seaso so Anne Gatti looks at how our leafy garden friends
help the environment and which ones attract the most w ildlife

M aInt ng number 0 1' insect specis l1sing our trees (see hoverOies , and caterpillars of the handsome
to have trees in the garden , and feel .v.countrysideinfo.co. l1k) are five natives: go ld-and-brown Barred 5allow moth. Field
that Oll r plots are only half dlsed oak. willow , birch (silver and downy) , maples , which are native to England but not
.vithout them. Apart fl)m the visual pleasu res hawthorn a nd blackthorn. Oaks hos t an 5cotland or I rela can reach 15m , but there
theygi we know at trees are seql1estenng impressive 28 species (423 if you include is also a dwarf variety ('Nanl1 m') , which , like
carbon as they grow, and so are invaluab le in mites) , bm if you live in London you might its big b ro th e r , copes with d rough t , soi l
cO l1 nteracting our CO, emissions. In buil prefe r <o ho ld off planting until o l1tb reaks compaction and air polll1tion , b l1t has smaller
up areas ,< hey' re particularly important , as of <he innocent-sounding Oak ProcsSlOnary leaves and only grows to a comely 5m. 50 , an
they filter pollmed air , mitigate l1ash flood ing moth are contained - a voracio l1 s foreign all-rol1nd nn r for any size of garden
an d help to moderate the heat-is land effect ctiuer that arrived ve years ago , probably on For small gardens and resuicted spaces , three
of tall buildings and hard natives pop l1 lar with
surfaces through the shade For small garns naves popul with insects eworth m sec <s are well won h
they cast in summer consideling: hawthoms, crab apples and rowans considering: hawthorns ,
A recent survey in crab apples and rowans
Torbay put a monetary value on urban t lmponed plants , and whoseterpillars pr Joy Wallis 0 1' the Dorset Wildlife Tmst says
eSlimaling lhat , from an environmental nose-to-tail, gobbling every leaf in their path gardeners o[ten overlook hawthorns , partly
point of ew the borou gh's 8 18 ,000 trees (ch eck 0 l1t ww.v.rhs.org.uk [or updates) beca l1 se they think 0 1' them as Icl speCles,
are wonh L280 million annually. They Number of inhabiting inSeCl Spees shOllldnt rather like gorse bush and bracken, and also
sequester 4 ,280 tons o f CO 2 ancl remove 50 be your only yardstick tho l1 gh: the elegan < because not many garden centres stock them
tons o f a lmosph eric pollmion. Clearly the Ci eld maple (Acer campestre) , selected last Bl1t they re easy to order from nurseties and , as
more lrees we plam, the better , especially in sprng by florist Shane Connolly to bring well as being magnets [or bees , bumblebees,
urban areas. English , namral, seasonal , ethical' elements to moths ancl hove rf1ies, they provide berties ancl
50 which ones should gardeners grow) The lhe royal wedding, has a mo modesl 26 insecl shelter for a range of dif[erent birds in amumn
[i rSl lh ing Lo work OUl is which s peles are speies using il. but <hese incl ude and winIf you wanL LO be sure o f gelling
mOSl likely lO thrive in lhe ondilions youan tOp pol1 i rtors 1ike bees and the berries , stick to single-flowerecl [orms.
provide - soil type , aspeCl , exp05ure , summer 50me people cl 5land the smell 0 1' lhe
and win Ler tempe ra Lures , space. 'vVilh OUl Uo\Vers - rotting Uesh or almonds and honey.
111 reasingly unreliable wealhe r cyles th e depending o n your nose- 50 maybe wa iL
buzzword for planting choi iS 'bi modal I.e u11lil youve sni([ed Lhem befo re making your
species that a n cope with more lhan one hOie . They can reah 10m if lefl unCut ,
kin d of weather extreme. ln her new book hUlan be kepl al a more manageable heigh L
I-lighlpaCl W-Cll1onGal'l<<:'nil (Timber wiLh an annual pruning
Press 16.99) Alice Bowe gives hombeam Joy also re mmends c rab a pples (Malu$
as a n exa mp le of a bi moda l tree that sylv.tlis) which clon't take up much room but
tolerates nd d rought and Ilooding. 5he can provide food and loclgi ng for up to 93
offers it as an attractve alternative to beech , insect species and flU it for bircls and mammals.
which can sllu ggle in waterlogged soils. Espa l iel against a wall, they will p rovide
Chenies can t cope with regu lar flooding ma mum nestngsites. The 1'0.van or mountain
eithe r , and in lhei r place Alice suggests ash (Sorbuscupwia) which does best in acid
selviceberry tl'ees (amelanchier) as multi-stems soils , is also an autumn larder for bi rds and ,
if you are on an eosed site or need to provide Ii ke the hawtho l11 and crab apple , gives the
a ndbrak for other herbaceous plants. Other gardener a blaze of aunmrn colour
zso

recommended b imodal trees inclu de as h , len II comes to sourcmg your tr leld-

d
s EEEg

hawthorn and Betula ng l'a , the lovely river g row n and local is the most sustai nable
birch, which has peeling cinnamon bark and choice: CO 2 emissions from prodution and
copes extme heat as well as 1100ding transport \vill be kep<<o a minimum , and the
Next , think abom what your chosen tree or plant shol1ld be well adapted to the grong
a

trees can offer to wildlife. Top of the list for the conditions 01' your area , and so sho l1 ld <hrive
,

1
'

THE ENGlI SH GAROEN 93

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 PLANTS
CUT FLOWERS

THE ENGlI SH GAROEN 95

PLANTS
CUT FLOWERS

PREVIOS PAGEJane
M YPPldm fg p lh In addllion , she g l'O ws her flowers 111 long, narrow
llndsey's 1970$ Alrstream Jobs lO grow flowers bUl Cew aClually ralsed beds, w iL h gl'assy palhways 10 enable blooms
ravan: 28ft long , go on LO make II happen. One who 10 be harvesled and recurnng weeds 5uch as docks lO
itprovld S p8 for has is Jane Undsy who moved Crom be pulled OUl wllhoUl lhe ground around lhm
her embroldery st\I dio scland large5l CJly lO a smallholdmg beonllngompaled.
and 8 shop. BElOW, m a brealhlakmgly beau LiCul SPOl, on lhe edge oC lhe Anolher hallenge comes Crom Scotland's cooler
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP l.och lomond and The Trossachs National Park. lO Slan wcalher and long hours of darkness between autumn
LEFT Aldeticlcstfrom Ihe Snapdragon Cutling Ga rden. '1 drmed of moving and spnng Expenence has taught Jane the annuals
ees further 810ng the lO lhe country, growing cut flowers and se\~ing lhings. and pcnmals that cope best \\ith the shoner gro\ving
va"ey provlde a ruk and 111 2003 we did just that: laughs Jane , a former season , and every year she and gardene r Fiona
support for sweet p8aS - 8 curator of British Art at the University of Glasgow. Mclndewer expenment with new species. They take
flow8r with a Io ng growlng Previously the mother-of-two had tried out her ideas carc , however , to avoid any seeds that are b red
58an In many pasof on a piece of land belonging to a friend , selli ng her in Medllcrranean cou ntries, as they often fail to
Sotland. Wlde square flowers out the side of he r green Citroen H van at pcrfomvell 50 far north
netting Is used to SUpp Carmers' markets. It was also is time that she came Ga rdcmng in Scotland IS d lfferent to England: we
the plants 8S they grow; up \vith the name for her enterp rise. '1 had a tenible can grow 10lS 01 hardy unnuals rea lly well - sweet peas
J8ne and her d8ughter slug problem , and the only thing they d idn't eat were arc 5lill in bloom as late as Se ptember - but half-hardy
Katie Glent ali ctm the snapd ragons , which also make great ClI t flowers.' ann Ll als struggle , un less i t's an exceptional summer,
fron the garden; 8 Sussex- Today. the Snapdragon garden is a patchwork oC becaU5e lhey do n't get enough time [0 1' blooming
crOS5 ockerel rules the muln-coloured blooms - very different tO the dock- Wc also grow perennials and get two crops [rom them
ro05t; whlte EchlnIJC81J ndden paddock at once occllpied .e three-qllarters- lf we CUl lhcm back at the right time. They love our
'White Swan' and purple of-an acre site. lts creation has not been withollt j <S rich 5011 and grow as tall as eight [eet, which means
EchinactJIJ purpura/J. challenges, thollgh , most notably from heavy soil prone lhal we gel 100S of flovers:
to welness from the Iugh levels oC rainCal l. Over nme , Among J3ne's 10p performers are echinacea ,
Jane has lightened lt \vith rock dllst and horse manu lhahclrum , delphmmm, stocks , sun[Jowers , achillea ,

'Ihad teibLe slug problem , and lhe onl,lJ lhing tlzey didn't et
u 'ere the snapdrgons whicll also make gl -eat cutjlOlrs'
 PLANTS
CUT FLOWERS

,
sweel peas alendula Salvia ncmo osa and Lhe yellow ,
garden is mspinng the embro dery - 1 u my machll1 e BElOW. ClOCKWISE
llusLle C('nUl ca ma Cl(l(cphala. 'Anylhmg lhal lS a waler hke a skelch pad , oflen 111raling new plams lhal FROM lEFT A water barrel
meadow planl really lhnves he. My favoumes indude 1 hav5n. WilhoUl e garden , lhmgs \Vould be lOO provides a resting pla
thahCLrum , bronze fennel and Sllpa gigallua.' rormulaic and conlnved. 1 hke 10 renellhe hangll1g ra louI bunch of

Jane ongmalslob of planLS we peuuals she had asons in my work.' sunflowers. croeosmia.
gradually bUlll lI P al home over veral y Loger On lOp or her SCMng and cUlung garden bllsmess l alum and salvia

\Vilh some she obta ll1 ed from a nU l'Se ly that \"'3S closing Jane's ents as a nower aangcr are eagerly soughl by seedheads;nflowers

down . Ad\~ce was lhankfully also forthcoming at the
beginning - nower supremo 53rah Ra\'en s generous
with her time dunng Snapdragon's early days.
Crealing a garden may have been Jane's dream , bllt
little did she rea 1ise lhat il would also play :1 signicam
rol e in the success of anOlher ncw business , making
embroidered tcxrilc accessones and homewares. Flowers
and the family's bcloved 1970s VW c3mpervan prode
much of thc insplratio n fo r l he desgns , which Jane
creates o n he r sC \VlI1 g m3c hi ne inside a 28[t- long
AirsLream caravan, WhlCh also hO Llses a small shop.
wedding couples, ahhough such bookmgs are Slnctly wlth several heads and
limiled 10 allow stocks of hcr nowers 10 recover , and to lateral sho a the best
ensure mOSl weekends can be spem \Vl lh daughlers Zoe, varieties r cut flowers,
14. and Katie , 11 , and her husband Euan. as they ensure a succession
Even though she is hundrcds of miles avay from of blooms throughout the
many of her customcrs, ]ane uses hcr mlemet blog to season; Jane picks out
share developmems in the Snapdragon ga rden. 'It's echlnacea from the garden;
beam iful here and I' m increchbly lucky. 1 go OLl Learly seeds and cuttings 8re
in the momi ngs to take photos. J'rn aSlou nded by t he raised in the polytunnel,
number of people who follow thc blog: glven lhe times partially hidden by beds
that people )og on , I' m su many look at 1l whIle lhey're f sweet peas, Crocosm;a

Snapc1 ragon's produClS have been so sucosful that E having <heir moming cotlce.' 'lucifer', sunflowers.
company now prodcs cmplonent for no [ewer than yellow Centaurea
tve people , along \VJt h Fiona 111 the garden, and sells iLS Sn <lpdrag11 SUII Il \'IHk, G'lI ludw' lI }i<l dcl, Hdlf' <l1I macro'phalaand

range through mall order and 300 shops across eUK SI <I!i oll G63 ONH Th~ J:wd" 1I p(<1 Ih t' I'Ul>l ll du JiIl~ mbaywillowhe.

The sewing began as someLhmg to fill in the momhs Augusl alld Scrlcrnl~ <1 11 \1IIduyUI<I fhlH d'l/ rn
when thcre was nOlhmg growmg in the garden , bm II 1O.30al>> I 3.301'111 J'd 4 (OJ13110t0903. f 3Vl c.'
soon [O ok ovcr. Nowadays , an lmportant role of the I11(0'1>><1 ,
11 11 , t ww \'

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t

Creating g rd.en my have been JIne 'eam but l ittle did she )'ealise tlzat
it 'I.vould lso pl I'Ole in tJze succso! nolher new business
 1 LAOY EA HAMILTON .Abrother} Glonousms o( brigtt
a ( , I!'U I1 yel col .r on the n?Ver- of
ta~nf"ll'-O .~ Jo4Io'111

the PCt.I A stroog. oeIi< isly fru'lY rance th I"Ints of pear. gre
dt'U'i. J upt. buy b Wlt l1 attractie )'Ol.unzy
':>10<11e He f ~g.4x3ft.

2. GERTRUOE JEKYLL IA) Be.lM h pink

rosenes wOId
c":.ct... ""<1 Imt. rhese ha1e qloinsenal
010 ro
"6ranc' ~trord perltlybax:ed Vefhthy a'ld
gablc. A perfea choic.e for 1e rrOddIe or back of e :lf"der; cm
~ """ .\ .m ber: 4 311 or 6-8 asa der:
3 MUNST0 WOOO (A. tsbem) UgtltTYlSJds graIly
FRAGRANT <>p- ") T' ~C opll' ep Ivety cn !TlSon biooms. n a
stf'Ol1& old rose fragrance ,..., th fruity notes of bIaben-;; Y
ENGL ISH ROSES and d.JmIt (OfrT-S ,) broildhy shrub Wl th arac'Je rTIId-greo1
ee
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Ah Wamdinteding Din's for plan tAng mlxed borers or formal re beds and for growing In
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te fn!,rll'l( e. An altrilcl shrub w ,th upward-(acromsand
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strength and variety of thelr fragrances which include 6. PRINCESS ALANORA OF KENT A~smen:hant) Lrge. rfectly
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growth and outstandlng hea rnakes them hlghly nts of monaracLcr:l. It ;.; 111:healthy.ant groups of
I~r f~ ml)q rr'1 :rn Icl )Y. x 2l1fi..
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7 Ll CHFIELD ANGEL (Ale) GIorious. creamy whte fIO''5
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gardens. VJgO<'OUS l'OU!lded shrub. A t. spicy fragr.e that W

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 T..... T
- F- II.
isley is a garden Lha l o fTers
inIIOl
hd
is
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mlJn
gar
dene
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lly'
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ou~
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season
s one of my fa'ourlle limes of lhe
year IS Wtnler I am oflen shocked and
surpnsed when people lell me Ihal they
Ihlllk gardens are nOI worth siting al Ihis
wonderflll tJ me , as Ihere \\-;11 be nOlhing of
Imeresl 10 see. How wrong Ihey are!
Whlle wJn ler mighl nOI have the volume of
floral dLSplays en in spli ng and .1mmer) 13t
It lacks in f1 0wer nllmbers it makes up for in
cI mn13 , quahty and scent.
The low bllt intense Sllnlight of the winler
1110mhs enhances the mcredible stem and bark
colollrs of many trees and shrul and lhe sight
of Ihese often SIOpS me in my tracks as I walk
around the comer by the lakes on Seven Acres ,
amazed by the paletle of colours be[ore me.
In other parts o f lhe garden , 1 jUSl close my
eyes and l1l hale the sweel scent o[ the
sarcococca (wmter box) , the Sp1C}' fragrance o[
lhe chimonanlhus or , my own personal
favourtlc , Ihe CllnlS smell of lhe Mmamehs
Ich haze l), a scent lMl always mindsme
of my mOlher makmg I113rmalade. 50 'lIpUp
warm and Jom me on a slroll around my
belod WLSley on a cnsp day lowards the end
of Wlmer , when the lemrarure IS jUS1:amng
10 nse (lf It'S 1 frosty and cold , there \VIll be
no scenl from <he flowers)
When I slan cI by Ihe Chlr Pagoda on
Se ven Acres and look across Ihe lake , I am
alway~ ~lllnned by how much IIl lense colour
omes from lhe rubllS, cOrnllS and salix lhat
have bcen planted en masse for wintcr stem

II1 L
ereS l. Al lhls ume of lhe year , lhe colour
IInpaCl IS doubled by lhe mlrror effecl of lhe
reOion on lhe waler
One of my per~onal favoumes IS COI nus
san,s:uinca 'Mldwtnler Fm~' Thls slunnmg
culuv has bnghl orange and yeUowloud
stems tipped \Vllh rcd DlIe lO lheir dramatic
colollring, large clumps of lh produce lhe
effecl of names nsmg from lhe ground.
AcloIy relaled culrivnr , lhough nOI 50 readily
avai1ab is Comu ~angujI1f{1 'Anny's W inler
Orange' , which has even moII1 lenIy vivid
red srems, Wh cn p lanled c10se IOgerher, borh
give Ihe impression o f a W1nrer fj re bllrning
brigh r1y agamsllhc ollthne of lhe lake.
There a al50 Olhcr grOllps of cornllS salix
and rub LlS planted arollnd lhe lake for nter
srem interesl. Thcy a all planted in 1arge dIil'ts
lO provide 11prcssivc displays of colour in a
patchwork q Lll1t effecl. lf lhese wcre to be
planted smgly , the cffeCl \Vould be messy and
mudd led Wilh 110 now. In small gardens.
1 would always recommend planung m group
f three as a mmllnum Al Wlsley. we use
m SC/lcca 'Budd's Yellow' lO bnng a bght
greeny yellow mlO lhe colour scheme. and
CoIll US aJba 'Al leman's Com1' wlule bell1g a
compacl grower , bnngs a bnght umform
cardmal red mto the dlsp1ay,
The use of members of the ornamental
rubus famlly bnngs another contrast of colour,
shape and textllre tO lhe landscap Rubus
ccxkbur nllmus LS one of lhe most spectaclIlar ,
FAR LEFT The Chlnese P89 0d a offers views over the lake. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Hamamelis x Intermed 'Or8nge Peel'; Sarcocca hookeriana
var. dlgyna; a change from the spring-flowering type , this Rhododendron daurlcum 'MIwlnter' 8 small shrub that thrives in an acid
soll; the stunrIng Helleborus Walberton's Rosemary is one of the flrst hellebores to flower 8t Wisley,
TOP FIVE WINTER PLANTS
Hamamelis x internedia 'Palhda'
. c.n sangujnea 'Midwinter Fire'
Sarcococca hkeriana var digyt
. A( 'White Tigress'
HeUeoo'Us Walberton's Roserrry
hpuIelred arching ste15 lhal are covel
in a wh ite bloom , a nd b rings a ghostly
luminoty to the garden. One of the fonsro
be found arOllnd the lake, and anorher personal
vOllrire is Rubus ccxkbu l1l(lnuS 'Goldcnvalc' ,
which has lhe ad ded bonlls 0 1' lovely golden
ferny fo 1i age in summe r. 1t is also mllc h
i5 mvve than the true species so IS bellcr
sllired to small gardens. In texlllral CO l1 trasl lO
'Goldenvale yotlw lnd Rubll~ phocnicolIUS
whic h is q ll i <e d iffe re n t in appcarancc.
Alrhough it still has rhe red archmg SlemS ,
they are covered in small thorns , givmg
a b Iisy , almosr hai1. 1k.
Wlth shnlbs that are grovn for wmlcr slcm
mterest , don't be tempd to prune lhcm 1
early. Some books and magazmes recommend
prurung em m February befo lhe sap Sta
nsmg , bm 1 wOllld recommend prunmg
towards the end of March. Prumng shghlly
later will allow y' tO enJOY lhe Slem colour for
as longaspS1bleAIWLSley:e penmented
m some groups of plants by prunmg them
every nd year , bm the slerns slaned 10 lose
PLANTS
WINTER INTEREST
lhrlOllr and lhey 3re nOw pruned eve'
yeal' lO mall1tall1 1l.
A fealllre of e \VlI1l garden which 1 felis
always overlooked IS lhnaked beauly of
dduolls ls. II syl55 below lhese
lrees \Vllholll glvmg em a second lhought ,
bUl 1 lI rge you 10 look upwards. You wi11
be nchly rewarded for your efforts. Even al
eye le'cl you \V, 11 see that many decduous
trees have lruly capl\'ating ornamental bark.
1 lnd res mesmerising and have often been
seen hugging the rrllnk of the huge native
oak , QUCfCUS robur , Slroking the ornamenra l
ba rk of Prunus scrl1l la or the strea ked bark
of rhe snake bark maple ,
There are numerous fo rms of these snake
bark maples growing throughout Wisley - one
0 1' lhe most llnpssive being the Acer White
igress' whose name perfectly describes the
whue suial10mtreaks ar areedged blue
on lhe bnght green bark. On a cold vi11ler's
day , lhere IS no finer sight rhan rhe simply
Slllnning bark of tlu.s tree ,
1 fmd il ll1Credlble rhar there a plants \vi
lhe smallest. most ll1COnsplClIOtLS Oowers that
prluce lhe strongest scem. The sarcococca
or \Vl nler box 15 the perfect ample. These
srnall e\'en shrubs ha'e ony whue spldery
Oowers, wluch emu a strong sweer scem. Ir IS
lhe male Oowers that prodllce e scem, and
111 one of lhe bes < forms for the garden.
Swccxcxw hliana \'ar. digyna. e amhers
a lmged th pl<. ..
CLOC KWlSE FROM TOP LEFT Tili platyphyllos
'Aurea'; Cornus lba 'Alleman's Compact' offers
the deepest colour stems; Cornu5 amomu m;
Slix dphnoides; Cornus alba 'Ruby'; Cornus
sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire; e brown stems of
Rubusniv15 and Comu5 sericel!l 'Red Coral'
at spartdes. OPPOSITE PAGE A wonderful
display of winter stems around the lake, which
n be enjoyed from e Chinese Pagoda

VlSfT WlSL.EY: Ope n eve dayexptCh tma5

Day. Monday to Frid ay: l08m -6p m; Saturday,
Sunday and Bank Holidays: 9am -6p m
RHS Garden Wisl Woking , Surrey GU23 6O B.
RHS members enter for free. Adults [10.90;
childten E3 .90. Group rat. are a 8vallable.
For more information, go to www.rhs.org.uk
 PLANTS
W INTER INTEREST

Al W i$ley we have lu01p$ of sarcococca plamed aboul 5001 ap3rt , so lhal as you walk lherefore lhough l lO require shelter ; and
lhroughoullhe garden. All around the areas of lhrough woodland. one planl leads you on secondly , beinglose lO a door allowed Sllor$
planling lhe air iS $weeLly emed and lhe scent lO anOlhe r. The firSI lO Ilower is al \Vays lO smell lhe 00vers
1$ plked up long before reaching lhe plaJ1lS Hamamel iS x ilJlencclia Orange Pee\' in mid- MOSI ga rde ners no r01ally assoiate
Confused viS itO r$ can oflen be seen looking December, followi by a procession of yello\Vs. rhododendrons with mass spring displays of
around tO see where lhe $cem is fro01. They oranges ancl reds right through tO February Lheatrical colou r. However, there a a few thal
never think to Jook at this small everglen. At this point. a fe\V words of advice: always flowe r duri ng winter, bringi ng splashes of
If I were to pick one group of shrubs fO I plant .vinter-Iloweling ShlUbs , and especially bra shocking and ll1 uch-needed colour to
110.venng nter interest , it wouJd probabJy scented ones, at the edge of a bed close to a the garden. A fvoulite rhododendron 1 enjoy
have to be hamamel the witch hazeJs. The path. Otherwi. you might lnd peopJe waJking each yea r is RhododenclrO Il dattricttm Mid-
spider-Jike Oowers are mostJy yello although across the beds, drawn by the beauty and the wi nter' , which produces pu rpJe flowe rs on
there are orange- and red-flowered fonns , and scent of the 1l0\Vers. 1\t Wisl there are often almost leaf1ess stems. ltsa 11all shrub that .i ll
are produced from December through to the well-wom tracks through the be and a few th live in acidic soils , and prefers a more open
end of Feblual. 1 prefer the yello\V-l1 o \Vered squashed pJants , as visito rs can't resist the situation where you can appreciate the pu rpJe
fo rms , as they stand om flowers during .vmter
better in the landsca pe in Undemeth many of the
the dark winter months and Mywlk is st being led by my sense 01 smeU, tcking shnlbs and trees ,<here are
brighten up the garden down the 5weet and sp,y scent 01 the wter-;weet pocke ofbtl and mere.s
inuneasurab noingmoreexiting than
The very best fom1s for seemg <he first snowdrops
gardens are the Hamamelis x nrermedia attraction of these sweet-smelling t10wers coming into bloom. Some of the helleboS 11
cultivars. Wi <hom doubt, the top dog is H. x My walk is still being led by my sense of also be coming il1to bloom at this time
inrermeclia Pallida' \V ith its sulphur yellow smell , tracking down .e sweet and spk y scent Helleborus Walberton's Rosem is one of the
110wers bome along bare stems. The spidery of the ntersweet or ChimonalJ rhus pra.cox. first , and is special due to its outward-facing
110wers seem able to withstand the coldest This plant has wax-like yello \V t1owers , \vith flowers , d e\ icate pink wth deeper pink
winters and in Pallida', once the temperatures fascinating purple markings at the centre , spotting over the petals
Iise, the air IS lled .vith a sweet, citrus scent ch appear along the leafl branches dming Wisley is a wonderful nter wonderland , so
The oIiginal plant of 'Pallida can still l founcJ the \vinter months. It is easy to walk past this wrap up warm and he-acJ round the garcJen for
growmg in the centre of Battleston I-lill. ancl plant ancJ not notice the flowers, so unassl\ming a refreshing walk. Sit in the Chinese Pagoda
during nter I make sveral pilgrimages to is it in its beal\ ty. When Chmonanthus praecox and enjoy the 5phony of colour in the mass
admire it in full bloom. \vas rst introduced into the UK, it was often plantings. A walk around Wisley in \vinter is
More man 70 different cultivars of harnamehs grown against a wall close to the entrances 01 a lat for all the senses, and not tO be missed
are gro\Vn at Wisley, mostly on Battleston Hl largecol\nn hOUse5. This was for two re-.lSOns: There iS so much tO touch and smell. Ilove
and in the Wild Ga rde n. They have been firstly, il was nO l believed lO be hardy an cJ il, and I am sure you \vill lOO

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On sale
BOOKS

Libra7 leaves
Snuggle up with one of these love l tomes and then imagine next
season's plot and produce , inspired by wha t' s between the covers

..

E

E
STYLE
VINTAGE FLOWERS
(Kyle Books, f25)
I think it' s fair to say the word
'vintage' w ill divide most couples
On the one hand , it will be seen as
reassuringly h mely with a stylish
twist. On the other, the concept of
vintage anything w ill simply strike
a note of panic that yet more '

6
old nic nacs' are about to enter the
house. Regrettab I speak from
The fmnt cov'ys it ll d Teassures us that ough eword
first-nand experience about the
matter, and 1don't think I need
bge' the title, she isn't 'ely onb.utifuJly 1<dedroses'
to spell out the gender divide
Nevertheless, there w ill be many and an old Renault van. This is pOlgnant memOfles or connectlons isn't a criticism . I adore the style
for whom l ondon-based florist Vic clearly a personal project, for Vic, w ith trinkets from bygone eras? and am frankly envious of Vic's
Brotherson' s first book will be a and the result is a refreshingly Cynicism aside. perhaps this ability to gather gorgeous things

u-
nust-have. The front cover says il anecdotal sourcebook rather than approach reveals how a florist sees together to create these vignettes

all: a tastef1 yet sunptuous
arrangement of hellebores and lilac,
which reassres us that though
the word 'vintage' is in the tit
a 'step-by-step' floristry guide. It' s
as if she is taking you by the hand
and leading you inlO her world;
0 1 quirky and ptlvatlOg as It IS
p=WZEMZ
the world of flowers and maybe by But if you're not a florist and
sharing this vision you can find the struggle to find even five mintes
confidence to see and do things in to rootle around in that little shop
your own way too. This is a highly that sells incredibly bea utifu l (but
EU=-Z E

Vic isn't going 10 rely just on
beautifully faded roses to drive
home the theme. It's not only the
style that Vic has chosen that
Rather than spelling out why you
should put this flower with that one
or choose a particular vessel to
display them , she instead recounts
styled book, filled with ideas and
inspiration for flower combinations
and displays. To try and literally
recreate these arrangenents nay
eye-wateringly expensive) retro
gens then this all seems a bit 0t
of reach . 1 renalnndeterred
though , and, aspiring to live t he
ZQmwU

makes me positively twitch to get a slory about w hy she's created prove to be frstrating Ihogh dream, this weekend 11 piCk aVic-
my hands on the book. I'm a sucker an arrangemen t. However, even for Part of the reason they look so inspired bnch of faded hydrangea
EJJUU

for the subject maner too as, no an ardent fan such as myself. after striking is that they are plad in heads and display them p roudly in
'""

doub t in common with countless 120 pages this sta.s to feel a little very styled settings. and most of an old chipped chamber pot 1saw
other o ffice-bound workers, 1 contrived , and makes yo us don't have that go rgeos metal in a charity shop. 1'11 just put it in my
harbour a secret desire to become reluctantly question whether one fai rground horse, or the wonderful study, out of sight of my partne r.
a florist - with my own flower shop person reallyn have this many wonky wire rack bookse. This Cinead McTernan, deputy editor

106 TH E ENG Ll SH GA RDE N

Books for planning next year's garden
COLOUR IN THE GARDEN
(Merrell, f18.95)
Val Bourne tackles the sbject that
occupies most gardener5 w hen
planning a border. Texture and
shape may be the predominant
fashion at the momen t, but she
encourages and advises on vibrant
plantings for different situations.
6 siasm
his book
is c
you' with '1Jhat ~er
HOWTO
GARDENING - ALL YOU
NEEDTO KNOW
(Right Way, f5.99)
Expert gardener and w riter
Richard Rosenfeld's useful guide
is aimed particu larly at beginners
but also ers advice that even
the more experienced gardener
could try. It provides all the basics
in an infomative and entertaining
way. w ith know-how tips on
keeping your soil in perfect shape,
planting your trees correctly ,
structural basics. climbers and
shrubs, containers, rotating crops
for the kitchen garden, creating
a Ilower border and wildlil e
gardening - there's even a section
on gardening on the cheap ,
suggestlng Ist the essential tools
you need. Richard's energy and
enthusiasm is captured throughout
and even engages the reader
further by including mini-quizzes,
interesting facts about slugs and
snails as well as explaining how
to make pot-pourri for yorhome
FOLl AGE PLANTS
(Fra LinIn f12.99)
The late great Christopher lI oyd's
book has been reissued w ith a
new introduction by his head
gardener at Great Dixter, Fergus
Garrett. If you haven't read it yet,
now's your chance
teU
i:'luding
sing your own Ilowers. My only
criticism is there are very lew
drawings, making this quite a
heavy read; 1 can't help but leel a
little disappointed by the lack 01
colour insidehat said, Richard
has strong opinions throughout
and ends his book with 'what they
never tell yo including what life
rea lly is like for a nurseryman.
along w ith guidance to make a
garden nursery successful. This
book is well worth a read.
Victoria Kingsbury,
editorial asslstant
WATERWISE PLANTS for
SUSTAINABLE GARDENS
(TI mber Press, f16.99)
Bags of plant choices, compaon
planting picks and interesting ideas
for droght-hi t spotsnd the
sustainably minded from the
American couple that brought
you Plant-Ori'en Oesign.
he has
what life really is likefor a nUTSeryman'
EXPERT ADVICE
THE ART OF
CRATIVE PRUNING
(Timber Press, f25)
1first heard 01 Jake Hobson several
years ago, when admiring a couple
01 cloud-pruned box in the front
garden of Rosemary Alexander.
principal 01 The English Gardening
Schoo l. Though not usually a lan 01
topiary, something about these little
poodle-like trees 5et 011 a spark in
me, and 1have been lascinated
by this a 01 control ever since
Those two beauties were clipped
by Jake himsetf. and 1was late to
the pay as it seems most knowing
gardeners are aware of his status
as the nation's top guy for niwaki
(Japanese garden treesl - he even
named his business after the
discipline. And there is an image of
my two mini inspirations on page
43 of his new book - it's like seeing
old friends. This is just one lovely
photograph in a book lull of pictures
0 1 greenery that is qite arresting,
intriguing , sometimes hilarios and
Ylu
Wll8L1FE 8tH"
YOUR WILD LlFE GARDEN
(David & Charles, f12.99)
Our emine knowledgeable
former editor-at-Iarge Jackie
Bennett reissues her wildlife
garden advice book, with tasks,
plants and practical projects for
every month to help encourage and
nuture all the little creatures
st
odd. but always evocative and likely
to draw opinion. Jake is eenSlve
in his verage 01 stv1es and lornS
from all over the world, w ith plenty
of advice on how to actually do
these things, such as creating a
cloud hedge, pleaching a hedge,
pollarding and Japanese niwaki
styles such as lukinaosh i. But
there are also profiles 0 1 gardens,
anecdotes and lots of historical
and design information. This book
is lascinating , something differen t,
and very interesting.
Stephanle Mahon, books editor
THE ENGlISH GAROEN 107
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Meeting royalty and creating new irtiatives are all in a day's work when you
take the top job at the RHS, and Sue Biggs has plenty more pl15 for the future

w hen l 5
di rector general, 1 knew it was my
d rea m job , but 1 d id n't expecl it
wo uld be so exci ting , d iverse and inspi ring.
Highlights in the ftrst year incI uded showitg
,
HM The Queen and HRH P ince AJben around
RHS Chelsea Flower Show Crght); seeing our
beautiful gardens change over the seasons;
meeting some of the thousands of children that
we h elp e du cate in th e joys and sk ills 01
growing through our Campaign for Sch ool
Gardening; opening an RHS leaming centre in
Devon; kicking o [f the fund raising for our
new scientific research facility at Wisley; and
hostng the award ceremony for Euro pe s
larges t commu ni ty gardening campa gn ,
RHS Britain 111 Bloom
!t was also fantastC to discover wh at a
won clerfu lly passionate team we have at the
RHS , full of nspiring, knowleclgeable people.
!t's a joy workng h 1em - ther energy and
en thusiasm is infectious, whether t's gardeners, interest in gardens ancl gardenmg. One of our Lime , WiLh Lo ugh Euro pean co mpe L i L io n
cura tors , our re tal s ta f f, the shows ancl key aims is to be kno.vn loved and tnlsted as and we need lO 5Uppon them. I ceinly LOok
memberip teams , school advisor Iibrarians , the charity for all gardeners advan Lage of Lhe go rgeo us plants from ou r
sciemists , support staff. .. the list goes on We therefore created the IS Elenence an exhibiling specialiSl growers and SLocked up
Hdwev r ! was a liLLle s urprised by lhe interactive d iSplay LhaL b rings elemenrs of the aL Lhe Hamp tO n and TaLlQ n shows with yet
sh yness 0 1' Lhe o rga nisatio n an d a p parem soclety work LO li[e , from scie nL i l c research mOI gl5 hinacea and ros$
u'nw illingness LO ShO UL abouL wh at we do LO commun iLy and educalion projects. lt was Anothe r pli vilege is wa lking arou nd ou r
pespile being a memb [or 18 years , il wasn'[ launched aLChelsea and laken LOall our rnajol gardens , such as RHS iVisley in total silence as

ZFEESZ
the sun is comi ng u p. At the moment , I'm
excited about the work we're doing \Vi th Tom
IUas also ftmtastic discover what a J1 der II!J passi0l1ate team
Stuart-Smith in our woodland area at Harlow
c hlWe at the RHS, full of i~lspiriJ1g kowledgeable people'
dE Z

Ca lT. There is so much d iversi ty in the work

o

we do that it's hard to reflect on them all here ,

Ed3

until l took on th is role that 1 appreciated the flower s hows - it's a great way for us to engage but seein g our breath ta king a rt an d book
breadth and gnitcance of our chalitable work. visitors and show them about our chali ty. collections lor the lrst time was hard to beat
lt became cIear that we needed to communite And what an amazing show RHS Che lsea le never sto p th ink ing a bo u t how to
4402 ga

what we do and why to r more people.
In order to help us become more effective ,
the RHS was soon streamli ned into seven core
divisions , with horticulture at the centre of
everything . The RHS is now a unified team ,
was this year. I he buzz dUling build up is
incredible , and there is always a real sense of
camaraderie. One o f the j ob pe rks has been
early mom ings at shows; the scents and sights
of hundreds of blooms in the floral marquees
tantalise with more honicultural delights. As
this goes to press ve just launched the lrst
ever National Gardening Week. from 16 <022
April 2012. Ihis initiative is designed to get
even more peop le gardening , and to make
EdEEE

vi th an energeC new senior management <.eam and our festival of roses at Hampton Court horticulture a career to be really p roud of,
and a keen as piration to be Illore op en and Palace Flower Show are incred ibly special. because, as we all know , nothing beats the life-
conficlent , and <o welcome everyone \vith an British nurseries ancl growers have a challenging eancing j oy of gardens and gardening

114 TH E ENG Ll SH GA RDE N

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