Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

This summer, at The Beth Chatto Garden in Essex visitors were greeted with a sign that read: ‘The Gravel Garden is never irrigated. 50 days without rain’, and, as I write, the MET office has confirmed 2018 as the UK’s driest summer for 57 years, since records began. Yet the garden still looked beautiful. The Granary garden in Kent designed by Alex Mitchell has been inspired by Beth’s seminal drought garden. Similarly, it is created on the site of a former car park, until recently under concrete. The topography of The Granary takes its cue from the surrounding landscape but it’s filled with drought-tolerant plants, including glaucous Euphorbia myrsinites, and sedum, stachys and Rosa rugosa. As with all gravel gardens, self-seeding plants, such as Verbascum bombyciferum and Verbena bonariensis, are…

GARDEN ART If you’re visiting Tate Britain this summer you may notice something a little different about the gallery’s front lawn. The design collective Something & Son has transformed the space into a working garden, complete with a greenhouse and raised beds. The project called, Common Ground, hopes to address the problem of loneliness by encouraging social activity between visitors. Architectural elements, such as climbing plants, arch over pathways to draw people closer together and sculptures, with built in voice-recognition software, will flow with water when triggered by conversations nearby. Look out for the programme of events taking place in the garden over the summer, including a lunch on 8 September, prepared by Michelin-starred chef Skye Gyngell of Spring Restaurant in Somerset House, that will use ingredients grown in local…

The rugged, unspoilt Beara Peninsula is the wildest of the peninsulas in southwest Ireland. Here mountains meet the sea on the very edge of Europe. Admittedly, most wildflowers seen in Ireland are also to be found in Britain and northern Europe, Ireland’s status as the most geographically isolated part of Europe (it has been an island for longer than Britain), restricted the number of plants that re-established themselves here after the last Ice Age. The floral range may be more limited than that of mainland Britain, but the mild maritime climate is forgiving, and there is a group of plants (collectively known as Lusitanian flora) that is native to Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula, but absent from much of the rest of Europe. These present an unresolved biogeographical puzzle. Examples…

Early gardening memory My grandpa had fields where he grew veg to sell at the market. My sister, our cousins and I were supposed to help, but we just ran through a labyrinth of tomato plants growing up tall canes under the sprinklers, ate juicy warm peaches from the trees and feasted on peas at sunset. My favourite playground. Your career path to horticulture I graduated with a degree in Fine Arts, but was worried by the high level of unemployment among young people in Spain, so I went abroad to volunteer in different projects. I learned about permaculture, sustainable architecture and community building, and soon enough I thought gardening would be my way to contribute to a healthier environment. Good advice for every gardener Get a feel for the…

If only we could know what the future weather patterns might be. What we can say with certainty is that our climate is changing, and a future-proof garden should not keep all its eggs in one basket. Diversity is key to a healthy ecosystem, so meadow plantings with their extensive range of species and cultivars make sense; not everything will survive, but much will thrive. Varied plantings also support diverse wildlife, and no garden will survive in the future without a wide supporting cast of insects and birds. Perhaps the most exciting element of the modern meadow is seeing it grow and evolve from such tiny beginnings. Sowing by seed means that plants adjust to specific local conditions, with future generations of seed developing landrace adaptations. It’s also efficient: seed…

I first became aware of the attractions of Pennisetum during my student days at Kew. Adjacent to the School of Horticulture is the Grass Garden, a wonderful oasis with a central patch of lawn that became a bolthole for students looking to relax between lessons. From this spot you could observe how visitors, particularly children, were drawn to the fountain grasses when in flower, stroking the long, bristly plumes as they would the tail of a cat. The genus Pennisetum comprises about 80 species, mostly perennial, from sub-tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Many are highly ornamental, and for the most part, clump-forming (a few are rhizomatous), with neat tussocks of arching foliage from which numerous fountains of plume-like inflorescences emerge from mid- to late summer. The seedheads…

• Ashwood Nurseries Ashwood Lower Lane, Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 0AE. Tel 01384 401996, ashwoodnurseries.com • Beth Chatto Gardens Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex CO7 7DB. Tel 01206 822007, bethchatto.co.uk • Cotswold Garden Flowers Sands Lane, Badsey, Worcestershire WR11 7EZ. Tel 01386 833849, cgf.net • Dove Cottage Nursery Shibden Hall Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 9XA. Tel 01422 203553, dovecottagenursery.co.uk • Edulis 1 Flowers Piece, Ashampstead, Reading, Berkshire RG8 8SG. Tel 01635 578113, edulis.co.uk • Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants Priory Lane Nursery, Freefolk Priors, Whitchurch, Hampshire RG28 7FA. Tel 01256 896533, hardysplants.co.uk • Knoll Gardens Stapehill Road, Hampreston, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7ND. Tel 01202 873931, knollgardens.co.uk…

ISLAND GARDENS by Jackie Bennett Photographs by Richard Hanson White Lion Publishing, £25 ISBN 978-0711239753 This jewel of a book combines really engaging well-researched content with the glossy beauty of a coffee-table publication. Reviewer Hannah Gardner is a gardener and garden writer. Jackie Bennett writes with authority and flair. Part travel inspiration for the outlying islands of the British Isles and part informative garden guide, this is a book enlivened by a generous dose of storytelling and nuggets of geographical and cultural history. Bennett has selected and researched beautiful and interesting gardens from among the 100 inhabited islands of the British Isles. There is a pleasingly diverse range of both gardens and custodians. The gardens of community trusts, private individuals, hotels and The National Trust are included. Larger islands, such…

Autumn is an excellent time to plant perennials. The plant’s roots will have time to settle in before the growing season begins the following spring. Order your favourite perennials now for great results next year. Gardens Illustrated readers receive 10% off plus free P&P*across the entire Sarah Raven range – visit sarahraven.com Here are some ideas to inspire you. Agapanthus ‘Navy Blue’ syn. ‘Midnight Star’ Agapanthus make a structural and graceful addition to any border. ‘Navy Blue’ is a glamorous and dramatic cultivar with the deepest-blue bells on blue-black stems. 1 x 9cm plant £8.50. Offer price £7.65 3 x 9cm plants £24.50. Offer price £22.05 1 x 2L plant £17.50. Offer price £15.75 Coreopsis ‘Mango Punch’ A compact and hugely floriferous soft peach-orange coreopsis that blooms all summer. 1…

1 BLARNEY CASTLE Visit the prehistoric Fern Garden, our deadly Poison Garden, and our magical Rock Close. Stroll by the lake, riverside and woodlands or through the dazzling arboretums and herbaceous borders in all their summer splendour. But don’t forget to kiss the famous Blarney Stone! Café and shops on site. Blarney, Cork, Ireland | +353 21 438 5252 | blarneycastle.ie 2 SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDEN Sissinghurst Castle Garden is a place for all seasons. Visit any time of the year to see Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson’s creation with a different view. The garden is the result of the of the creative tension of Harold and lavish planting of Vita set within a romantic ruin of an Elizabethan house. Nr Cranbrook, Kent TN17 2AB | 01580 710700 |…

CLAIRE TAKACS Claire photographs a New Hampshire garden, page 78. “I was so glad I visited the Malts’ garden twice to capture this beautiful light and mist in this gorgeous garden and landscape.” KENDRA WILSON Kendra visits Alex Mitchell’s garden in Kent, page 42. “Alex’s garden is a personal memoir, evoking happy childhood memories. On another level, it is also entirely practical, in an unpredictable climate.” MATTHEW REESE Head gardener Matthew selects the best pennisetums, page 64. “Pennisetums are one of the prettiest flowering grasses and are a wonderful component in the late border.”…

ALSTROEMERIA ‘SUMMER BREEZE’ Dutch breeders of cut flowers are always trying to develop stronger and longer-flowering blooms. Occasionally, some of the plants they come up with are ones that also work exceptionally well in a garden setting. This alstroemeria with its slightly striped, dark bronze-coloured leaves and marbled red, orange and yellow flowers is just such a plant. In the garden it loses its regulated growth and can reach a height of around 80cm. It flowers for an exceptionally long time adding an exotic-looking touch of summer heat to September borders. Height 80cm. Origin Garden origin (species Chile). Conditions Moist but well-drained soil; sun and part shade. Hardiness RHS H4† . Season of interest Summer to autumn. PHLOX PANICULATA ‘NATURAL FEELINGS’ What a bizarre-looking phlox this is. I sometimes think…

1 Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ The lacy, arching flower wands on the branching stems of this goldenrod cultivar bring an element of the wild into cultivated territory. 90cm. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b† . 2 Isotoma axillaris Treated as an annual, this Australian native forms an icy blue flowering groundcover. 30cm. RHS H3, USDA 10a-11. 3 Salvia coccinea This tender, flaming red salvia is treated as an annual and pinched to encourage branching. It provides a spark of colour throughout summer into autumn. 60cm. RHS H3, USDA 8a-10b. 4 Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ Standing tall to match the height of ornamental grasses and beloved by bees as well as hummingbirds, ‘Black and Blue’ blooms throughout summer into autumn. 2.5m. RHS H3, USDA 8a-10b. 5 Lablab purpureus Purple hyacinth bean seeds…

What Flowering grasses, with long, bristly plumes from mid- to late summer. Origins Asia, Africa and into Southern Pacific regions. Found in both warm temperate and sub-tropical zones. Season Most pennisetums flower from midsummer into the autumn, and some continue to hold themselves together into winter. Size Small, versatile pennisetums are about 40cm tall, while larger forms grow to over 1.5m. The warmer the climate/ season, the taller and larger the plants. Conditions Most pennisetums need a temperate climate with warm summers. Although some can take drought when established, the Asian species do best in warm, moist soils that don’t sit wet in the winter. Hardiness Many are hardy in all but the coldest parts of the UK, and some are tender perennials. All do best in a warm summer.…

People sometimes talk about having a passion for gardening, which generally means they like it a lot. But for true passion, few measure up to Keith Wiley. His garden, Wildside, on the fringes of Dartmoor, has been acclaimed as the most exciting and innovative in the UK. “We haven’t even begun to explore all of the possibilities for where gardening can go,” he declares, eyes glittering. “We’ve all done it in the same way, year after year, generation after generation.” At Wildside, however, he is determined to push the boundaries of an experimental, ‘style’ of gardening – one inspired by close observation of nature, but with an understanding of form, a sense of narrative and a lyric intensity that lifts it on to an entirely different plane from more familiar…

IT IS NOT ONE COLOUR BUT THE COMBINATION OF COLOURS THAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL PAINTING Garden design is such a monumental subject that it is near impossible to give a straightforward response when asked: How do you create a successful garden? Like art, gardens can be incredibly personal, subjective and self-expressive. Every time I design a garden, I find myself travelling back to when I was a student of Fine Art, standing behind my easel and carefully observing the composition laid out in front of the class. I used to contemplate the composition for what seemed like an age before I could comfortably dip my brush into the ‘perfect’ colour because at the time I believed the perfect colour did exist. As I have become braver in my colour choices,…

NATURE. AESTHETICS. DESIGN. by Peter Berg DVA, £45 ISBN 978-3421041074 A collection of gardens designed by garden architect Peter Berg, with a foreword by James Alexander-Sinclair. CHARLESTON: A BLOOMSBURY HOUSE AND GARDEN by Quentin Bell and Virginia Nicholson White Lion Publishing, £18.99 ISBN 978-0711239319 Charleston explored by Vanessa Bell’s son and granddaughter. URBAN ARBOREAL: A MODERN GLOSSARY OF CITY TREES by Michael Jordan and Kelly Louise Judd White Lion Publishing, £18 ISBN 978-1781317419 An illustrated history of trees found in cities around the world. THE MARIANNE NORTH COLLECTION Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, £40 ISBN 978-1842466650 A stunning coffee table book full of botanical paintings by Victorian traveller and artist, Marianne North. JAPANESE KNOTWEED: UNEARTHING THE TRUTH by Nicholas Seal Carrowmore, £14.99 ISBN 978-1999991517 A detailed guide to Japanese knotweed from…

1 WATERPERRY GARDENS The magnificent herbaceous border at Waterperry Gardens bursts with late summer colour with the flowering of its Michaelmas Daisies. Head to one of the specialist weekends on 15-16 and 22-23 September for expert advice and to find many varieties for sale. Opening times 10am to 5.30pm. Near Wheatley, OX33 1LA | 01844 339226 | waterperrygardens.co.uk 2 OSTERLEY PARK AND HOUSE Osterley Park and House is one of the last surviving country estates in London, with the restored 18th-century gardens taking on their glorious autumnal hues. Don’t miss the vibrant colours of the ornamental vegetable garden, set within the beautiful Tudor walled garden. Isleworth, London TW7 4RB | 020 8232 5050 | nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley 3 ABBOTSFORD Abbotsford is the Regency formal revival garden designed by…

1. OLD COURT NURSERIES Specialist growers of Michaelmas daisies for over 100 years. Visit us for a great range of herbaceous plants and enjoy the 1.5 acre adjoining garden. autumnasters.co.uk | 01684 540416 2. RV ROGER LTD Traditional third-generation nursery, growing a huge range of heritage roses, fruit trees and hardy nursery stock in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire. Multiple RHS Gold Medal awards. Containerised roses available now. rvroger.co.uk | 01751 472226 3. KELWAYS PLANTS Kelways is a long-established name in the horticultural industry, specialising in peonies and irises while also offering a comprehensive range of plants to meet all your needs. kelways.co.uk | 01458 250521 4. WEASDALE NURSERIES LTD Hardy trees and shrubs from hardy beginnings at an elevation of 260m above sea level. Ask for a copy of our splendid…

JAMES BASSON James lives in the South of France where he runs Scape Design with his wife Helen, specialising in low-maintenance and dry gardens. He is a fervent advocate for creating sustainable landscapes. The winner of four Chelsea Gold medals, he was awarded Best in Show in 2017. FERGUS GARRETT Fergus was appointed head gardener at Great Dixter by Christopher Lloyd in 1993. He is passionate about passing on his knowledge through student and volunteer programmes at Dixter and through worldwide lectures. He was awarded an RHS Associate of Honour in 2008. ANNA PAVORD Anna’s books include her bestseller The Tulip and most recently Landskipping. For 30 years she was The Independent’s gardening correspondent. In 2000 the RHS awarded her the Veitch Memorial Medal. She lives and gardens in Dorset.…

1 Floral Fantasia RHS Garden Hyde Hall has teamed up with Thompson & Morgan to create a large-scale display of more than 1,000 summer bedding plants planted in pots and hanging baskets. The display includes new introductions and offers a wealth of gardening inspiration for visitors. Until 30 September. RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET. Tel 01245 402019, rhs.org.uk 2 APLD International Design Conference Diversity by Design, the APLD’s International Design Conference, takes place this year in Toronto. An impressive programme of garden and nursery visits, including rooftops and the restored Toronto waterfront, has been organised alongside the conference talks and discussions. 13-17 September. apld.org 3 The Art of Making Buildings A major retrospective of the work of one of the world’s leading architects Renzo Piano, whose designs…

Grasses come to the fore in late summer and autumn and one of our favourite gardens to see them at their best is Jakobstuin, in the northern Netherlands. It’s a good example of the new perennial planting inspired by the likes of Piet Oudolf and Cassian Schmidt and the prairie style championed by Jan Spruyt where grasses play an even more prominent role, along with plenty of echinaceas, sanguisorbas and agastaches. The garden is part of a larger property, de Coulisse, which offers bed and breakfast accommodation. Tillewei 21, 9258 GP, Eestrum, Friesland, the Netherlands. Tel +31 (0)512 843667, decoulisse.nl Around 40 miles south of Rotterdam, on the outskirts of the old city of Dordrecht, is Villa Augustus a hotel and restaurant located in an old water tower overlooking the…

1 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ Dark-eyed, deep-yellow flowers up to 12cm across sit strong above dark-green leaves. Loves a sunny spot, not too dry, and will flower from August right through to October. 60cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 3a-9b† . 2 Silphium terebinthinaceum Prairie dock, is a towering beast with small, brilliant-yellow flowers and elephant ear-like leaves at the base. Needs space, but plants are very long lived and flowers last for over a month. 3m. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. 3 Liatris pycnostachya One of the tallest Liatris species, with spikes of tightly bunched lavender flowers that bloom from the top down. Excellent cut flower. 1.2m. USDA 3a-9b. 4 Eurybia spectabilis Clouds of large, violet daisy flowers cluster at the tip of each stem. Prefers a hot site and…

PLAY OF LIGHT AND COLOUR This terracotta pot is one of several at Sissinghurst bought many years ago from a small pottery near Sienna. It sits in an intimate, enclosed area behind an over-sized, aged, oak door that leads from the potting shed yard into the rose garden, so it’s one I pass several times a day. As this area is not generally open to visitors, I can relax and have fun with the display here, trying out plants and combinations with some interesting results. How to achieve the look My starting point was to create a display of sufficient volume and size to stand up for itself against the relative enormity of the wooden door and brick wall. At the same time, I wanted a display that was both…

Although there are many new cultivars of Pennisetum that are suitable for the cooler summers in northern parts of the UK, they still require a warm spot. Seek out a sunny, south-facing position, or even a sheltered location in a sun trap. Pennisetums will also be thankful for an extra boost of radiant heat provided by a wall or stone path. Aim to plant pennisetums in late spring when the soil is warming up (a general rule true for most grasses). Avoid planting in autumn – it will be the death of the plants if you do so. On planting, improve the soil by adding a slug of rich compost, mix thoroughly with the existing soil, and add grit if the site has a tendency to sit wet. In very…

In November 1834, George Loddiges of the Conrad Loddiges & Sons Nursery in Hackney, east London, took charge of a shipment of plants from Sydney, Australia. Among the plants was the first live introduction to the UK of the delicate coral fern Gleichenia microphylla and several Callicoma serratifolia that had grown from seed on the journey. The plants had spent the eight-month voyage on the deck of the ship, unwatered, in temperatures that had ranged from -7ºC to 49ºC, but they arrived back in London it what Loddiges described as a ‘very healthy state’ because they were the first plants to be shipped to the UK in a Wardian case. These closely glazed cases revolutionised the movement of live plants around the globe. Loddiges estimated that before he began using…

INSPIRED BY NATURE Cuprinol Garden Shades, £16.06 for 1 litre, Cuprinol 0333 222 7171, cuprinol.co.uk MINIMAL PREPARATION Chalk Paint, £19.95 for 1 litre, Annie Sloan 01865 803168, anniesloan.com RICH PIGMENTS Exterior Eggshell, £67 for 2.5 litres, Farrow & Ball, 01202 876141, farrow-ball.com CLASSIC COLOURS Garden Joinery Paint, £20 for 1 litre, The Garden Trellis Co, 01255 688361, gardentrellis.co.uk SOFT LOW SHEEN Sandtex 10-year Exterior Satin, £18.49 for 0.75 litres, Crown, 0330 024 0281, sandtex.co.uk ECOLOGICAL Thorndown Wood Paint, £40 for 2.5 litres, Thorndown, 0800 023 5654, thorndown.co.uk COLOUR LOCK TECHNOLOGY Aura Exterior Low Lustre, £28 for 0.94 litres, Benjamin Moore UK, 01753 575756, benjaminmoorepaint.co.uk DURABLE Masonry Paint, £65 for 5 litres, Little Greene, 0845 880 5855, littlegreene.com VERSATILE Dulux Weathershield Multisurface, £28.13 for 0.75 litres, Dulux, 0333 222 7171, dulux.co.uk…

NUTSCENE 1922 01307 468589 www.nutscene.com The Quarter Pint The Nutscene Quarter Pint of Heritage Twine is the ideal spool for the gardener and the crafter! This spool provides a lengthy 60 metres of coloured twine at a very tempting price point! So which colour would you choose!? POTS AND PITHOI CRETAN TERRACOTTA POTS 01342 714793 potsandpithoi.com Let our pots inspire your garden. Handmade in Crete, our potters’ skills and craftsmanship make them beautiful and highly frost resistant in UK winters. Choose from over 120 styles and 240 sizes. We can convert any pot into a water feature. GOLD LEAF GLOVES 023 8040 2025 goldleaf-gloves.com The unique and unmatchable Gold Leaf range are the ONLY gardening gloves endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society and are now widely recognised as ‘The world’s…

GARDENS ILLUSTRATED OCTOBER ISSUE • The best cotinus for flower and foliage • Late-season perennials in a park garden by Piet Oudolf • Dan Pearson’s new work at the Lutyens garden, Folly Farm, part two of our series • Carefully crafted native plantings at a lakeside garden • Designers favourite bulbs for autumn planting…