Gardens Illustrated
Ever since Keith Weed, former chief marketing and communications officer at the global brand Unilever, returned from Paris in 1997 to live in Surrey, he has been a regular visitor to RHS Garden at Wisley. Today he lives just seven miles away, in a 16th-century farmhouse on Ranmore Common, and his trips to Wisley have a more pressing purpose than filling the car boot with choice plants or peat-free compost, for Keith is now president of the world’s most famous gardening charity. Keith describes himself as “an enthusiastic, rolled-up-sleeves gardener” with a passion for growing fruit and vegetables. This passion was ignited in childhood in the family garden on the Wirral. His mother, a domestic science teacher, taught him to cook and by the age of ten he was growing the veg for the table. As a student he grew herbs on windowsills and he graduated to veg plots once he acquired his first garden. In the 12-acre garden he now shares with his wife Kate, he’s most likely to be found in the walled garden, where he raises an impressive variety of crops, including grapes that usually provide them with 30 bottles of wine a year. They’ve also established a six-acre wildflower meadow, which has settled into a rewarding mix of selfheal, vetch, ox-eye daisies, yellow rattle and more. It’s where his three adult children disappear for a restorative stroll as soon as they return home and it’s also where he has sited a massive stone-balancing sculpture by Adrian Gray (see right), which he bought at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in, he admits, “a moment of madness”. Keith’s business career, one guesses, has had few moments of madness. When he joined Unilever there was, as in most big companies, a separate department that drew up the brand’s sustainability policy. He changed all that, integrating sustainability across all parts of the business, which was a huge challenge to some of the departments but led, in time, to the company substantially reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact while still achieving economic growth. This innovative and collaborative approach was the subject of Keith’s TED Institute’s talk in 2014, and is, no doubt, one of the reasons the RHS was delighted when he accepted their invitation to become president. Was he surprised to be asked? “I must admit I was. Up until now, presidents have all come from within the RHS but I think what the RHS decided is that it was a good opportunity to bring a new perspective, and hopefully I can do that.” He is also the first president, it seems, with a Twitter following of more than 32,000. The appointment has come at a turning point in Keith’s career. In 2019, as he was approaching 60, he decided to retire from Unilever. “I wanted to do a portfolio of roles, half of which would be businesses and half charities and not-for-profits. I didn’t want to be one of those people who end up on boards talking about the good old days. I wanted to remain relevant.” Keith sees Wisley’s new science building as a vital resource. “I think gardening is both magic and logic. The magic of creativity that produces that sensory explosion from things you see and smell and touch; and the logic around the science of gardening, whether it be soil type or understanding the changing seasons. The science side is going to become more important if we’re going to garden for not just this generation but for generations to come. I think we have a huge opportunity to engage a younger generation in gardening. Generations X and Z are much more environmentally aware than the generations before them, and are more motivated to act on it.” And here, it seems, Keith is also speaking from personal experience as his son George, having been furloughed last year from his job in sports events, spent several months gardening in his parents’ and friends’ gardens. Keith’s face lights up as he tells me that George has now decided to change career. “It’s been a really exciting journey watching him reinvent himself as a gardener.” Useful information The RHS Hilltop, Home of Gardening Science Centre, The Wellbeing Garden, The World Food Garden and The Wildlife Garden are due to open at RHS Garden Wisley in June. rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley
Through his research work at Unilever he is acutely aware of the immediacy of climate change, loss of biodiversity of flora and fauna, and our misuse of the earth’s resources. “The RHS can be a thought leader in how to garden more sustainably. For me that is really understanding the breadth of the impact, positive and negative, that gardening has, and working out ways to address that. I don’t for a second imagine we can wave a magic wand and the challenges will be solved tomorrow but what we can do is understand the footprint we have and then make plans, with ambitious targets and working with a cross section of people across the industry, to address that.”
Deep within the rugged Lancashire countryside is Gresgarth Hall, the country home of the inspirational landscape designer and plant collector, Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd. Over the past 40 years, Arabella has transformed the land at Gresgarth into a wonderfully romantic garden. What Gresgarth Hall, home to designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd, with formal areas blending into woodland and arboretum. Where Lancashire. Size Ten acres. Soil Acid to neutral, woodland and alluvial soils. Climate Temperate. Hardiness zone USDA 9 When she arrived in 1979, there was practically no garden, and the space was neglected and overgrown. Clumsy lumps of sombre evergreen rhododendron and laurel hemmed the house in rather harshly from the surrounding countryside and completely obliterated any views. “It took a bit of time to get used to this garden,” she says. Having grown up on an Italian hillside she was more accustomed to views that stretched for miles. Trees were felled, evergreens removed, and the woodland was pushed back from the house to make space for a garden, and to open views from the house across the river and into the woods beyond. This necessary clearing did, however, reveal the garden to the prevailing west wind. “It was one of my first concerns,” says Arabella. “How to slow the wind from coming in and hitting the hills, eddying and causing damage to the garden.” So hedges were planted for protection, but these also presented an opportunity to divide the garden up into different spaces. Large borders with clipped trees, beautiful double herbaceous borders and stone terraces were laid out closer to the house where she wanted more formality. Yew hedging frames these borders, and the different areas of the garden are linked via intimate paths. Where the paths intersect, small circles of yew have been planted and are draped with wisteria, displays that Arabella describes as “little theatres”. The paths eventually lead to the kitchen garden, working areas, and a Chatsworth-inspired wavy corridor of beech hedging. Arabella has carefully managed the design to take full advantage of an existing lake and a brook, Artle Beck, that runs through the garden and creates a magical atmosphere. The lake was much smaller when she arrived at Gresgarth. “I wanted to create the feeling the river was flooding this area, even though it is actually much lower, so we enlarged it by three to four times the original size,” says Arabella. The still water reaches the house terrace and is a picture of reflections, of the white blossom of a Prunus ‘Shirotae’ that spreads above the water and a weeping katsura tree. The Artle Beck, by contrast, is noisy and playful and the sound reverberates through the garden. Yew buttresses are lined out equidistantly on both banks and gently firm the garden around the brook. The garden continued to grow quite organically, but carefully. Arabella went on to develop a more formal open lawn area that features a very old Robinia pseudoacacia with wonderful fissured bark that acts as a host for different types of epiphytes. This area has a different atmosphere from the more complex plantings nearby and is enclosed by more yew hedging that forms a semi-circular boundary. On the slopes of the valley ascending from the Artle Beck, the garden becomes much more natural, and it is here that Arabella has created a world-class arboretum of rare and special plants, including a thriving collection of 200 magnolias. Drifts of Daphne bholua (grown from seed at Gresgarth), swathes of cherries, and rhododendrons all flourish under her watchful eye. The arboretum is also home to Gresgarth’s National Collection of plants from the Styracaceae family. As you draw closer to the countryside beyond the garden, the curved lines of the hedging and the plantings continue to feel more naturalistic and less formal. On the western edge is The Wild Garden, with big borders of trees and shrubs that help to shelter the garden from damaging wind and create a link to the countryside. Despite the extensive work that has gone into creating the garden at Gresgarth, it sits so comfortably with the house and the surrounding landscape that it feels as though it should have always been that way – as if they have grown up together. Arabella has created a truly magnificent garden, and one could quite happily wander for many hours enraptured and captivated by the enchanting atmosphere. Rhododendron yunnanense. One of several rhododendrons grown in the woodlands. A very garden-worthy rhododendron, it makes a large, semi-deciduous shrub, which is smothered in soft pink blooms in May. Plant in groups for spectacular effect. 4m. RHS H5, USDA 7a-9b. Magnolia stellata. An excellent and very floriferous magnolia that is ideal for smaller gardens. It forms a small, shrubby tree that is covered in pure-white flowers from head to toe before the foliage is produced. 3m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. Mahonia aquifolium. A tough, evergreen shrub that spreads slowly via suckers. It makes a springy mass of polished, prickly, pinnate foliage that can often turn red in winter. Yellow flowers are produced in spring. 1.2m. RHS H5, USDA 5A-8b. Erythronium californicum. ‘White Beauty’ A very popular and easily cultivated hybrid trout lily. It increases quickly in the garden, making clumps of lustrous mottled leaves and white Turk’s cap flowers with yellow centres. 30cm. AGM*. RHS H5. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Narcissus ‘White Lady’. This old florist’s daffodil has long stems topped with sweetly scented blooms, each with white silky petals and a small yellow cup. It is a beautiful perennial daffodil for meadow planting. 45cm. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. Scilla liliohyacinthus. The Pyrenean squill is a lively self-sowing bulb for the flower garden. It quickly makes carpets of green foliage, and lavender-blue flowers are produced in the spring. 25cm. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b. Magnolia ‘Star Wars’. A recent and excellent cross between M. campbellii and M. liliiflora. It grows into a smallish tree and produces masses of pink flowers in spring just before the foliage emerges. 6m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b. Tulipa ‘Ronaldo’. A triumph tulip that is suitable for the border, containers or for cutting and is very weather resistant. The burgundy-coloured flowers are held just proud of the foliage from April to May. 40cm. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b. Rhododendron fastigiatum. A good dwarf rhododendron for the front of a border. It forms low mounds of evergreen blue-green foliage, atop which trusses of amethyst-blue flowers are produced in profusion. 1m. RHS H6. Prunus ‘Shirotae’. A particularly beautiful Japanese cherry that has a spreading habit. It produces white, fragrant, single or semi-double blooms held in drooping clusters in spring. 3-4m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-7b. Cardamine heptaphylla. A choice early flowering woodlander that makes slowly creeping clumps of fresh-green foliage topped with loose sprays of clear-white flowers. Provide moist and humus-rich soil. 30-45cm. RHS H7. Prunus ‘Tai-haku’. The tree better known as the great white cherry makes a decent-sized tree and will flower exuberantly, throwing masses of large, white flowers over the whole tree in the spring. 12m. AGM. RHS H6. Address Gresgarth Hall, Caton, Lancashire LA2 9NB. Tel 01524 771 838 Web arabellalennoxboyd.com Open Most years the garden is open on the first Sunday of every month, from February to November, 11am-5pm (3pm in winter). Check website for this year’s opening times.The garden in brief
The property
The concept
The garden and lake
The planting
The result
12 key plants to use
Rhododendron yunnanense
Magnolia stellata
Mahonia aquifolium
Erythronium californicum
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
Scilla liliohyacinthus
Magnolia ‘Star Wars’
Tulipa ‘Ronaldo’
Rhododendron fastigiatum
Prunus ‘Shirotae’
Cardamine heptaphylla
Prunus ‘Tai-haku’
Useful Information
Nigel Dunnett Striking, dark purple-black foliage and arching racemes of scented white flowers in late summer – a long-season plant of great value. Really special gem for shade. H 1.5m. S 60cm. C Moist soil; sun to part shade. SI Spring to 38 autumn. HR RHS H4, USDA 4a-8b. Really large heads of pure-white flowers in late summer over evergreen foliage. These are so exotic, but what I really like, in addition, are the papery seedheads and prominent pure black seeds, adding so much extra value. H 1m. S 50cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun with some shelter. SI Summer to autumn. HR RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b. Produces beautiful, billowing clouds of pure white from June through to September. A hardy annual that is easy from direct sowings outside in spring. Looks lovely scattered through perennials. AGM. H 1m. S 50cm. C Well-drained soil; sun or half-shade. SI Summer. HR RHS H6. Pure-white flowers in virtually never-ending abundance – starting in July and going on into November at head height. Perfect for bringing light into shady places. Needs plenty of space of course. AGM. H 1m. S 50cm. C Moist but well- drained soil; sun or part shade. SI Year round. HR RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. Is this the longest-flowering aster? Probably. It starts in August, and is often still going in November. The plants are open and quite floppy, but there’s no need to support them if you use them among plants they can weave through. AGM. H 60cm. S 50cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; full sun. SI Summer to autumn. HR RHS H7, USDA 6a-10b. What a true multi-season plant! Its leaves emerge cherry-red in spring and then develop into lovely ferny foliage. The flower spikes in bud are beautiful, the purple-pink flowers shine, and the seedheads stand all winter long. AGM. H 1m. S 50cm. C Moist soil; full sun. SI Year round. HR RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. A wonderful, medium-size grass that looks good virtually every day of the year. The shoots emerge olive green, with purple leaf and flower stems. The silvery-grey, fluffy flowerheads are pink-tinged and it bleaches out perfectly all winter. H 1m. S 1m. C Well-drained soil that is not too dry; sun or partial shade. SI Year round. HR RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b. A real go-to plant for dry meadow and steppe plantings. Produces heads of small, vibrant, pink flowers on long stems, over several months. Will self-seed around if happy. A green-roof stalwart. H 40cm. S 30cm. C Dry, well-drained soil; full sun. SI Spring to summer. HR RHS H7. A real pop-up plant! Delicate, small, white daisy flowers from August to December – really beats any white-flowered aster hands down. Great for mingling with robust perennials. Simply thin out seedlings each year where they’re not wanted. H 1m. S 50cm. C Light, well-drained soil; full sun. SI Summer to winter. HR RHS H6, USDA 2a-7b. Patricia has lime-green young leaves, and an amazingly long flowering time, from early summer through to November, and is almost a vine, sending out weaving branches that wind their way through other plants, popping out all over the place. Great naturalised into a meadow. AGM. H 50cm. S 2m. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun or half shade. SI Spring to autumn. HR RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. There’s something very special about the sheer lusciousness of these tall spikes of crimson- red flowers in late summer and early autumn. Nice to mingle among Rudbeckia fulgida for a startling combination. AGM. H 70cm. S 30cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun. SI Autumn. HR RHS H4, USDA 7a-9b. Lovely mounds of soft, downy foliage look good from spring through to autumn and then take on fantastic autumn colours. Tall spikes of cream flowers. Works well among open, multi-stem shrubs or trees. H 60cm. S 40cm. C Moist, not too dry soil; sun or half shade. SI Spring to autumn. HR RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b. Greyish, felted, sensual leaves, purple and white flowers, beautiful flaking bark in the winter and an open structure, this is a magnificent shrub for structuring woodland-edge plantings. H 2m. S 2m. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun or part shade. SI Year round. HR RHS H5. A totally reliable Miscanthus that produces masses of flowers – which is what I grow Miscanthus for – in autumn. These stay on right through the winter. And it still looks great in January. Very upright plants, and the leaves have a silver mid-rib. AGM. H 1.5-2m. S 1m. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun. SI Year round. HR RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b. The flowers of this gorgeous daffodil are oh-so elegant and beautifully scented too. The white flowers are combined with a small, yellow-orange cup that has a darker rim. Lovely in clumps and groups, but naturalised en masse in a meadow it’s breath-taking. AGM. H 30cm. S 30cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun to part shade. SI Spring. HR RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b Indispensable herald of the gardening year. And not just for woodland shade: use it as an early flowering base layer among perennial plantings – it feels at home under the taller herbaceous canopy. AGM. H 20cm. S 20cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; full sun to part shade. SI Spring. HR RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. I generally don’t go for many variegated plants but this – and the very similar P. ‘Cotton Cool’ – is an exception. Its silvery leaves look good from spring to winter and has blue spring flowers. Much easier than hostas AGM. H 30cm. S 30cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; full to part shade. SI Year round. HR RHS H6. Like virtually all of my plant choices, this is a virtuoso multi-season plant. An open, multi- stemmed shrub with ferned foliage, and spectacular autumn colour. Suckering isn’t really a problem in naturalistic plantings – just cut to the ground along with the perennials, and the whole shrub can be coppiced. AGM. H 3m. S 2.5m. C Moist but well-drained soil; sun. SI Year round. HR RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b. One I can’t do without. Soft apple-green foliage – much better than all the other cultivars including the better known R. fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ – and yellow flowers with black pincushion centres that last until late autumn. Plus perfect winter skeletons. AGM. H 60cm. S 40cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; full sun or half shade. SI Summer to winter. HR RHS H6, USDA 3a-9b. Low mounds of fresh ferny foliage and tall, upright stems holding narrow, strong pink flowers. Self-supporting and see through. Great in a meadowy planting with tall equally see-through Molinia cultivars. H 1.2m. S 40cm. C Moist but well-drained soil; full sun to part shade. SI Year round. HR RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. A really vigorous, totally bright, fresh, evergreen thyme that doesn’t become gappy or straggly. Ideal for groundcover in dry places, or trailing over walls. Covered in mauve flowers on long stalks in early summer. H 20cm. S 60cm. C Well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil; sun. SI Year round. HR RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.
Nigel’s choices are all robust plants with strong character that fit nicely into the layers of naturalistic plantings, and above all have multiple seasons of interest. Find out more about Nigel’s influences, style and work at nigeldunnett.comACTAEA ‘QUEEN OF SHEBA’
AGAPANTHUS ‘WHITE HEAVEN’
AMMI MAJUS
ANEMONE X HYBRIDA ‘HONORINE JOBERT’
ASTER X FRIKARTII ‘MÖNCH’
ASTILBE CHINENSIS VAR. TAQUETII ‘PURPURLANZE’
CALAMAGROSTIS BRACHYTRICHA ‘MONA’
DIANTHUS CARTHUSIANORUM
ERIGERON ANNUUS
GERANIUM PATRICIA (= ‘BREMPAT’)
HESPERANTHA COCCINEA ‘MAJOR’
HEUCHERA VILLOSA ‘AUTUMN BRIDE’
HYDRANGEA ASPERA VILLOSA GROUP
MISCANTHUS SINENSIS ‘SILBERFEDER’
NARCISSUS ‘ACTAEA’
PRIMULA VULGARIS
PULMONARIA ‘DIANA CLARE’
RHUS TYPHINA ‘DISSECTA’
RUDBECKIA FULGIDA VAR. DEAMII
SANGUISORBA ‘BLACKTHORN’
THYMUS ‘JEKKA’
This Mother’s Day, celebrate your loved ones and give an RHS gift that helps them to grow and grow, with something to inspire every level of gardening interest. From the year-long pleasure of an RHS membership, to trusted tools and gifts, they’ve got everything gardeners could need to help them get their garden or growing spaces into shape. Over the past year, many of us have found joy in seeing our gardens bloom and whether it’s large or small, a bountiful allotment, or a buzzing window box, we’ve come to realise what a valuable source of space and relaxation it is. There’s never been a better time to take advantage of our natural surroundings, and the RHS is dedicated to helping us get the maximum benefit from the spaces we have at our fingertips. Do you know a keen gardener, or simply want to share a love of gardening? Why not give an RHS gift to someone this Mother’s Day that lets their passion for gardening and the great outdoors grow. An Individual RHS membership includes unlimited pre-booked entry to RHS Gardens for the member and a family guest or two children, monthly editions of The Garden magazine, personalised expert gardening advice, and exclusive access to RHS Flower Shows. They can also enjoy free entry to over 200 partner gardens throughout the year. An RHS Gift Membership will arrive in a beautiful pack including; vouchers for a free RHS tote bag, £5 to spend at RHS Gardens, and two packets of seeds (UK only). RHS membership does need to be activated and your giftee can do this whenever suits them best. Buy online now for £67. Plus, for every RHS Gift Membership purchased until 31st March you’ll also receive a free £15 voucher to spend in RHS Garden Centres. Click here to buy £67 Deliver two matching gardening essentials this Mother’s Day via RHS’s own British Bloom collection. This gorgeous pairing features a design of dahlias and peonies carefully selected from the RHS Lindley Library, including early nineteenth century botanical illustrations and watercolours dating back to the 1630s. The trowel and fork have specially painted FSC hardwood handles and both come with RHS’s lifetime guarantee so you can be sure of giving a gift that lasts. Click here to buy £23 Give their garden a new purpose and focus with a book that encourages enthusiastic gardeners to think differently about their planting. Stuck in a rut? In need of inspiration? Or simply tried everything at least once? We’re certain this brilliant guide to perfect pollinators will inspire and enthuse any keen gardeners to try something new. Not only will the planting ideas inside deliver colour and vibrancy to any spot in your garden but also provide the perfect environment for butterflies to enjoy. They’ll love it and so will their new garden visitors. Fight back against pesticides, climate change and habitat loss and help bring butterflies back to their garden this Mother’s Day. Click here to buy £12 We’ve featured these Gold Leaf gloves in Gardeners Illustrated magazine before and they remain a favourite. We’ve all spent (and wasted) money on gloves that barely last a season, so why not treat them to a pair that are going to deliver the goods spring, summer, autumn and winter? These gold hued women’s gloves are made from high-quality grain leather which is not only highly durable but soft to the touch meaning that their fingers remain as agile as they need to be during fiddly dextrous planting. And the soft, supple deerskin leather stretches to fit as required meaning that they’re comfortable and breathable enough to wear all day long with a Velcro adjustable fastening guaranteeing a closer fit than other gloves. Click here to buy £23 We’ve all got clunky secateurs that we press into service for any old job but there are times when a more delicate approach and a more precise cut are needed. Don’t make them make do… Finally get them a pair of razor-sharp fruit snips that will last and last. They’ve got comfort fit handles. The fine blades and scissor cutting action makes this snip ideal for cutting flowers and for floristry. And the British Meadow design comes from the RHS Lindley Library of historic botanical art with a classic navy-blue grip designed to complement the rest of the RHS British Meadow collection. See our pick of watering cans below… Click here to buy £10 Like the fruit snips above, this delightful painted watering can features RHS British Meadow themes and is the perfect accompaniment to the collection. For once they’ll have a watering can that they can leave pride of place with the plants rather than tucked away in the shed! It’s dainty enough not to impose but still delivers a litre of water via its elegant slender spout to exactly where their plants most need it. And it’s just part of the matching RHS British Meadow collection featuring matching pruners, kneelers and more. Click here to buy £18 Make even a yet-to-bloom planting tray look enticing and promising with these chunky plant labels designed to brighten up gardening chores and ensure that every plant is correctly identified and given the love it needs. The delightful packaging is part of the RHS Passiflora Collection with bold warm trim and there’s even a matching pencil included with which to write on the striking orange tips. They’re hardwearing enough to use time and time again, season in and season out. Click here to buy £8 If you know a gardener who spends more of their time at ground level tending borders than standing in a warm greenhouse planting seeds then the RHS has got the ideal gift for them. The Kneelo Pads are designed to be worn all day long and pack a shock absorbing layer of EVA foam inside to keep nature’s natural grist at bay. The subtle green hue avoids attention and their waterproof neoprene and nylon coating makes them flexible and easy to wear while offering quick dry, wipe clean durability. And the adjustable “Hook & Loop” straps mean that one size fits all – no matter if they’re in shorts, overalls or – heaven forbid – waterproofs with zero ‘digging in’ at the back when kneeling or unwanted pressure at the front when standing. Click here to buy £15 It’s the little things that mean a lot and after years of smooshing down soil with their bare hands or getting elbow-deep in compost without realising it, why not let them plant in style with their very own dedicated pot tamper? Create perfect propagation quickly and easily time and time again with a tamper that’s just the right size and designed to deliver just the right amount of pressure to the soil. Prepare a wall of pots and be ready to enjoy the fruits of their labours in next to no time. It’s made from certified beech wood, measures 8cm in diameter and even comes with a full set of instructions and helpful planting tips. Click here to buy £7 And even when they’re not gardening why not bring a sense of the garden into their home? The RHS surround their essential gardening goods with likeminded themes and products for all parts of the house. Their ceramic reed diffusers come in a range of four scents and not only create a fabulous aroma indoors, but bring an elegance to wherever they might place them. Our pick, the Oriental Orchid and Cedar scent, has a burst of pink pepper with pear and orange sharpened with familiar orchid aromas. This lies on a bed of vanilla and cedarwood to deliver lasting, warm essence all through the day. The diffuser is made from bone china with gold trim and the reeds are all natural with the pairing being delivered in a gift box that sets the relaxing scene even before it’s opened. Click here to buy £35 For even more ideas and gifts visit the dedicated RHS shop at www.shop.rhs.org.uk.An RHS Membership
RHS British Bloom Trowel and Fork Set
Planting for Butterflies
Womens RHS Gold Leaf Soft Touch Gloves
RHS British Meadow Fruit Snip
RHS British Meadow Indoor Watering Can
RHS Passiflora Plant Labels
Kneelo Knee Pads in Moss
Round Pot Tamper
RHS Oriental Orchid & Cedar Ceramic Reed Diffuser
The publicity material for this book by American landscape designer and garden tours leader Carolyn Mullet claims the 50 featured gardens are ‘Europe’s most beautiful gardens’. Whether they are or not doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that they are a glorious selection of gardens across a number of European countries, many of them the personal gardens of acclaimed garden designers and landscape architects including Peter Janke, Paolo Pejrone and Tom Stuart-Smith; some that will be familiar to Gardens Illustrated readers, some probably not. What links them is the fact that each has been thoughtfully designed, some to a plan, others created in a more organic way, and all of them labours of love. The book is arranged by country, with the UK and Ireland providing the highest number of gardens at 21. The format for each entry is similar and includes the garden’s setting, how the garden was made, a lucid description of the main elements and how they interrelate, and the owner’s favourite time to be in the garden. These accounts reveal the Herculean work undertaken by some owners to improve or alter the blank canvas they start with. They also show, through the ravishing images taken by some of the garden world’s top photographers, how many owners in these contrasting settings and climates have gravitated towards naturalistic plantings. Many of these gardens have been created on a huge scale, with planting densities running into the thousands, so it would be understandable to feel disheartened when trying to relate them to one’s own plot. But there are plenty of well-captioned close-ups of dreamy plant combinations to get excited about. Read this book with a notebook to hand as it’s likely you’ll want to create your own itinerary of stunning private gardens to visit, here and abroad, as you turn the pages.Adventures in Eden: An Intimate Tour of the Private Gardens of Europe
by Carolyn Mullet
Timber Press, £30
ISBN 978-1604698466
We are a small, independently run nursery that prides itself on growing over 800 different strong, healthy perennials & ornamental grasses. There is no electricity on-site and the majority of our plants spend the winter outside, exposed to whatever the weather throws at them. When we say hardy we mean HARDY! Whether you’re an absolute novice or a complete plantaholic, we have plants to tempt you and friendly, knowledgeable staff to advise on the right choice for your tastes and garden. We regularly attend major Flower Shows such as Chelsea, Hampton Court & Gardeners World Live and are happy to take along orders for collection. Mail order available all year, check the website for current availability
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On sale now – the latest issue of Gardens Illustrated, March 2021. In this early spring issue of Gardens Illustrated we ask five leading designers to choose their favourite plants to grow from seed. For most gardeners the pleasure of growing from seed is unbeatable. Growing plants from seed offers experimentation on a limited budget, an opportunity to grow plants that are difficult to find and the chance to grow a favourite plant in number. There are plenty of ideas to inspire here. In the allotment of designer Stefano Marinaz there are not only delicious things to eat but beautiful planting in a trial garden and nursery space for design commissions, as well as a welcome escape from city life. In a new series of Pots of Style with designer Alison Jenkins we offer a practical guide to creating beautifully planted containers including, this month, a scheme using early flowering woodlanders and diminutive spring bulbs. And bid welcome to March as Jimi Blake of Hunting Brook Gardens chooses a selection of ten perfectly timed bright bulbs and delicate woodlanders. There’s all this and the gorgeous garden features we’re famous for, all to be inspired by in this month’s magazine. Our March 2021 issue is out now and if securing your copy is proving more difficult than usual during lockdown why not save time, effort and money with our great subscription offers? Get the magazine you love posted through your door each month without lifting a finger.
Welcome to Gardens Illustrated Masterclass 2021: A series of three online expert lectures aimed at offering you an illuminating, entertaining and inspiring look into creating great gardens. And the third and final of our lectures is with Troy Scott Smith, head gardener at Iford Manor Gardens. Here’s the all details of the event, taking place 23rd June 2021, 6pm UK. Troy will deliver a Gardens Illustrated masterclass focussing on using old roses in the flower garden, but will also endeavour to answer the question, ‘how do we manage historic flower gardens, giving them new life and relevance, long after the original creator has gone. Troy will draw upon all his experience, using examples of his work at Bodnant, Sissinghurst and now at Iford. Length: 1 hour Cost: £15 Season Pass Offer: Save 20% Get all three Masterclasses for £36 Date: Wednesday 23rd June 2021, 6pm UK What will be covered Get your ticket here. And don’t forget, when buying your ticket you can take advantage of our season pass offer and get 20% off – attend all three 2021 masterclasses for just £36. Find out more about our 2021 series of Masterclasses here. And to find out more and keep up with the latest news, sign up to our events newsletter here. How it works Once you sign up, you will receive an email with the details of the event which you can save into your calendar, and a link to join the masterclass. When the masterclass begins, click the link and you’ll be put straight through to the event. You will be reminded an hour before the masterclass starts, so you don’t forget. You can submit questions for Troy during the event, which will be posed to him by Lucy Bellamy, editor of Gardens Illustrated. Please try to make sure your WiFi is not being used for lots of streaming or other usage. Try to make sure your connection is as strong as possible to avoid any technical hitches. Click here for further FAQs and T&Cs. About Troy Scott Smith Troy is one of the country’s leading head gardeners, learning his craft over 35 years working in some of the best gardens. Coming from a family of committed naturalists, Troy’s approach is informed by his appreciation of the artistic merits of garden making and gardening with his love and fascination of nature. Head gardener since 1997, troy has led the renaissance at both Bodnant and Sissinghurst, where, with Dan Pearson, he brought back a garden rich in emotion and intimacy with a focus on old roses. Troy now combines his work as Head Gardener at Iford Manor with writing, design, and consultancy.Gardens Illustrated Masterclass 2021:
“How to use old roses in a modern garden”
With Troy Scott Smith, head gardener at Iford Manor Gardens
Blue Nurseries is a specialist independent nursery founded in 2011 by Richard Hill and Wendy Hoyle. The company grows a wide range of perennials, succulents and hardy exotic plants, mainly from seed and cuttings on our site in the heart of Wiltshire. We are constantly adding new species and cultivars to our plant lists, so it’s always worth checking out what we have on offer. Sales are online only through our website as the nursery site is currently closed to the public. We take pride in our friendly customer service, accessible horticultural advice and attention to detail. So if you are looking for an amazing Agapanthus, a super spiky Agave or a tiger-striped banana plant, come to visit Blue Nurseries for British horticultural heaven.
We dispatch plants every week to our UK customers, using a packaging technique that we have developed to ensure our plants arrive safely and in tip-top condition. Our new website is more than just an online shop, with a regularly updated blog, downloadable free cultivation guides and links to our social media pages.
For Gardens Illustrated readers only: use voucher code Gardensillustrated01 to get 10% off all orders over £25.00 at our website.
Independent family run nursery in Essex specialising in rare and unusual plants for shade and woodland gardens. Also a choice selection of plants attractive to pollinating insects. RHS exhibitors. Plants are grown in peat free compost.
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