The English Garden

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EDITOR’S LETTER

I had to think twice
about sharing my
secret garden, as it’s
a treat to have one
tucked up your sleeve

T his month we’ve gone all out to impress HOWARD WALKER
you. Having discovered so many simply
stunning gardens, we just couldn’t
whittle them down - so here they are,
all seven of them. I know I’m constantly
reminiscing about gardens that have been part of my
life, but here I go again. HOUGHTON LODGE (pg 47) in
Hampshire was a real find for me when I was a student
at nearby Sparsholt College. It’s one of the most romantic
gardens I’ve experienced and it has received little in the
way of publicity - until now that is. I had to think twice
about sharing it as it’s always a treat to have a secret
garden tucked up your sleeve.

One garden that will be getting plenty of publicity this all the images remained anonymous, so I was thrilled
year is Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire. You may to discover that The English Garden already works with
recall that in our January issue we celebrated the 25 the winner. Her image was entitled A moment captured,
years of the Historic Houses Association and Christie’s and can be viewed at www.igpoty.com It’s got me
GARDEN OF THE YEAR competition and I promised to thinking about how many beautiful moments our
announce the winner when news broke, so well done photographers capture each and every month.
to the victor, Chenies. Another winner to mention is
acclaimed garden photographer Marianne Majerus. She Last summer I asked photographer Dianna Jazwinski
is responsible for many of the wonderful images in the to capture a moment for me. I wanted her to
magazine - this month our COASTAL DESIGN GUIDE demonstrate the full glory of CORNUS flowers (pg 97),
(pg 71) is her work. I was part of the judging panel for which she has done brilliantly. They’re definitely my
the third International Garden Photographer of the Year plant of the month. Anyway, enough from me: you’ve
competition, which was a great honour. During judging got SEVEN GLORIOUS GARDENS to discover!

THE ENGLISH Tamsin Westhorpe, Editor
GARDEN AWARDS
On the cover:
2009
Melplash Court, Dorset (pg 24)
Garden Media Guild Photograph: Carole Drake
Gardening Column

Of The Year
Jackie Bennett

Garden Media Guild
New Garden Media
Talent Of The Year

Stephanie Mahon

2008

Garden Media Guild
New Writer Award
Joe Reardon-Smith



GAR DENTHE ENGLISH

FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES BEAUTIFUL GARDENS

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62 Contents

24 JUNE

33 10 The Rake James Alexander-Sinclair’s round up of events,

55 talks, shows and more for June

:12 Shopping… for the designer gardener Slick

accessories and stylish additions for your contemporary garden

:15 NEW Talking techniques Toby Buckland continues his new

exclusive series with advice on pest control the natural way

17 In action Summer is here at Houghton Hall in Norfolk

22 Editor’s choice: Snail and slug control Tamsin discovers

which pellet or barrier works best at foiling our slimy foes

68 Focus on Surrey Top local gardens, nurseries and foodie treats
83 Eco-watch Learn how to water your garden eco-efficiently

114 Library leaves Books on designing small gardens, kids in the

plot and propagation - and a new column for gardening readers

:130 Guest speaker Jekka McVicar on organic herbs in peat-free pots

15 Glorious gardens

:24 DORSET Orient expression Classic English garden style

blends with Far Eastern influences at Melplash Court

:33 GLOUCESTERSHIRE The Verey thing It may be next to

Barnsley House but Rosemary’s daughter has created a very

different garden to her mother’s, based on the power of herbs

:40 SOMERSET Nature’s way An organic ornamental

garden gives plenty of food and flower for thought

:47 HAMPSHIRE Slow with the flow Romance by the river

at this little-known gem, with lots of interesting extras

:55 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Wildflower posies, rambling

roses See a National Collection at this captivating country plot

:62 SURREY A farm to charm Year-round delights abound at

Waterlands, through the hard work of one dedicated man

Design

:71 DESIGN GUIDE Island ease Great ideas from a simple,
:79
stunning, modern garden on a challenging seaside site

DESIGN BOOK Coastal gardens Andrew Duff reveals

how to make the most of a plot on the coast

Grow & eat

85 Otter farm Mark Diacono extols the virtues of microleaves

:88 From the kitchen garden Try a healthy Sunday brunch

93 Eats & Treats Holme for Gardens offers a pick-your-own fruit and

veg farm, top tearoom and a nursery for a full day out in Dorset

PAGE 47 97
107
17 85

PAGE PAGE PAGE 93

40 33 62

PAGE PAGE PAGE

24 47 71

Plants 40

:9 Plant swatch Pink herbs that are perfect for pots
:97 Plant focus Not just for pretty stems in winter - dogwoods

have beautiful summer flowers to tempt you too

:107 Scent of success Acres of herbs abound at this Somerset

site that produces the raw materials every herbalist needs

Offers, competitions & events

31 Reader Events 2010 Plan your perfect outing for this year
38 Insurance Special rates for homes and gardens for readers
60 Subscriptions Save 32% plus receive a gift worth £17.95

:102 Plant offer FREE* herbs and seeds for every reader!

111 Cruise deals Sail out on a special UK Highlands & Islands trip
120 Travel offer Fantastic prices on amazing holidays abroad
122 Web page and rules www.theenglishgarden.co.uk special

deals, and our competition and offer terms and conditions

:On the cover



PLANT SWATCH

UNUSUAL POTTED HERBS

Pretty in pink

Aromatic foliage and attractive colouring makes this
collection of plants perfect for summer containers

PELARGONIUM/GWI - SUE KENNEDY SAGE/GWI - PAUL TOMLINS Rose-scented Painted sage Wall germander
GERMANDER/GWI - LIZ COLE COMPILED BY/JACKIE BENNETT pelargonium
Salvia viridis (top right) is a traditional hardy Teucrium chamaedrys (above right) is ideal for
Pelargonium capitatum (above) is an annual salvia to sow from seed each year, to the front of a border, as a low hedge, or in a
evergreen shrub from South Africa, which fill pots and gaps in the herb borders. The container. In its natural habitat, this compact
grows well in a pot outside in the summer. flowers are fairly unremarkable but the bracts evergreen shrub likes stony places and can
The essential oil is highly sought after for are a really eye-catching rosy pink with darker often be found growing on walls and ruins.
making perfume and the scented, velvety veining. Makes a long-lasting cut flower and the Aromatic foliage is topped by pink flowers
leaves can be used in pot pourri. A strong stems dry well too. Height: 45cm. Spread: 23cm. in summer. Excellent for attracting bees and
grower with pretty pink flowers. CULTIVATION Straightforward to grow from butterflies. Height: 30cm. Spread: 30cm.
Height: 30cm. Spread: 60cm. seed in pots in a propagator or greenhouse, CULTIVATION A Mediterranean shrub, it likes
CULTIVATION This shrub needs full sun and in early spring or directly outside in its planting well-drained soil - add grit to the compost in
well-drained compost. Move the containers position in May. Annual salvias like lots of containers and make sure it has lots of crocks
indoors before the frosts and keep dry and sunshine and a well-drained soil. Add extra at the base. Place in a sunny position, such as
cool but frost-free through winter. grit to the compost when growing in pots. against a south-facing wall. Treat like lavender
WHERE TO BUY Plants available from WHERE TO BUY For seeds, try: Chiltern and trim back the stems after flowering.
Fibrex Nursery, Honeybourne Road, Pebworth, Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverston, Cumbria WHERE TO BUY The National Herb Centre,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks CV37 8XP. LA12 7PB. Tel: +44 (0)1229 581137. Banbury Road, Warmington, Warks OX17 1DF.
Tel: +44 (0)1789 720788. www.fibrex.co.uk www.chilternseeds.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1295 690999. www.herbcentre.co.uk

The English Garden 9

news G updates G events G trends G gossip G news G updates G events

It’s high summer and if your PLANT SALE
gardens are not looking good
then you need a good excuse. If you are in Gloucestershire on
Mind you, it is also possible that bank holiday Monday 31 May,
some are suffering torrential rains then you should drop in on Katie
and unseasonal floods! Lukas’ specialist plant sale at
Stone House. Yes, I know this is
I must confess that one of my the June edition but you will have
favourite June things is the broad received your copy of the magazine
bean. I love everything about in time - I hope. It is worth visiting
them: picking, podding and eating - raw or cooked. There for at least two reasons: firstly
was a song that my children sang at school about ‘broad there are some stonking nurseries,
beans sleeping in their blankety bed’ and that little bit of including the multi-award-winning
sentiment always makes things taste better. If you wish to Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants,
feed your fetish further there is a whole website dedicated Marcus Dancer’s Clematis and
to peas and beans at www.tastesofsummer.co.uk Climbers, and Cotswold Garden
Flowers, and secondly it is raising
James Alexander-Sinclair money for Help For Heroes.

COTON MANOR WELCOMES EXPERTS

One of the finest gardens local to me in Northamptonshire is Coton
Manor. First planted by the current owner’s grandparents (they
supplemented the horticulture with sealions and penguins) it has really
come into its own under the careful eye of Susie Pasley-Tyler. As well
as being a fine garden, they also run courses on all aspects of gardening.
This month you could, for example, listen to Timothy Walker from the
Oxford Botanic Garden (9 June); Fergus Garrett from Great Dixter (10
June); Chris Bailes, head gardener of RHS Rosemoor (15 June); or Gerald
Sinclair, a nurseryman and holder of a National Collection of Hemerocallis
(29 June). Or you could come and hear me blather on about re-designing
an established garden on 23 June. Go to www.cotonmanor.com

MUSHROOM HUNTING TUCKED AWAY LONDON SQUARES RAKE ILLUSTRATION/JO DAVIES JAMES ALEXANDER-SINCLAIR/JENNY LEWIS CLEMATIS/MARCUS
DANCER HANBURY HALL/NATIONAL TRUST CHIVES/SOCRATES/DREAMSTIME.COM
The world of mushrooms and fungi London is home to some amazing garden squares. Many will be open
is very mysterious. This is one of to the public for the Open Garden Squares Weekend (12 and 13 June).
those hobbies that can rapidly turn There is a diverse selection, with cemeteries such as Brompton
into obsession, with people Cemetery in South Kensington, with its guided wild flower walks and
spending many hours snuffling graves of Bernard Levin and Emmeline Pankhurst; nature reserves such
around woods on the track of a as Lavender Pond, just across the river from Canary Wharf; and historic
Chanterelle. Anyway, the point of gardens, among them the British Medical Association Council garden in
this is to direct you towards Taste Euston, designed by Edwin Lutyens. Also the grounds of the Middle
the Wild. Based in the North (below) and Inner Temples, which are staggeringly well planted, and
Yorkshire Moors, they are running Wormwood Scrubs, although the latter is only by appointment. The
one-day foraging courses on 19 and event is sponsored by Transport for London. Find out more by calling
20 June. Tel: +44 (0)7914 290083. tel: +44 (0)20 8347 3230 or go to www.opensquares.org
www.tastethewild.co.uk

10 The English Garden

G trends G gossip G news G updates G events G trends G gossip G news

NATIONAL TREASURES JUNE EVENTS

The National Trust’s Plant in G Friday 4-Sunday 6, Scotland
Time project continues all Gardening Scotland Show at the Royal
over the country. If you live Highland Centre, near Edinburgh.
near Sheffield Park, Sussex; www.gardeningscotland.com
Belton House, Lincolnshire; G Friday 4-Sunday 6, West Sussex
Cliveden, Buckinghamshire; Learn how to design your own tree
or Hanbury Hall, Worcs house on paper and with 3D models at
(left), then I can offer you West Dean College. £189. Tel: +44
a bit of hands-on, mud-free (0)1243 811301. www.westdean.org.uk
creativity. The National Trust G Saturday 5-Sunday 6,Yorkshire
has created a flower festival Discover everything about Mint at
with a bit of a difference in Yorkshire Lavender. Tel: +44 (0)1653
the shape of its ‘Plant in 648008. www.yorkshirelavender.com
Time’ exhibition, which still G Friday 11-Sat 12, Warwickshire
has 11 properties to tour Inspiration for the vertical spaces in
until September. It’s inviting your garden at Whichford Pottery.
everybody to visit the 10am-5pm. Tel: +44 (0)1608 684416.
properties and make an www.whichfordpottery.com
artificial flower from a range G Friday 11 June-Sunday 4 July,
of recycled materials. By the Essex Visit Newland End Barn and
time the exhibition ends, it Gardens for a garden sculpture
hopes to have amassed the exhibition. Tel: +44 (0)1799 523888.
largest collection of artificial G Saturday 12-27, Coventry Outside
plants ever. The intention of Art is a new garden sculpture exhibition
the exhibition is to make us held in Russell’s Quarry Garden and
think more deeply about the Avondale Library Garden. 10.30am-
natural world, so it is not just 4.30pm. Tel: +44 (0)24 7641 1176.
about cutting and sticking. www.outsideart.org.uk
G Friday 18-Sunday 20, Surrey The
IN MEMORIAM A TRULY FAMILY COOKBOOK Loseley Gardening Show will take part
in the Forge Fields at Loseley Park,
Memorials are a sensitive issue of Jekka McVicar is the high priestess of herbs. After 25 years of organic Guildford, and will feature inspirational
course: obviously for people but herb growing, she has won more than 60 RHS gold medals and is the show gardens, flower displays,
also for dogs, cats or horses. only herb grower in Who’s Who. Is that not enough? No, it is certainly demonstrations and gardening advice.
Usually confined to conventional not, as this month she launches a new book, Jekka’s Herb Cookbook. Tickets cost £6.75 for adults and
gravestones, maybe a plaque on Based on her favourite 50 herbs, it’s a collection of three generations’ £3.15 for children. To book, tel: +44
a bench sited in a favourite garden worth of recipes. Jekka’s granny, Ruth Lowinsky, wrote cookery books in (0)1483 444333.
or view spot or a tree planted in the 1940s and 1950s; her mother was pretty sparky with a saucepan; G Friday 18-Sunday 20, East Sussex
someone’s memory. I like the idea and Jekka can produce a mean sorrel and anchovy tart. Her grandfather The Kitchen Garden Weekend at
of some sort of commemoration illustrated his wife’s books (including Lovely Food and More Lovely Food Pashley Manor Gardens. Expert advice
within one’s own garden: they can - not a golden age for imaginative book titles!) and her daughter drew the with an emphasis on local produce,
be poignant, surprising, moving or illustrations here. Get a signed copy at her talk at The Garden Museum including honey and homemade
even amusing. Memorials by Artists on 3 June, and turn to pg 130 for more from the woman herself. chutney. Tel: +44 (0)1580 200888.
show some remarkable examples www.pashleymanorgardens.com
and can provide pretty much G Saturday 19-Sunday 20,
anything to commission. See Hertfordshire Rose weekend and
www.memorialsbyartists.co.uk summer garden show at West Garden,
to find out more. Hatfield House. To book a ticket,
tel: +44 (0)1707 287010.
www.hatfield-house.co.uk
G Saturday 26-Sunday 27, Cheshire
The Arley Garden Festival at Arley
Halls and Garden will feature floral
displays, horticultural accessories,
nurseries, garden tours and a Q&A
session. Tel: +44 (0)1565 777353.
www.arleyhallandgardens.com

SHOPPING

FOR THE DESIGNER GARDENER

Styled child

If you get all giddy over contemporary garden chic, you’ll
love this cutting-edge selection for modern magic

COMPILED BY/VICTORIA KINGSBURY 3

24
7

56

89

OPPOSITE PAGE Grenadine bar table, £350; Grenadine bar stool, £250 each. Tel: +44 (0)20 8675 4808. www.indian-ocean.co.uk 2 Regency glazed
candle pot, £16.45; Regency glazed candle pot with lid, £25.85. Both available in two fragrances - white jasmine and pure peony. Tel: +44 (0)1736
336965. www.stevalcandlecompany.co.uk 3 Metallic roses garden armchair, available in black or white lacquer, £950. Tel: 0845 6520332.
www.gomodern.co.uk 4 Granite stratos column planters, £119.95. Tel: +44 (0)1934 522617. www.iotagarden.com 5 SPONECK chair, £395;
SPONECK chair cushions, £75; SPONECK table, £250. Tel: +44 (0)1934 522617. www.iotagarden.com 6 Fibreglass and concrete gas-powered
square firepit, £275. Tel: +44 (0)1732 832299. www.ingarden.co.uk 7 Stewart tivoli planter, available in two colours - sandstone and suede, £24.99.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8603 5700. www.stewartcompany.co.uk 8 Wicker swivel chair including cream cusion, £479.99; vase palm II, £199.99; vase palm III,
£479.95. Tel: +44 (0)1440 713704. www.cadix.co.uk 9 Inhale swing, £7,000. Tel: +44 (0)1420 588008. www.myburghdesigns.com

The English Garden 13



EXPERT ADVICE

Talking techniques

Biological controls

Toby Buckland looks at how
to combat garden problems
the chemical-free way

Ionce knew a gardener who collected slugs in
a water-filled bucket to create a home-brewed
slug killer. His thinking was that the rotting
bodies would provide a rich diet for bacteria,
and when this foul brew was sloshed among his
plants it would effectively load his garden with
a natural slug predator. He reckoned it worked
a treat but whether it was the bacteria or the
putrid scent driving off the slugs I don’t know.
I prefer my biological controls neatly packaged
and delivered through the post.

The words ‘biological control’ may sound like
a cross between an Orwellian government
department and a contraceptive, but nonetheless
they make effective child- and pet-friendly
alternatives to chemicals. The concept is
elegantly simple: reduce the numbers of any
pest, insect, grub or even plant by releasing
natural predators in your garden, and let nature
do the rest. Predators are pest-specific and may
be anything from a tiny wasp, in the case of
greenhouse whitefly, to a ladybird larvae for
treating mealy bug. Most commonly, the control
is microscopic eelworms for slugs or vine
weevils. They arrive mail order in scent-free
sachets of clay, which are then mixed with water
and poured or sprayed over the area affected.

Reduce numbers of any pest, insect, grub or weed in your
garden by releasing natural predators - let nature do the rest’

IMAGE/COURTESY OF EBURY PRESS, GARDENERS’ WORLD The eelworms then do the killing or infect the New developments are being tested all the As sachets are relatively expensive, I find bio
PRACTICAL GARDENING HANDBOOK - JASON INGRAM pest with a fatal dose of natural bacteria. time. Recently, insects called psyllids were controls particularly cost effective for taming
imported from Japan and released onto their new areas, helping to reduce existing pest
The range is by no means complete, but every natural host, Japanese knotweed, which was populations while new plants establish. My
year more become available. The latest are running amok in Cornwall. The insect doesn’t newly created strawberry beds were cut from
blends of nematodes that work on a whole host kill the plant, but weakens it, so in combination rough grass that, like all old pasture, contains
of pests, just like the broad-spectrum garden with some hard graft, the up-until-now high numbers of chafer and cut-worm grubs,
chemicals of old - one application fits all. The irrepressible roots can be dug out and destroyed. which mount subterranean attacks on the
crucial difference is that bio controls don’t Fingers crossed someone is working on a similar roots of any newcomer. After a watering with
completely eliminate all the pests or attack other treatment for bindweed! nematodes, however, they’ve had their last
species. As in nature, when numbers of a certain supper, and are no longer a problem.
species decrease so too do their predators, so Timing matters, as most bio controls need to
a balance is maintained, but it’s a balance be used at a particular stage of pests’ life cycles, Next month: Encouraging a second flush of flowers
that favours the gardener. and when the soil warms up to 5°C or more.

The English Garden 15



JUNE

IN ACTION

Houghton in the summer sun

In the five-acre walled garden of Norfolk’s Houghton Hall, the gardening team are busy watering
and weeding, and making the most of herbs, roses and citrus fruits as the season continues

PHOTOGRAPHS RICHARD HANSON WORDS JACKIE BENNETT

THE GARDEN ROOM Each section within the five-acre walled
garden illustrates a different facet of the
G Watering is a daily routine in month of June. Many people head for the
the glass houses, and the doors rose garden, where pink and white roses
are open all day to allow air to create a mass of colour and scent, and will
circulate. Covering the roof in the continue to do so for several months.
garden room are three passion
flowers coming into bloom When the weather is hot, visitors are lured to the pool
(right): the unusual Passiflora in the Mediterranean garden, which adds a cooling
quadrangularis, stunning pink element, while others enjoy a game of croquet on the
P. antioquiensis and mauve croquet lawn. The Italian garden, on the other hand,
P. x violacea. offers a very different experience. Here, pleached lime
G Other tender climbers here trees and wide paths create a tranquil, green space,
include Stephanotis floribunda and which is quite timeless and transports you back to
scented Jasminum polyanthum. the Classical world. Lord Cholmondeley has added
statuary that he has collected over the past few
years, to give extra interest. L

The English Garden 17

CLEARING THE RHUBARB

G The last of the rhubarb is cut now as any stems left longer would be too woody for
kitchen use. After cutting (above), old leaves are cleared away and added to the compost,
and the plants are watered and mulched. The gardeners will also be cutting the asparagus
this month and carefully weeding around the base of the runner bean poles to prevent
any weeds swamping the climbing beans.

IN THE G All the herbs grown
HERB here are perennials -
the annual herbs such
as parsley and dill are

GARDEN grown with the salad
crops. The area is

divided into medicinal and

culinary herbs. In the medicinal

beds, golden balm Melissa officinalis

‘Aurea’ grows alongside Paeonia

officinalis and echinacea.

In the culinary area, bronze and SEASON TO SEASON

green fennel, marjoram, thyme and Despite the spurt of summer foliage, the
yew hedges - scalloped in the rose garden
rosemary are mainstay herbs. Herbs and dead straight elsewhere - can still be
seen clearly from above.
grow rapidly now and need to be

hand weeded (left).

CUTTING THE ROSES

G The inner rose garden is awash with white roses in
June, with plenty available to cut for the house. Charlotte
(pictured right) and Julia spend many hours carefully
ensuring that the Hall has a steady supply of flowers,
without denuding the garden.
G The white rose pictured is Iceberg, a 20th-century
cluster-flowered variety with white to cream flowers
throughout the summer months. The bushes are relatively
compact (90 x 60cm) and flower continuously, so are ideal
for cutting. They also have comparatively few thorns - an
added bonus for the gardeners. The standards grown
in the centre of the beds are ‘Little White Pet’, a
traditional late Victorian rose. Its flowers are small,
but borne in abundance throughout the summer.

18 The English Garden

JUNE

IN ACTION

The Mediterranean garden is dedicated to Sybil Meet the
Cholmondeley, who lived at Houghton for 70 years
GARDENER
MEDITERRANEAN
GARDEN Bruce Thornton (above) is clerk of works at
Houghton Hall and is responsible for the
G One of the most secret building and maintenance of many of the
areas of the walled garden, major features and structures in the walled
it was built to commemorate garden, including the rebuilding of the glass
Lord Cholmondeley’s house range. He came to Houghton in 1993.
grandmother Sybil, who came G How would you describe what you do?
to Houghton in 1919 and lived I was a self-employed bricklayer before I joined
here until her death in 1989 - Houghton. I am not strictly part of the garden
her initials are interwoven in staff but I spend about one third of my time in
box hedging, infilled with the gardens. The rest of the time I am leading
lavender and alliums. The a team carrying out maintenance and repairs on
sides of the pool are the Hall and estate buildings.
cushioned by box and the G Which areas of the walled garden have
fountain is made from a you been involved in? We restored the original
block of eroded limestone. greenhouses and built the new garden room
and orchid house in the mid-1990s. I also put
up the oak pergola designed by Isobel and Julian L
Bannerman, built the sunken pond in the rose
garden, and installed the Water Flame sculpture
to the plans of Jeppe Hein.
G What part of your work do you enjoy most?
It has been fascinating working with artists
like Richard Long (Full Moon Circle) and James
Turrell (Skyspace) and helping them to realise
their vision in the parkland. But I think
the walled garden is still my favourite place
because when I arrived there was very little in
it and I have seen it grow, literally, over the
years, and had a hand in making it.

JUNE

IN ACTION

JOBS ON THE
NOTICEBOARD

WEEDING WORK IN THE

BORDERSG Temporary gardener Simona is pulling out bind-

weed in the long borders (above). Troublesome

weeds like this can only be tackled by hand, and

have to be carefully untangled as they can strangle

herbaceous plants and entwine themselves around the

climbing roses on the wooden supports. Bindweed should never be

composted and is usually burnt. The long borders are edged on both sides

by a mass of Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’.

UNDER GLASS CITRUS FRUIT

G Water daily G A wide range of citrus is grown at
G Feed climbers in pots Houghton in terracotta pots. They are
kept indoors in the cool conservatory or
FRUIT & VEGETABLES polytunnels for winter and brought out
in summertime. The bushes are lightly
G Clear away rhubarb pruned in April to keep them in shape.
G Weed under pear tunnel In summer, they are fed and watered
G Harvest herbs as needed once a week using a 20-20-20 balanced
G Feed fruit trees feed such as Chempak No. 3 added to
G Cut asparagus spears the water (two watering canfuls for
each pot). They will be put back under
FLOWERS & BORDERS glass in October.

G Remove bindweed from borders The long borders are edged on both sides by
G Check staking on lupins a purple mass of Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’
and delphiniums
G Prune philadelphus and other Coming up next month
spring-flowering shrubs
G Plant out dahlias It’s time to harvest the raspberries,
gooseberries and currants, plus the
GENERAL team are busy deadheading the roses.
Houghton Hall and grounds are open
G Edge the lawns until 30 September, on Wednesday,
G Mow grass twice weekly Thursday, Sunday, and bank holiday
G Trim box hedges Mondays, 11.30am-5.30pm.
G Water and feed plants in pots The House is open from 1.30 to
G Remove surface debris from ponds 5pm. www.houghtonhall.com

20 The English Garden



Slug and snail control BEditor’s 1

Choice

What will stop destructive slugs and snails in their tracks?

IMAGES/HOWARD WALKER It’s fair to say that whole books could be take about two years to reach reproductive Apply controls in early March and you can stop
written on slug and snail controls, so you’ll maturity, but once there, both snails involved in generations of breeding.
have to excuse me for focusing on just a the mating can produce up to 100 eggs at a time.
few. I pointed out in the office the other It’s no wonder these critters are such a problem. With an army of chemical and organic controls
day that it was sod’s law that the year I’m on offer, gardeners usually select more than one
testing the products I’ve hardly seen a mollusc. When it comes to control methods, my pet hate method. Egg shells scattered around hostas is a
The team quickly pointed out that it might be is seeing piles of bright green slug pellets dotted favourite for many, but personally I don’t like my
because I had five different deterrents working around a garden - this is completely unnecessary. borders to look like the top layer of a compost
away in the border. From that, you can guess the Trust me when I say that you only need a fine heap. It’s tempting to try tidying the garden to
results have been effective. scattering around plants. My usual method of remove their hiding places (dark and damp areas),
control is to collect them after dark with a bucket but this also reduces the hiding places of the
It’s worth noting that slugs are far more efficient and torch, and feed them to the hens. ground beetles that eat slug and snail eggs. Tricky.
at reproducing than snails. Though both are
hermaphrodites, some types of slug can self- Many experienced gardeners I ask about these Visit www.theenglishgarden.co.uk for Tamsin’s short
fertilise, as well as mate with any partner. They lay pests swear that controlling them early in film on these controls. With thanks to Stockton Bury
around 300 eggs about 10 times a year. Most snails the season is the answer. They start to become Gardens, Hereford. www.stocktonbury.co.uk
active when the temperature reaches about 5ºC.

34

2 ‘It was hard to tell to what extent it worked, as the pests are
meant to wander off and die - I’d quite like to see the evidence’

1Slug & Snail Killer does exactly what it says on earth. I would only find them practical to protect 4Eraza Slug & Snail Killer comes in a 1kg pack
the tin. I’m impressed with the labelling and choice plants, but they’ll last for decades. Different with very bright packaging. The yellow safety
instructions. It doesn’t try to sugar-coat what it is - sizes available. Prices start at £15 for six rings cap is ingenious and allows you to sprinkle the
it contains metaldehyde, so it’s not organic. Yes, if (approx 10cm diameter). pellets accurately. Contains metaldehyde, but like
used incorrectly it could harm children and animals, Slug & Snail Killer, it’s still suitable for use around
but follow the instructions and this is highly unlikely. 3With a title like Vitax Slug Death XL you edible plants. It clearly states that it’s ‘five times
Each pellet contains an animal repellent. They are wouldn’t expect this product to come with the more effective’, but I’m not clear as to what it is
the classic blue-green and are easily sprinkled approval of the Organic Farmers and Growers more effective than. Worked well. Priced at £3.99.
thanks to a clever cap - there’s no need to touch Group, but it does. The green pellets, with an active
the pellets at all. The 1kg container would last ages, ingredient of naturally occurring ferrous sulphate, 5For those that would rather create a barrier, try
as 100g covers 113 sq m. Priced at £4.99. are not as easy to spread as others, as the container Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent. It is 100%
comes with no spout. However, children and pets recycled, made out of crushed porcelain bathroom
2Slug Rings are a great idea - when the slug need not be excluded from the area, which suits suites that were destined for landfill. Simply place
makes contact it gets a little electric shock. me, and for this reason it’s my EDITOR’S CHOICE. granules around the plant and the pest will find the
It’s vital that no leaf of the plant drapes over the It’s hard to tell to what extent it worked as the pests surface too sharp and porous to cross. I like to hoe
copper ring or pests will use this as a route. For are meant to wander off and die - I’d quite like to the borders regularly so needed to reapply my
that reason, opt for larger rings, as plants will soon see the evidence (no damage on the plants though). barrier a few times - great for pots though. Wash
out grow them. Make sure you cultivate the soil Priced at £13 for 500g container. (The Showa Floreo them and they will show their white colour in
first as they need to be slightly pushed into the 370 gloves are from www.mstore.co.uk) places. Priced at £4.99 for a 2.5kg bag.

5 STOCKISTS

G Slug & Snail Killer is available from
most garden centres. For nearest stockists
www.bayergarden.co.uk
G Slug Rings from Slug Rings Ltd. Tel: +44
(0)1225 851524. www.slugrings.co.uk
G Vitax Slug Death XL from Greenacres
Horticultural Supplies, tel: +44 (0)1895
835235. www.greenacresdirect.co.uk
G Eraza Slug & Snail Killer from Westland.
For stockists, tel: +44 (0)28 8772 7500.
G Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent
available from Ecocharlie, tel: +44 (0)1798
867780. www.ecocharlie.co.uk

The English Garden 23

ABOVE Alchemila mollis and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ in the long border with lollies of Quercus ilex. TOP RIGHT Catalpa fargesii f. duclouxii. CENTRE RIGHT
The stream garden features Hosta ‘Snowden’ offset by arum lilies and cowslips. BELOW RIGHT Aconitum napellus with Campanula ‘Kent Belle’.

Orient expression

What do you get when you mix a classic English style with oriental influences in
a restored garden? The charming, and just a little surprising, Melplash Court

PHOTOGRAPHS CAROLE DRAKE WORDS AMBRA EDWARDS

24 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS L

DORSET

The occasional oriental flourish in the
garden of Melplash Court should come as
no surprise. Its Canadian-born creator,
Timothy Lewis, was taken as an infant to
Shanghai and spent his childhood in Hong
Kong, before settling in Thailand. There he created a
series of spectacular gardens, filling them with rare
orchids and palms and revelling in their exuberance
of colour, foliage and scent.

In mid-life, however, he began to yearn for the subtler
pleasures of an English country garden. He dreamed of
roses and yew hedges and lingering shadows on velvety
lawns. He began to read voraciously, and punctuated trips
to England with gardening courses and garden visits.

Then, in 1984, Timothy found Melplash Court, a 17th-
century stone house nestled in a sunny hollow among the
west Dorset hills. An avenue of chestnuts unrolled from
the high iron gates. Ivy twined about the Elizabethan
dovecote, and behind the house could still be discerned
the bones of a fine garden in traditional Old English style,
created by Lady Diana Tiarks in the 1950s.

Though the outlines were blurred and the outer reaches
entirely lost to scrub and brambles, enough remained of
honey-coloured walls and fat yew hedges, of trees and shady

The English Garden 2453

Melplash has one of the finest collections of woody plants on the south coast. ‘It’s the
best soil I’ve ever seen in my life - here you can grow absolutely anything’

allées, to provide a framework for Timothy’s vision of the wasn’t he tempted to import a ready-made garden ABOVE The delights of a
perfect English garden. To help him, he engaged Terry Baker wholesale from some Italian nursery? ‘Not at all,’ says Terry. colourful summer border
of the Botanic Nursery in Wiltshire, a third-generation Tim, who died in 2004, ‘was a natural gardener. He knew including shasta daisies,
nurseryman specialising in unusual herbaceous plants the plants would establish better if they were small. He red poppies, nepeta and
(especially rare foxgloves), with a talent for reviving ailing had a keen eye and an incredible memory for plants. And far off blue delphiniums.
gardens made in the early years of the last century. ‘What he really enjoyed introducing more unusual things BELOW The small terrace is
I try to do is to keep faith with the original conception of into the plantings, such as the rare pale primulas and sprinkled with self-seeded
the garden, but also adapt it for modern conditions,’ says scented hostas in the stream garden, and many different Erigeron karvinskianus
Terry. ‘These gardens were serviced by a huge staff - we find colours of sorbus in the park. adding a note of carefree
ways of making them just as beautiful, but easier to manage.’ rural charm.
It’s the best soil I’ve ever seen in my life, so at Melplash
Together, Timothy and Terry set about planting interesting you can grow absolutely anything. Tim wanted me to find L
trees and shrubs - Melplash has one of the finest collections him the best forms of plants, such as the wonderful dark
of woody plants on the south coast - and clarifying the
structure of the garden, creating a new potager in the old
walled garden, informal areas including an orchard and bog
garden, and four magnificent herbaceous borders around the
old croquet lawn. Timothy longed for a romantic garden, but
was adamant that he did not want ‘a Portuguese wedding
garden’. The colour palette must be muted, exuberant growth
restrained with an elegant formality, and the arc of the seasons
fully explored in the garden - for although he and his family
still wintered in Thailand, they found themselves spending
longer and longer at Melplash each year. In short, he wanted
the most complete contrast to his exotic tropical gardens.

For a gardener accustomed to the rapid growth of the
Tropics, the long evolution of a mature English garden
must have seemed unbearably slow. Being a wealthy man,

26 The English Garden

TOP LEFT With its lacy, steel-blue petals
and pineapple-shaped centre, Eryngium

alpinum ‘Blue Star’ is dramatic in the
border and also excellent as a dried flower.
TOP CENTRE Delphinium x bellamosum.
TOP RIGHT Cornus florida f. rubra. MIDDLE
LEFT The Giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum
giganteum) can reach an amazing four metres
in height. MIDDLE RIGHT Sculptural Hosta

‘Snowden’. BOTTOM LEFT Velvety Rosa
‘Nuits de Young’. BOTTOM CENTRE Penstemon

digitalis ‘Husker Red’. BOTTOM RIGHT
Aconitum napellus produces strong upright

stems clad in elegant hooded flowers,
ideal for the back of the border.

For all the studied Englishness, there are many references to the Far East in the gardens,
such as bamboo, cloud-pruned box, a moon gate and a Japanese garden

opium poppy Papaver somniferum ‘Black Paeony’ for the though, is how these high standards can be maintained. ABOVE In the potager,
Croquet Lawn borders, or sculptural ‘Blue Star’ sea holly’. Timothy Lewis’ children, brought up in Thailand, have clipped balls of Berberis
made their lives in the East. thunbergii f. atropurpurea
For all the studied Englishness of the scene, there are ‘Harlequin’ make show-
many references to the Far East in the garden - stands of ‘The more gardens I visit in England,’ says his son, Jamie, stopping focal points.
black- and golden-stemmed bamboo, cloud-pruned box ‘the more I beam with pride for what has been created BELOW Veg, herbs and
and handsome glazed pots full of water lilies. From the here. Dad was a hands-on gardener, never happier than colourful nasturtiums
croquet lawn behind the house, steps lead down to a circular when he was out here in his wellies. He had a love of the cluster around the feet
moon gate. In front of it stands the figure of an Oriental priest, English garden deep inside him.’ of potted bays.
and through it can be glimpsed the Japanese garden at
the far side of the plot. Melplash Court, Melplash, nr Bridport, Dorset DT6 3UH.
Open for the NGS on Sundays 23 May and 20 June, 2-6pm.
Created in the 1950s, this area had become completely www.ngs.org.uk
overgrown. The job of clearing it fell to a retired farmer,
Bob Bartlett, who brought in his son Tim to help him.
Twenty-seven years later, the Japanese garden has been
completely restored with choice rhododendrons and acers,
Tim Bartlett is now head gardener at Melplash, and Mr
Bartlett senior, aged 90, still comes in daily to mow the
lawns. The grass is immaculate - the parkland as tidy as a
suburban lawn, and the croquet lawn smooth as a billiard
table. In fact it is hard to imagine a more meticulously kept
garden - the edges trim and the borders pristine even in
the depths of winter. Labour-saving ‘cheats’ such as edging
aids are eschewed, even though there is more than a mile
of edging to maintain. ‘There’s nothing like a clean edge to
make a garden look tidy,’ Tim says.

A beautiful house in an idyllic setting, in perfect order with
a dedicated garden staff. The question facing Melplash now,

28 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

DORSET

The notebook

Melplash Court is a large 20-acre manor garden in west Dorset blessed with a sheltered position. It has deep,
rich loam - the perfect medium for growing many herbaceous perennials and vegetables

GLAZE CRAZE CLEVER SUPPORTS

In the green allée below Smartness prevails in this
the croquet lawn stand two garden, where you’ll find no
octagonal glazed antique pots trace of ugly green plastic plant
(below), now pressed into supports. Instead, herbaceous
service as formal and highly borders are staked with
attractive water features, elegant hoops of rusted iron
but originally used to prepare and beautiful ‘lobster pots’ of
the Chinese delicacy, hundred- woven hazel coppiced from
year-old or ‘century’ eggs. local farms (below).

EYE CATCHER ON A WING

Head gardener Tim Bartlett has Among the first Oriental
never forgotten installing this ornaments to find their way
large sculpture, shipped from into the garden were these
Thailand (above), known as ‘the metalwork birds from Thailand
Chinaman’. The moon gate (above). Believed to represent
behind him is carved out of the mythical phoenix, they
a yew hedge, with the upper celebrate the rebirth of the
edge of the circle completed Japanese garden, which was
with honeysuckle. lost for nearly two decades.

CONTACTS TIPS FROM HEAD GARDENER TIM BARTLETT

GARDENS TO VISIT NEARBY G With superb soil and a sheltered site, plants tend to grow extremely
G Horn Park Large plantsman’s garden with fast here, so it’s important that the borders are prepared and staked in good
wonderful cornus, meadow and views. Open time. We try to get them cleaned and mulched early, and aim to put the
for the NGS on 30 June, 2-5pm, or by appointment. supports in place by early March, so that the plants can develop and grow
Tunnel Road, Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3HB. up naturally with minimal interference.
Tel: +44 (0)1308 862212. www.ngs.org.uk G Visiting wildlife can be a problem at Melplash, so tender young shoots
G Mapperton Gardens Dreamy Italianate garden
in idyllic valley setting. Open daily except need protection from rabbits,
Saturdays, March to October. Beaminster, and trees and shrubs (especially
Dorset DT8 3NR. Tel: +44 (0)1308 862645. roses) from deer. I have found
www.mapperton.com deterrent sprays effective
G The Old Rectory Famed for its spectacular against deer, but they need
bog garden - but the entire plot is a delight. to be reapplied regularly.
Featured in The English Garden in January 2010. G Repeating plants makes the
Open for the NGS on 30 May, 2-5pm, or by garden more harmonious. In
appointment. Netherbury, Dorset DT6 5NB. the croquet garden, the parallel
www.ngs.org.uk lines of the topiary lollies and
RECOMMENDED NURSERY repeated clumps of catmint
G The Botanic Nursery, The Rookery, nr and alchemilla make a pleasing
Stonar School, Atworth, Wiltshire SN12 8NT. gentle rhythm that helps it
www.botanicguru.co.uk all hang together.

The English Garden 29



BOOK READER EVENTS
NOW
Events Calendar 2010
to reserve
your place We’ve arranged some exciting and exclusive events for you this year
at incredible venues - so hurry and book your place!

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Jim Keeling, the
founder of Whichford Pottery, at work; the
stunning house and garden of The Orchards
Cookery School; the nursery at Knoll; and
a basket of goodies from the Littlemoors
Farm Shop.

GRASSES, THE Venue: Hampton Court Palace, East or name plate (items can be collected at a
GARDEN AND THE Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU. www.klc.co.uk later date or delivered at cost). After a picnic
ENVIRONMENT Cost: £130 lunch (provided by yourself), take a tour of
Jim Keeling’s private garden, followed by a
Theme: A day with RHS Discover how to make the most of your container-planting demonstration with head
Chelsea gold medallist and grass expert garden with our new columnist. Coffee gardener Harriet Rycroft. Finish the day
Neil Lucas at Knoll Gardens. Lunch at followed by a talk on ‘How gardens are born with tea and cakes, and an opportunity to
Littlemoors Farm Shop. and nurtured’. Lunch followed by a lecture shop at a 10% discount on everything from
When: Wed 15 Sept and Wed 13 Oct on plants, followed by Q&A with James. flowerpots to ceramics, jewellery, textiles
Number of places: 20 and garden accessories.
Time: 10.30am-4pm POTTERY
Venue: Knoll Gardens, Wimborne, Dorset BAKING FOR
BH21 7ND. www.knollgardens.co.uk Theme: A day at the GARDENERS
Cost: £95, to include £10 lunch voucher famous Whichford
Pottery. Work with clay Theme: Cook a four-
DESIGN and see the private pottery garden. course gardener’s
When: Tues 21 September lunch and make cakes to enjoy at home.
Theme: A day with Number of places: 15 When: Sat 9 October
garden designer and writer Time: 9.30am-4pm Number of places: 16
James Alexander-Sinclair Venue: Whichford Pottery, Warwickshire Time: 10am-5.30pm
at Hampton Court Palace. CV36 5PG. www.whichfordpottery.com Venue: The Orchards, Salford Priors,
When: Fri 17 Sept Cost: £95 Nr Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 8UU.
Number of places: 15 www.orchardscookery.co.uk
Time: 10am-3.30pm Enjoy a guided tour of the workshop, and, Cost: £140 (includes all ingredients)
after morning tea with the team, have a go
at working with clay by decorating a house

WHICHFORD/LIZ EDDISON BOOK NOW

Call Vicky Kingsbury on tel: +44 (0)1242 211073 or email Victoria.kingsbury@archant.co.uk
to reserve your place or find out more information on our exclusive reader days.

The English Garden 31



L GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE
A herb-filled border

with tall plants such as
Tanacetum vulgare and

self-sown Oenothera
biennis that add height
and a splash of yellow to
the wonderfully varied

colour scheme.

The Verey thing

The spirited daughter of the late Rosemary Verey, Davina Wynne-Jones has
used her own style to transform a field into a heady herbal heaven

PHOTOGRAPHS MARIE O’HARA WORDS CLAIRE MASSET

The English Garden 33

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

TOP LEFT The pinky-purple, daisy-like flower What do you do when all,’ she admits. Maybe this is why Davina
of echinacea, also known as coneflower. you’ve already been a waited until her late fifties to start a garden of
journalist, printer, curator, her own. Opened in 2005, her Herbs for
ABOVE LEFT Oenothera biennis or evening masseuse and artist? Not Healing nursery bears no resemblance to her
primrose has short-lived flowers that bloom an easy question to mother’s creation, despite being just five-
answer, one would imagine. But for Davina minutes’ walk away.
at night. Attractive to bees in the summer, Wynne-Jones, it was a simple decision: she
this wildlife-friendly plant is a magnet to was going to grow herbs. Why? ‘They decided An eye-opener for Davina was a brief stay
on me really,’ she explains enigmatically. at Penjerrick Garden in Cornwall. ‘I was lucky
seed-hungry goldfinches during the winter. to live there for a while. I sort of had the
RIGHT A colourful display of borage, painted Perhaps a clue is the fact that her mother, place to myself and it was then that I got
the late Rosemary Verey, was a celebrated it about gardens. With its huge tree ferns
sage, evening primrose and tansies. garden designer, best known for her influential and jungle-like feel, it was so different
garden at Barnsley House in Gloucestershire. from the big herbaceous borders that my
Davina remembers growing up there, as well mother was known for.’
as her mother’s passion for collecting 17th-
century herbals, packed with pearls of wisdom Davina started with a blank canvas: a wind-
on the medicinal properties of plants. ‘I’ve swept field, which for many years had been
always liked gardening, and particularly herbs, used as a paddock for horses and sheep,
but as I grew up it was quite difficult to have with no house attached to it, only a collection
a normal garden with a mother who knew it of smallish structures (including a rather
fantastic yurt). The background colour here

34 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Davina’s garden bears no resemblance to Barnsley House, her CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Herbs for Healing
mother’s creation, despite being just five minutes’ walk away nursery is packed with useful and attractive
medicinal plants; hieracium, also known as
is predominantly green - the perfect foil for a mullein (Verbascum thapsus) came up. It hawkweed; highly toxic henbane (Hyoscyamus
her herbs. Located down an unnamed track, was such a sophisticated planting with all niger) was once an ingredient in witches’ brews;
the garden is wonderfully peaceful. ‘Visitors those leaves, but it was just chance. The best a charming heart-shaped willow sculpture
often comment on the tranquil atmosphere.’ planting has been accidental.’ ornaments the nursery area; a simple wooden
archway frames the view from the end of the
Before starting on the planting, Davina The garden consists of a series of large garden towards the nursery.
visited other nurseries, including Jekka rectangular beds on either side of a wide
McVicar’s Herb Farm near Bristol and the central path. This simple layout is reminiscent L
Prince of Wales’ Duchy Farm at Tetbury. of old physic gardens, in which formal
‘People are always willing to share their geometric beds were given over to the growing
knowledge. I’m not worried about asking a of medicinal plants. The garden slopes very
completely ignorant question. It’s the only way slightly, which means that you enjoy wonderful
you learn,’ she says candidly. vistas from the top. As you walk down the
main path, your eye is drawn to all the wild
How did she decide on the planting and wonderful herbs. Plants that you would
scheme? ‘I had a lot of happy accidents, really. expect to see growing in a field or roadside
In one corner, I planted a globe artichoke verge - such as burdock, wild chamomile,
(Cynara cardunculus) in front of a willow, then

The English Garden 35

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

MUST-HAVE HERBS

G Lavender: It stirs so many emotions
and yet is the most soothing of plants.
G Comfrey: An ointment made from its
root and leaf is supposed to help with
fractures, strains and sprains, bruises or
rough skin. Added to the compost heap,
it makes a nutrient-rich fertiliser.
G Rosemary: It supposedly increases
blood flow to the brain and helps with
memory. Shakespeare might have
been right when he wrote: ‘Rosemary
is for remembrance’.

TOP LEFT Herbs have been used medicinally for centuries. ABOVE LEFT Davina keeps dried petals, flower heads, leaves and seeds in a multitude of
storage jars, ready to be turned into beneficial teas, tinctures, creams, ointments and oils. TOP RIGHT The pink, purple and white bracts of the annual
painted sage (Salvia viridis). When infused, its leaves can be used as a sort of antiseptic gargle. ABOVE RIGHT A handful of Davina’s favourite
herbs: Calendula officinalis, lavender and Echinacea purpurea.

mugwort and plantain - rub shoulders with makes the best face wash you could wish for... So what does the future hold for Davina?
lavender, pot marigold and all manner of I make tincture from feverfew; it’s good for ‘I’d like to have art in the garden,’ she says,
sages, including clary sage (Salvia sclarea), preventing migraines... Make a dream pillow of ‘and I’d also like to keep bees. I feel that this
painted sage (Salvia viridis) and the red- mugwort and you’ll enjoy vivid and powerful is what I’m meant to be doing. It takes up
flowered, fruit-scented pineapple sage (Salvia dreams,’ she says, cutting off a stem for me to all of my time, but I am incredibly lucky to
elegans). Evening primrose has been left to take home. All of this knowledge is put to good be doing it.’
self-seed, creating natural exclamation marks use in her workshops, whose subjects range
across the garden. Everywhere, leaves and from herbal teas and home remedies to soap Herbs for Healing, Barnsley Herb Garden,
stems ranging from cool grey to deep red add making, plant spirit medicine and herbal oils. Barnsley, nr Cirencester, Gloucestershire. GL7 5EE.
depth and variety to the colour scheme. Tel: +44 (0)1285 851457. Open April to mid-
The final area of the garden is a small September on Wednesdays, 10.30am-5pm; and
As I walk down the garden, I am tempted to circular area entered through one of four wood Fridays, 2-5pm. Open for the NGS on Sundays 4
reach out and touch the plants, inhaling the arches. At its centre is a sky-reflecting pond, July and 22 August, when Barnsley House
different aromas. Each herb has been carefully surrounded by two circular beds and glowing will also be open.
selected for its medicinal qualities, and Davina Cotswold stone paths. It is a very peaceful Herbs are also available from the nursery by mail
is a font of knowledge when it comes to and contemplative space - the perfect way order through wwww.herbsforhealing.net
explaining their different virtues. ‘Marsh mallow to end a journey.

36 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

The notebook

The Herbs for Healing nursery garden covers two acres close to Barnsley House. The plot slopes slightly
towards the south. The soil is alkaline with quite heavy pockets of clay in places

CREAM OF
THE CROP

Pot marigold, Calendula
officinalis, (right) is
excellent for making skin
creams. It is soothing and
healing, anti-inflammatory
and antiseptic. It can
also be drunk as an
infusion during the dark
days of winter to bring
a bit of summer sun-
shine and cheer.

TRUE COLOURS HERBY HEIGHTS

Although many herbs have subtle colour tones, some Tall herbs can add drama
can be very striking. Try planting Echinacea purpurea to a border. Often found in
and Tanacetum vulgare together (above) for a roadside verges, mugwort
powerful combination. With its decorative bracts (Artemisia vulgaris) is
ranging from pure white to shades of purple and pink, surprisingly attractive
painted sage (Salvia viridis) is also a good choice. when given its own space.
So too is Joe-Pye Weed
DAVINA’S TOP TIPS Eupatorium purpureum
(left). Held up by 2m-tall
G When transplanting or repotting self-supporting stems,
plants, I put a few drops of ‘A + E’ the giant clusters of tiny
flower essence in a watering can before pink flowers bloom from
watering in the plants. They soon perk July to September.
up and adjust to their new situation.
You can order it from Saskia’s CONTACTS
Flower Essences at the website
www.saskiasfloweressences.com OTHER HERB NURSERIES
G If your garden is exposed and
windy, plant a mixed hedge around G Arne Herbs specialises in herbs and wildflowers.
it. Not only will it attract all sorts of Limeburn Nurseries, Limeburn Hill, Chew Magna,
beneficial wildlife, it will also work BS40 8QW. Tel: +44 (0)1275 333399.
as a wind break. www.arneherbs.co.uk
G After having prepared my beds G Bodmin Plant & Herb Nursery specialises
for planting, I used black matting in herbs and herbaceous perennials. Laveddon
to suppress weeds. The herbs have Mill, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 5JU. Tel: +44 (0)1208
now grown so much that it is 72837. www.bodminnursery.co.uk
virtually invisible. G Jekka’s Herb Farm offers a special herb
garden design service. Rose Cottage,
Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol BS35 3SY.
Tel: +44 (0)1454 418878.
www.jekkasherbfarm.com
G The National Herb Centre boasts a herb
garden and nursery, as well as a herb bistro.
Banbury Rd, Warmington, Warwickshire OX17 1DF.
Tel: +44 (0)1295 690999. www.herbcentre.co.uk

The English Garden 37

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38 The English Garden



GLORIOUS GARDENS L

SOMERSET

A fantastic location doesn’t make a garden,
but it certainly helps. With the tranquil
shores of Blagdon Lake on one side and
the wondrous Mendip Hills on the other,
the garden at Holt Farm is blessed with
an envious backdrop of wide views and endless skies.
All this beauty is not just skin deep, however, for
this is where Yeo Valley Organic has one of its biggest
farms. The sense of nature and agriculture working in
harmony is almost palpable.

After years of hard graft, the garden at Holt Farm is
now entirely organic, like the rest of the farm. ‘We got
the rubber stamp earlier this year from the Soil
Association,’ says owner Sarah Mead, clearly delighted.
It joins a tiny group of ornamental gardens in England
that are certified organic; Highgrove in Gloucestershire,
Clarence House in London and Garden Organic in
Warwickshire are the others.

Mary and Roger Mead started Yeo Valley in the 1970s,
and Sarah moved into Holt Farm with her husband,
their son Tim, 20 years ago. ‘So I inherited my mother-
in-law’s garden,’ she says. ‘It was all quite traditional,
with a few rose beds and a rockery. At that point
I had no interest in gardening, but within a matter
of weeks I was hooked.’

Sarah had four children in quick succession, and soon
realised she needed help in the garden. Today it is managed
by an enthusiastic team of five: Sarah, James, Eileen, Matt
and Will. Everyone is involved in the design as well as on
a day-to-day basis. Sarah’s gregarious head gardener,

OPPOSITE The gravel garden leads towards the charming
avenue of tea crab apples, whose branches join in the
centre to create a cosy alcove effect. BELOW Known as
giant rhubarb, Gunnera manicata is a striking architectural
perennial, ideal for a bog garden or alongside a pond.

NATURE’S WAY

A wonderfully varied garden with lake and hill views is breaking new ground, offering
a vision of organic gardening that you can take home and apply to your own plot

PHOTOGRAPHS ROWAN ISAAC WORDS CLAIRE MASSET

The English Garden 41

GLORIOUS GARDENS

SOMERSET

James Cox, started his career at Highgrove and then
worked for a number of properties, including The National
Trust’s Antony House in Cornwall. ‘Holt Farm was a
fantastic opportunity,’ he explains. ‘It was like going back
to Highgrove, just on smaller scale.’

Over the past couple of years, the garden has undergone
quite a few changes, designed to make it at once more
practical, coherent, intimate and attractive. It will officially
re-open to the public on 13 June. ‘As visitors go through
a double-maze entrance,’ says James, ‘they will discover
our new Somerset garden, the first of many garden rooms.’
Here James has planted nine pollarded willows,
surrounded by a snaking path and a mass of wildflowers.

From this mellow informality, a formal gravel path
edged with rows of pleached Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’
leads to the new glasshouse and the working part of the
garden. ‘In this area, visitors can see how we make nettle
and comfrey liquid feeds and different types of compost
from turf stacks, leaf mould and garden waste,’ explains
James. Here too are the cutting and holding beds.

Combining the practical with the beautiful is the
pretty potager, best viewed from the elegant terrace in
which a chequerboard of herbs has been planted. Dotted
among the raised vegetable beds are quirky wrought-
iron sculptures of flowers and vegetables created by local
artist James Blunt. Circling the potager, mass plantings
of lavender and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ help attract bees
and other beneficial insects.

Two red and lime borders, planted with Euphorbia
griffithii ‘Dixter Flame’ and dahlias lead to a graceful grass
border of Stipa gigantea and calamagrostis complemented
with eremurus and rudbeckia. Lighting up a secluded
area with a reflective pond are two herbaceous beds

The garden has undergone quite a few changes to make it
more practical, coherent, intimate and attractive

TOP Euphorbia griffithii ‘Dixter’, Rosa ‘Buff Beauty’ and
Eremerus x isabellinus ‘Cleopatra’ with the emerging buds
of Hemerocallis ‘Stafford’. CENTRE Euphorbia griffithii
‘Fireglow’ and Iris sibirica. ABOVE Globe artichokes
(Cynara cardunculus Scolymus Group) are grown for their
culinary appeal and for the height and drama they add to
the potager. RIGHT Head gardener James Cox loves
broad-leaved, architectural plants, such as these Rheum
palmatum and Petasites japonicus.

42 The English Garden

featuring the warm tones of Eremerus x isabellinus Charles and Camilla, Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don ABOVE Lavandula
‘Cleopatra’, hemerocallis, heleniums and Rosa ‘Buff Beauty’. peer down on you while you wash your hands. angustifolia ‘Twickel

As it edges towards the surrounding countryside, the Underneath all this light-heartedness is a serious idea: Purple’ and Stipa
garden takes on an appropriately pastoral feel, with a that ‘organic is the way forward’. ‘I’m keen to encourage tenuissima are perfect
woodland area, and perennial and annual meadows. In people to think about the organic side,’ says Sarah. James foils for elegant globes
the middle of all this rural charm, an enchanting avenue is developing contacts with other organic gardens in of Allium hollandicum
of tea crab apples (Malus hupehensis) holds its own from order to arrange plant and seed swaps. He’s also keen
spring to autumn, when its fruit almost light up the way to establish a forum for organic gardeners, perhaps ‘Purple Sensation’.
to the final spectacle: the newly planted gravel garden. run by the Soil Association.
‘The feel here is quite romantic, with blues and pinks and L
soft mauves and silver,’ Sarah explains. Key plants include And, as Sarah is keen to stress, with a chairman as
monardas, veronicastrum, tradescantia, Achillea millefolium charismatic as Monty Don, maybe the Soil Association can
‘Lilac Beauty’, Salvia nemorosa and perovskia. carry the organic message forward: ‘He’s our sort of
gardener and he is a huge draw. If he could encourage
As a complement to the planting, Sarah, who is the first ‘normal’ gardeners to join the Soil Association, that would
to admit that ‘gardening is about having fun’, has added be great. It would be nice to get people away from the
many wacky and humorous touches. The glasshouse is preconception that organic isn’t for them.’
an unusual yet wonderful purple colour. All the sculpture
has an element of humour (Sarah’s latest commission The Organic Garden at Holt Farm, Bath Road, Blagdon BS40
is a huge ‘leeky’ garden hose). In the new tearoom, the 7SQ. The gardens will be open for the NGS on Sun 13 June
blackboard is framed by the glitziest garden gnomes you’ll and 26 Sept, 2-5pm; also every Thurs from 17 June to end
ever see, while the cauliflower-shaped chandelier has been of Sept, and groups by appt. Tel: +44 (0)1761 461650.
created from vintage teacups. Whatever you do, don’t miss www.theorganicgardens.co.uk
the loos. Designed like potting sheds, with ‘flower pot’
basins, they’ll have you smiling as portraits of Prince Turn over for garden notebook

The English Garden 43

GLORIOUS GARDENS

SOMERSET

The notebook

The Organic Garden at Holt Farm covers about five acres and features clay soil, most of which is extremely
fertile. The site is exposed to the wind, but new beech hedges are helping to mitigate its damaging effects

PATIO ENHANCER SLUG SAVY

Want to add a bit of colour and interest to an old To protect their vegetables from
patio? Why not try sowing lady’s mantle (Alchemila slugs and snails, the team at Holt
mollis) in between the cracks (below). Other good Farm use beer traps, nematodes
plants could include creeping thyme (Thymus and crushed oyster shells (below).
serpyllum) or fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus). The shells can also be used to raise
the pH of acidic soils. ‘This year, I’m
having lots of fun trialling Astroturf as
a slug repellent on a tiny part of
the potager,’ says Sarah.

ECO GARDENING TIPS FROM SINGULAR SCULPTURE
THE HOLT FARM TEAM
Holt Farm’s eccentric, whimsical
G If you find the idea of going organic daunting, pieces of sculpture are both attractive
you can start by doing just a few organic things. and heart-lifting. Most of the pieces
You could begin by buying a good book on how are made by local artist James Blunt,
to manage your garden organically. You could who specialises in wrought iron
also join the Soil Association. (above). Even the entrance gates and
G Think about all the elements in your garden the door handles to the glasshouse
you can re-use. A pile of leaves can be turned into have been embellished with his work.
leaf mould. If you’re digging up turf, turn it into a
turf stack. Use nettles to make liquid feed. CONTACTS
G Encourage wildlife into your garden. Buy or
make your own bug boxes; put a few bird feed NURSERIES
stations in your garden; make a pond. G Caves Folly Nurseries, Evendine Lane, Colwall, Nr Malvern, Worcestershire
G Turn your compost once a week as this will WR13 6DU. Tel: +44 (0)1684 540631. www.cavesfolly.com
help it retain all the key nutrients that feed your G Hoo House Nursery, Gloucester Rd, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 7DA.
plants and soil. Tel: +44 (0)1684 293389. www.hoohouse.plus.com
G When you’re visiting a garden, always make G Jekka’s Herb Farm, Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol BS35 3SY.
sure you stop for coffee and cake! Tel: +44 (0)1454 418878. www.jekkasherbfarm.com
G Junker’s Nursery, Lower Mead, West Hatch, Taunton, Somerset TA3 5RN.
44 The English Garden Tel: +44 (0)1823 480774. www.junker.co.uk
G Orchard Nurseries, Orchard Place, Flint House Road, Three Holes, Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire PE14 9JN. Tel: +44 (0)1354 638613. www.orchard-nurseries.com
SEED MERCHANTS
G Chase Organics, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey
KT12 4RG. Tel: +44 (0)1932 253666. www.chaseorganics.co.uk
G Emorsgate Seeds, Limes Farm, Tilney All Saints, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE34 4RT.
Tel: +44 (0)1553 829028. www.wildseed.co.uk
G Pictorial Meadows, Manor Oaks Farmhouse, 389 Manor Lane, Sheffield S2 1UL.
Tel: +44 (0)1142 677635. www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk



46 The English Garden

GLORIOUS GARDENS

HAMPSHIRE

The walled garden of
Houghton Lodge, with
traditional old chalk
cob walls. Rosa ‘Climbing
Arthur Bell’, R. ‘Mermaid’
and swathes of purple
nepeta steal the summer
show along the avenues.

Slow with L
the flow

This tranquil little-known estate on the banks of a river holds myriad
charms, ranging from water meadow walks and chocolate cake to
formal floral fancies, friendly animals and a spot of science

PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLA STOCKEN TOMKINS WORDS STEPHANIE MAHON

The English Garden 47

ABOVE The peacock-themed parterre with Buxus sempervirens edged beds and Ihave a garden-mad friend in Winchester who
sculpted yew forms. ABOVE RIGHT Rosa ‘American Pillar’ adorns these arches that knows all of her county’s horticultural gems, from
frame a terrace with lollipop-standard ligustrum. BELOW LEFT Paeonia ‘Bowl of a tiny hidden courtyard at St Cross to the rose-
Beauty’. BELOW RIGHT Papaver orientale ‘The Promise’. draped walls of Mottisfont Abbey. Or so it seemed.
‘Houghton Lodge?’ she said, when I quizzed her
48 The English Garden on my latest assignment. ‘Never heard of it.’ In fact, despite
the garden having played host to BBC dramas and film
shoots, the only person I can find who does know it is
my editor, which might be why I’m here in the first place.

This intriguing aspect of unexplored territory is
heightened by the honesty box on the wall outside the
tea room, politely asking for contributions in exchange
for the garden’s many sights, including a walled kitchen
garden, long herbaceous border, topiary parterre,
interesting architecture and wildflower water meadows
leading down to the banks of the River Test. There are
also some beautiful old trees in the grounds, and many
tranquil smile-inducing views.

‘My husband Martin inherited it in 1977,’ says Anthea
Busk, ‘and it has now been in the family for 100 years.
The garden was fantastic in the days of his great aunt
Ida - we have the diary of her gardener George Morris for
1910, and it is really fascinating. He worked here until he
died, but after that things went downhill. We have restored
it over time, bit by bit.’

GLORIOUS GARDENS

HAMPSHIRE

The first thing to grab attention as I pass through the LABOVE LEFT The rose-arch covered peony walk seen across the ordered vegetable
tea room (apart from the chocolate cake on display, also L garden. ABOVE RIGHT The herb garden, with deep purple Lavandula angustifolia
part of the honesty system) is the adjoining greenhouse, ‘Hidcote’, oregano, feathery fennel, yellow phlomis and pale-leaved stachys.
run on hydroponic principles. Geraniums, lettuce and BELOW LEFT Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’. BELOW RIGHT Rosa ‘Korresia’.
strawberries hang out on the walls and on table pods
designed to grow without soil, using measured quantities The English Garden 49
of essential nutrients in water. These systems use far less
water and space than conventionally grown plants. ‘When
we first decided to open to the public, there were so many
other fantastic gardens around that we wanted to do
something original. Having visited Achiltibuie in Scotland,
hydroponics seemed like a great idea,’ says Anthea. ‘A
worker from Achiltibuie had moved to Hampshire, so he
helped to set it up and get us started, many years ago.’

Doors lead out from the greenhouses onto the kitchen
garden, still with its original traditional chalk cob walls,
laid out formally into intersecting avenues and cubes of
interest, with fruit cages at one end, vegetable beds at the
other, espaliered fruit on the walls and the rest given over
to lanes lined with catmint and roses; and focal points like
standard trees, a well, a bench or a gateway capping each
line of sight. Arguably the greatest feature here is the
rose arch and peony walk, with Rosa ‘American Pillar’
putting on a show over your head and many varieties of
splendid peonies floating by your feet.