Latest news with #BethChatto
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Ain't no sunshine? How to embrace your shady, north-facing garden
I'm at the point in my 30s when everyone seems to be moving house – or at least trying to. I'm among them; sometimes I dream in floor plans. But one thing that persists among all the conversations about postcodes, rail connections and side returns is the subject of north-facing gardens: a horticultural bogeyman even among those who profess not to know about gardening. It's funny that north-facing gardens have such a bad rep. There's a sense that to live with one is to cloak yourself gothically in shade and misery, which isn't true. And as we approach May, there's rarely a better time to scrutinise your garden for how and where the light and shadows fall. Mine is north-facing – and shallow, in the sense that it is twice as wide as it is long. Like many gardens in London, it is also flanked by tall Victorian houses, and I built a garden studio against the back wall, which blocked a chunk of what precious evening sun we used to get. In short, facing north is the least of its worries – which is likely the case for most urban gardens and balconies: you are nearly always going to be overlooked, and therefore in shade, from something. For those lucky enough not be in the shadow of another building, the big issue seems to be the part of the garden right next to the back of the house – where people tend to sit and eat outside (you may think you'll schlep to the far end of the garden for a sunkissed dinner, but you won't – it's too annoying to run back for ketchup or forks or a jug of water). East-facing gardens benefit from sunny breakfasts and lunchtimes, west-facing ones lunchtimes and evenings, and south-facing ones all day. But, as you'll know from trying to get an alfresco table during a busy lunch serving, nobody really wants to eat in the full glare of the sun. North-facing gardens just provide sunshine for breakfasts, which to me seems like a charming way to start the day. Finally, the planting. Having gardened on a woodland balcony and in this garden, with all its aforementioned shade, I'm a ride-or-die shade planting gal. Leafy, textural, woodland-inspired planting is my jam. I can appreciate a dry, sun-drenched garden (for inspiration, check out Beth Chatto's former car park), but I'd take a fern over a lavender any day. Deploy the right plants (ones that prefer shade, or certainly don't need six hours or more of full sunlight a day) and you can be awash in a lush, low-maintenance oasis. You can make more sun-demanding plants work for you, too, if you capture the right pockets of light in your plot; I grow roses and cut-flower annuals here every year. So there's no need to give up on a garden just because of the needle on your compass.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- General
- Telegraph
10 of the best scented plants to grow this spring
Fragrance is the gardening version of aromatherapy, because it's pure pleasure: it soothes the mind and conjures up past memories in a nanosecond. The scent wafting through the air is designed to lure in pollinators, and it's worth noting that nectar flows more freely in warmer, sheltered situations away from strong winds. Positioning is everything: gateways and paths are perfect for the pollinators, and for your nose. However, fragrance isn't restricted to summer. Some of our most scented plants bloom in winter or in early spring, their subtle and rather inconspicuous flowers throwing out scent in the afternoons in the hope of attracting an early queen bumblebee or two. Here are 10 to try. Daphne Most evergreen daphnes are divinely scented, and the easiest one to grow is definitely the spring-flowering Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'. This commonly available daphne is hardier than most and it's always smothered in clusters of pale pink waxy-looking flowers that open from darker buds. The sage green leaves are lightly margined in creamy white, but the variegation is so subtle that it doesn't offend. In time this will reach a metre in height and slightly more in width. There are several variegated D. odora cultivars, all weaker growers and poorer flowerers I'm afraid. I have found the strongest to be Marianni ('Rogbret'), one with vivid yellow margins to the foliage. Mine is shy to flower though. Daphnes prefer a warm site that's reasonably well drained, and they also enjoy a gentle slope, or a position near a wall. Where to buy: Hortus Loci Shop Sarcococca This scented winter-flowering evergreen (Sarcococca confusa) is known as Christmas box, because the flowers open in winter. It is a hardy evergreen that is easily grown in fertile soil and, being an Asian plant used to a six-week rainy season, it likes summer rainfall. Heights vary between a metre or two, depending on the level of moisture in the ground. S. confusa combines rich-green foliage with ivory-white flowers, a classy combination, and black berries follow on. It's named confusa, because the planthunter couldn't recall where he actually found it. There are pinker flowered forms that include S. hookeriana var. digyna and these are even more scented, though their foliage takes on a metallic sheen in summer, rather like hungry box foliage. Sarcococcas can be grown in a container or border, and the scent will carry right across the garden, even when the weather's cool. Where to buy: Beth Chatto's Oriental lilies The most scented lilies have paler flowers in shades of white, pink and soft yellow, and most are listed under Oriental lilies. As a general rules, the paler the lily the stronger the scent, and the pure white 'Casa Blanca' is a benchmark variety that can reach 1.5 metres. They're best grown in containers, because Oriental lilies prefer acid or ericaceous conditions when grown in the ground. They actively dislike lime. Plant in spring, cover the bulbs with 4–6 inches of compost, and stand your sturdy wide-based pots on pot feet to improve drainage. Place your containers away from paths and seats, in full or partial shade, because the brown lily pollen stains clothing. Check the undersides of the leaves for red eggs, the first stage of the bright red lily beetle. 'Muscadet' is a much shorter white, overlaid in soft-pink, with showy red stamens. There are double forms listed as roselilies. Where to buy: Harts Nursery Korean lilac When gardeners think of lilacs, they tend to conjure up those April-flowering tree lilacs, beloved by our Edwardian ancestors. However, there are shorter, shrubbier lilacs, with headily scented and daintier flowers, that perform in early summer. These slot into smaller plots and can also be grown in large containers. The slow-growing and extremely hardy Syringa meyeri 'Palibin', also known as dwarf Korean lilac, is smothered in pink flowers and has flowered in semi-shade for me. Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim' is more compact, with violet-pink flowers. It was selected from seeds collected in 1947, by an American veteran soldier named Elwyn M. Meader (1910–1996). He named it Miss Kim because it's the most common family name in Korea. Where to buy: Thompson & Morgan Lonicera or honeysuckle There are said to be 158 species of honeysuckle found in the Northern hemisphere, but when it comes to scent our native woodbine, Lonicera periclymenum, is the one to plant. Scent levels rise as the light fades, so this is a plant to place near your evening retreat. It conjures literary connections. The poet John Milton talked about 'a bank with ivy-canopied and interwove with flaunting honeysuckle', and one of the finest forms, the pale-yellow 'Graham Thomas', was collected from a Warwickshire hedgerow just a few miles from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon in 1960. The most commonly found forms are 'Serotina', a redder-flowered later Dutch form, and 'Belgica', an earlier yellow and rhubarb-pink variety. 'Sweet Sue' was found on a Swedish beach by Roy Lancaster and named (very aptly) for his lovely wife. Where to buy: Crocus Philadelphus or mock orange The citrus scented philadelphus captures the freshness of early summer, but they are a variable bunch. 'Virginal' is so tall, it might as well be ascending to heaven, although flower arrangers love the pristine double white flowers. 'Manteau d'Ermine', on the other hand, struggles to make two feet in my garden, and the semi-double flowers have a look of dirty laundry about them. Star plants include the damson-blushed white flowers of 'Belle Étoile', a very fragrant shrub that reaches two metres at most. 'Sybille' is compact, with squarish four-petalled white flowers that bear an orange scent. The yellow-leafed form, P. coronarius 'Aureus', needs dappled shade. Summer prune them by cutting back one quarter of the older stems to encourage new growth, because they flower on the previous year's growth. Where to buy: Jacksons Nurseries Roses Roses' fragrance varies enormously, but one of the most fragrant roses is the 1881 Bourbon rose 'Madame Isaac Pereire'. Other scented beauties include 'Buff Beauty', one of Rev Joseph Pemberton's hybrid musks. He bred for fragrance as did David Austin Sr. 'The Generous Gardener', a large rose with a supply of pink flowers, and 'Gertrude Jekyll' are both highly scented Austin roses, and the breeding continues with David Austin Jr. Where to buy: Viburnum Deciduous viburnums are highly fragrant affairs and they include V. x bodnantense 'Dawn': a tall shrub, suited to the edge of the garden, which packs a strong hyacinth scent in November when the first warm-pink flowers appear. The more strongly scented 'Deben' flowers earlier and the pink flowers fade to warm white, so it's almost bridal. Once spring comes, others join in and there are some wonderful forms of V. x burkwoodii. They include 'Park Farm Hybrid', grown for its larger pink flowers. The April-flowering V. carlesii 'Diana' and 'Aurora' both have rounder heads of pink flowers, emerging from red-pink buds, supported by bronzed young foliage. Where to buy: Burncoose Trachelospermum jasminoides – star jasmine This evergreen no-prune white-flowered Asian climber has an intoxicating scent in summer, resembling an exotic orange blossom in full flow. The downside is it's a gamble, because it's only hardy to -5C (23F) when young. Mature specimens, which can rise to 30ft in the western side of Britain where Atlantic air prevails, seem hardier. Many of us will have to use a conservatory, or cool greenhouse, to encourage this beauty – but the scent is second to none. The hardier Jasmine officinale 'Devon Cream'(syn. 'Clotted Cream'), named for the colour of its flowers, is also fragrant, although it will need a warm site too. You will need a trellis or wires for both. Where to buy: Thorncroft Clematis Dianthus 'Mrs Sinkins' My desert island scent on a June evening, following a shower of sweet summer rain, is the clove-scented ragged white 'Mrs Sinkins'. The true form has a split green calyx that allows the feathery-edged petals to spill out down one side. Admittedly, it may only flower once, but the scent outdoes the others to my nose. It was raised in the much-maligned Slough in 1868 by Mr Sinkins, the workhouse superintendent. He resisted great pressure from the town's worthies to name it Queen Victoria, but they still added it to their coat of arms. Most repeat-flowering pinks lack fragrance but 'Gran's Favourite', which has white-flowers laced in raspberry-pink, is an exception, and will give you flowers for weeks on end. Where to buy: Calamazag Nursery and Allwoods
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
The best independent garden centres to visit this spring
Our gardening habits are shifting, and so too is the way we are shopping for our outdoor spaces. The recent news of widespread closures of garden centres owned by national chains including Homebase and Dobbies is perhaps not surprising to gardeners with a planet-friendly philosophy, who generally don't want to see endless shelves of harmful, wildlife-depleting chemicals or incongruous lifestyle collections when shopping for plants. Instead, we want plants and accessories that echo how tastes have evolved – and those tend to be available from independent businesses, some family-run, others recent start-ups, and often helmed by those with a passion for plants. The garden centre is still a destination for many of us, especially over the next couple of months, as we get our gardens ready for the new season, but we will be spending time in stylish nurseries where the shop and café is as much of a draw as the stellar plant list. Beth Chatto Plants & Gardens, Essex Beth Chatto's trail-blazing gardens at Elmstead in Essex are adjoined by a bustling café, shop and plant nursery. As with its excellent online service, the quality of plants and advice here is second to none; plants are arranged following Chatto's well-worn philosophy of 'right plant, right place', with areas organised by their conditions. Surrounding the nursery are her famed gardens, where you can see that philosophy come to life in themed borders. Plants are propagated on-site from seeds, cuttings and divisions. Great Dixter House & Gardens, East Sussex As with Beth Chatto, you will find top-quality plants, propagated on site, that closely reflect the surrounding gardens at this superb nursery. Plants are grown in a loam-based compost blended in house so that plants get the best chance when transferred to borders. Founded by Christopher Lloyd in 1954, the nursery is also a charming place to while away an afternoon with shops (selling tools, seeds and hand-crafted accessories including chestnut hurdles, also made on site) close to the garden's café, where you can get delicious salads and sandwiches. Burford Garden Company, Oxfordshire Alongside the well-stocked selection of plants, shrubs and trees, there's a sprawling mecca of areas to browse in this Cotswolds stalwart: a fabulous and huge bookshop, acres of home and garden shopping and an unrivalled space for indoor plants and pots (with a huge selection of Bergs Potter designs) and beautifully styled, ready-made indoor planters and orchids. Alongside it all there is a busy (and award-winning) café and food halls. Originally opened in 1976, this family garden centre is as inspiring as it is joyful. Long Barn, Hampshire A beautiful and stylish garden centre, Long Barn is spread across two barns and adjoining lavender fields with more than 100 varieties, including the National Collection of Lavandula x intermedia. There's a bright and airy café and a fabulous lifestyle shop that sells pots and planters, ornaments, Niwaki tools and gifts, alongside larger items including outdoor furniture and parasols. It also offers fresh flower deliveries using local seasonal flowers from Hampshire-based growers Hortus Poeticus. O'Kells, Cheshire This independent garden centre has two sites, one in Tarporley and a recently-added, smaller neighbourhood site in Hoole to cater for a younger, more urban audience. This is browsing heaven, with stylish collections of accessories and homewares alongside an extensive selection of plants (O'Kells was a wholesale grower before it ventured into retail), including topiary. Both sites also have popular cafés. Daleside, Yorkshire This family-owned garden centre has been growing and selling a wide variety of plants including perennials, climbers, shrubs, trees, conifers and rhododendrons since the 1950s, and the nursery now spans 20 acres. There's a garden shop with pots, houseplants and accessories, and the on-site restaurant, Paradise, serves seasonal dishes from a previously Michelin-starred team. Petersham Nurseries, Richmond Arguably the original destination nursery, Petersham has a famed restaurant, a more informal tea room that segues into greenhouses, and expansive shopping areas packed with the most stylish selection of horticultural accessories alongside homewares and antiques. It set the bar for the garden lifestyle shop, and its signature details – bare hoggin floors, shabby-chic greenhouses, antique garden furniture and naturalistic details (including tree-stump tables) – are widely copied across the country, and beyond. David Austin, Shropshire This ever-popular nursery may be best known for its riotous rose gardens, but alongside those there is also one of the biggest collections of potted roses here, as well as perennials and climbers. There are rose experts on hand and seasonal workshops on rose pruning and care. There's also a restaurant serving lunch and afternoon tea, as well as a shop. Architectural Plants, West Sussex This specialist nursery in West Sussex is set within 32 acres overlooking the South Downs – a big backdrop to its dramatic sculptural and exotic plant selections that span topiary, palms, bananas and many rare trees, much of which is grown on site. You will find all the kit for sale too, including tools, tripod ladders, pots, irrigation and other accessories. There's also a well-established design and planting service. Holden Clough, Lancashire This almost century-old nursery in the beautiful Ribble Valley has dramatically expanded over the past decade under horticulturalist and grower John Foley, whose family first took over in 1978. Plants are propagated and raised outside in growing fields on site, so they should cope with the toughest conditions. The nursery stocks fruit trees, shrubs, perennials and topiary alongside perennials, bulbs and annual bedding, which is all laid out in the original Frame Yard with its 1920s growing frames. Via their Wonder Garden project, the team will tailor-make garden borders and ship all the plants. There are extensive areas of interior accessories, indoor plants, tools and seeds, along with a busy café and workshops. Place for Plants, Suffolk Rupert and Sara Eley took over this fourth-generation garden in pretty East Bergholt in 1995, and opened a nursery the following year. Set across 20 inspiring acres, there are large collections of camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias, flowering dogwood and rambling roses, and an arboretum (there are often open days and garden tours here too). The extensive nursery is sited in the two-acre walled garden, which also houses a café with seating indoors and out. Hillier, Hampshire Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show will be familiar with Hillier's fabulous displays: it is the most successful exhibitor, with 74 consecutive gold medals. The company, which was founded in 1864, is also a royal warrant holder for ornamental trees and shrubs. The fifth-generation family business now has 22 centres, but the original site is in Winchester, close to the growing fields; it is the largest grower of semi-mature trees in the country. The nursery's plant offering reflects that, with huge variety, including the many favourites that have been introduced by the company's breeding programme over the years. Old Court Nurseries, Herefordshire Almost all the plant stock is propagated on site and potted using peat-free compost at this family-run nursery in the stunning Malvern Hills. There's no café here, but there's a one-and-a-half-acre garden with woodland and herbaceous borders that is also home to the National Collection of Michaelmas daisies, with more than 400 varieties blooming through September and October, which makes this a destination for plant lovers. Cambo Walled Garden, Fife The 2.5-acre walled garden is reason enough to visit the glorious Cambo estate on the stunning east coast of Fife. There's almost year-round interest here, from the National Collection of snowdrops through the transporting prairie planting that lights up the borders in late summer and autumn, and the stellar planting also inspires the imaginative selection of plants for sale. The excellent on-site café serves seasonal vegetarian and vegan food. Wildegoose Nursery, Shropshire The perfectly positioned tea room (serving cakes and light lunches on Burleigh pottery) at this charming plant nursery in the Shropshire Hills gives far-reaching views from the vibrant planting across the inspiring borders and to the bucolic surrounding countryside. Set in a restored Georgian walled garden complete with renovated curvilinear glasshouses, the nursery began life specialising in hardy perennial violas but has since diversified into perennials and grasses of the new perennial movement, which is where the planted borders here take their inspiration. Almost all of the plants are propagated on site from seeds, cutting and divisions without the use of any herbicides or pesticides, and using peat-free compost. Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, Cornwall This destination garden centre was originally a slate quarry and started out supplying forest trees in the 1960s, becoming a plant nursery the following decade under the leadership of plantsman Eric Baker. The plant list is extensive but also reflects the particular conditions of Cornwall, which has a mild maritime climate that is perfect for growing all sorts of rare and tropical plants that came to the country with the plant hunters of the 19th and 20th centuries. Plants are no longer propagated on site but brought in from many local growers. There is a stylish shop and a large selection of pots here – a nod to the King's own obsession with terracotta vessels. A big draw is the café and the newer Orangery restaurant, where lunch and afternoon tea are served.
