What an excellent start
to our winter series of talks. Last Thursday David Ryland came to demonstrate his exceptional skills in floristry
by presenting three arrangements.
For these arrangements
he used almost only foliage and flowering plants from his own garden
at Armathwaite in the Eden Valley. Indeed David and his partner John,
have frequently won and currently hold a prestigious NAFAS prize for
their plant material. In 2011 David himself won a Chelsea Gold Medal.
 |
The Fresh Garden Plant
Material Trophy
John Thexton, North West
Class 7 – In the
Winter Garden
ion |
David spoke at length
about the various plants he used, giving us a digest of their
attributes and growing requirements. Listed below are a few examples of
these plants. I'm sure we all took a new idea home for a next year's
project.
As well as being highly
informative David kept us amused with his historical and anecdotal
tales. He revealed that he is from the Morecambe Bay area and he
followed his father into flower market gardening before branching out
into the world of florisrty. It was very special that for his main
autumnal arrangement he incorporated his father' garden riddle and
his grandfather's cockle riddle.
A cocktail glass
arrangement was inspired by a visit to the Ritz ( following a palace
garden party) when a cucumber cocktail was consumed – not to be repeated!
During his final demonstration, David told us of his quest to receive
his “Ten Year Service Trowel”, under the NGS.
Clematis rehderiana –
Nodding Virgin's Bower - Enjoys
a south facing aspect, slightly tender.
Lysimachia clethroides
'Geisha' - Creamy-yellow
and grey-margined dark grey-green foliage persists well into autumn,
white gooseneck flower heads Jul-Sep, 60cm. Easy if not too dry.
Solidago rugosa
'Fireworks' - Fireworks'
is a slowly clump-forming, non-invasive, cultivar. It flowers in late
summer through to autumn. Its sprays of tiny yellow flowers are held
in finer wands than many of its more densely-flowered relative.
Rubus phoenicolasius - Japanese
wine berry – bramble
Persicaria virginiana
(Variegated Group) 'Painter's
Palette' (v) - This
is a clump-forming perennial to 90cm tall, with ovate leaves to 15cm
long, boldly and irregularly splashed with yellow, and with a central
deep red chevron; wispy spikes of tiny greenish flowers open in late
summer and early autumn.
Symphoricarpos
× chenaultii
– Pink Snowberry – take care still vigorous.
Leycesteria formosa
- Himalayan
honeysuckle - L.
formosa
is a vigorous deciduous shrub with erect sea-green stems bearing
long-pointed, ovate leaves and pendulous racemes of white flowers
with showy red-purple bracts, followed by deep purple berries.
Digitalis parviflora
'Milk
Chocolate' – A slender perennial, to 60cm tall, with downy,
lance-shaped leaves in a basal rosette, and towers of densely-packed
light bronze, tubular flowers, in summe.
Clematis tubulosa
'Wyevale' - 'Wyevale' is a small deciduous sub-shrub with lax stems
bearing broad dark green leaflets. Fragrant single tubular flowers
4cm in width are deep mid-blue with four frilly margined recurved
sepals and yellow stamens. Flowers mid summer to early autumn.
Chelone
glabra 'Black
Ace' -Turtlehead USA. Best
grown in moist to wet, rich, humusy soils in part shade. Appreciates
a good composted leaf mulch, particularly in sunny areas. Consider
pinching back the stem ends in spring to reduce mature plant height,
especially if growing plants in strongly shaded areas where they are
more likely to need some support. In optimum environments, however,
staking is usually not required. Slowly spreads by rhizomes. Flowers
Aug – Oct.
Plant Reference Sources - various on line sites
Written by Trish Rodgers
