Artistic Licence in the Garden - Thursday, 14th September 2017

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

 

Scottish Day Trip to Peebleshire, Thursday, 13th July ....

With a lot of chatter, it seemed like no time till we crossed the Border and arrived at the first of three different, but special, walled gardens on our itinerary arranged by Jancie & Jude.

Garden I - Newhall, Carlops

Newhall became an identifable estate c.1406; when a Royal Charter was granted to the Crichton Family. Since 1998 the Kennedy Family have owned Newhall with it's baronial hall and demesne of 1,000 acres.

 http://newhallestate.co.uk

The walled garden was built about 1790, by Robert Brown. At the centre is,
"a lodestone statue of Adam, the first gardener, ready to delve".

Intent Listeners...

 

We were intrigued to find that earlier summer flowers (e.g. alliums) were still flourishing along with July's herbaceous bounties ( e.g. Lysimachia puncata - loosestrife). Someone commented that this may be due to the relative altitude, the Pentlands hill tops are just above 1,000'asl.


Garden II - Kailzie, Peebles 

This is a much younger walled garden, developed during the 19th century (1812). The present owner is Angela, Lady Buchan-Hepburn, whose daughter, Jane Percy, Duchesse of Northumberland, redeveloped The Alnwick Garden.

 

The double herbaceous border repeats in calming hues of blue, yellow & white. The view is over to  the River Tweed and the Leithen Hills beyond. 

And the backdrop to this border is a romantic two tier fountain shielded by wrought iron gates.

There is an abundant rose garden room and beside the Laburnum Walk is the potager where cut flowers grow in happy abundance with vegetable crops.

 Interestingly the kitchen garden (in French - le jardin potager) in Scotland is known as a kailyaird! 

Within the sleeper raised bedded potager sits a new sundial with this inscription in latin,

 "omnia regit lumen sed tempus"

John Simpson helped with a translation, which though didn't follow the classical latin grammer requirements, the meaning suggests that "light rules all, but time"

 

Here the Victoiran Greenhouse shelters fruits such as figs, apricots & peaches. There are tender climbers such as mimosa & plumbago. All of these are ignited by the riots of colour from the  pelagoniums & coleus.

Garden III - Portmore, Eddleston

Our final stop was to the youngest garden, which has been lovingly brought back to life and extended over the last thirty years. We were warmly welcomed by owner, Mrs. Reid and her two delightful grandchildren, Beatrice & Archie. After our garden tour we were all kindly invited into the drawing room and dining room for afternoon tea.

The current Scots baronial house was designed by David Bryce, but the estate dates back to the mid eighteenth century. The redesign of the orginial garden by Mrs Reid provided us with a masterclass in design: the "rooms"(rose / herb / potager / herbaceous borders), planting combinations for height, colour and texture. 

This together with such superb plant quality was quite simply, inspirational. A definite must see again garden.

http://www.portmoregardens.co.uk

 

The new 2002 Water Garden with statues to make you jump!

All in all a high day for us all.

TR

Local Cumbrian Evening Garden Visits - 5th & 6th July...

I'm sure we all enjoyed relaxing evening garden visits to Sylvia & Peter Thompson's eleven year old garden at Brockleymoor Farm, Plumpton. There was a lovely mix of herbaceous plants, lawn and maturing gravel gardens to savour. The veg patch was very ordered and the harvest looks to be bountiful.

The views out into the landscape from the garden enhanced the garden's setting. At one point a hot air balloon even drifted by.

Thank you Sylvia & Peter for your generous hospitality.



We also think that Monty, your 2yr old dog must have slept well after our visits!

And a special thank you to Joyce for arranging these evenings.