WY HPS member Frances King is a talented gardener and appreciator of natural beauty. She loves colour, and this is evident in her garden. A naturally friendly and upbeat lady, Frances has found her creative outlet in gardening and doesn’t her garden show it!
Her mastery of colour is wonderful and Frances modestly says it is just ‘what she likes’. The garden to the front of the house, a rich red brick, has much stronger colours compared to the rear garden, which moves and flows through to the surrounding countryside, which in mid-July, was a hazy green and tan. Frances describes her garden as ‘cottagey jungle’. She mingles plants that make such a pleasing picture, you can easily while away a whole afternoon wandering and enjoying the vistas, both long and close-ups.
How’s this (below) for a combination that does not rely on colour – the different shapes and forms really complement each other. And of course Frances keeps everything neat and tidy with ‘proper’ edges, which really sets off the planting.
Frances and her late husband moved to their home 50 odd years ago. She describes their gardening partnership as ‘traditional’. Her husband maintained the lawns and hedges but gradually she resorted to digging up bits of lawn to accommodate her plant addiction. A tactful compromise! However he did surprise her once by returning to the David Austin rose garden to purchase the lovely rose support, shown below. He has seen it on their joint visit and clearly regretted not buying it. Or maybe, like many a Yorkshireman, it just took him time to come to terms with opening his wallet. Frances is still surprised by his action, and I think it is rather a lovely keepsake and memory.
Some of her planting combinations are wonderfully romantic, and another talent is using objects to enhance the scene. This, combined with her obvious practical gardening skills, make this a beautiful garden that Frances and her many gardening friends can enjoy year-round.
I visited Frances’s garden in July 2024, which is a time of year that Frances particularly enjoys in her garden. She spends many hours each day working in the garden. Her efforts certainly shine through.
En-route to a couple of snowdrop gardens in the south-west we broke our journey at Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire. We arrived via Moreton in Marsh, a picturesque Cotswold village, unfortunately blighted by traffic. However a pretty good lunch in the Arboretum café readied us for a chilly walk outside.There were daffodils in flower (none out at home that I had seen) and swathes of snowdrops, both of which always look great naturalised in grass.
The Arboretum is located on the side of a limestone ridge, and the guidebook says the name comes from an 8th century charter calling it ’Baecci’s slope’. Baecci was a local Anglo Saxon. A substantial house, with classical façade and walled gardens is shown on a 1712 engraving, so the Arboretum has a 300-year history as a managed landscape.
The Arboretum was started by Algernon Bertram Freeman Mitford, who inherited the property. The Mitford sisters were his granddaughters, and 5 of the 6 were born here. Money ran out. The property was sold in 1918 to a part owner of the Imperial Tobacco Co. Money no object, presumably. In 1956 the next generation, Anthony Wills created ‘a new arboretum around the bones of the old’. In 1983 the Arboretum was donated out of the Batsford Estate to become a charitable trust, the Batsford Foundation.
Walking the Paths
Out of the café building you walk along a walled border, full of spring colour and scent – hellebores, eranthis, snowdrops, daphnes and other shrubs. No time to dawdle though, husband is on a mission to stride.
Next is the Rockery Bridge, at the lower end of a waterway that travels down from the highest path at the top of the Arboretum. It is a built landscape, built to appear totally natural and provide scenie picnic vistas for the previous owners and their guests.
There is also a Japanese style area to admire as you walk up the ridge.
Of course, many of the trees had no leaves so it was possible to see the winter vistas. This lack of leaf also emphasised the magnificence of the very large pines and sequoiadendrons, as well as the sculptures that are dotted about.
Batsford Arboretum has a collection of handkerchief trees, many champion trees, acers, magnolias and other rarities. Having also visited in midsummer, I hope to visit again and see other seasonal versions of this charming grand ‘garden’.
During the winter months my reading and research revealed a French Peony collection in the moat of a Château in northern France.
Further research resulted in making a holiday itinerary around the opening hours. For information in 2024 the garden was open 27th April to 2nd June (which was extended by a few more days due to the weather) 12pm to 7pm, but not Wednesdays. The collection is at The Château de Sourches near Le Mans and can easily be combined with Normandy or the châteaux of the Loire.
Fig. 1 The Château
To try and catch the peonies mid-season, we planned our visit for May 16th.
Fig. 2 View of the border around the top of the moat
From approaching on the drive up to the Château I knew we were in for a treat. The Château de Sourches is a long neoclassical building but it is not until you reach the small box hedge in front of the Château that the first peonies are revealed, immediately over the hedge teetering on top of the moat, there is a border surrounding the moat. From this border there is a drop of approximately 20 foot into the moat below.
When you get down into the moat the peonies are planted in island beds. Some beds are dedicated to a single breeder i.e. Klehm, Saunders, Kelways, and Auten others are mixed e.g. peonies from the Soviet states. Species peonies, Itohs and lactifloras are all there in abundance. There is a large number of tree peonies on the shadier side.
Fig. 3 Shadier side of the moat
On the information leaflet the collection currently holds 3024 varieties of tree, herbaceous or intersectional peony plants. I would like to say they are all labelled even those behind the little box hedge, but unfortunately a couple that I loved had no label!
Fig. 4 Island Beds
Fig. 5 Full length border
When the moat has been toured, and a delightful lunch taken on tables amongst the peonies, we were reminded to visit the other side of the Château. There is a complete border along the length of the château.
If you walk out into the parkland there is a statue of the Duchess of Burgundy ( godmother to the Marquis of Sourches) surrounded by, yes you guessed, peonies!
Fig. 6 Statue, Château, peonies
Fig. 7 New bed expansion
Around the statue bed there are now 4 more beds which are being created with weed supressing membrane, the collection is still expanding.
Bénédicte de Foucaud clearly has a passion. She is hands-on, helping to serve at the tables during our visit, but she does have a head gardener as well as other garden help.
When you think of Chrysanthemums it maybe as cut flowers or the huge balls that are grown as ‘show’ Chrysanthemums, both of which are usually grown under cover. As ‘hardy planters’, however, there is another group, which are late season herbaceous perennials for the garden. The Aster family takes colour through the Autumn border, and as the Symphyotrichum run out of steam the hardy Chrysanthemums follow on, pushing Winter further back.
Chrysanthemums were first used in China in the 15th Century BC as a herb and they were commonly used in Chinese artworks and culture, this was followed by their presence in Japan. They did not reach the western world until the 17th Century. Today in Belgium and Austria, Chrysanthemums are used almost exclusively for graveyards. In France they are associated strongly with death, and it would not be a good idea to take a host a bunch or a pot plant of them. This custom came about from the 1st World War Armistice Day when not many other flowers were around.
Much breeding later, particularly crossing with the very cold tolerant species, has resulted in the hardy garden “mums”.
Fig. 1 ‘Dixter Orange’
‘Dixter Orange’ has been in flower here since September:
There is a large variety of colours available.
There are 3 sites that make up the National Collection, the Victorian Gentleman’s Gardens at Warwick, Norwell Nursery in Nottinghamshire which some of you may know from talks by Andrew Ward or by visiting the garden and nursery, and the third site is at two allotments in London.
Figure 2Figure 2a
Figs 2 and 2a. Part of the Plant Heritage Dispersed National Collection at Hill Close Gardens Warwick.
Hardy Chrysanthemums are easily grown from cuttings planted out in Spring after the last frosts to give them the best chance of survival, although they are frost hardy. It is the winter wet that is the death knell to some. Some of the taller varieties can reach nearly 2m but by chopping back in Spring to about 25cms, they will not have the time to become quite so tall.
Fig. 3 ‘Julia Peterson’
As with all Chrysanths there are many flower forms, small buttons as in ‘Julia Peterson’ Fig3. And ‘Mei-Kyo’, a lovely variety that I have had and lost (sigh!). Both of these are short in stature.
Fig. 4 Unknown white from Norwell Nursery
My longest lasting Chrysanth, as in years in the garden, is an unknown white that came from Norwell Nursery. It can be a bit lanky, but a lovely white double flower that brightens a dark corner. Fig4.
This is followed by ‘Burnt Orange’, Fig 5, Which is lanky but very floriferous with orange/red quilled petals. Quite different. To give a bit more interest during the year ‘Burnt Orange’ has quite finely cut foliage as well Fig 8.
Fig. 6 ‘Picasso’Fig. 7 ‘Picasso’
And then there is ‘Picasso’, a HPS Conservation plant. I can see why it is there. I have grown this twice now, the first time it grew rapidly during the Summer, flowered prolifically, in its classic dome shape, Fig 6. Superb I thought! It survived the winter but in its second year it never put on enough growth to even take cuttings and the disappeared. Not to be beaten, I am trying again, as I love the little bronze buttons, Fig 7.
Fig. 9 Elaine’s Hardy’
At the end of the herbaceous border in my front garden at the moment is ‘Elaine’s Hardy’, Fig 9. This is a white that lights up the end of the border at this time of year. It is of medium height but if you want a lovely compact white, ‘Angela Blundell’ is lovely, Fig 10.
Fig. 10 ‘Angela Blundell’
If you are following the RHS Award of Garden Merit varieties, the best for me is ‘Dulwich Pink’, Fig11, and Fig12.
Fig. 11 ‘Dulwich Pink’Fig. 12 ‘Dulwich Pink’
This is followed by ‘Golden Greenheart’, Fig13 – A gorgeous light apricot to bronze.
Fig. 13 ‘Golden Greenheart’
I know some of you do not follow ‘the yellows’ but ‘Nantderry Sunshine’ is a sturdy grower for the yellow colour scheme, Fig14.
Fig. 14 ‘Nantderry Sunshine’
And finally, two tall pinks from my garden, the dark ‘Uri’, Fig15, and ‘Emperor of China’ a very old variety but a lovely flower colour, Fig16.
Fig. 15 ‘Uri’Fig. 16 ‘Emperor of China’
If you want a good read the HPS book on Hardy Garden Chrysanthemums by Judy Barker is to be recommended. There is an excellent chart that gives the winter wet susceptability of quite a few varieties, thus reducing the risk of losing too many for those of us, who, despite this Summer, do have a wet Winter garden.
Once they have flowered and passed through winter, don’t forget, as the new growth starts up, they are very easy from cuttings thus producing plants to pass on to friends or bring to the plant sales.
I have lived with my big Magnolia tree for 20 years but it is only in the last few weeks that I have discovered that it can produce weird shaped seed pods containing bright red seeds!
I was so interested in this and wondered if other Hardy Planters had discovered Magnolia seed pods in their gardens and, just as important, if they had any experience of trying to germinate the seeds?
As our climate changes and more plants are still ‘doing their thing’, to a lesser or greater degree, late into the year, it is, perhaps, not quite so important to have specifically later flowering examples, but should they be needed, one that can be relied upon is a hardy fuchsia. Fuchsias have, for many years, had a rather ‘old fashioned’ image but I still think they earn their place in any garden.
Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis ‘Versicolor’AGM
Those who have holidayed in Ireland or Scotland will be aware of the hedges made up of Fuchsia magellanica AGM with its delicate red flowers. The RHS website gives it the common name of ‘lady’s eardrops’, aptly named as you could well imagine the flowers dangling as earrings. Not all of us want such tall bushes but there are smaller varieties of F. magellanica, to my mind particularly attractive versions of which are the variegated forms var. gracilis ‘Versicolor’ AGM and ‘Variegata’ AGM. I have never known how to tell the two forms apart: I think mine, seen here, is probably ‘Versicolor’ – there is a named variety ‘Tricolor’ and it may even be that – but I cannot be sure. It has the typical arching stems of fuchsias, growing to about 1m, but can have a tendency to revert, so attention is needed to cut out plain green branches. Looking out of the window at it now, I can see some that require dealing with!
Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’
The flowers of many hardy fuchsias are a combination of red, magenta and purple. One of the most commonly grown is ‘Mrs Popple’ AGM, a compact variety only growing to about 50cms. Still lower growing is ‘Eva Boerg’ AGM, which bears semi-double flowers with magenta-pink petals and pink-white sepals. Whilst it is most commonly grown as a basket, trailing plant, I have found it to be hardy in the past.
Fuchsia ‘Delta’s Sara’
A variety that I think looks as if it would be tender, but undoubtedly is extremely hardy, is ‘Delta’s Sara’ which grows to around 70cms with flowers bearing creamy white sepals and purple petals. I have not found it to be a prolific flowerer, nor the easiest to propagate,
But is still a welcome addition to the garden at this time of year.
Hardy fuchsias are easy to care for. The worst pest is vine weevil but I have not found them to be a particular problem when plants are in the border.
Plants defoliate in winter: in late spring new growth should be seen, at which time the stems should be cut back to just above the lowest shoots to promote the new year’s growth.
Fuchsia ‘Genii’ AGM
To produce new plants, soft or semi-ripe cuttings can be taken and grown on in compost or water. Some varieties appear to be keener to oblige than others! One such, that I have had difficulties rooting in the past is Fuchsia ‘Genii’ AGM. It is one of my favourite hardy fuchsias, producing lots of red and purple flowers and I love the lime green new foliage that darkens with age. Visiting a friend a few weeks ago, I noticed a long stem of ‘Genii’, which had been broken off his plant by accident, in a bottle of water on his kitchen windowsill where it was, indeed, producing roots.
I decided to try again and when I got home took some cuttings, inserted then in to a plastic milk bottle and left it in the greenhouse sitting in a propagator with some bottom heat but no lid, so I now have my own ‘Genii in a bottle’ and I am pleased to report that they have produced roots and will be potted into compost shortly!
Images courtesy of Sue Gray, except F. ‘Mrs Popple’ – HPS Image Library
Nerines are a genus of South African bulbs which are mostly autumn flowering. Whilst there are many species of nerines, the most hardy form is Nerine bowdenii which comes from the KwaZulu-Natal, Drakensburg and the midlands of the East Cape where the climate is quite severe. It was first introduced here in the early 20th century.
Flowers, ranging from deep pink to white, are borne on bare stems reaching to 60cms with up to 8 flowers, on quite long pedicels, forming an umbel.
Strap-shaped leaves are produced in spring and remain through summer until dying back in late summer. Common practise is for the bulbs to be planted so that the ‘nose’ is above the ground to allow for summer baking. This is certainly necessary if bulbs are grown in pots, but in the open ground they will also flower if planted just below the surface of the soil.
If you cut a bulb of Nerine bowdenii in half you can see two or even three embryonic flower buds. These develop sequentially, starting with the largest bud, over the forthcoming years.
There are many named varieties, one of the best known being ‘Stefanie’ which is a particularly pale pink form. Confusingly there is a variety of Nerine sarniensis named ‘Stephanie’ which is more mid pink in colour.
Whether you choose a named variety or the species, they are a most welcome and quite spectacular addition to the autumn flower garden.
With all the recent heat, it is great to see this Gaura in full bloom, looking happy. I first saw it in a National Trust garden, in a large pot with Echinacea and Euphorbia myrsinites. I bought one and it flowered beautifully in my hot garden in Surrey. I bought a cutting up to Yorkshire and it has done well here too, in my clay soil. I’ve not watered it all summer, so definitely a plant that is happy with wet, as last year, or dry. They flower for ages and this year I’ve found a couple of self seeds elsewhere in the border.
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’
Gauras are North American plants, also known as Bee Blossom, and bees do visit the flowers. Gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is just under a metre high and wide and flowers from early summer into autumn.
Close up of the flower
‘Whirling Butterflies’ has pink buds, four white petals and long racemes. I like it as the flowers progressively move up the thin stems, so they appear to bob around like butterflies. Difficult to photograph then!
They have been reclassified as Oenothera lindheimeri, but the internet is awash with it still as Gaura.
We had a very enjoyable evening at the August plant forum.
It was just like old times, as we haven’t been able to meet for a forum in the hall for such a long time, so I just thought it might be an idea to inform the new members and remind the old ones about what goes on there!
Any member can bring a bunch of flowers, greenery or plants in pots that are looking good at that time and we take turns to talk to the group about them. We learn a lot about different plants and have an informative evening asking questions and getting tips on growing.
Senecio candidans ‘Angel Wings’ – one of the plants discussed
It is a great opportunity for members to talk and get to know each other.
Before the Covid lockdowns, we would have lots of members bringing material and it was always a very interesting evening.
On Friday there weren’t many there as I don’t think a lot of people knew what to expect. However the twenty or so who attended all enjoyed it and there was a lot of talking and asking questions. We learnt a lot and everyone joined in.
I do hope we keep these evenings in the programme.
