The English Garden

Alex Mitchell Alex is a garden writer, flower grower and the author of books including Crops in Tight Spots, The Edible Balcony and Gardening on a Shoestring. She explores the garden at Knowle Hill Farm on page 32. Ian Hodgson Over a 30-year career, award-winning writer Ian trained at Kew Gardens and Sheffield University and edited the RHS magazine The Garden for 18 years. He first started visiting the garden at York Gate (p48) in the 1980s. Nicola Oakey Nicola is an award-winning garden designer and freelance writer based in Rutland, who has won Pro Landscaper’s prestigious ‘30 under 30’ award. She admires the daffodils at Stoke Albany House on p56. IMAGE JAYNE LLOYD; CLIVE NICHOLS; NEIL HEPWORTH; AMANDA FORMAN…

As my garden emerges from winter, I’m taking stock. After a week of sub-zero temperatures and snow prior to Christmas, I’m not sure everything has made it through unscathed. A new Euphorbia mellifera is a cause for concern, currently looking very sorry for itself, but all I can do is wait and see if new growth appears. In the meantime, the sight of emerging bulbs is cheering me up: crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, muscari… a short bout of cold weather hasn’t put paid to them. This issue’s gardens are full of these optimistic, ever-reliable bulbs, so I hope they have a similarly cheering effect on you. Since daffodils are my all-time favourite spring bulb, I’ve been admiring the great swathes of yellow at Stoke Albany House in Northamptonshire, as well as the…

IN FLOWER NOW Stachyurus chinensis One of the curious things about this early spring-flowering shrub is its strands of catkin-like, pale primrose-yellow flowers. They seem as though they should dangle loosely, yet each strand is strangely stiff, as if invisible threads are pulling them tautly downwards. Nevertheless, arching above a tapestry of primroses or hellebores, they help create one of the prettiest spring scenes. Growing on most soils and preferring partial shade, this shrub makes a lovely addition to any garden. It’s hardy, too, but late frosts can burn its delicate leaves as they emerge from their buds.…

Hazel Gardiner A life-changing illness sparked a new career in floral design and an exhibit at RHS Chelsea for the broadcaster, writer and educator I was the child who knew exactly the career they wanted when they grew up, and for me that was working in fashion. At 13, I already had the prospectus of the London College of Fashion Broadcast and Journalism course I’d end up studying! After a whirlwind time in fashion journalism I joined Done+Dusted, creating live events and working with extraordinary musicians. In 2007, a cancer diagnosis changed the direction of my life. Although my career in production looked fulfilling on paper I wasn’t happy, but I’d thought that leaving to pursue another passion was too risky. My treatment went on for a year and a half, and I…

Private & Public: Finding the Modern British Garden 22 March – 25 June 2023, London Charles Mahoney, Evelyn Dunbar and Eric Ravilious are some of the artists who began painting their private gardens during the interwar period. This new exhibition at The Garden Museum showcases depictions of their private havens, and also public green spaces, after the Holidays with Pay Act of 1938 led to a rise in images documenting outdoor recreation. Adult tickets £14. gardenmuseum.org.uk Have a Go with Clay 25 February – 5 March 2023, London If you’ve ever wondered how magnificent sculptures are brought into being from a simple ball of clay, members of the Surrey Sculpture Society will be demonstrating their craft for visitors to their exhibition at The Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. Alongside the exhibition, ‘Have a Go with…

I had a big problem with badgers digging up plants and dismantling raised beds. To solve it, I installed an electric fence that consists of four electrified wires with the top wire set at 30cm high and the lower wires at heights of 10, 15 and 20cm. It runs off the mains and around the garden perimeter with the wires fixed to wooden posts. It is unobtrusive, cheap to install and has completely solved the problem: there have been no more intrusions. It also keeps out the rabbits, but needs maintenance since long grass and fallen branches can short it. Every spring we enjoy rich pickings of the wild garlic (Allium ursinum) that colonises a shady border by an old beech hedge and under my pleached trees. There is little light…