Gardens Illustrated Magazine December 2021

Although the days are darker and colder now, our gardens can still offer a multitude of pleasures. If we design and manage our plots with the whole year in mind, we’ll never be short of delights, even in December, when a dusting of hoar frost can bring a new beauty to skeletal seedheads, or low winter sun backlights tall grasses just so. In this issue, we delve into the season with some wonderful winter gardens. Created over many years by its dedicated owners, Hunworth Hall in Norfolk (page 38) is proof of how valuable a strong structure can be in the colder months, with its framework of clipped hedging and diverse topiary shapes. The Winter Garden at Wakehurst in West Sussex (page 70) provides interest of a different sort, with bright,…

Alice Pattulo Alice enjoys the gardening insights she gets illustrating Aaron Bertelsen’s column, page 34. “I like the idea of sowing winter lettuce seeds to keep the fresh greens coming in the colder months.” Tony Kirkham Tony picks the best trees for pollinating insects, page 52. “We’re quick to choose a tree for its ornamental attributes, but shouldn’t biodiversity and the needs of pollinating insects factor too?” Alys Fowler Alys interviews Garden Organic’s head of horticulture, page 68. “Chris’s CV reads like no other. It’s truly an adventure fuelled by a very serious love of plants and dedication to reading the job pages.”…

James Basson James lives in the South of France where he runs Scape Design with his wife Helen, specialising in low-maintenance and dry gardens. He is a fervent advocate for creating sustainable landscapes. The winner of four Chelsea Gold medals, he was awarded Best in Show in 2017. Fergus Garrett Fergus was appointed head gardener at Great Dixter by Christopher Lloyd in 1993. He is passionate about passing on his knowledge through student programmes at Dixter and worldwide lectures. He was awarded an RHS Associate of Honour in 2008 and an RHS Victoria Medal of Honour in 2019. Anna Pavord Anna’s books include her bestseller The Tulip and most recently Landskipping. For 30 years she was The Independent’s gardening correspondent. In 2000 the RHS awarded her the Veitch Memorial Medal. She lives and gardens in…

For 2022, our popular rose tour travels over the Channel to investigate the story of the French rose and enjoy some truly wonderful gardens and rose collections. Starting with a visit with the curator of Roseraie du Val-de-Marne in L’Haÿ-les-Roses, you’ll come to understand more about the vast array of French roses and the development of the roses we grow in our gardens today. We will also visit collections of wild roses; a specialist rose nursery producing beautiful new roses each year; a village overflowing with roses; a fairy-tale château where the discerning owner has surrounded her home with sumptuous roses; as well as some intimate private gardens where roses steal the show. This is an unmissable opportunity to stroll from rose to rose discussing the merits of under-planting, mulching,…

The tour starts with a visit to the contemporary gardens of Tokachi Millennium Forest, designed by Dan Pearson and situated on Japan’s most northerly island, Hokkaido. We’ll learn about the spirit of nature and sense of place from head gardener Midori Shintani, as well as enjoying a cultural workshop and foraged lunch prepared by the gardeners. We’ll also study the stunning autumn flora of the nearby mountains. Then we transfer to Honshu, Japan’s mainland, to delve into the traditional gardens, culture and the unforgettable architecture of Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Nara. We’ll meet with the gardeners of the Chion-in Temple who will demonstrate the fine art of niwaki pruning and offer advice on the tools they use. We’ll also discover both renowned gardens and lesser-known, hidden cultural gems, such as…

Artist Vanessa Bowman has an eye for the simple joys of everyday life and a knack for turning these into joyful art. Her landscapes and still lifes capture the patterns and textures of the countryside and the beauty of the rich flora and fauna, surrounding her Dorset home. Whether she’s depicting a vase of vibrant hips and hellebores (shown above) or holly pickers gathering greenery in the December snow, her richly detailed works capture a moment in time brought to life with jewel-like effect. This year she is reproducing ten of her paintings depicting festive scenes of the countryside – owls and foxes in snowy fields, carol singers outside a country church – and still lifes for a series of very lovely Christmas cards, and is also offering one of…