The English Garden December 2020

Richard Bloom Richard is an award-winning garden photographer based in Suffolk, who travels widely photographing beautiful gardens for books, magazines and garden designers. Find his images of Beckley Park on page 24. Marianne Majerus 2018’s European Garden Photographer of the Year, Marianne is internationally renowned for her photography for books and magazines. She captures Mona Abboud’s colourful winter garden on p67. Jim Cable Jim is a Kew-trained plantsman and gardening journalist. His own garden errs on the wild side and exploits the microclimate of central Oxford. He delves into the Ranunculaceae family on page 95. IMAGES NEIL HEPWORTH; MARIANNE MAJERUS; RICHARD BLOOM…

Now it’s looking as though Christmas this year will be quieter and more low-key than we might ordinarily like, I’m thinking about how best to spend the festive season. What can I do to assuage the disappointment and frustration of pared-back holiday plans? Vast amounts of food and copious festive tipples immediately spring to mind but, more sensibly, I think reading would be a better use of my time. Like gardening, curling up with a book is an activity unaffected by the ongoing pandemic – and I have a big stack to catch up on. Also, there might be new tomes under the Christmas tree. Books always make thoughtful gifts, more so than ever if other activities are curtailed. Katherine Swift suggests those she’d like to give in this issue,…

Jamey Seaman IKEA sell houseplants in their millions, globally and in the UK. Meet the man who’s responsible for deciding the UK’s next big indoor plant trends I’ve loved plants from a young age, so I was thrilled to get the chance to move from working in IKEA’s global team in Sweden to my current role in England as home furnishing business leader for decoration and outdoor living. While many of our main range purchase decisions are made on a global scale, I select the seasonal plant offers for the UK and Ireland. These are updated four times a year, and I’m now planning our spring collection, which will include more flowering plants, more exotic varieties and some good Mother’s Day presents! We sell over 3.1 million plants in the UK and Ireland…

RHS Garden Wisley Surrey I love visiting Wisley, especially on a Sunday afternoon – there’s always something new to see. My favourite time to visit any garden is autumn, when the leaves are a riot of colour. Tel: 01483 224234; rhs.org.uk Kew Gardens London Kew Gardens is special to me because my husband and I visited on Good Friday last year, the day after we got married. The Dale Chihuly exhibition was on, the plants looked fantastic next to the glass sculptures and it was such a memorable day. Tel: 020 8332 5655; kew.org…

Lifeline for British gardens A total of 445 heritage organisations across the UK have been given a financial boost by the government to help them during the pandemic. Gardens that have benefitted from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund include Borde Hill in West Sussex, Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire and Pashley Manor Gardens in Kent. The money given to Borde Hill will go towards digitising its heritage archives, increasing the garden’s output on social media and kick-starting the renovation of on-site Warren Wood, which contains a collection of rare and exotic trees. Winning the plot Nominations close 30 November, nationwide Frances Tophill is leading a competition offering communities the chance to turn a local, unloved area into a productive vegetable garden. The competition has been launched by Higgidy to tie in with their…

Craft CHRISTMAS CARDS Slow down and take pleasure in printing your own botanically themed greetings cards this Christmas, using a handful of simple materials Making your own hand-printed cards is a sure-fire way to get into the festive spirit. With the right preparation, it’s easy to do and will result in a beautiful selection of nature-inspired cards to share with your loved ones. British printmaker Molly Mahon takes us through the process – which is best started sooner rather than later! You will need: Plain cards and envelopes A sponge Paint (of any sort, from emulsion to children’s poster paints) A block (buy a stamp online or carve a design into a potato) Method 1 On a sturdy table, lay down a wad of newspaper or an old blanket with a clean sheet of fabric on top. A smooth,…