The English Garden May 2022

Stephen Anderton Stephen is a long-serving writer for The Times and has written a biography of Christopher Lloyd and a study of Stourhead among many other books. He admires the Anglesey garden of Plas Cadnant on p78. Rebecca Bernstein Rebecca is a garden photographer who has been shooting some of the country’s most beautiful gardens for more than ten years, including Wyndcliffe Court, which features on page 57. Mark Bolton Mark is a well-known gardens and interiors photographer and has been shooting for magazines for 20 years. He loves gardening and cricket and lives in Devon. He visits Caervallack in Cornwall on page 88.…

Holding the Chelsea Flower Show in September last year was a diverting change, but it also made the gap between last year’s and this year’s shows shorter than the usual 12 months. As a result, I feel as if the year is rushing by in double-quick time. Time flies quickly enough, I find: this year is somehow my seventh here at The English Garden, but that’s a fraction of the time this magazine has been bringing everyone beautiful gardens every month. In fact, this is our 25th year of publication and this issue celebrates the occasion. On page 25, our look back at the past quarter century in gardening reminds me just how much it has changed in this relatively short space of time. Changes I’m delighted to have witnessed include…

IN FLOWER NOW Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ In need of a long-lasting star performer? Look no further than this perennial wallflower, which is nothing short of miraculous in terms of its flower power. Its handsome purple flower spikes rise from mounds of dark green leaves as early as April, and it continues to produce flowers throughout spring, into summer and often right up until the first frosts. It never needs staking, and the only downside of this astonishingly long display is that the plants themselves tend to be short-lived, quickly growing leggy. However, cuttings root readily so spares can be kept waiting in the wings.…

Ellen Mary The broadcaster, podcaster, author and wellness coach is passionate about promoting the therapeutic benefits of gardening and reconnecting with nature I’ve been a plant addict since childhood but kept this quite secret from friends at school because it wasn’t cool then! Even my careers advisor dismissed my interest, so I ended up working in offices for various companies, mainly in HR. I found myself on my allotment at the end of each day, resetting myself to tackle another shift. That life wasn’t for me and, after taking RHS qualifications part time, I became a jobbing gardener. I started writing gardening columns for a local magazine and then I got a job producing and presenting content for Mustard TV, a Norfolk television station. This snowballed into hosting two radio shows, a podcast…

The Plantation Garden Norfolk Maintained entirely by volunteers, this hidden garden in the city completely opens up when you go in. It has a special character unlike anything else I’ve seen and runs over numerous levels with many Gothic elements. plantationgarden.co.uk Beth Chatto Gardens Essex Beth Chatto was way ahead of her time and this garden is such an inspiration, especially for dry-garden ideas. How we care for our gardens in the changing climate is something we’ve all got to start focusing on. Tel: 01206 822007; bethchatto.co.uk…

Urban Sky Park Opens This Summer Greater Manchester The National Trust will transform a 330m steel viaduct in the Castlefield area of Manchester into a sky park this July, benefiting nature and the community while celebrating industrial heritage. The viaduct was built to carry freight in and out of the Great Northern Warehouse, adjacent to the former Manchester Central station, but when the station closed in 1969 the viaduct fell into disuse. Visitors will be able to explore part of the structure and learn about its heritage, as well as the city’s relationship with plants, through installations and a community space. Feedback will help determine the Grade II-listed structure’s future. See nationaltrust.org.uk Belgravia in Bloom 23-29 May, London The annual flower festival returns to the streets of Belgravia to coincide with the RHS Chelsea Flower…