Just before Christmas, Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS, wrote to ask if I would be RHS Hampton Court’s Iconic Horticultural Hero for 2023, which was both shocking and flattering in equal measure! Because of that, I was able to design a garden for the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
It’s a privilege, but it’s also the first time I’ve designed a garden since 1999, so it’s been very hard work. It’s a huge space, 375 square metres, and when I walked it out for the first time I was astonished. When you’re creating a show garden, it’s a very different proposition to a real garden, and it has to perform at a specific time. Its ethos is twofold. On the one hand it’s about going with the flow and consulting nature about the kind of conditions you’ve got and being attuned to the plants that thrive there. The garden is divided into six habitats: wetland, woodland, hedgerow, meadow, seaside and a vegetable patch. They flow together with no physical divisions. It’s quite a challenge when on one side you’ve got a boggy garden and then on the other side you’ve got a dry, well-drained area.
The other element is ‘grow your own’. The design emphasises the plants people can grow and propagate themselves, and to that end there’s a greenhouse outside the garden, which will be used to teach visitors practical skills. There’s nothing better than growing your own plants. I hope visitors to the garden are able to take something from it, whatever their own garden is like. It’s intended to be inspirational, rather than aspirational.
I’ve not used rare or difficult plants. I ran Glebe Cottage Plants for 30 years and we went to Hampton Court 17 times so we’re well-versed in what plants thrive during the summer months! My garden at
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Gardeners in some areas of Texas where the species is endemic are smiling right now. “I’ve got them all over my backyard,” they are perhaps saying, because the species can be found growing as a self-sowing annual in parts of Florida and North Carolina and Texas, says the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.The H. argophyllus selection I grew in 2012 was a refinement of the straight species called ‘Japanese Silver-Leaf’ (which I expect was so named after being bred in that country, as numerous fine sunflower varieties have been—crossing the genetics of our various U.S. natives). My plants grew from about 5 feet to 7 feet.Various sources say one should hide its awkward-looking “legs” with some other mid
Matching the specific variety of edible to its intended use just makes sense, especially if putting up some of the harvest is in your plans. It has always been in Carol’s.“I was born into a family that grew its own food,” says Carol. “My Swedish grandmother planted a garden every summer that was counted on to feed the whole family–my grandparents, their five children, spouses, and grandchildren.”And that meant food year-round, much of it canned over a woodstove in a New Hampshire house that had no running water or electricity. From a young age, she helped carry water from the well 200 yards uphill in a pair of buckets on a wooden yoke over her shoulders at food-preserving time, to get the water baths going.A “rock-reinforced hole in the ground” was their root cellar
That’s our topic with North Carolina State University Professor Brian Jackson, an expert in soilless growing media or soilless substrates, as they are also called.Brian Jackson is a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State, and director of the university’s Horticultural Substrate Laboratory. He’s one of perhaps five U.S. scientists at public universities studying these materials and their role in horticulture and agriculture. (Below, Dr. Jackson alongside a pile of eng
Set in the grounds of the historic Hampton Court palace, 15 beautiful Show and Get Started gardens will be on display for visitors, along with talks, demos, and workshops from horticultural experts who are on hand to offer expert advice and help you translate the inspiration into your green space. Particular highlights include a feature garden by this year’s Iconic Horticultural Hero Carol Klein, whose design boasts six different habitats, and Jo Thompson will be creating a wildlife garden which showcases ‘accidental’ landscapes that can be utilised to create green corridors in our urban spaces.
Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University are partnering with us in our technology addiction project that stands alongside our 'Chained to Tech' garden design. At RHS Tatton Flower Show, researchers will be surveying guests to gauge their attitudes and perceptions towards our garden.
Set in the grounds of the historic Hampton Court palace, 15 beautiful Show and Get Started gardens will be on display for visitors, along with talks, demos, and workshops from horticultural experts who are on hand to offer expert advice and help you translate the inspiration into your green space. Particular highlights include a feature garden by this year’s Iconic Horticultural Hero Carol Klein, whose design boasts six different habitats, and Jo Thompson will be creating a wildlife garden which showcases ‘accidental’ landscapes that can be utilised to create green corridors in our urban spaces.
A former AIB banker-turned-gardener says he feels “like a five-year-old getting presents” after winning a major award as well as a prestigious gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
With their unique and vibrant hues, these stunning flowers are sure to make a statement in any garden or floral arrangement. Fear not, as we’ve put together a guide to the Best Red Sunflower Varieties to help you choose the best one for your home.