Tom Massey's WaterAid garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024
14.05.2024 - 14:47 / houseandgarden.co.uk / Hazel Sillver
Drought-tolerant, laden with nectar, evergreen, long-flowering, and so pungent that it fills the garden with scent, lavender is deservedly popular. The late garden designer Rosemary Verey said, «You can never have too much of it in your garden». In its preferred conditions, of well-drained soil that is baked by the sun, it is easy to grow.
Aromatic lavender was used widely across the Old World, for hygiene, magic, and perfume. The Ancient Egyptians employed it for mummification, and the Romans had it in their baths (the word is thought to stem from the Latin lavare, to wash). It arrived in Britain during the Roman occupation and became a household herb, strewn across floors and stuffed under mattresses to prevent sickness and scent the house; believed to be protective and lucky, it was also hung above the door and used in ritual. Later, it became a popular medicinal tisane – Elizabeth I drank lavender tea to soothe her headaches, and Culpeper recommended it for «tremblings, faintings, and swoonings.»
There are 41 species, native to the Mediterranean, Africa, Arabia, and India, but the key garden forms for scent and wildlife are Lavandula angustifolia (true lavender or English lavender) and L. x intermedia (lavandin). The latter is a cross between L. angustifolia and L. latifolia (spike lavender or Portuguese lavender). L. angustifolia produces the best oil for perfumery, but L. x intermedia is a larger plant that is preferred by bees. Both smell wonderful in the garden.
Although L. angustifolia and L. latifolia are known, respectively, as English lavender and Portuguese lavender, they are not native to those countries, but, rather, hail from Spain, Italy, and, of course, France. They are found growing wild in the aromatic
Tom Massey's WaterAid garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2024
A lilac bush can be a bit dull when not in bloom, but the larger forms can be livened up by sending a climber through them.
The English country garden, more specifically the cottage garden, is so intensely romantic and full of charm that even the most ardent minimalists would struggle to deny a soft spot for them. Blousy, abundant and floriferous, they’re a tangle of girlish colour, soft shapes and accidental magic. But underneath it all, they’re actually quite hard to pull off and often true labours of love.
The goal from a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show is to come away with your head full of ideas and inspiration. Sometimes the show gardens can feel unattainable – too esoteric, too wild or too zany for your own back garden. This year however there are plenty of clever, stylish and down-to-earth gardens that offer ideas for real gardens. Here are a few of the best.
Tom Stuart-Smith's National Garden Scheme Garden
A young multi-stemmed olive tree in Umberto Pasti's Moroccan garden
Joe and Laura Carey
For the last 19 years I have spent the third week in May at the Chelsea Flower show. It's one of those Great British institutions that just has to be experienced — a chance to see the country's best horticultural performers all in one space, to glean ideas, spot trends and talk to the people who make our gardens grow.
A city garden by Luciano Giubbilei, where an interesting mix of shapes and textures is provided by the foliage of a multi-stemmed Acer palmatum, a wisteria and a mound of Euphorbia mellifera.
During May, the charity Plantlife encourages people not to mow their lawns. As well as attracting and helping wildlife, it's an opportunity to enjoy the sight of flowers blooming in long grass. Observing what appears – from interesting wildflowers (orchids, perhaps) to wildlife (such as grasshoppers) – is fun and, obviously, No Mow saves a lot of time. However, going the whole hog isn't for everyone. Those with children who enjoy careering around the lawn and people who entertain in their gardens won't want to let all their grass grow long. Therefore, a smaller No Mow area is more appealing and something that can be kept up throughout the summer.
At the back of the house, Adirondack chairs are placed beside a border with a small standard wisteria, a box spiral and purple Iris ‘Art Deco’ set off by lime-green euphorbia. An unknown red rose on the wall is from Mark Rumary’s 1960s scheme.
Orange ‘Fire King’ wallflowers and reddish-purple ‘Slawa’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Rem’s Favourite’ tulips in Sarah Raven's cutting garden.