Take a Seat
This quote from the late great English gardener, Christopher Lloyd, succinctly introduces the topic of garden seating. It is something that is near and dear to my heart. I love seeing where gardeners place their seats and what types they choose.
I usually find that gardens do not have enough seats, or they are in the wrong places. I always watch which seats get used in a garden, and for how long. Yes, I do watch people in gardens to see where they go, what they love, where they linger, what makes them speed through a garden space. It is a fascinating study and I have incorporated some of these results into my own garden designs.
I have a lot of seats, benches, walls, logs, and rocks that people can sit on here at Northview. I like to place them where there is a good view, or maybe where there is a secluded nook. The number of seats in a group varies from place to place. There are single seats, doubles, fours, fives, sixes, and more. Some are sociably facing each other, and others are in my favorite circle shape. Make sure that you sit on each seat and look at what you see. If it is in the wrong place, move it so that you have a good view.
This white bench in an English garden has its back to a brick wall and is surrounded by colorful flowers such as these dahlias.
This wooden bench is sheltered by an arch in my Herb Garden. The pipes underneath the bench are just for fun.
My lovely purple bench that is next to the raised hill-like mounds called Hugelkulturs, has a view down the Winter Walk, and to the right you can see to the Sunset Garden.
Look around your own garden to see whether you have enough places to sit. Do you have somewhere for your morning cup or tea or coffee? Maybe you need another bench to sit on to catch the special evening light with a beverage in hand. Try out your garden seats and experience a moment of peace listening to the birds or inhaling some floral fragrances.
Blog Post: Tales of the Chelsea Flower Show
This month I share some of my experiences with this year’s Chelsea Flower Show in London, England, with comparisons to some previous shows.
I am lucky enough to be able to go to the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show every year. I like to distill my thoughts when I return home to see if there were any trends or popular plants. The importance of using water responsibly in gardens was a recurring theme this year. Color was back in some gardens – I was delighted to see some inspirational flower combinations – and lots of pink!
Plant of the Month:
Bearded Irises
Plant the rhizomes of bearded irises in full sun, in soil with good drainage. Lay the rhizome parallel to the soil surface and do not cover it totally with soil but leave the top half above the surface. Mulch the area with small-scale grit or gravel to increase drainage and to reflect the heat and light back onto the plant. Once they are established, they will not require much moisture in most climates. Divide the rhizomes after flowering.
New bearded irises are being bred with different colors, and more ruffled blooms. Those of you who have read even a few of these newsletters will know that my tastes lean towards the old and classic flowers. The colors and shapes of the old irises are simpler and more to my taste than the large and bold ones that seem to be in fashion now. I recently ordered a few old types from the company Old House Gardens. They may not bloom this year, but I can’t wait to see them in future summers.
I was lucky enough to see some old irises at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2023. These were bred by the artist and gardener Cedric Morris who gardened in the dry eastern part of England in the mid 1900’s. The name of his garden was Benton End, and it has a new lease on life, having been purchased by the Garden Museum in London. The irises that Cedric bred have the Benton name at the beginning and then a second name to differentiate them. At the show, the exhibit by the garden designer Sarah Price featured Iris ‘Benton Olive’ amongst others.
Book Club:
In My Garden by Christopher Lloyd
The book that I am delving into today is simply titled In My Garden. Christopher’s garden was the renowned garden at Great Dixter in Sussex, England. The garden is still there today and well worth a visit. Since Christopher’s death, it has been ably managed by Fergus Garrett and a team of gardeners. The website is wonderful, and the garden is definitely worthy of a visit if you are in south east England.
I would highly recommend any writings by Christopher Lloyd. He died in 2006 but there are many of his books still in print or available second hand. There are several reasons why his writing is so successful. The first is that he wrote from his own experiences and also from his extensive correspondence with other talented gardeners like Beth Chatto. Another reason that gardeners love his writing is that he is willing and able to express his own point of view even if it doesn’t match with majority opinion. His irreverent, opinionated prose means that even today his writing is still fresh.
This book is a selection from the many articles that Christopher wrote for the English magazine, Country Life. The piece of writing that most famously shows the style and substance of his writing is described on page 80. He describes the alterations that he made to the old and famous rose garden that had been planted in 1912 for his mother (whose unmarried name was Daisy Field – love it!) and had been designed, at least in part, by the famous architect Edwin Lutyens. The reading public was horrified when they read ‘Yesterday, we had a grand exhumation of old rose bushes – … The rending noise of huge old roots reminded me of a hyena devouring a plank of wood.’ This is garden writing at its best. Engaging and thought provoking.
There are so many other quotable passages but I love ones that make me laugh. On page 60, he describes his relationship with a shrub belonging to a friend. “One shrub that I have particularly disliked for years is Elaeagnus… It grew against the corner of her house, near the front door and just where I park my car, so I made a regular practice of backing into it. Then it got coral spot, a disease…The larger part of it died. But, alas, the surviving remains bid fair to make a full recovery. I backed into it with increased animus. Now, glory be, it has died and finally been extracted.” There are not many gardeners that can get away with killing their friend’s plant and writing about it. The rest of the article revolves around trying to think what should replace the Elaeagnus! Delve into some of Christopher Lloyd’s writing and be prepared to have a chuckle.
The link below is a blog that I wrote about wild gardening that includes some photographs of Great Dixter.
Note: I am not sponsored to promote books found in these newsletters. They are featured because I truly love them.
In Case You Were Gardening…
Mount Vernon, Virginia – Spring Blooms in the Upper Flower Garden, May 6, 2024
Highlights from the Chelsea Flower Show 2023, July 25, 2023
Self-Sown Flowers – Create Bargain Fullness and Happy Accidents in Your Garden, September 17. 2022.
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If you would like to see photos of my garden at Northview and images of my garden travels, please follow me on Instagram @NorthviewGarden and @JennyRoseCarey
Bye for now,
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