Meet the gardener

Rejuvenating the garden or, ‘Chuck it out, darling’

On a visit by Rosemary Verey (who created the garden at Barnsley House,) to Mill Dene Garden many years ago I complained that the garden really did not look as good as it did. When she discovered that the garden planting was ten years old, she said:’ Pull the whole lot up, my dear, and start again’. Which startled me a little, but she was right.

So if your plants are all leaf and no flower, if your shrubs are old and overgrown and straggly cut ‘em back hard. In Gloucestershire, we say they have two chances: they either live or die!

In Late Winter or early spring cut back main stems to about 1ft (30cm) and cut out any weak stems which survived your previous pruning . They will probably grow again from the base of the plant. Next winter cut back again to two or three best placed shoots to shape the plant.

Most shrubs will take off in a big way after this treatment. If they do not: bin them. Once you have taken the decision to sort out your garden in this way you will find it most liberating: beware!

Edible edging

Some of the best edging plants also happen to be edible. At Mill Dene we use Chives (A.schonesprasum) along the North Border by the mill pond with their baby mauve pompoms. They stay under control and are perennial though the foliage dies down in winter. Parsley, especially Champion Moss Curled, has frilly leaves and neat habit and will bear cutting for the kitchen and still look good.

Alpine strawberries shine along the sides of our potager and provide nibbles for our grandchildren. Thyme and marjoram line out the fruit garden acting as attractors to pollen gatherers.

The smell is quite wonderful.

Plant list
Alpine Strawberries
Carrots
Curly Endive
Mizuna
Marjoram
Salad burnet
Thyme
Winter purslane
All the lettuces

The Perfumed Garden!

At Mill Dene, plants are chosen for the garden, initially for their scent. The new rose garden has seventy-five ’City of London’ and five Weeping Standard ‘Super Fairy’, all of which feature highly on the Harkness ‘Richter Scale’ of strength of perfume. Roses have a calming effect and can induce feelings of well-being.

The best trick for the sensuous perfume lover is to have a white garden. Lilies, honeysuckles and jasmine all contain the organic compound indol; that’s why they smell so different. Lacking colour that might draw insects, their scent is designed to perform the role instead.

Scented white flowers also have the advantage, if you never get to see you garden in daylight – their perfume is more powerful at night. Jasmine has more indol than any other plant and its perfume is now worth double the price of gold. And do try the Night Phlox, Zaluzianskya, for a wonderful vanilla scent. A tiny plant, we place it in a pot by the front door to greet us in the evening.

Those who find the white flowers too overwhelming are better suited to the lighter fresher style of the spring garden. Lily of the Valley and hyacinths are antidotes to the stresses of modern life and will create a more ‘innocent-smelling’ garden in which to capture happier more carefree days.

Good news? The Chinese have crossed oilseed rape with Stocks, Mathtiola incana. They are aiming at better quality oil but imagine our fields of yellow with the fragrance of stocks?

A small Plant list of favourites:

Chimonanthes (Winter Sweet)
Freesia
Hyacinth
Jasmine
Lily of the Valley
Lonicera purpusii
Rose
Sarcocca (Winter Box)
Violet