Garden Answers Feb 20

Win
worth
Free £169
* Blueberry plants
A saratoga chair & stool 2 worth £19.98!
February 2020 £4.15
worth £19.99
SAVE
£5 2 daphne
litre
‘Perfume Princess‘
*JUST PAY POSTAGE
Making
Beautiful
GARDENS
Fall in love with
jewel-box
gems
Precious treasures in
gold, sapphire & pearl
10
Best
variegated
evergreens
How to...
Re-wild your garden
Welcome nature the easy way
BEAUTIFUL GARDENS
✿ Streamside glade filled with cornus & snowdrops
✿ Grand country garden where evergreens add structure
✿ Chic designer plot where heathers light up the hillside
Bees love
weeds!
Grow chillies & peppers
Hot crops for a sunny spot
Discover
hepaticas
Stars of the
season
Expert guide
Pruning
made easy:
climbing
roses
plant an urban prairie
Mid-century chic in pink & grey
february 2020 ISSUE 8 Jan - 5 Feb

❤
Celebrate
Celebrate
TOPIARY
Evergreens take on a crisp, bold look when
clipped into geometric ‘living sculptures’.
Levens Hall has some historic examples
DATING BACK to the 1690s, the
topiary at Levens Hall in Cumbria
includes some of the oldest examples
in the world. “The collection of
ancient box and yew trees was
created by Guillaume Beaumont –
former head gardener to King James
II,” explains the current head
gardener, Chris Crowder, who’s
worked here for 32 years.
“Our clipping year officially starts
on 1 September and we try to finish
all the topiary by Christmas – there
are around 100 specimens. After that
we start on our huge beech and yew
hedges so they’re looking nice and
crisp by the time the garden opens
again, in April.
“I always like to clip the newer
topiary specimens myself, for
continuity, starting off with hand
shears and creating cake stands,
corkscrews, spirals and cones.
For larger pieces I’ll move on to the
battery-powered clippers because
it’s quicker and for the tallest hedges
we hire in some hydraulic lifts for a
couple of months.”
The taller of the two great umbrella
yews is around 9m (30ft) high – the
little circular bench around its trunk
gives you some idea of its scale. “It
can be quite scary trimming topiary
up there,” says Chris, “especially
when it’s windy and the lift is fully
extended. When I first started, in
1987, we used a wooden ladder lashed
to a couple of trestles!”
l Levens Hall, Kendal, Cumbria,
is open 5 April - 1 October 2020,
Sunday to Thursday. 01539 560321;
www.levenshall.co.uk
GAP photos/RICHARD BLOOM
HISTORIC YEW Taxus
baccata is a slow-growing
hedging plant and the fact
it continues to respond so
well to trimming after
centuries of pruning is part
of its enduring appeal.
Every part is poisonous
(apart from the red arils)
and it’s said yews were
planted in church yards
to discourage drovers
from grazing their cattle
in the burial grounds.
6 Garden Answers
Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 7

❤
CELEBRATE
EASY
project
Bird
feeder
Make your own
fatball feeders
Coppice dogwood stems to create these
colourful feeders. Here’s how to make them
You will need
✿ Secateurs
✿ Cornus stems
✿ Galvanised
wire
✿ Flat-nosed
pliers
✿ Small pots
✿ Suet balls
✿ Garden twine
Which colourful stems?
Cornus sericea
‘Flaviramea’
step by step
Cornus alba
‘Sibirica’
Cornus alba
‘Kesselringii’
Coppice your cornus
1 Cut each colourful stem back to
about 5-8cm (2-3in) from the main
stem. This renovates the shrub and
encourages more vigorous, colourful
growth to be produced this spring.
Trim stems to length
2 Gather together about 10 straight stems,
each 50-70cm (20-28in) long. You can trim them
to the exact size once the feeder is assembled.
Secure the
3 stems
Wrap galvanised
wire around the top
of the bundle using
flat-nosed pliers to
hold them together
firmly. Insert a small
terracotta pot into the centre
of the bundle to form
the cavity for the suet balls.
PECKING ORDER
Blue tits and
sparrows will love
this innovative idea
– using coppiced
cornus prunings
to create a
decorative
feeder, filled
with suet balls
Hide the wire & decorate
4 Secure the end of the bundle
with more wire. Hide the wire with
flexible thinner stems, wound
around top and bottom. Weave
stems in and out of the cavity to
decorate. Remove pot. Trim ends.
Pop in three Suet balls
5 Push apart one length of the cornus cage
to give enough wiggle room to insert 3-4 suet
balls, one at a time. Reposition the stem when
finished. Securely tie a length of garden twine
around the top of the feeder, then suspend it
from a sturdy tree branch. Refill as required.
Photos: GAP Photos; alamy
46 Garden Answers
Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 47

Beautiful gardens
Get the
York Gate LOOK
“Evergreens create
a winter backbone”
Head gardener
Benjamin Preston
explains how to get
York Gate’s Arts &
Crafts look in your
own garden
Tucked away in the pretty village of Adel
on the outskirts of Leeds, York Gate is
regarded as one of Britain’s finest gardens.
There’s a lot packed into the one-acre space,
from a white garden and water features to a
woodland area and vegetable garden. But
it’s the fantastic structure, the intricate
detailing in the hard landscaping and the
quirky features that make York Gate such a
unique and special place. Head Gardener
Ben Preston tells us about the garden…
When was York Gate created? The
Spencer family – Fred, Sybil and son
Robin – moved here in 1951, when it was
York Gate Farm. They bought it so they
could keep their horses and ducks, but
quickly decided to create a garden. It was a
work in progress for more than 30 years –
Fred died in 1963, Robin continued
developing it until he passed away in 1982
and Sybil tended the garden until her
death in 1994, when it was bequeathed to
horticultural charity Perennial.
How did the design come about? It’s an
Arts & Crafts-style garden created some
50 years or so after the Arts & Crafts
movement was at its peak. The Spencers
took inspiration from William Robinson
and Gertrude Jekyll. They bought a lot of
plants from Margery Fish at East
Lambrook Manor and there are letters in
the archives from Christopher Lloyd at
Great Dixter. Robin created the central
canal after Sybil saw the moon pool at
Hidcote and decided she would
like something similar.
What are the key elements?
The garden is divided into different
‘rooms’ by hedges, with each area linked
using vistas and sight lines. The yew and
beech hedges create the backbone of the
garden along with the hard landscaping.
Fred and Robin made
the paths from Yorkstone
on the farm, which ties
in with the house and
gives the garden its sense
of place.
There’s also the
attention to detail. Here
in the Canal Garden, the
design for the carpet path,
with granite setts laid in a diamond
shape, for instance, was taken from a
Japanese book on garden design. Fred and
Robin were both building surveyors and
on their travels they’d collect ornaments ➤
ABOVE Ferns unfurl their emeraldgreen
croziers in spring, creating a
lush backdrop for pastel-flowered
delphiniums, alliums, astrantias and
other summer-flowering perennials
Fact file
● LOCATION York
Gate Garden, Back
Church Lane, Adel,
West Yorkshire LS16 8DW
● OPEN 1 April-
30 September,
Sunday-Thursday,
12.30-4.30pm.
CONTACT 0113 267
8240 or visit www.perennial.
org.uk/york-gate-garden
68 Garden Answers Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 69

Beautiful gardens
and artefacts, including the millstones,
which they laid at the intersections of
paths. They make you pause and decide
which direction to take. And of course
there are the yew sails, which have
become an iconic symbol of the garden.
Get
the
look
THE Canal Garden
Shapely yew hedging,
evergreens and patterned
paving create winter interest
WINTER STRUCTURE
How is the garden still evolving?
The wonderful structure doesn’t change,
but we do have the opportunity to play
with the planting. The Spencers always
used the most up-to-date plants and were
always seeking out new species and
cultivars.
Sybil’s garden was redesigned in 2004
– the only ‘room’ to be changed since the
garden was created, and this is a part which
we feel we have the most licence to evolve.
We have plans to create an exotic garden
there –very much in vogue at the moment.
Turn evergreens
into sculpture
The iconic yew ‘sails’
offer an eye-catching zig
zag backdrop in summer,
but really come to the
fore in winter.
Taxus baccata
Handsome evergreen
with dark green needles
and red berries on
females. Unclipped
H12m (40ft) S8m (26ft)
Polystichum setiferum
Softly textured evergreen
fern with large feathery
green fronds. Perfect for
shade or part shade.
H1.2m (4ft) S90cm (3ft)
Asplenium
scolopendrium
Glossy green, puckered
leaves suit a semishaded
spot. H and
S60cm (2ft)
Ophiopogon planiscapus
‘Nigrescens’ Moundforming
inky-black
mondo grass with mauve
flowers Jun-Aug. H20cm
(8in) S30cm (12in)
Euphorbia
amygdaloides robbiae
Acid-green flowers rise
from whorls of evergreen
leaves in spring. H70cm
(28in) S1m (3ft 3in)
We clip the yew at the back
end of the year so it looks
good right through winter
What are the garden’s highlights
in February? We have a great collection
of snowdrops, winter aconites, Cyclamen
coum, Iris reticulata and hellebores, all of
which are set off by the crisp hedging – we
clip the yew at the back end of the year so
it looks good right through winter.
Embellish design
The Arts & Crafts
movement was all about
design and pattern, and
the carpet path here is a
perfect example, using
granite setts and
matching grey chips.
Create focal points
The stone font at the far
end of the carpet path
draws the eye, creating a
sense of drama.
Edge paths with
shaggy grasses
It can be hard to keep
herbaceous border edges
looking crisp. Here, black
ophiopogon is planted close
together to form a ‘hedge’.
How can readers get the look of York
Gate at home? York Gate is one acre but
it feels much bigger because of the clever
use of ornaments to draw the eye. For
example, placing the Italianate stone font
at the bottom of the carpet path helps to
create a vista in winter – a really useful
technique in small gardens.
Pick one or two simple materials and
stick with them throughout the garden to
give continuity. Strategically placed
features such as box balls or wicker
baskets, which we use at York Gate,
help to emphasise path entrances.
It can be hard to keep the edge of an
herbaceous border looking crisp all year
round, but the black grass (ophiopogon)
alongside our carpet path does this really
well when it’s planted close together in a
long row like a low hedge.
How does the garden progress
through the seasons? The garden relies
on successional planting. After the late
winter bulbs, daffodils, tulips and alliums
take over. Then there are the herbaceous
layers for summer with grasses for
late-season interest and some lovely trees
such as Acer aconitifolium and various
different species of beech, which look
fabulous in autumn. ✿
summer colour
Delphiniums
Towering blue and
mauve spires add
drama Jun-July. H1.5m
(5ft) S60cm (2ft)
Astrantias
Colourful bracts studded
with tiny flowers on slim
branching stems. H60cm
(2ft) S40cm (16in)
Alliums
Spherical heads of tightly
packed violet flowers top
sturdy stems in June.
H80cm (32in) S10cm (2in)
Scabious
Sky-blue pincushion
flowers attract
pollinators Jun-Sept.
H and S30cm (12in)
Verbascum
Elegant spikes of
colourful dark-centred
flowers May-Aug. H90cm
(3ft) S45cm (18in)
board
Mood
Pastel
hues
Pinks
Clipped
evergreens
& topiary
Purple
Greens
Black
grasses
NEXT MONTH:
Get the BETH
CHATTO Look
words: louise curley; Photos: Gap Photos; alamy; sHutterstock
70 Garden Answers
Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 71

❤
CELEBRATE
Plant
Profile
Hepaticas
Enjoy a shimmer of
Dainty blue
Hepaticas aren’t fond of winter wet – preferring
a bit of sunshine, shelter and a well-drained soil.
Val Bourne suggests the easiest ones to plump for
MEadING FEBRUARY The Tium BLUES
remperis con eum Skyward-gazing
voloris cus
diciate non hepatica pore vendel flowers open
ipsam quam quatum in early exerum spring,
liciet prature enhanced anim non by a crown
comnim nam of est dainty remqui stamens
All plants available from ashwood nurseries
01384 401996; www.AshwoodNurseries.com
Hepaticas are early-flowering
woodlanders. They’re found
naturally in almost-alpine
situations in northern, temperate
regions across Europe, Asia, North
America and Canada. Consequently they
must have good drainage and are happiest
growing in the lea of deciduous shrubs, or
on sloping ground that sheds water.
Although they’re close relatives of the
wood anemone, their upward-facing
flowers are rather like a miniature clematis
in colour and form. The bright blue, strong
pink and clear white flowers look delightful
in early spring.
The most common European species is
Hepatica nobilis. It’s not native but has been
grown in British gardens since 1764 and
perhaps even earlier. The three-lobed
leaves are said to resemble the liver in
outline and the 17th-century
Doctrine of Signatures,
used by herbalists
intent on finding
cures, dictated that
this plant cured liver
disease. Also known as
liverwort, H. nobilis
was widely planted in
physic and monastery
gardens. The name
hepatica comes from the
Greek ‘hepara’ for liver.
However, not all forms of
H. nobilis can grow outdoors
in the UK. Those with japonica in
their Latin names need extremely
good drainage and overhead cover so
won’t survive our wet winters.
Specialist growers sell some
wonderful Japanese forms for alpine
houses or cool greenhouses, but they
Our pick of the best
Best for easy
flowers
Hepatica
nobilis This
woodlander comes
in many different
colours and seeds
about. ‘Ashwood
Blues’ are excellent,
but they do several
colour strains.
H and S10cm (4in)
Best for
foliage
H. schlyteri
Blue Marble
Group Ashwood
Nurseries’ new
hybrid has marbled
foliage and large,
sky-blue flowers.
Good drainage
needed. H and
S20-30cm (8-12in)
Growing hepaticas in the garden
For best results with hepaticas,
choose European species and
hybrids, labelled H. nobilis,
H. transsilvanica and
H. media.
l Site them carefully.
Plant them where they’ll
catch early spring
sunshine, but be shaded by
tend to be expensive.
Fortunately, our other
European species, H.
transsilvanica, doesn’t mind
the cold and wet as much. In the wild it’s
found on steep, shady banks in the
mountainous woods of Transylvania
in central Romania and on the
Carpathian Mountains. The flowers
and leaves are larger than H. nobilis
Best for large
flowers H.
transsilvanica
Vigorous grower
with large, rich
blue flowers
Feb-Mar, each with
a green middle
surrounded by
bee-friendly
stamens. H and
S15cm (6in)
Best for an
alpine house
H. NOBILIS
japonica magna
These largeflowered
forms in
rich blue, violet,
purple to red,
rose-pink and white
need a cool airy,
sheltered spot.
H and S20cm (8in)
May, such as close to deciduous
shrubs and trees in a sunnier spot.
l Feed them in late winter. Hepatica
expert John Massey recommends
using calcified seaweed.
l Remove the foliage just before
flowering. This helps you appreciate
their delicate flowers better. It’s also
worth loosening compacted soil.
One of the best blue forms
was discovered growing
under an apple tree
and it’s more vigorous, so one clump can
have several flowers. I remove the shabby
leaves in late autumn, before the plump
green flower buds emerge.
Blue forms of H. transsilvanica stand out
really well in the garden and there’s a good
double named ‘Elison Spence’ that was
found as a sport (an unusual shoot) in Mrs
Elison Spence’s Northern Ireland garden.
Hepatica nobilis and H. transsilvanica
sometimes produce vigorous hybrids in
the wild. Called H. x media, these are freer
flowering, with rounder foliage. One of the
best blue forms, ‘Harvington Beauty’, was
discovered by Hugh Nunn (of Harvington
Hellebore fame) growing under an apple
tree in a neighbour’s garden. I treasure this
mid-blue hepatica, and grow it close to my
black hybrid hellebores, for contrast.
The bluest form is ‘Millstream Merlin’
with gentian-blue single flowers on long
stems. Raised by the late American rock
garden enthusiast H Lincoln Foster, who
gardened at Falls Village, Connecticut,
it was exhibited in London by the late
Kath Dryden in 1989 and caused quite a
stir. It’s still pricey and not as easy as
‘Harvington Beauty’ for me. ✿
Photos: alamy; shutterstock; wikicommons; ashwood nurseries
30 Garden Answers Subscribe at www.greatmagazines.co.uk 31

Next month in
DON’T
March
MISS OUR
ISSUE
ON SALE 5
FEBRUARY
Choose
perfect partners
every time!
How to combine plants for contrasts
of texture, shape and colour
l Tame prickly pyracantha – our expert shows how
l Take inspiration from Beth Chatto’s dry garden
l Get answers to your key wildlife questions
l Grow delicious asparagus from crowns
l Design a formal garden complete with lovely lawn
l Buy the right garden fork with our buyers’ guide
ALAMY
PLUS all your favourites ✿ Jobs for the month ✿ Border planner
✿ Ask Garden Answers ✿ Border rescue ✿ Puzzles and prizes