THE PERFECT GIFT
CONTRIBUTORS
Joanna Fortnam
For 15 years Joanna was gardening editor of The Daily Telegraph She grew up on a family-run commercial glasshouse nursery in Gloucestershire, not far from Owlpen Manor, which she visits on page 44.
James Osmond
James took a break from his photography career to raise his children, then retrained as a gardener. He now specialises in garden photography, and his pictures of The Old Rectory, Doynton can be found on page 58.
Otway
Beth is a horticulturist with a passion for plants and nature. She has a big collection of houseplants and two National Collections of miniature orchid species. She visits orchid collector Inga Nikitiniene on page 73.
Welcome
Topiary looks especially smart in winter when its sharp lines and artful shapes are picked out by frost. I am filled with admiration for anyone who has mastered this particular dark art of gardening – neither fiddly pruning nor patience are my strong points, so my ‘topiary’ e orts to date consist of some rather large balls. Oh to have the skill and finesse that’s gone into creating the astonishingly intricate topiary pieces at Cressy Hall in Lincolnshire, or at Hungerdowns in Su olk, where wonderful birds are joined by yew and box carved into all sorts of other shapes, including blocks that are part LEGO brick, part jelly cube. “I just chopped into the hedge to make a new shape,” says owner Sarah Vermont, with a nonchalance that belies the tremendous skill involved. I’m not confident that if I began hacking into plants, my results would be quite so beautiful, but perhaps I should just be brave: nothing ventured, nothing gained!
As well as our festively frosty gardens, this issue also brings you a roundup of Christmas fairs and markets to visit, gift inspiration, cosy clothes for winter walks, and Skye McAlpine’s seasonal recipes – so lots to get you in the festive mood. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas when it comes.
CLARE FOGGETT, EDITOR
ON THE COVER
Frost-dusted
on
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topiary
a grand scale in the Formal Garden of Owlpen Manor in the Cotswolds. Photographed by Richard Bloom.
Beth
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Gardens
29 Hungerdowns Sarah Vermont discovered her inner artist on moving to Essex. Now an accomplished topiarist, she’s coaxed dazzling forms from yew to fill this former farmyard.
36 Myddleton House The evocative writing of the late, great plantsman E.A. Bowles perfectly depicts the muted delights of his Enfield garden during the o season in a way that still holds true today.
44 Owlpen Manor Hidden in a secluded Cotswold Valley, these enigmatic gardens retain their Tudor heritage despite later Georgian additions, and this lack of interference gives it an otherworldly charm just waiting to be discovered.
52 Cressy Hall Near Spalding in Lincolnshire, this garden provides the enchanting stage for a cast of remarkable topiary characters, trained and trimmed with precision around an elegant Georgian manor house.
29 103
58 The Old Rectory in Doynton This sublimely structural Gloucestershire garden is at its most impressive in the chill of a winter’s evening when cleverly deployed lighting picks out its special geometry and architectural details for the enjoyment of all.
Plants
67 Top 10 Plants Bring interest to bare walls and fences during winter with these ten attractive evergreen climbers, selected by Jack Ogg, head gardener at York Gate.
73 Plant Focus Beth Otway meets Inga Nikitiniene to explore her 250-strong orchid collection and glean advice on caring for these exquisite tropical flowers.
Miscellanea
81 Catalogues In the age of the internet there’s a deliciously analogue pleasure to be had from sitting down with a printed plant catalogue filled with lavish illustrations or lyrical descriptions.
89 Christmas Craft Fairs Tap into the Christmas spirit and support independent makers at seasonal fairs around the country, or make festive decorations at a special workshop with our guide to some of the best events on o er.
97 Cosy Clothes Practical, cosy clothes to keep you warm outdoors all winter.
103 Festive Living From dressing the tree to roasting Brussels sprouts, celebrated cook and author Skye McAlpine shares her secrets to creating the happiest of festivities.
Regulars
9 This Month Plants, people, news and events, books and beautiful things to buy, plus Jane Moore’s jobs to do in the garden.
19 Christmas Gift Guide Tools, clothes, homeware and gifts for the table are all on our Christmas shopping list for gardeners.
114 To Conclude On a trip to London’s JamJar Flowers to buy a festive wreath, Non Morris is delighted by an unseasonably exotic display tucked away in Peacock Yard.
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Dive
This Month
Our guide to plants, people, gardens and events, tasks and shopping in December
IN FLOWER NOW
Ilex aquifolium ‘Amber’
This is the season for holly and ivy, but there’s more to both plants than the varieties commonly on offer at the garden centre, so seek out something more unusual than ‘Golden King’ or ‘Silver Queen’ hollies, or ‘Glacier’ and ‘Sulphur Heart’ ivies. When it comes to hollies,
smooth-leaved cultivars makes pruning – and weeding around them – a much less painful experience. Ring the changes with golden-edged Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Belgica Aurea’, yellow-berried I. aquifolium ‘Bacciflava’ or the delightful I. aquifolium ‘Amber’, with its lovely apricot berries.
