OUT OF AFRICA
In this nursery garden in Essex, high summer is marked by an exotic medley of hot and cool shades from a trio of South African superstars
In an Essex garden, high summer is marked by an exotic medley of South African superstars
In August, one area of the garden behind Tim and Jean Carter’s nursery at Long House Plants in Essex shines above all others. “Visitors follow the path round and just break into the biggest smiles when they come across these borders,” Tim says. “The colours are so uplifting, people can’t help but be cheered by them – it reminds them of holidays.” Two 15m x 5m beds run either side of a cambered cobbled path and are populated with just three genera, all originating from South Africa: kniphofia (red hot pokers), agapanthus (African lilies) and crocosmia. The colours sing – brilliant oranges, sunny yellows, deep navy and sky blues, steely grey-whites and tawny caramels – and the effect is electric.
“It’s a scene that changes throughout the day as the sun moves round and week by week as the various different varieties come into flower,” Tim says. He created the beds about six years ago to showcase the qualities of these vibrant plants. The borders run north to south, so the tallest red hot pokers at the far end catch the first of the sun’s rays as it rises over the farmhouse roof. “They look as though they are on fire,” Tim continues. “Seeing them is one of the highlights of my dawn patrol!”
These are stock beds to provide new plants to sell on his nursery benches but instead of going the conventional route of planting everything out in straight rows, Tim wants to show as many different varieties associating together as possible. To say that he is mad about plants would be an understatement – his collections are wide and various. He has worked in horticulture since he was a young boy, training at Writtle College at the age of 18, and he is steeped in the culture of personal service: “I like to ensure my customers can find what they want and what will suit their own garden best. I grow the widest possible range of plants in a garden situation, side by side, so they can easily compare heights, colours, shapes and
flowering times. It’s a bit like a library in a way – designed to inspire and inform.”
The cobbles were salvaged from the floor of the heavy horse stable that Tim and Jean converted into their home on the family farm. The exaggerated camber is a nod to the paths at Bury Court, a Piet Oudolf garden in Hampshire that Tim admires, and the cobbles slow people down, allowing time to take in the planting detail. Tim points out the need to think about backdrop with these striking cultivars: “A big sky helps, so they look good in an open part of the garden. Position kniphofia where their flower spikes can be brought into sharp relief. Think about the direction of light and what you will be seeing them against – a wall or dark hedging such as the Grevillea ‘Canberra Gem’ I’ve used is ideal and it offers wind protection, too.”
Tim spent a long time preparing the soil in the demonstration beds, double digging and taking care to eradicate creeping thistle and couch
“The colours are so uplifting, people can’t help but be cheered by them – it reminds them of holidays”
grass over a number of seasons. His South African plants are sun-lovers and they need reasonably good drainage, but apart from that he finds them relatively unfussy: “Crocosmia and kniphofia grow in most types of what I call ‘ordinary’ garden soil, just as long as they don’t get waterlogged.” Agapanthus can be evergreen (these usually have wider, strappier leaves), semi-evergreen or deciduous. The latter are the hardiest; for the more vulnerable evergreen varieties, Tim recommends some winter protection with a thick mulch of bark chippings to ensure the roots don’t suffer from deep penetrating frost. Agapanthus in pots are best brought under cover over winter if possible, to stop them getting too wet.
When choosing varieties, Tim has several tips to offer. With kniphofia he says, “The leaves are as important as the blooms. I reject some seedlings on the basis that they have too much foliage and not enough flower to earn their place in the garden.” He says tone is important, too: “Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ has always been the favourite red but actually ‘Hellfire’ is better. Old varieties such as ‘Star of the East’ still hold their own, as they are exceptionally long-flowering.” With agapanthus, he considers flowerhead size, stem height and flower colour. “There are some wonderful bi-colours now and if you choose well, you can have varieties in flower from June to October.”
Although all three genera originate in a much sunnier climate and look somewhat exotic, they are surprisingly hardy and relatively easy to care for, which is why Tim recommends them so heartily. They look wonderful en masse but a similarly vibrant combination can be achieved in a series of pots or in a much smaller bed with just three or six plants. There are compact varieties, too – useful for edging a path, for instance – such as A. ‘Dwarf White’ and A. ‘Baby Blue’.
The crocosmia, agapanthus and kniphofia are just three of Tim’s numerous plant loves. Great swathes of grasses feature, too, echoing the rolling rural landscape that lies beyond the garden’s boundaries. There are camellias, day lilies, bamboos, persicarias, pittosporum, cornus, phlox and asters… the list goes on and on. There’s much to admire and learn here and Tim has placed benches so that visitors can linger to take it all in. “I’m privileged to do what I do and I am very happy to share it,” he says.
LONG HOUSE PLANTS, Noak Hill, Romford, Essex (01708 371719; longhouse-plants.co.uk). Garden open on selected dates – see website for details. Nursery open March to September, Fridays, Saturdays and bank holidays 10am-5pm and Sundays 10am4pm or by appointment.