Secrets of a Head Gardener
Find a plant that really means something to you, and gets you in the garden every day. Before you know it, you’re out there doing other jobs, too. In my own yard we’ve a banana plant that was given to my son when he was two (he’s 13 now) and that’s special to us. I love auriculas, too, I can’t resist their detail. I’ll go outside just to inspect them. We always have a spectacular display of tulips and plant 10,000 bulbs. If anything, this year they’ve come sooner than expected. In a sunny, southfacing spot, they’ll come back year after year. But in other parts of the garden we grow them for one year of great colour then lift them when they’re finished, and plant them in grassy areas. The colour isn’t quite as good after er the first year but it’s still a great effect.
Test your soil’s acidity.
We e grow a lot of winterfloweringowering heathers, which bringing wonderful colour into to the darkest corners. But ut as they prefer acidic soil, oil, they wouldn’t necessarily ecessarily work in everyone’sveryone’s garden. That said, aid, I’m a great fan of heathers and they’re definitely coming
back into fashion. The Heather Society (www.heathersociety.org) is a good place to find which heathers can grow in neutral soil.
Don’t take it personally if something doesn’t grow! I know as gardeners we often do but sometimes, for whatever reason, conditions in your garden just won’t be right. Here at Standen we grow ‘Marfona’ potatoes and they crop really well, but some of the gardeners here just can’t grow them at home, even though they live only a few miles away. It’s worth seeing what your neighbours are growing.
Try to keep a diary of how your plants are doing, and what is in flower when.
We have letters to nurserymen dating back to the late 1800s from Margaret Beale, who had the house built with her husband, James. They give us an idea about what she grew, especially in the kitchen garden, and we make a real effort to find the same varieties if we can. I’d recommend everyone try heritage fruit and vegetables because there are some great stories surrounding these old varieties. They can be very rewarding.