12 KEY ELEMENTS FROM HAM COURT
1 The name of this exceptionally fragrant, pale-pink, apricot-flushed climbing rose is not known, but it is a favourite and particularly healthy plant that was found growing at the family’s previous home in Norfolk and brought to Ham Court as a cutting.
2 On either side of the path in the Kitchen Garden Matthew created wigwams of coppiced hazel up which grow a selection of fragrant sweet peas, including Lathyrus odorus ‘Anniversary’ and L.odorus ‘Gwendoline’.
3 Sunflowers in the Square Garden. Matthew collects seeds from his sunflowers each year and many have now hybridised. Favourite sunflowers include the rich-bronze Helianthus annuus ‘ Velvet Queen’ and the pale lemon-yellow ‘ Vanilla Ice’, both of which are long-flowering and freely branching – qualities that are “essential for cutting”.
4 Zinnias enjoy their cosseted position in the polytunnel. Matthew particularly likes the exuberance and clear colours of the Benary’s Giants Series.
5 The rack for drying garlic in the Kitchen Garden has been made using home-coppiced hazel poles. It ensures that the garlic bulbs are properly dried so that they last throughout the winter.
6 In the Kitchen Garden the yellow flowers of lady’s mantel Alchemilla mollis and fennel create a wonderful contrast with the fragrant, purple flowers of Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’.
7 Monarda ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ The flowers of this tall, long-lasting bergamot form a run of intense red along the voluptuous Greenhouse Border and are a magnet for bees and butterflies. 90cm. RHS H4†.
8 Levisticum officinale (lovage) Used as a herb, but also wonderful as a herbaceous perennial. Grown in the Greenhouse Border for its statuesque presence, its pale, yellow-green flower umbels and its glossy leaves. 2m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
9 Euphorbia lathyris (caper spurge) An ornamental, architectural plant with erect stems and slender, glaucous, green leaves. Be careful though as all parts of the plant are poisonous. 1.2m. RHS H5.
10 Rosa ‘Wedding Day’ A vigorous, rambling rose bearing large clusters of scented, creamy-white flowers, with bright-yellow stamens, that age to pink. The stems are relatively thornless, so it’s a good choice if planting near a path. 8m. RHS H6.
11 Prunus cerasus ‘Morello’ Four cherry trees are trained as espaliers against the north-facing wall of the Kitchen Garden. They have grown magnificently, producing abundant fruit a couple of years after planting as whips. 10m. AGM*. RHS H6.
12 Cynara cardunculus Scolymus Group Globe artichokes add dusky colour and architecture to the beautiful stone walls of the old barns. They are grown against rustic chestnut paling in the Square Garden and within the main Kitchen Garden. The edible heads are often served up in Ham Court’s kitchen. 2.5m. RHS H5.