BRITAIN’S GOT GARDENS
At Easton in Lincolnshire, the Picker y is a stunning celebration of growing cut flowers
One of the delights of summer is cutting flowers for the house from your own garden. In celebration of this simple joy, some large gardens have dedicated large areas to the cultivation of vase flowers, and one of the best is at Easton.
Encompassing 12-acres, Easton Walled Gardens lie in a beautiful valley, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire, and were once described by Franklin D. Roosevelt as, “a dream of Nir vana . . . almost too good to be true.” The stars of the show are the cut flower gardens – in par ticular, the Picker y, which is dedicated to the cultivation of blooms for the vase. In colour ful rows, flowers that last well in water, jostle side by side: cobalt and pink cornflowers, scarlet and purple anemones, and claret scabious; cottage garden favourites: Canterbur y bells and bullwor t (Ammi) bloom alongside exotic-looking spider flowers and salvias. And later in the season, sunflowers, dahlias, rudbeckias, and zinnias are a riot of fier y colour.
Of course, the queen of garden cut flowers is the sweet pea, and Easton is famous for it. Visitors flock to see the huge range of sweet pea varieties that grow in the vegetable garden and fill the air with scent. These climbing annuals thrive on columnar frames. Owner Ursula Cholmeley also advocates using materials that the sweet pea tendrils can easily grab hold of – such as wire and hazel sticks instead of bamboo, which is too narrow.
The Easton estate has been in the Cholmeley family since 1561, and in 2001, Ursula under took a vast restoration of the garden, which was overgrown. Twenty years later, Easton is transformed into a series of stunning gardens: a rose meadow, woodland walk, cottage garden, white garden, and lots more. Yet the main draws for many are the glorious sweet peas and the Picker y, which inspire visitors to tr y the enjoyable hobby of growing their own cut flowers.
Easton’s Sweet Pea Season begins on June 23. For further information, call 01476 530063 or go to visiteaston.co.uk