Editor’s letter
Film Institute in London. I thoroughly enjoyed the ten years I spent there working on various publications, and it was always such a treat to go to press screenings held in tiny preview cinemas secreted away in Soho. Although I swapped cinema for horticulture many years ago, I still have a keen interest in film and find the idea of setting up a little cinema in the garden really thrilling. Writer Rosanna Morris explains the dos and don’ts in our feature on page 78. This month we also have an eclectic mix of gardens: from an urban plot designed for sustainable living, to the wildly romantic Cornish garden of designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman. Learning about the best plants and how to use them is a vital part of Gardens Illustrated. Hans Kramer, renowned as one of the best nurserymen in Europe, reveals ten of his favourite plants for July; and designer and plant expert Noël Kingsbury discusses the most worthwhile late-flowering clematis. In her new Design Ideas series, Sarah Price looks at how the right tree can transform a small garden, while head gardener Matthew Reese conjures up some wonderful ideas for container planting. Gardens – rather like films – are about aesthetics, narrative and clever juxtapositions. They are places in which you can escape and dream, but most of all they should give you pleasure. So alongside all the work needed to keep your garden looking lovely, I hope you seize an opportunity to sit back and enjoy it all, and perhaps even watch your favourite film by moonlight.