PATINA OF AGE
For many, Sissinghurst is the epitome of an English garden, but Vita and Harold’s plant choices were often influenced by their travels, using bulbs such as Fritillaria from Iran and Turkey to bring a dash of intrigue and mystery. Here I’ve used one our native Fritillaria mealagris in one of Vita’s pewter vases; its metal is the colour of ripe, bruised plum and is etched with history that connects with the richness and intricacy of the two flowers.
How to achieve the look
Vita loved to experiment with growing different plants and combinations in containers of different sizes, and likened this miniature form of gardening to a jeweller working in precious stones. Fittingly I’ve chosen two jewel-like plants. Fritillaria mealagris, described by Vita as ‘a sombre, sinister little flower’, has for me something of the feel of a Fabergé egg. The checkerboard patterns of its flowers – reminiscent of a painting by Seurat – are ravishingly beautiful and worthy of close inspection. In tandem with the more muscular yet refined Helleborus lividus the display connects effortlessly back to the garden and doesn’t feel like I’ve tried too hard to create it. To enjoy these fleeting moments caught in flower is when pot culture excites me the most. For both of these delicate treasures to thrive we need to raise them out of the garden’s heavy Wealden clay, and to do this, pots of various styles and design have always been used throughout the different areas of Sissinghurst. Whatever style of pot you choose, drainage holes are a must, even if the plants are only in the pot a few weeks they will not like it and the roots will be damaged. For metal containers use a metal drill to make three 8mm holes. For the growing medium I always aim to use peat-free compost with added leafmould and up to 6mm grit. Whatever type of pot you use always make sure you leave a centimetre or so between the soil and the rim of the pot to allow for watering.
Plants
1
Helleborus lividus A slightly tender hellebore from the Balearic Islands. The green tripartite leaves are beautifully grey-veined similar to those of cyclamen. Its flowers are pinkish grey-green with a slight perfume. 40cm. RHS H4, USDA 8a-9b†.
2
Fritillaria meleagris A flower of incomparable beauty, the native snake’s head fritillary revels in damp meadows, where it gently self-seeds. The flowers are mostly a rich, jewel-like pinkish purple but it will occasionally throw up a white flower. 40cm. AGM*. RHS H5, USDA 3a-8b.