And relax! After several weeks of intensive preparation, another National Gardens Scheme open weekend lies behind us. Rather like Christmas there’s an almighty build-up and then the event itself is over in the blink of an eyelid. In total we welcomed 440 visitors to The Watch House and raised just over £2000 for NGS charities. Our previous record was 300, so this is a fantastic result. Thank you to everyone who took the trouble to come along; we hope you liked what you saw.
There were a number of changes to the garden this year and this didn’t escape the notice of regular visitors. To begin with the famous Santa Cruz Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus subsp. aspleniifolius) that protected the northern boundary of the Jungle Garden for ten years has been reduced to 8ft tall, revealing the poorly maintained building behind. It was, of course, a great tragedy when a storm felled the tree in March, but the garden has benefited enormously from the additional light. The shaggy red stumps are resprouting, but so far new growth is pale and sickly, so I am not sure it will survive. We have high hopes that a seeding tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) might give that part of the garden a different vibe in time. In the meantime I’ve stopped noticing the half-rendered, scaffolded eyesore behind the fence. I hope its residents enjoy the view.
We are fortunate that around half of our visitors return annually to see how the garden has developed. I am so flattered that people find the garden interesting and varied enough to come back for a second, third, forth or even fifth time, always taking time to share kind comments and make wise observations. Some recall the changes in position or performance of a plant better than I do. Nevertheless I feel honour-bound to ring the changes for visitors’ sake as well as my own. This year’s bit of horticultural theatre is my Tree of Life, an experiment with epiphytes in a maturing Japanese green olive (Phillyrea latifolia).
Naturally there were a lot of questions about hardiness and how to affix plants securely to a tree. In answer, none of the plants used are hardy enough for UK winters (including late autumn and early spring) so they will have to come indoors during the colder, wetter months. Attaching the plants to the tree was easy; they simply needed packing gently into natural clefts in the branches using damp sphagnum moss. So far, so good; they’ve stayed exactly where I put them. An occasional misting with rainwater seems to be enough to keep them happy during a dry spell. If you feel inspired to grow epiphytes outside in your own garden, just keep in mind that most bromeliads, orchids and airplants are accustomed to shelter and a degree of shade. They won’t last long in an exposed position.
The question I’m most frequently asked by visitors to the garden is ‘how long does it take you to water everything?’. The answer is about an hour each day in summer. Many folk blanch at that amount of ‘work’, but for me watering is one of the most relaxing jobs in the garden, permitting me time to switch off, observe plants’ growing habits and make plans for the future. It’s like therapy, only cheaper.
The Gin & Tonic Garden has never looked better and is no longer regarded as secondary to The Jungle Garden, by me at least. This tiny 20ft by 20ft space gives me more joy than I ever imagined it could. It’s absolutely rammed with plants, an intricate tapestry of foliage and flowers that looks even more wonderful from above. If ever anyone wanted to get an idea of the variety that nature has blessed us with, they could find it here. From the huge leaves of Entelea arborescens, Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’ and Zantedeschia ‘Hercules’, to the fine, feathery filaments of Acacia verticillata ‘Riverine Form’ and spiralling rosettes of Aloe polyphylla, a broad spectrum of plants is here to see in a space the size of my living room. Almost everything is growing in pots, including the trees.
The new fence, which we’re in the process of painting, has made the space neater and more private. It’s not solid so as to diffuse, rather than block the wind. Never shy of making last minute adjustments to the garden, I planted a clump of pink echinacea among a froth of fennel on Friday, thereby creating a square metre of prairie and another point of interest. The need for such tweaks comes into focus when the pressure is on to have everything looking its best!
After The Beau’s arrival, the house started filling up with plants almost as quickly as the garden. Our bathrooms now rival any of those showcased on the countless Instagram feeds devoted to indoor plants, hence I’ve not bothered to add mine to the melee. Every room at The Watch House is now home to at least one plant, most to several more. For me this isn’t a trend – I’ve always grown house plants – but it is an excuse to buy more. My houseplant habit reaches its zenith in the Garden Room, where I write this blog and occasionally work from home. Here in the cool I am surrounded by begonias, ferns, hoyas and streptocarpus, and by oleanders, pelargoniums and coleus. Foliage reigns supreme, but a peppering of flowers is permitted. There is always room for one more here and it’s the perfect sick-bay for any plant that might be struggling.
Opening one’s garden to this number of visitors over a short period isn’t possible without a considerable amount of help. A huge thank you to Jane B, Kris and The Beau for making a baker’s dozen of delicious cakes. Hat’s off to Sue, Karen and The Beau for brewing over 400 cups of tea, serving the aforementioned cakes and clearing tables. Three cheers for Jane S, Celia, Steve and Heather for selling tickets and explaining how best to enjoy the gardens. Finally, hurrah for the marvellous Scottish Sue who made sure that neither garden became overcrowded and for generally keeping our energy levels up. It was a fantastic team effort, as well as great opportunity to make new friends. As for Max and Millie, our beautiful pups, they are glad to have their garden back.
In order to save paper I did not produce a printed plant list this year. Instead I’ve spent several hours updating my Plant List on this blog so that it’s fully up to date. Should you have visited and spied a plant that you couldn’t identity, please drop me a line at thefrustratedgardener@gmail.com and I’ll endeavour to provide you with a name and a source.
We shall decide in September if and when we’ll open in 2020, so if you missed the opportunity to join us this year, hopefully there will be another chance in 12 months. If you did come along, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed the most and which changes piqued your interest. TFG.
Categories: airplants, Begonias, Bromelaids, Coleus, Flowers, Foliage, Garden Design, gingers, House Plants, National Garden Scheme, open gardens, Orchids, Our Coastal Garden, Perennials, Photography, Planting Design, Plants, Small Gardens, succulents, Trees and Shrubs, Tropical Gardens
I was delighted to be able to visit your garden for the first time after so long admiring it on the blog. I was fortunate in a way to arrive just at the end as I had the garden almost to myself ! I don’t know my plants enough to have been able to identify most of your beautiful protégés, but enjoy them I did ! I must say that even though the Jungle Garden greatly impressed me, it is the Gin and Tonic garden which stole my heart. In the ending afternoon light, and almost deserted by its numerous visitors, it had an air of graceful abandon, of peaceful beauty, and a wonderful presence. The « simple » echinacea and fennel companionship was absolutely gorgeous amongst the extricate foliage tapestry. And everything looked so healthy ! I would have happily spent a lot longer in there. I had a lovely chat with your Dad (I think) in the delightful garden room. I am totally envious of such a gorgeous writing corner… anyway I want to thank you for opening your garden and I hope to come back next year. You are so talented.
Thank you for your extremely kind comments 🙏 Yes, you would have spoken to my dad. He had such a lovely weekend talking to everyone. He made the journey from Bath especially to help out, which was very generous.
Did we speak? Forgive me for asking but not everyone announces themselves and I wish they would! If not, I hope you do come back next year so that we can be introduced properly.
I’m so pleased you like the G&T garden, since for the first time I think it’s my favourite this year. Dan
We did speak – or rather I stumbled on words trying to say I thought your garden in reality surpasses the beautiful pictures on your blog. I was the Vietnamese person with the French accent who came at the end of the day. By the way, in my above comment, I meant intricate, not extricate ! 😊 I will definitely come back. And congratulations for raising that amount for charity !
Thank you. I know who you are now! I am really pleased to hear you found the garden better in reality. I always thing so, but it’s impossible for me to know so!
It’s a jungle, all right. I assume you are able to maintain a warm, humid environment in this space. Your plants certainly thrive there.
Yes, I suppose we are. The trees trap a degree of warmth and humidity in the space. The slate paving absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night. It is windy though, especially north – south and vice versa. That’s not so helpful.
Speechless…truly Magnificent! Glorious! Stunning! Well done both xxxx
Glorious! I’m just studying the photos to try and see all the amazing details. Congratulations to you both and oh, to be able to see it person.
I need to get my ‘proper’ camera out at the weekend to take some decent photographs. My iPhone is making me very lazy as it’s always by my side and so easy to use!
My garden is all about the details, so thank you for noticing them.
Glorious! I’m studying the photos to see all the amazing details. Congratulations to you both and oh, what I would give to see it in person.
What a wonderful weekend. I hope it gave you and your Beau as much delight as it evidently gave the fortunate 400 or so. Trust you and your mighty team are now resting on your laurels in darkened, yet plant filled, rooms across the south east. Ceri
Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but we certainly needed some quiet time afterwards.
I love sharing the garden with visitors. Without exception everyone is kind and interested. Many local people visit every year and it’s the only time I see them, so a good opportunity to reconnect. Dan
Brilliant and well done I am sure the visitors had a great time and left inspired by all your hard work!
I do hope so. I am very much enjoying a few days off now.
A mighty fine job by you and your team. What a great amount for charity! I love the birds-eye view of the garden. You and yours certainly deserve several days of rest and to bask in your successful tour. I can’t imagine shuffling so many humans through the garden. All of your vignettes and specialty plants are awe inspiring. Well done!
Thank you Lisa. We had a brief rest, but the garden keeps growing and evolving and new plants keep arriving. It will continue looking better and better until October if the weather is kind to us and we keep working at it.
Bravo! What an effort and what a great amount of money raised for chrity.
Yes, we’re delighted. Despite the large numbers it all went very smoothly. I was prepared for chaos, which always helps!
Dan, We thoroughly enjoyed visiting your gardens and the friendly hospitality was really appreciated. Brilliant!
That’s great to hear Peter. Thank you for coming and for supporting us. I hope you’ll come again next year. Dan
I do not remember what happened to the ironwood that you talked about earlier. Did it need to be pruned back in an attempt to salvage it? They are such variably trees. Each one has such a distinct personality. In some sandy soils, they can destabilize, and lean a bit, but survive just fine. In other situations, they die rather quickly. A friend had several around here back yard years ago. They were happy and lush for years, but eventually, some got big and grew into mid sized trees, while others stayed as shrubbery, and a few died out completely.
Mine blew down in a gale during March this year and I had to remove most of the canopy as it was overhanging other gardens / yards. We are considering alternative trees whilst we see what the ironwood decides to do.