Ben Pope gave us an informative and entertaining talk in July and let us in on some valuable tips on how to make the most of our own gardens.
Ben has 24 years of experience in horticulture. He travelled extensively and spent time in Australia working in a plant nursery, propagating and in research. He came back to the UK in 2005 and in May 2007 found his dream job as head gardener leading a team of 4 in maintaining and developing a large private garden in West Sussex, which he has been doing for the last 17 years. He also enjoys giving talks and writing and is part of the RHS Herbaceous Committee and will be helping out on the RHS Dahlia trials this year, so Steve’s information on how to distinguish different Dahlia varieties for our September Show was gratefully received by Ben!
Ben split his talk into two parts starting with:
Part 1) A virtual tour of the garden he works in, touching on design, production, planting styles, maintenance techniques and future planning.
We were regaled with a stunning array of photos showing the many different aspects of the garden including a large walled kitchen garden, herbaceous borders, shrubs and topiary, ornamental lawns, a floral meadow, water features, woodland and hedges.
Ben and his team focused on extending the season in the floral borders using a combination of spring and summer bulbs, herbaceous perennials and annuals to give continuation in colour and interest throughout the year. Although the garden has many distinct areas, signature plants are used to help bring it all together and Ben suggested that restricting the colour palette in different areas can give more impact.
The gardens lie close to a river and thereby have a high-water table, which is a great help during the longer spells of drought!
The property itself dates back to the 1800’s and Ben has incorporated planting in the garden to be sympathetic with the style and architecture of the house, using hedging and topiary for the architectural alliance including a stunning “cloud” box which takes up to 70 hours to shear! This also becomes a main feature in the winter months when covered by frost. Within the borders and floral areas, there is a romantic theme and the garden gives an overall sense ‘of the ages through time’ that the property and the surrounding scenery sits within, creating an ambiance and atmosphere as if the house and garden are as much rooted in their location as the surrounding scenery.
In addition, as the garden lies amongst some stunning countryside, Ben has also made use of this to “extend” the garden by using the views and soft planting to melt the borders into the landscape. In one area he took out some trees and put in a very large “mirror pool” which reflects the image of one large tree as well as the stunning scenery in the background. A black dye is used in the pool to enhance the reflective quality. An area of meadows was started 12 years ago, but this has proved to be high maintenance, so another area was made with prairie style planting using grasses and perennials and needs very little maintenance as well as being mostly deer proof!
Ben and his team also propagate, grow, and store fruit and vegetables and arrange cut flowers for the house. The Kitchen Garden is not just for growing but has been turned into a work of art, combining companion planting and perennials. Ben emphasises that produce can look very attractive, even the cages he uses to protect fruit looks like a work of art and fits within the surroundings, storing fruit can also be made attractive especially using old fashioned methods. Turn your veg plot into something not only functional but also beautiful!
Part II) Focused on how we can use Ben’s methods and time saving advice in our own, relatively more modest gardens:
Annually apply a thick layer of mulch on borders to minimise weeds and add nutrients.
Scarify lawns in the Autumn, he said he found this more important than fertilising them.
Sow annuals and perennials from seed in Autumn or Spring to help lengthen borders impact
Use the Chelsea chop on sedums, phlox, aster etc. Helping to maintain shape and prolong flowering.
Support plants from February, when they are still small and manageable. Remember the saying “A stitch in time saves nine”, very appropriate for gardening!
Plant right, plant small, 9” pot plants will grow better than larger more established plants.
Consider a plant's needs; Food, light, space and moisture. This will help us understand what mistakes we are making.
Focus on keeping paths and edges neat and tidy, it’s all in the detail!
Deadheading is crucial in keeping a garden looking fresh!
When it comes to design and layout be realistic – make sure you have the resources.
Work with people to help give a different perspective. Take inspiration from others.
Be aware of time, don’t necessarily clear everything, use what you have.
Simple is often better.
Learn from your mistakes, take time to make notes, take photos, stop and look and think before doing.
Know your plants. Consider not only the present but the past and the future, how will a plant change, evolve, impact on other plants.
Consider the atmosphere of your garden and use your surroundings to enhance the space.
A most interesting and inspiring talk, thank you Ben and some very good advice indeed for all of us to take away and use so we can turn our gardens into as lovely, beautiful and enjoyable a work of art as Ben has done with the garden in which he works!
Katrien Burrows
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