MAY: CLEARING AND PLANTINGWITH THE WALLED GARDEN now open, some of the noisier routine tasks – including mowing and hedge trimming

– need to take place early in the morning or after it has closed to the public. Not everything happens behind the scenes, though,and head gardener Richard Burnip (‘Burney’) and his team get on with their work under the gaze of interested visitors,

who take advantage of the opportunity to ask a question or two. The main job this month is to clear the spring displays andplant out the half-hardy summer bedding that has now been hardened off and is ready for transplanting.

In this series we follow the growing year in the beautiful gardensat Loseley Park in Surrey, with plenty of practical ideas

for you to use in your own plotwords by stephanie donaldson photographs by jason ingram

of aGLORIOUS

GARDEN

SECRETS

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PLANT COMBINATIONOF THE MONTH

SWEET ROCKET,FOXGLOVES

AND ALLIUMSThese three plants are the perfect marriageof shape, colour and fragrance. Sweet rocket

(Hesperismatronalis) is a fragrant hardybiennial that self-seeds in the herb garden at

Loseley, as do the foxgloves (digitalis), while thealliums have multiplied greatly since they werefirst planted. A packet of sweet rocket seeds willproduce blooms in shades of purple, pink andwhite. Sow in June to flower the following year.

Standing in ancientparkland close tothe North Downs,this Surrey estatehas been home to

the More-Molyneuxfamily for morethan 500 years.

The two-and-a-half-acre walled garden

has undergonean impressive

renaissance overthe past 20 years,

spearheaded by thecurrent owners

Michael and SarahMore-Molyneux.

As head gardenerRichard Burnip

says: “We all havethe same gardening

problems, oursare just on a

larger scale.”

LOSELEYPARK &

GARDENS

GARDENING

SEASONAL TASKSAT LOSELEY

Certain perennials,such as teucrium(top left), veronica,Campanula lactifloraand sedum aregiven the ‘Chelseachop’ to extendor delay flowering(watch the video atcountryliving.co.uk)Dahlia tubers (topcentre) storedundercover over winterand started intogrowth are plantedout into the bordersCuttings are takenof osteospermumandmarguerites

Weeds are hoedbefore they passthe seedling stageLarge pots in thegarden are filledwith scented leafgeraniums (centre)Zinnia plugs arepotted on (centreleft) so they can beplanted out laterwith a minimum ofroot disturbanceBrassicas are putinto the vegetablegarden andpotatoes earthedup to preventexposure to light

Teucrium hircanicum‘Paradise Delight'

Aquilegia vulgaris

Lime euphorbiacontrasts vividly

with purple alliumsand foxgloves

Zinniaseedlingsgrownas plugs

Allium ‘Mount Everest’and sweet rocket in

the white garden

FragrantHesperis matronalis

Geraniums fill aweathered pot

Dahlia tuberssprouting into life

108 MAY 2015 shop.countryliving.co.uk

A CAUTIONARY TALEEven experts find

themselves dealing withunexpected problems.

A faulty batch of pottingcompost meant that some

of the seedlings thatBurney and the team

transplanted earlier in theyear remained stunted long

after their companionswere ready to be plantedout. Always buy quality

potting compost and storeit undercover, if possible,for reliable results. If youhave a similar problem,

report it to the seller – it’sfairly rare, but can happen.

Set out the plants while intheir pots to adjust spacingbefore knocking them out

Firm down the preparedplanting area by treadingthe soil evenly with your feet

Clear away spent springbedding, including forget-me-nots and wallflowers

Dig the holes one at a timeand plant before moving onto the next one. Water in well

Harden off plants:move themtoacoldframeorplaceoutsideduring theday for several days

Spreada thin coveringofwell-rotted compost evenly onthe ground and fork in lightly

Before potting on youngseedlings, gently removea couple from their cellsto check that they have a

well-developed root system– if not, leave them for a bitlonger before moving theminto individual pots. If therootball falls apart duringtransplanting, it will take

them longer to establish.

BURNEY’S TIP FOR MAYHOW TO HELP SEEDLINGS FLOURISH

TECHNIQUE OF THE MONTHPLANTING OUT SUMMER BEDDING

Once the spring bedding has finished flowering, the team clear the spent plants and prepare the soil for the thousands of annuals that willfollow. These invaluable space-fillers bring colour to the borders all summer, complementing the perennials that tend to flower for a shorterperiod. You don’t need grand borders for this – just scale the numbers down and weave among other plants rather than creating large groups.

GARDENING

MAY 2015 109countryliving.co.uk

THE HERB GARDENHerb gardens are seldom on the scale of the one at Loseley,where four large quadrants divide the area to feature thedifferent classifications of useful plants – medicinal, culinary,household and decorative. Long before modern medicine,herbs would have played a vital part in keeping thishousehold healthy, as well as being used for teas, to flavourthe food, to repel pests and to scent the house. Today’s patchmay be a contemporary interpretation, but many of the plantsgrown here would have been in common usage at Loseley inthe past. Most of us will be familiar with the majority of herbsin the culinary quadrant – and probably grow a few in ourown gardens – but even here there are ideas for expandingyour repertoire, including sweet cicely, Welsh onion andthe marvellously architectural angelica and cardoon.

There are treasures to be found in the other quadrants,too. You may not have space for more than a select few,but they will make a fine addition to a border, potageror group of pots. The cut-leaved elder might be considereda medicinal plant, but it is also extremely decorative,while sweet woodruff, traditionally used as a strewingherb to freshen the air, is also a brilliant ground-cover

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFTTall clipped bay trees providea dramatic focus in the herbgarden; star-shaped bloomsof Borago officinalis var. ‘Alba’;chive flowers are popular with

bees; a spiky cardoon head;the striking foliage of Silybummarianum or milk thistle;beautiful Baptisia australis;stunning Allium cristophii; paleAllium fistulosum (Welsh onion)

GARDENING

110 MAY 2015 shop.countryliving.co.uk

plant for damp shade. Although you are unlikely to dyeyour clothes with woad (Isatis tinctoria), it does makea lovely early summer-flowering biennial.

D I V I D E & R U L EThere are two typpypes of perennial herbs – those that lovethe sun and those that prefer a bit of shade. Unless yourherb garden is large enough to include both, it may bebest to separate the two typpypes and grow them in theirpreferred environment. Sun-loving varieties generallyhail from the Mediterranean and do best in well-drained

SEE PAGE 21FOR DETAILSOF CL’S 30thBIRTHDAYPARTY AT

LOSELEY PARKIN JUNE

ground where they can bake in summer and avoid cold, wetsoil in winter. This category includes rosemary, thymmyme, sage,oregano and annual basil. Herbs that originate in cooler,damper climates will be productive longer if grown inpartial shade – otherwise they have a tendency to go to seed.Parsley, mint, lemon balm, comfrey and annuals cherviland coriander do well in these conditions.

Loseley Park,Guildford, Surrey (01483 304440;loseleypark.co.uk). Gardens open fromMay to end ofSeptember, Sunday-Thursday (includingbankholidays).

GARDENING

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