How feasible is it to grow a North American prairie in southern England? Non Morris finds out
SOWING a prairie is 'an act of terrifying alchemy' proclaims James Hitchmough, professor of Horticultural Ecology at Sheffield University and most famous, perhaps, for his role in designing the intoxicating rainbows of planting at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympics. 'When you create a prairie, it's like throwing a pebble into a pond, the ripples come out, but you don't really know what eventually is going to happen.' This sense of a journey into the unknown attracted rather than deterred eminent landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith, who asked Prof Hitchmough to help him create a North American Prairie at his own richly textured garden at Serge Hill, Hertfordshire.
'I had worked with James on a few similar projects and I wanted to do one for myself and learn, otherwise I was speaking from half experience.' Mr Stuart-Smith was drawn to the idea of creating a space that would sit easily within the gently shifting mosaic of his garden, with its wonderful rolling stretches of traditional wildflower meadow. At the height of summer, when the yellow sunflowerlike heads of Silphium laciniatum dance on 9ft of slender stem, the Prairie offers an intense dose of 'what evolutionary biologists call supernormal stimuli-the kind of heightened reaction that a blackbird might have to a cuckoo's egg appearing in her nest'.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 07, 2022-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 07, 2022-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
