Blooming marvellous!

We chat to three women about the floral delights that have stolen their hearts

- CHRIS MORLEY.

'Wild flowers create a riot of colour'

Sue Mabberley has tended the garden at Nant y Bedd in Monmouthshire for more than 40 years. She started with two acres and added bits of land as they came available, so it now extends to 10 acres.

I embrace 'wild gardening', allowing nature to do much of the work and design. To be honest, I don't distinguish between wild plants and ornamentals, and often transplant wild flowers to my beds for a riot of colour and to bring in pollinators. I'm especially fond of stitchwort, which has delicate white flowers, and looks incredible growing alongside our stream with bluebells and Welsh poppies.

Many wild flowers are edible I add hairy bittercress and the young leaves of ground elder to salads, and dock and nettle leaves can be used like spinach. Wild flowers also support our insects and birds.

Our garden attracts chaffinches, siskins and goldfinches in winter to feed on knapweed and teasels, and I keep a patch of great willowherb as food for the caterpillars of the elephant hawkmoth. By embracing wild plants, I get to enjoy what many gardeners don't - such as a stunning carpet of flowering ground elder in June!

* Nant-y-Bedd, RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2022, is open to the public by appointment between June and September; nantybedd.com

'Irises and peonies are glorious'