MOSSES, like ferns, are unsung heroes. Quiet and unassuming, they soften difficult corners and provide a soothing air of permanence. Cracks, crevices, and tree bark are all perfect microclimates for the spores to settle, but they can be persuaded to live happily under shrubs or roses, intermingled with other creeping groundcover and as part of a shady woodland border. They don’t always need grooming to be gorgeous. Kazuyuki Ishihara’s Chelsea creations are immaculate, but it was the back wall of his Green Switch garden that sang out in 2019: a joyful, messy waterfall of mosses tumbling with hazel saplings, polypody ferns, and Lamprocapnos spectabilis Alba. No tweezers required.
At Windy Hall, on the shores of Lake Windermere, scientists David Kinsman and Diane Hewitt excel at naturalistic mossy beauty. They arrived in 1973 to find their steeply sloping four acres smothered with rubbish that had to be borrowed of the site. The resulting compacted path, curving up between native birch and cherry trees behind the house, then became a flourishing moss garden. Existing mounds of Polytrichum formosum were encouraged to spread and the ground was kept clear of competition. Canopies were lifted to emphasize the contrast between the smooth trunk and rumpled emerald carpet. ‘We let it tell us how to manage it,’ says Diane, ‘we simply weed out a few foxgloves and keep ivy at bay.’
Denne historien er fra February 12, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 12, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
