Imagine you woke up one morning and looked out of the window to discover that, as if in a tale by the Brothers Grimm, all the plants of foreign origin in the garden had mysteriously vanished overnight. An inevitable legacy of the nightmare might well be the realization that so many of our familiar friends come from quite unexpected places. How could that be and how did they get here?
It is a curiosity of our climate, oft remarked upon by visitors from overseas, that so many exotic plants are quietly prepared to grow in our gardens without looking as if they would rather be at home. That irritating combination of changeable weather, rain throughout the year, and the subtle influence of the Gulf Stream makes this a happy home for plants from climates as various as Argentina and Siberia, growing side by side in our gardens as if that were perfectly normal. We have, at least for now, a Goldilocks climate.
A cursory walk round my own garden to see what came from where was a sobering experience even for me. The group of small-leaved hebe species politely gathered round the front door, for instance, all come from New Zealand, the only home of that genus. My favorite is Hebe rakaiensis, introduced by earnest botanists in the late 19th century. If I wanted to see it in its native clime, an ideal place to do so would be the lovely botanic garden at Christchurch on the South Island (www.ccc.govt.nz). Reports of its utter destruction by the famous earthquakes are grossly exaggerated, thankfully.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-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.
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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
