The impossible made possible
Country Life UK|May 17, 2023
Kathryn Bradley-Hole anticipates a confident return to form at Chelsea, with mouth-watering designs for productive gardens, aromatic Mediterranean planting and even a reinterpretation of the rock garden
Kathryn Bradley-Hole
The impossible made possible

THE most recent shows at Chelsea revealed the great resilience and resourcefulness of British gardening, defying the challenges of health uncertainties and irregular supply chains. This year, expect to see increased buoyancy, with an energised, confident event of commendable variety—and even, perhaps, an emerging shift of emphasis.

Of late, we have become used to laissez-faire, pastoral sensibilities, with an abundance of shaggy hedgerows and flowery meadows. The wild-and-weedy look has gained ground incrementally at the show for many years. ‘Wildernesses’ will be there next week, but, this time, they’re strongly challenged by exhibits rooted in what constitutes a real garden. Shouldn’t it be a place for people, as well as plants and wild creatures?

One theme gaining momentum in real life is the productive garden, with enthusiasts across all age groups. In The Savills Garden, Mark Gregory interprets the trend with ‘a seasonal potager at a country hotel, combining beautiful ornamental and edible planting’. Occupying one of the largest plots, it has a small building on the boundary, with a kitchen leading into the garden, alongside a verandah-covered dining area. Its Yorkstone courtyard has margins of pretty flowers and a short run of crisp, stilt hedging in hornbeam. The potager occupies the second half of the garden, with a collection of small raised beds of vegetables, salads and herbs, set out next to a running ‘brook’ crossed by rustic stone bridges. Fruit includes espalier ‘step-over’ apples, a fan-trained pear tree, quince, figs and grapevines. The layout is informal and compact, but it would comfortably translate to many different home-garden settings.

Denne historien er fra May 17, 2023-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.

Denne historien er fra May 17, 2023-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.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA COUNTRY LIFE UKSe alt
All gone to pot
Country Life UK

All gone to pot

Jars, whether elegant in their glazed simplicity or exquisitely painted, starred in London's Asian Art sales, including an exceptionally rare pair that belonged to China's answer to Henry VIII

time-read
3 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Food for thought
Country Life UK

Food for thought

A SURE sign of winter in our household are evenings in front of the television.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Beyond the beach
Country Life UK

Beyond the beach

Jewels of the natural world entrance the eyes of Steven King, as Jamaica's music moves his feet and heart together

time-read
5 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Savour the moment
Country Life UK

Savour the moment

I HAVE a small table and some chairs a bleary-eyed stumble from the kitchen door that provide me with the perfect spot to enjoy an early, reviving coffee.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Size matters
Country Life UK

Size matters

Architectural Plants in West Sussex is no ordinary nursery. Stupendous specimens of some of the world's most dramatic plants are on display

time-read
5 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Paint the town red
Country Life UK

Paint the town red

Catriona Gray meets the young stars lighting up the London art scene, from auctioneers to artists and curators to historians

time-read
7 mins  |
December 04, 2024
The generation game
Country Life UK

The generation game

For a young, growing family, moving in with, or adjacent to, the grandparents could be just the thing

time-read
3 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Last orders
Country Life UK

Last orders

As the country-house market winds down for Christmas, two historic properties—one of which was home to the singer Kate Bush-may catch the eye of London buyers looking to move to the country next year

time-read
5 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Eyes wide shut
Country Life UK

Eyes wide shut

Sleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety

time-read
6 mins  |
December 04, 2024
Piste de résistance
Country Life UK

Piste de résistance

Scotland's last ski-maker blends high-tech materials with Caledonian timber to create 'truly Scottish', one-off pieces of art that can cope with any type of terrain

time-read
3 mins  |
December 04, 2024