IT is not only plants that come in and out of fashion; entire approaches to gardening experience the same ebb and flow. Fifty years ago, gardeners would have been at ease discussing groundcover plants and garden publications would have been filled with advice about what plants could best be used en masse to smother weeds, retain moisture or simply cut down on maintenance. Today, the talk is of plant communities, planting matrixes and prairies, never of anything as old-fashioned as groundcover.
The word itself is perhaps part of the problem, evoking images from the 1970s of sterile plantings in supermarket car parks or around municipal buildings, with swathes of periwinkles and dull shrubs. Recently, the term 'monoplanting' has been used to describe groundcover, but this is probably not going to catch on with sensible gardeners. Whatever term we use, most gardens have places that would be improved by planting large areas of a single plant and most gardeners would appreciate the lighter workload involved compared, for example, with maintaining a mixed border. The point is not to get fixated on terms and styles that might seem outmoded, but to appreciate that large plantings of a single plant can be both practical and an important element in the design of a garden.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin September 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin September 13, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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