Department: Herbaceous
The Glasshouse Landscape to accompany the bi-centennial Glasshouse was designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, it consists of many robust, tried and tested, trusted old favourites that continue to prove their performance and give long season interest. Working on Herbaceous was the first time I had thought of gardening in a landscape, bigger scale, whole picture context, and where I appreciated a designed approach a bit more.
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| Photo 1: Glasshouse Landscape near the front the Glasshouse (early June) |
It was planted in 2007 and is two hectares (approx. 5 acres). The idea was that it would be like a huge amphitheatre with the back bone of clipped beech hedges and columns of them in front of the Glasshouse. It was to reflect the curving structure of the Glasshouse. These are from Vicky Turner/ Herbaceous notes - 'the main pattern begins at the Glasshouse entrance, from where a series of parallel paths gradually curve and intersect to create a pattern of planting beds and lawns that begin as simple rectangles and then develop into a series of interlocking sickle shapes. Each compartment has a consistent planting character. Starting from the east side the plantings are cool, lush and restful becoming hot and arid as it leads round to the west where it culminates in two large areas of prairie vegetation designed and seeded by Professor James Hitchmough'.
The original planting at the front of the Glasshouse had not been so successful, so T. Stuart-Smith switched it to Miscanthus sinensis 'Starlight'. There is an oddity about the front entrance planting, as although it reflects the Wild Garden - the rectangular beds there are full woodland type plants like Gillenia trifoliata, Rodgersia, Astrantia and Bergenia etc. although they seem to work well even though they bake in the sun most of the time. Sometimes I have not understood the planting but when I have seen it in certain light or season then it has made more sense - for e.g. the beech columns, clipped Sarcoccoca confusa and Miscanthus sinensis 'Starlight', the evergreen Sarcococca made more sense when the grass was cut down. The beech gives incredible colour in autumn with some deep dark rich reds. In summer you can really appreciate the 'amphitheatre' effect, when you have good strong blocks of structural yellow Phlomis russeliana - echoing around the arena followed by the red of Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty' and then Veronicastrum 'Fascination' and Eupatorium purpureum. My favourite sections are the edges - where he has taken elements from the areas they are next to e.g. the Wild Garden, the arid section inside at the back of the Glasshouse, the Glasshouse Borders and Hitchmough meadows, and has incorporated them into his own areas to blend and connect the differences. The least successful element of his design are these overly longs crescent beds with long thin corners that poses difficult planting positions, trampling and an inconvenience to navigate around - it would have been better if they had been broken up more.
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| Photo 2: Impactful planting - Stipa gigantea with Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate' (late June) |
Here is the plant list and management plan from Herbaceous compiled by Vicky Turner with added notes from me:
Plants through the seasons
Early to late spring
Narcissus ‘February Gold’ (great strappy leaved daffodil that are not so noticeable when it dies and gets hidden quite nicely when the perennials get going); Allium cristophii; Helleborous argutifolius;
Prunus pendula f. ascendens ‘Rosea’; Paeonia ‘Jan van Leeuween’
Early summer
Cornus kousa var. chinensis ‘Wisley Queen’; Phlomis russeliana (one of the best structural plants - one of the only ones that will grow and colonise those difficult corners); Astrantia major ‘Claret’; Geranium ‘Orion'; Geranium phaeum var. phaeum ‘Samobor’; Euphorbia palustris
Mid-summer
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’; Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’; Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Red Thunder’ (brilliant impactful 'button' Sanguisorba also in the Glasshouse Borders, but flops quite a bit sometimes without staking); Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’; Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’; Eryngium tripartitum; Euphorbia cornigera
Late summer
Succisa pratensis; Eupatorium purpureum; Stipa gigantea; Knautia macedonica
Salvia nemorosa ‘Amethyst’; Hydrangea quericfolia; Telekia speciosa (these self-sow a lot)
Autumn
Datisca cannabina; Vernonia arkansana; Aster ‘Little Carlow’; Gillenia trifoliata, Darmera peltata (potential great autumn colour?); Anemone robustissima; Rhus typhina ‘Radiance’
Epimedium x rubrum; Anemone ‘Hadspen Abundance’
Winter
Stachyurus praecox; Sarcococca confusa; Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’; Helleborous x hybridus;
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Starlight’
Seasonal maintenance
January/February
Cutting back herbaceous plantings and shredding the debris back onto the beds. Half of the Epimediums and Hellebores will be cut back before flowering so the beds are not left completely bare. Prune and shape Hydrangea paniculata and H. quercifolia. Apply a fresh layer of mulch to the beds starting from outside the Glasshouse Café through to the Rock entrance. Contact Plant Records to request a plant audit for each bed. Check through the audit, update plants and labels, renew any damaged labels.
March
Cut back deciduous grasses to ground level. Remove dead flower heads from Stipa gigantea and comb through the foliage with a springbok rake to remove dead foliage. Routine weeding begins, annual lifting and dividing is finished and the bed audit is completed. Apply the first dose of Dyofix Lake Shadow (natural colour algae inhibitor) to the reservoir. The dye darkens the water, reducing light levels therefore suppressing algae growth. This will be followed up with weaker doses each month. Check the reservoir for any debris such as leaves etc.
April
Comb through Eragrostis curvula with a springbok rake to remove dead foliage. Weed control across site using Glyphosate plus spraying along the edges of paths. Grass edging the lawns and tree wells.
Fill any gaps in beds with plants from propagation.
May – June
General garden maintenance; weeding, edging and watering anything newly planted if the season is particularly dry.
July
Remove dead flower stalks from Hemerocallis to enhance the foliage effect. Cut back flowered stems on Helleborous argutifolius to encourage next year’s flowers, Geranium phaeum var. phaeum ‘Samobor’ for a flush of fresh foliage for the season and Salvias to encourage repeat flowering.
August
Beech hedge cutting. The beech columns at the front of the glasshouse are shaped using a specially made cage which is put in place around the columns as an aid to maintain shape.
September
Begin sharpening the lawn edges with a half-moon edging blade and neaten with edging shears. Routine weeding. Glasshouse landscape team review with Garden Manager.
October – December
Prune back or pick up any plants which have been blow over the paths. Leaf clearance on paths with the leaf blower. Clear the Glasshouse café drain of any plant debris for winter. Tree planting. Start review of lifting, dividing and planting.