Romantic Garden Abundance! Small English Garden Flower Tour Container Display | Sissinghurst Castle

Warmest welcome and thank you for joining us on the May Tour of our Soil Garden in Kent, South East England. It's good to have your company. Here at the top of our 10 by 10 meter plot is the terrace container display where we mix ornamental and wildflowers with pots of foliage shrubs and allow self-seeding volunteers like field poppies, nigella and wild carrot to add their voice to the mix wherever they care to sing. Please excuse my amateur left hand dipping into focus, I'm trying to shield the lens from the sun's rays. We have a mixture of reliable perennials in pots like salvia and agapanthus, some tender enough to need winter protection, as well as annuals we raise from seed like cosmos and larkspur. The bottom of the garden looks very green at the moment but once the hydrangeas and climbing rose come into bloom, flowers will be gently infused with pink shades from the soft to the unapologetically vibrant. The central rondel adds a sense of romance as dreamy lavender spars are readying to flower in June. In this video we'll name and tell you more about individual plants we love, some new to the garden and some adored old favorites and the pollinators these plants attract as if by strong magnetic force. May has been a month of extremes, we're currently experiencing a mini heat wave but a few weeks ago a very late frost browned some tender leaves and buds and the dahlias are still sulking but everything has survived and I think will recover. Rose petal fragrance, such a divinely enveloping scent, it's one of the greatest joys when stepping into our garden early in the morning at this time of year. Emily Bronte from David Austin Roses is our container grown English shrub rose looking even more beautifully bloom laden in her second year here in her generous sized pot. The soft pink and apricot scented flowers perfume the air with a delicious tea and old rose fragrance. As the morning sun moves across the garden she is illuminated to full perfection. Research reveals that the scent molecules of roses can alter our mental state in beneficial ways, reducing feelings of nervousness, making us more relaxed and engendering greater positivity in our outlook. If I lift the shading quince tree branch a little you'll see the apricot and pink tones really shine through. There's no denying that however lovely a rose looks in a container for optimal performance, roses are best planted in the ground. For example Emily is putting on an amazing display this May but I know her repeat flowering through the summer cannot match ground grown roses. Also her watering and feeding needs are greater in a container, however positives include how easy it is to notice and remove any diseased leaves from a rose growing at this elevated height before pathogens have a chance to spread and positioned on the terrace by the window I can enjoy her close presence even while working inside on the laptop. Emily Bronte is a medium-sized rose, repeat flowering, thrives in full sun or partial shade, can be planted in any soil type, is UK hardy. For container planting the minimum would be 45 by 45 centimetres but go as large as your pocket or your space can afford. We stretched our budget to a 60 by 60 centimetre container. This little frog made me jump today or rather I made him jump. Our tallest crescent pot at over a metre high has perennial honey garlic and cicerincium growing in it. Cicerincium striatum sell seeds particularly readily in pots with a gravel mulch like this one whereas the Sicilian honey garlic arrived by design. Last autumn I added even more bulbs around the garden in beds and containers because the nectar dripping from its curious candelabras is a spectacular bee superfood and watching them all enjoying the meal feels incredibly rewarding. So I pushed my hand towards the base of the pot to clear away the dead foliage from earlier spring bulbs intending to plant lovely dahlia honka fragile which you may remember from last summer's videos and a new cosmos to us called double click bicolour rose. This was the double click cranberry cultivar we grew last year. Unbeknownst to me the frog was nestled down in the cool gravel mulch of the metre high pot and as I lunged in to begin clearing the dead foliage he leapt over my hand most unimpressed with my intrusion so I've paused planting for now but it is reassuring to know that when the dahlia and cosmos are added to the mix we will have a little amphibian guardian on slug and snail patrol. Our frog reminded me that all creatures who manage the damaging pests in our planting spaces those little gardening allies who often go about their helpful business of biological control unseen or unnoticed predating the frustrating things that chew through plant stems feed on sap or greedily devour our entire precious blooms overnight these beneficial creatures often feel most at home in a space with some decaying spring bulb foliage left lying around for shelter the old leaves of one season can play a role in keeping the next season's foliage problem free. Our beloved rambler rose rambling rector has been here almost 20 years the rector's rich and warm cloud of fragrance is a welcome heady embrace generous clusters of creamy lemon buds have begun opening to soft white semi-double blooms we prune the rector back to a tidy size after flowering and then again in late summer or autumn this is probably our most high maintenance plant for pruning in the entire garden but it has a terrific drought tolerant root system and has never required fertilizer or watering on sunny mornings the flowering canopy hums with happy pollinators at the chelsea flower show this year rambling rector was one of the stars of the david austin stand adorning archways for the surround scent experience but be warned this is such a dense and healthily vigorous plant that to constrain it to an arch would take skillful management i would recommend a pale pink repeat flowering miniature rambling rose called little rambler that works beautifully over arches and can even be grown in containers rambling rector is a very tall rambler has one flowering period thrives in full sun or partial shade will grow in all soil types is fully uk hardy and is a pollinator pleaser amongst the heart-melting petal perfection from david austin perhaps the most seductively intriguing was hansen shrub rose gabriel oak blooms open with a deeply saturated magenta pink rosette and the outer petals fade with an almost ultraviolet tinged halo its bold fragrance has compellingly fruity notes peter biel's charming stand offered some wilder feeling informality within a beguilingly romantic atmosphere somehow i always manage to ruin the romance we are loving the intense blue growing in a bed next to the terrace paired with a container planted perennial salvia newly introduced to the garden called lake blueberry low sun rays highlight purple hues and clouds turn petals back to blue at the moment medicid is the starring act the unexpected air frost suddenly stole most of the flowers from the less hardy salvia earlier this month however there are lots of new bud-packed flower spikes emerging and lake blueberry will continue blooming for many months to come long after the fabulously showy iris has had its last curtain call for the year iris sumergi seed is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial thrives in full sun growing up to 70 centimeters flowers in may and june and prefers well-drained neutral to acid soil it is very hardy salvia lake blueberry is a drought tolerant perennial once established although more so in the ground than in containers it thrives in full sun to light shade and grows to 65 centimeters its impressive flowering season spans from spring to late autumn but keep deadheading to encourage bloom production the growth habit and long blooming window make lake blueberry a great alternative to salvia armistead for smaller spaces like balconies it is a pollinator pleaser and borderline hardy in the uk so may need winter protection one of our favorite visitors to the garden is the delightful hummingbird hawk moth if you live in a territory with actual hummingbirds then you probably wonder what all the fuss is about over a moth masquerading as a hummingbird i do get ridiculously excited to catch sight of these fleeting and elusive little characters earlier this year we were watching the splendid youtube channel the perennial garden and lars recommended red valerian centranthus ruber as a hardy insect friendly perennial that entices these beautiful moths into the garden so i just had to introduce a pair of these nectar-rich plants to our own plot we've chosen the carmine budded variety from which red valerian gets its name cultivars also come in pink or white another charming option with lilac mauve flowers is centranthus lococcii and at the chelsea flower show darren hawke's planting in the lady garden foundations silent no more garden included this pretty plant amidst a soft and soothing pastel palette of silvery gray pink and blue i'm tempted to introduce it to our bed to add cohesion by repeating the tones of the lilac orissum and it is another plant that the hummingbird hawk moth loves to visit we're appreciating the height texture and color of leafage and bloom that centranthus ruber brings to our little bed and i love the idea of this self-seeded nigella growing in our container spreading its future generation amongst the centranthus so that next year the striking blue and carmine combination is integrated these are short-lived perennials for full sun preferring chalk loam or sand so i've added sand and compost to our clay soil centranthus ruber is the more hardy of the two both flower in late spring to early autumn and remain evergreen in mild areas they attract a wide range of pollinators what do you do when you keep dividing your container grown agapanthus and run out of space for your potted plants to stand on the solution is to dig up a little portion of lawn i only excavated to a brick's depth and after a bit of posturing with a spirit level i just followed the slope of the lawn but seem to have amassed so much earth it seems a bit of a myth that a lawn is a sterile space aside from worms for birds and their hungry spring hatchlings the lawn is teeming with other vital life forms i actually began to feel guilty for digging up the turf for the base i used the sand grit and gravel left over from reconditioning the soil in the lavender rondel i also raided some succulents from around the base of our container grown apple tree and added them between the bricks for a more lived-in look they've become completely swamped by the alpines so they should appreciate being transferred and transplanted back into the sunlight again pots of agapanthus also serve to hide my crumbling old brickwork on the raised bed i don't want to re-cement it because bees hibernate in the cracks over winter while the agapanthus are busy developing their spectacular flower spikes the bees have spanish lavender to forage on this is the first spanish form i've ever managed to successfully overwinter in my entire life and it survived despite weeks of non-stop rain at the start of the year giving it the dreaded wet feet plus sub-zero winter nights nature doesn't always make sense bumblebees also appreciate the foxgloves growing either side of the raised bed the tubular flowers are an incredibly rich source of nectar and pollen their dark spotted lower lips are designed to attract the bees and act a bit like welcome mats for the brushing off of pollen from other plants on entry perhaps i should call this chapter my lavender lament but it does have a happy or at least a promising ending last july i pruned into the hardwood of my slightly leggy folgate english lavender bushes after flowering in the hope of encouraging them to regenerate with a pleasing compact shape for architectural interest during the coming winter months i adore folgate for its intense blue hue and early flowering it blooms ahead of most other english lavender cultivars and i know it has impressively reliable longevity because i've visited the beautiful castle farm in kent where the folgate fields were planted over 20 years ago on the chalky slopes of the lovely derrent valley the pruned hardwood developed encouraging signs of regrowth by september but i did wield my secateurs knowing full well that a cold and wet winter could prove the lavender's nemesis and cue one of the wettest winters on record for the county of kent by april the weather improved but some bushes were rotten to the core the three healthiest ones went to an appreciative new home and i scattered the branches of the discarded bushes around the garden i've seen birds stripping them for nesting material with the beloved old folgate plants gone it was time to dig in lots of sand grit and gravel to not only improve winter drainage on our waterlogged clay soil but also to make it easier to create fast draining mounds into which the new lavender bushes would be planted but what lavender bushes you ask well fortunately i put a contingency plan in place back in december when i noticed the new growth on the folgate dying off alarmingly i bought 10 cheap 9 centimeter pots of imperial gem english lavender i upgraded them into larger containers and during the most incessantly wet winter periods i gave them each a protective cloche held in place with stainless steel beach towel clips imperial gem is a compact evergreen shrub thriving in full sun in any well-drained soil growing up to 50 centimeters bearing fragrant deep purple flowers english lavender is drought resistant once established and hardy for most of the uk i'm sure it's going to be beautiful join us for a dreamy meander through the delightful garden spaces at sissinghurst castle and i'll explain the latest changes here to delos the landscape inspired by the flora and ancient ruins of the sacred aegean island but first let's head to the courtyard and through to the rose garden vita sackville-west once described herself as drunk on roses and i think here in the rose garden the ecstatic foraging bumblebees would probably share that sentiment vita and our husband harold nicholson bought sissinghurst castle in 1930 in fact it was purchased with vita's capital and over the next 30 years they transformed the landscape from a lowly and rather ramshackle farmstead into one of the most influential gardens in the world harold designed and laid out the series of garden rooms described as a succession of intimacies linked by charming axial vistas vita amassed a particularly impressive collection of old garden roses and selected planting and color combinations such as the sunset shades here in the cottage garden allowing a relaxed feel by leaving self-seeded flowers to grow where nature settled them and using ornamental and wild flowers in combination to complement one another despite having no formal training in horticulture vita was awarded the vich memorial medal by the royal horticultural society in 1955 in recognition of her achievements this annual award is bestowed on those who have made an outstanding contribution to the science and practice of horticulture it was only after receiving this prestigious medal that vita took a formal course in horticulture by correspondence but the achievements vita seems to have had particular pride in were for her poetry in 1926 she won the hawthornden prize for her poem the land a prestigious award for imaginative literature that lists amongst its esteemed recipients literary greats such as siegfried sassoon evelyn warr graham green ted hughes and hillary mantel vita is unique amongst this distinguished company in being the only writer to have won the award a second time which was in 1933 for her first volume of collected poems vita's writing also brought sissinghurst to the nation's attention through her popular weekly column in the observer newspaper running from 1947 to 61 readers appreciated vita's spirit of opportunity and innovation in the garden and willingness to make sometimes ruthless changes but also the relatable doubts and uncertainties she would express vita admitted to having little anticipation of success in her new experimental gray green and white garden acknowledging the disparity between the gardener's expectations based on plant catalogs or visions planned out on paper and then the realities experienced once the actual plants are in the soil and don't we all know that feeling of course vita and harold's stylish romantic and abundant white garden became the best known and arguably most loved of sissinghurst garden rooms in aspiring and influencing generations of amateur and professional gardeners including nigel nicholson the youngest son of vita and harold who in 1970 designed the now iconic centerpiece the ironwork canopied rose arbor that encloses the ming dynasty vase how many of us have returned from a holiday destination longing to recapture the transportive magic of our trip by evoking the flora and feeling of an exotic location in our own back garden at home while harold and vita tried to conjure at sissinghurst the essence of delos the greek island they visited in 1935 the kent climate the north facing site and the clay which vita called her dear stubborn enemy meant the original vision was not easily realized and delos evolved over time in a different direction with magnolias peonies ferns and various trees and shrubs chosen for seasonal interest offering a particularly pretty carpet of flowers in spring it was an informal feeling garden providing a faint echo of the wilder naturalistic atmosphere of the nuttery on the south side of sissinghurst in 2019 work began to truly realize vita and harold's original mediterranean vision for delos a landscape of ancient terraces and exposed bedrock embraced by a carpet of wildflowers the floral spirit of this island has been sympathetically and charmingly revived by landscape designer dan pearson head gardener troy scott smith and the sissinghurst garden team now the very final phase of the delos transformation is completed a final phase which is really still in its infancy because this newly installed ravine like stone portal one of four possible entrances to the garden will eventually evolve into a very shaded sheltered space canopied by home oaks and softened by mediterranean dry shade planting as with other areas of hard landscaping the cracks and crevices will become the foothold for self-seeding populations of niche plants over time softening the space and adding romantic wildness unique scent and authenticity to this rocky entranceway every great and modest garden we visit is rather like a poppy flower offering a very transient moment of beauty for if we were to return the following day already the petals the leaves the light the atmosphere will have shifted but like the poppy each garden gives us a seed head filled with formative ideas and inspiration and we will gently shake those grains of creativity over our own lives sissinghurst castle garden is one of those spaces that fills countless minds with germinating ideas that take root around the world you have enjoyed the delightful sights around sissinghurst and the featured flowers growing in our own little garden here in kent thank you so much for your company you can probably tell that right now i am besotted with the roses let us know the blooms of the moment bringing you joy in the garden we hope you will join us here again in and until next time dear friends we wish you all flowerful times and nature-soothed minds