Succession Planting.

Fergus Garrett , the head nurseryman at Great Dixter gave an interesting talk to Suffolk Plant Heritage recently , on what he foretell chronological succession planting . We all seek to do this to a sealed extent , but at Great Dixter where the garden has to calculate wonderful all the metre , they have to make an extra effort to ensure that there are no flat menses . This means that the garden is multi - superimposed , with several plants sharing a space .

Today , I would care to share with you some of his advice . First of all , most of us have call back of the estimation of putting little former bulbs such as snowdrops , scillas and chionodoxas in spaces that will later be filled with great leaved plants . Fergus has examined plant life leafage so that he can come up with unadulterated compounding . For instance the lovely scentedNarcissusTazetta has heavy foliage which would toss off many plants trying to egress close by . Fergus suggest planting it with the large leavedEucomis‘Sparkling Burgundy ’ which flowers later in the summer , but will quite blithely grow through the Narcissus leaves . His attention to detail is punctilious . For illustration he propose growing the pretty , yellow spring - floweringAnemone ranunculoideswith the emerging shoots of a Hosta . But not just any Hosta ; the perfect match would be the urn- shapedHosta‘Krossa Regal ’ .

Fergus has looked carefully at the leaves of the bulbs he institute . tulip which are so great for spring colour have leaves which would wipe out some perennials such as phlox and genus Rudbeckia . He plants them in groups where their foliage ca n’t damage be industrial plant .

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ with Hydrangea

One of the ways he advise for keeping the garden looking its best all the clock time , is to front out for the good physique of everything . Many tulips are hapless time value because they do n’t survive for more than a class or two . It is a respectable idea to calculate out for ace that will last , such as most Darwin hybrid and species tulips . At Great Dixter , ‘ Negrita ’ , China Pink ’ , ‘ Red Matador ’ and the fragrant ‘ Ballerina ’ are lasting . It is worth experiment to see which ones are stayer in your own garden .

To take the garden into May , alliums are marvelous to fill in gaps , but again we were monish to make trusted the expectant leaves were not too close to plant that would get stifle . The showy ‘ Globemaster ’ has huge folio which could be a problem . On the other manus the dainty littleAllium neapolitanumhas slender folio and pretty livid flowers . It is edible too . He suggested acquire it with the perennialBegonia evansianawhich has lovely heart shaped leaves .

As most of us realise , the garden looks effective all year round if it has a good structure of shrubs and foliage . efflorescence come and go but foliage stay all season . Fergus has an awful eye for good combination of shape , vividness and texture . Again , it is significant to look for good forms and then , with luck you will get not only adorable heyday but long lasting leaf too . Rodgersias have beautiful folio , but unless you live somewhere with a heavy rainfall , they look awful later in the season . If you could findRodgersia pinnana‘Maurice Mason ’ , it will front good all time of year . It starts with hot chocolate brown leaves and subsequently it gets long lasting cherry-red bloom . Thalictrums have such dainty flowers , but their lacy foliage is delightful too . especially honest isThalictrum‘Elin ’ which is the tallest Thalictrum . It has beautiful , purple foliation . We were shown a photo ofThalictrum‘Illuminator ’ with the lovely purple foliage ofClematis recta‘Purpurea ’ and the fresh leafage of an Oriental poppy -no efflorescence , just a adorable combination of leaves .

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ with Hydrangea

I visited Great Dixter last summertime . Looking at my photos now , I realise that the garden is not just a profuseness of flora growing indiscriminately . It is all carefully organize . In the next photo see how the shape of the teasel echoes the drumstickAllium sphaerocephalonand the minuscule blueEryngiumheads . And how adept they look with the orange helenium and the blue salvia .

The following pic showsThalictrum‘Elin ’ with a lovely pinkish Hydrangea and the purple leaves of a rodgersia in the bottom unexpended helping hand corner . To the right is the honey scentedEuphorbiamellifera .

Thalictrum ‘ Elin ’ with Hydrangea

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ with Hydrangea

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ with Hydrangea

The exotic garden really shows off a marvellous array of foliation , with varying shape and grain make a wonderful video . Because most of the plants are cranky , it changes every class .

Of of course the pots at Great Dixter are famous , specially pear-shaped the front door . Pots are a with child way of ringing the changes round the year .

potentiometer are also used at the front of a borderline in the next gibe to accent the foliage and give a tropical feeling .

Here are some other lovely combinations Fergus suggest . Sambucus ‘ Black Lace ’ with the white floweredPersicaria polymorpha . This photo shows the lovely black leaves of theSambucus , which is of course an Elder . you could just see the white fluffy nous of thePersicariaon the left . The grass in the foreground is aPleioblastus .

Two more suggestions are spiky , silverAstelialeaves with goldenAcanthus mollis‘Hollard ’s Gold ’ and the all year- round , tall , vertical smoke , Calamagrostis x acutiflora‘Karl Foerster ’ with my favourite fern;Polystichum setiferum‘Pulcherrimum ‘ Bevis ’ .

There are portion of grasses at Great Dixter which provide structure for all the richness of summer flowers and expect good all yr round . If you want more ideas on grasses , have a look at the blog , Barn House Garden . Kate has a grand blog and with child melodic theme for grass and how to grow them .

Cercis canadensiswithArundo donax‘Variegata ’

Miscanthuswith self- seeded teasle and Rosa rubrifolia

I am not sure what the next grass is , but it look like aStipa .

I hump the idea of a dwarf mannequin of the lovely , argent cardoon , Cynara cardunculus‘Chelsea Physic Garden ’ with the Battle of Magenta flower ofGeranium riversleaianum‘Russell Prichard ’ . This Geranium bloom for week on destruction . Another long lasting geranium is ‘ Anne Thompson ’ . I have purchase this one , because Fergus sound out it is interchangeable to the magentaGeranium psilostemon , but for it blooms for 4 months instead of 1 month .

The other backbone of Great Dixter is the function of yearbook . Of course , they can yield to produce their yearbook on a distinguished scale leaf and each year they experiment with different combination , and what fun it must be . We ca n’t hope to produce them on such a scale , but Fergus suggested we grow annuals and have pockets of them here and there to take the garden into fall .

Great Dixter bank heavily on self sown yearly to give labour -saving colour . In springiness there are forgetmenots with yellowSmyrnium perfoliatumlooking bang-up with tulips . afterward , there are mess of Christopher Lloyd ’s trade -mark statelyVerbascum‘Yellow Lightning ’ .

Verbascum‘Christo ’s Summer lightning ’

Some of the self - inseminate plants which they allow are really weeds . For example last year , they had moo-cow Petroselinum crispum growing in the bed . This is a deliberate attack to make the garden more natural looking . They have teasels , evening primula and I even saw some benweed last summer . Fergus suppose to keep prolific seeders like Red orach , Atriplex hortensistaking over you may hoe off the first sprouting . More will germinate but not quite so abundantly . I lie with the wildReseda ; Mignonette against the frothy head ofOrlayaand the delicateThalictrum .

The little daisies ofErigeron karvinskianusseed all round the Lutyens steps and how pretty they look .

Cercis canadensis with Arundo donax ‘Variegata’

Cercis canadensiswithArundo donax‘Variegata’

Lastly , Fergus showed us clematis clambering through the shrub to prolong the time of year of pursuit . The modest floweredClematisviticellaandClematis texensiswith pretty urn - shaped flowers are best for this . He also recommendedClematis fargesioides‘Paul Farges ’ for a vigorous plant , with prospicient durable , starry white flowers , with primrose stamen . This is also known as ‘ Summer Snow ’ and is well deserving seeking out . Stronger growingClematis montanaor coast banksia are grown at Dixter but pruned to stop them obliterate their host shrub .

Fergus came up with so many tips , that now I shall have no excuse to say to visitors:‘youshould have seen the garden last week ! ’

I have got a bit behind with blogging recently , as I am spend all my time on two new task in the garden . They are draw all my time and energy . I shall show you what I have been doing when they are finished . Meanwhile I trust pelting is bode , so I shall have a chance to catch up with everybody . Have a endearing Easter !

Miscanthus with self- sown teasel and Rosa rubrifolia

Miscanthuswith self- sown teasel and Rosa rubrifolia

74 Responses toSuccession Planting.

Thanks for exhibit the beautiful pic of Great Dixter and sharing comment from the talk you attend . I was gratified to learn that I ’m not the only one to tolerate selected weeds to seed themselves around as fillers . Erigeron karvinskianus ( commonly have it off here as Santa Barbara daisy ) is one of my most fertile “ weeds . ”

Best wishes with your projects and felicitous Easter !

Oh it must have been downright joy to listen to such a lecture Chloris . Thanks for such an in depth summary . You ’ve whetted my appetency further for a sojourn to Great Dixter design for subsequently this year . I hope that you ’ve had a productive day in the garden today and have a bountiful blood of chocolate to see you through the rainfall and wind forecast for the weekend . Happy Easter !

A very interesting C. W. Post . I would have like to pick up his talk . I think we each have to try out in our own gardens as no two gardens are the same ( peculiarly if you are on an other continent ! ) Even in the same garden , I find plants can do differently from year to year . That is why succession planting is so difficult but it does produce awful results when it is well done . Thank you for this very near post .

Very impressive . I ’ve been trying to do this more and more as time run short by ( and as my budget allows ) . Thanks for the tips for plant combination and for the examples . It amazes me how these type of gardens can look so fond and welcoming ( not too formal ) , and yet it ’s clear there was a specific design for it all . endearing !

You ’ve share many wonderful companion plant ideas ! I ’ll refer to this Charles William Post again and again to aid fill seasonal spread in my own beds . Thank you so much !

Verbascum ‘Christo’s Summer lightning’

Verbascum‘Christo’s Summer lightning’

Almost as just as hearing Fergus himself . aid to detail beyond what most of us even think of .

Succession Planting.