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Sally Nex

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Sally Nex

Tag Archives: rhododendrons

Postcard from Chelsea: 70 years, 70 golds

22 Friday May 2015

Posted by sallynex in shows

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anniversaries, corylopsis, Hillier, rhododendrons, RHS Chelsea Flower Show

hilliers

You can overdo the anniversary thing, you know.

Hillier’s have, this week, scored their 70th gold medal in 70 years: an astounding and unrivalled achievement all on its own.

But they can’t just stop there, can they. Oh no. This is also the 25th gold medal winning garden for the exhibit’s spectacularly-shirted designer Andy McIndoe. And an astonishing 50th for the less high-profile but nonetheless equally indispensable Ricky Dorlay, responsible for the daunting task of growing 4000 plants to Chelsea standards each year. They don’t do things by halves, this lot.

Hillier is (I hope they don’t mind me saying this) the grand old man of Chelsea: a reassuring presence wrapped around the great monument at the centre of the Pavilion, a landmark by which you can always orientate yourself and a hallmark of excellence by which everyone else measures their own efforts. You want to know what Chelsea standard plants should look like? Pick any one of the plants on the Hillier’s stand, and that’s what you need to do.

What I’ve always loved about their displays is that even if you don’t like whatever is right in front of you (the garish magenta rhododendron ‘Nova Zembia’ was a wince-inducing moment for me this year) there’s something you do like – really, really like – not far away. In this case, the translucent pale lemon raindrop flowers of Corylopsis sinensis var. calvescens f. veitchiana. Hell of a name, hell of a plant.

The theme this year – Crossing Continents – was a gift for Hillier’s trademark set piece style: a journey around the world in plants. You’re in Africa one moment, then a few steps later it’s Japan, looking at a rivulet of water cascading into a still pool, or Europe itching to settle down on the little seat nestled at the end of a delphinium-lined path in a quintessential cottage garden.

It was, as usual, genius. Happy anniversary Hillier – and may you have many more to come.

Cornwall #1 – The Lost Gardens of Heligan

18 Wednesday Apr 2007

Posted by sallynex in Uncategorized

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Tags

Cornwall, Heligan, jungle planting, rhododendrons, tree ferns

I’m just back from a little break in Cornwall, where gardening is a religion. The result is some of the most beautiful gardens in Britain, and I had a fantastic week sampling some of the best.

Top of the list for me was the Lost Gardens of Heligan, a valley a little way inland from the coast at the fishing town of Mevagissey, “discovered” by entrepreneur Tim Smit who put his considerable talents into making it happen and then ensuring everyone knew about it. The best thing about him is that it’s not just hot air – the projects he gets involved with are genuinely worthwhile and something to get really excited about.

The Lost Gardens are no exception. This is a truly magical place that has such atmosphere: you can do the technical gardening thing in the extraordinary, and beautiful, walled vegetable garden, or wander gently through the northern gardens or along the valley bottom and lose yourself watching tadpoles wriggling in the shallows of the necklace of pools that runs along it. Or you can marvel – and I really mean marvel – at the jewel in the crown, the fabulous jungle ravine where tree ferns jostle each other among Californian redwoods and unbelievably massive rhododendrons. If you haven’t been yet – you’re really missing something. It’ll change the way you think about gardens forever.

The flower garden was spangled with ranunculus for cutting while we were there – and just look at those glasshouses.

We were lucky enough to catch the rhododendrons in full flower. I’m not usually that keen on them – but this was a breathtaking sight.

… and here’s a single flower close-up. Amazing colour.

Rhododendrons were also a feature of the jungle garden – this one is a single plant, 75 feet across, and over 100 years old.

Gunneras were just unfurling their prehistoric leaves just below the rhododendron pool.

And here’s a view down that fantastic jungle ravine.

You can’t talk about Heligan without mentioning tree ferns. This was the garden that made them fashionable: and these are among the first tree ferns ever imported into the country, at the beginning of last century.

And last but not least – the beautiful natural mud sculptures by Cornish artist Sue Hill, seemingly carved from the earth, and just adding to the fantasy feel of the place. For me this just sums up Heligan: natural, as old as the hills, and so, so beautiful.

Rhododendron problems

29 Thursday Mar 2007

Posted by sallynex in Uncategorized

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pests and diseases, rhododendrons

One of the gardens I look after is a woodland garden of about two thirds of an acre, where every plant seems to be about 20 feet tall. It’s lovely – but I do seem to find myself doing a lot of pruning!

They’ve developed a terrible problem with rhododendron bud blast – a fungal disease thought to be spread by a leaf hopper. The leaf hopper is harmless by itself, but lays its eggs by making tiny slits in the buds of rhododendron flowers – which then becomes an entry point for the bud blast fungus.

You can tell bud blast because the buds turn black and look bristly. It’s becoming a very common problem – last time I was at RHS Wisley a lot of their rhododendron bushes were affected. Goodness knows how they keep on top of it there.

You can spray against the leaf hoppers, but I’ve always thought that seemed a bit harsh (and very unfriendly to the environment). The usual treatment is to pick off the affected buds and burn them, but try doing that when the rhododendron bush is twice as high as you are. And you always miss a few, in any case.

I think we’ll just have to keep at it and get as many as we can, and hope the problem doesn’t do for the rhododendrons altogether. After all, there’s not much point in keeping these rather sombre shrubs in your garden if they aren’t even going to flower.

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