Under the Apples Tim Ingram

©Tim Ingram ©Tim

Under the apples Tim Ingram

Fig. 1 The area under fruit trees became ideal for woodland plants.

orty years ago, when great variety of plants and an ideal place for a wide Four garden at Copton a different philosophy of variety of woodland species Ash, in Faversham in Kent, management. We no longer and make the loveliest of all was just a field of old cherry use chemicals any more than parts of the garden through trees, the first plantings my we have to, and the decision the winter and spring (fig. 1). father made were five rows was taken some ten or fifteen Our new approach of apples grafted on to dwarf years ago, after spending coincided with our growing rootstocks (fig. 2). For many too much time constantly interest in snowdrops, so years we kept them free of weeding under the trees, to around the initial row of grass and weeds, with limited turn this supposed necessity apples we buried hundreds success, by using herbicides into a virtue and grow more of nearly ripe seed capsules or mulching with straw. Forty ornamental plants there of Galanthus nivalis, which years on, the nature of the instead! This has been done made tufts of seedlings, garden has changed: it is no step-by step, and two of flowering after about three longer an open grassy field the rows have yet to be years, and now a decade or but a semi-woodland with a completed, but they provide more later they’ve spread and self-seeded all along under the trees (fig. 3). This success prompted us to plant bulbs of more choice ©Tim Ingram ©Tim snowdrops in the other rows, though some of these have done less well, preferring the drier summer conditions of more truly woodland areas. Nonetheless, in autumn our anticipation of the next spring’s snowdrops provides the incentive to clear as much of the previous year’s vegetation as possible Fig. 2 Labour-intensive orchard management, 1979. from under the trees so

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Fig. 3 Snowdrops made Fig. 4 Long beds with Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, Brunnera themselves at home macrophylla, fumitory, foxgloves and aquilegias.

they can be shown off to still meet Liz at events such best advantage, and the as the Great Dixter Plant whole panoply of spring Fairs which bring together so ©Tim Ingram ©Tim woodlanders then follow in many fine gardeners (fig. 5). succession before the weeds Hellebores have been really begin to emerge in a theme in our garden for late spring and summer. as long as or longer than The plantings then turn into snowdrops, and we grow mini-herbaceous borders many under the apples, invaded by Anthriscus including a good selection sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, of the true species. They can Brunnera macrophylla, begin to grow and flower fumitory, foxgloves, very early and then keep Fig. 5 Great Dixter Plant Fair is a aquilegias (fig. 4) and later going for several months. The good place to meet nurserymen the odd annoying sow-thistle picture of H. viridis emerging and women. Here, Elizabeth and nettle. Interestingly, this was taken in late December Strangman is second from the right. underplanting hasn’t affected (fig. 6), very welcome in mid- the fruit yields: in autumn winter, and three months we often get a glut of apples, later this is still a sturdy, more than we’re able to use free-flowering clump in

©Tim Ingram ©Tim and store, and on occasion full prime. Some have been we’ve borrowed a friend’s grown from seed supplied apple press and made juice. by the great plantsman Our fascination with Jim Archibald, who with woodland species dates his nurseryman partner back to regular visits to that Eric Smith was responsible famous Kentish nursery, for introducing renowned Washfield at Hawkhurst, and hybrid strains such as the to Elizabeth Strangman and heavily spotted ‘Cosmos’ in Fig. 6 Helleborus viridis in late Graham Gough who worked the centre of my composite December. with her; it’s delightful to image of flowers (fig. 7).

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Fig. 7 Hellebores. Fig. 8 Perennial forget-me-not Brunnera macrophylla fills the gaps.

Another, a very good robust companion – in other picotee-flowered plant, came rows self-seeded plants are from the breeding carried out removed where they threaten by Kemal Mehdi at Hadlow to overcome more choice Ingram ©Tim College, a close friend of woodlanders – but it makes Elizabeth’s. Hellebores, like very good weed-smothering snowdrops, make lasting ground cover in dry soils connections between gardeners. and looks wonderful in There can hardly be two combination with the sulphur- plants that combine better yellow umbel Smyrnium than G. plicatus ‘Wendy’s Gold’ perfoliatum that also fills any and H. odorus growing under empty spaces in early May. an ‘Orlean’s Reinette’ apple. As the hellebores continue Both genera can take nearly flowering the woodland any winter weather thrown at aristocrats, erythroniums and them, even the blistering cold trilliums, come into their own; Fig. 9 Epimedium ‘Spine Tingler’. and arctic winds of the ‘Beast Tulipa orphanidea flowers from the East’ this March, around the young shoots of spring to show how much which severely damaged or Paeonia mlokosewitschii (front happens before Chelsea! killed very many evergreens in cover); the dark ferny leaves Our typically very dry, our garden. of ‘Ravenswing’ fill any room warm climate in Kent gives As the snowdrops fade and in between; and epimediums the woodland plantings a spring arrives, the full richness produce their flush of fresh dishevelled and overgrown of the plantings develops. new leaves and first flowers air later into summer. It can Fig. 8 shows the perennial (fig. 9). be hard to imagine just how forget-me-not Brunnera After a Snowdrop and lovely they were in spring, and macrophylla filling the Hellebore Day in February, yet paradoxically this diversity gaps earlier occupied by the grass is mown, the edges of woodland species is well snowdrops with a haze of cut, and we’re ready to open adapted to the loss of light and blue that persists into June. the garden for the NGS moisture that only returns with Brunnera can be an aggressive several times during the the autumn rains and leaf fall.

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Fig. 10 Wood anemones Fig. 11 Trillium kurabayashii centre stage.

The great charm of sylvan anemones, and we add to enriched. That variety of plants is that tapestry of their variety steadily year woodland anemone can be foliage and flower they make by year (fig. 10).Trillium added to by other species: early in the year. An amazing kurabayashii intermingles Anemone. trifolia, which came variety of plants can play their with the new foliage of by exchange with a gardener parts between February and aquilegias and epimediums in Finland; A. flaccida, from May, so I will pick out a few and the flowers ofBrunnera Japan, with its delicately to look at more closely, some (fig. 11). There are moments marbled leaves; and the common and well known but of drama as Bergenia ciliata more robust Chinese A. others new and less familiar. flowers and we think we prattii (fig. 13), sold by the Snowdrops set the should plant more of these famous alpine nursery on pulse racing and one of Elephant’s Ears. And there is the Scottish borders, Edrom, the later ones, the Irish that excitement of returning which introduces so many ‘Straffan’, flowers among the from a specialist Alpine choice plants to horticulture. young leaves of the umbel Garden Society Show at There are also Smyrnium. By early April RHS Rosemoor in Devon disappointments. Paul Barney the bare soil is filled.Arum with a boxful of new plants of Edulis Plants had the most italicum ‘Marmoratum’ has that need a home under beautiful form of Disporum become too much of a good the trees. Later into spring, cantoniense ‘Blueberry Bere’ thing, seeding very freely Disporum and Polygonatum for sale at the Summer yet not to be dismissed in odoratum ‘Red Stem’ (fig. 12) AGS Show at Wimborne very shady, dry spots near spear through lower in 2016, but as it’s emerged big trees. It throws up some groundcover species, adding each spring since it’s been very fine leaf forms as well subtlety of form and flower. nibbled away by molluscs and as striking late-summer There are variations on never become established. fruits, so it’s tolerated in a theme – if anything at Gardening includes realism some areas and as much as all, this is what you learn as well as display and possible removed in others. as you make a garden. As show. There are surprises. This is the best time to you discover plants grown Podophyllum versipelle ‘Spotty enjoy the exquisite detail of by other enthusiasts your Dotty’ (fig. 14) has formed a different forms of woodland own garden is constantly reliable and striking specimen

Fig. 13 Anemone prattii flowering Fig. 12 Polygonatum odoratum in mid-May with Disporum Fig. 14 Podophyllum versipelle ‘Red Stem’. leucanthum. ‘Spotty Dotty’. in our dry summer garden, the herbaceous Berberidaceae. as the umbel Dystaenia where other species and forms Many of these are as, or takesimana from Marina of this unusual genus have more, fascinating for their Christopher; the rather always failed. foliage as for their flowers, wonderful Persicaria ‘Indian ‘Spotty Dotty’s curiously and epimediums in particular Summer’, introduced flamboyant flowers, hidden reveal a familial resemblance by Michael Wickenden under parasols of leaves, to Berberis. The Berberis family at Cally Gardens; and a are unexpected and hard is close to the Ranuculaceae: delicate dwarf pink form to place with its relatives both arose relatively early of Clematis heracleifolia. in the Berberis family. Yet in the phylogeny of the As the story of ‘under the here is another aspect of flowering plants, and both now apples’ comes to a close, gardening: as you grow provide some of the loveliest the drama in the garden plants, you learn of their woodlanders we can grow in moves to Mediterranean relationships and taxonomy the UK. plantings in sunnier places. and can become intrigued by Few later-flowering We remember the moments ‘what’s in a name’. Along with woodland species really in the spring when the Podophyllum come Epimedium, cope well with our typically woodland plantings take Jeffersonia, Vancouveria, very dry summers – in the breath away, and all the Diphylleia, and rarer plants 2018 we had only a few weeding and pruning that is such as Achlys and Ranzania, millimetres of rain through necessary for half the year is which William Stearn June and July. There are a more than made up for by describes in such scholarly few exceptions: Roscoea; the beauty and interest of manner in his monograph on rare new introductions such the other half.

Tim Ingram is a plantsman and nurseryman who, with his wife Gillian, makes the Copton Ash garden in traditonal orchard country in north Kent.

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