A few spurges from Beth Chatto's garden

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Author Message   David_b  Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 07:49 pm:    When I was in England in February I visited Beth Chatto's garden. It was easy to imagine the glory of that garden in summer, but even then it was lovely. And one of the best parts is the dry gravel garden where there are lots of Euphorbs. So here are a few pictures. The first 2 are of E. characias v wulfenii, the last one I don't remember, I think mayne E. rigida? Is that right David and others?? David Michigan Zone 5-6   Gardenshowlady  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Time Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 08:15 pm:    Wow... those are fabulous! Carolyn SC Zone 8a   Cahenry  My Favorite Photo My Weather Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 08:28 pm:    Ooooh! Ahhhh! Beth Chatto's gravel garden was one of the primary inspirations (the book - anyway) for my full sun, dry flower bed. Those are wonderful euphorbias. I've got a couple of seedlings of E. characias v wulfenii germinated. Hope they look something like that someday. cahenry (Cathy) GA Zone 7   David_b  Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 08:49 pm:    OK Cathy, now I have to post one more picture for you, an overall shot of the gravel garden. Sure beats Michigan on a gray February day David Michigan Zone 5-6   Kvilledude  My Weather Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 05:08 am:    Very nice pictures David. Cathy wish I had known you wanted some of the wulfenii. My mother plant which died this winter threw out a bunch of seeds last year and I have babies everywhere. I first fell in love with this specific plant 15 or so years ago when I saw it in a gardening book I have. My plants have never grown as large as some of the pictures I have seen of it. Don't know if it is something to do with our weather or what but would love for them to get as big as some of the pics of I have seen of it. Kvilledude North Carolina Zone 7   Cahenry  My Favorite Photo My Weather Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 06:17 am:    That is quite a garden, David. I'm not a great traveler but that is one place I'd like to visit. Kvilledude, we may have pretty similar growing conditions. Eastern zone 7 - Piedmont region? cahenry (Cathy) GA Zone 7   Euphorbphreak  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Time Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 08:55 am:    David, thanks so much for taking and sharing those shots! Such a lush grouping of euphorbias! I grow my E. characias wulfenii without a single drop of water during our 6-month dry season, and they do just as well as these beauties in rainy England! That's one very adaptable plant. And yes, the second picture is E. rigida. I really like the star-shape of its bloom. David, the other CA, USDA z9b, Sunset z17   David_b  Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 04:39 pm:    Of note and a lesson for spurge fans out there, apparently this part of England is actually quite similar to David. I think I read that they get only 17" of rain a year. Mostly in winter. And this dry garden is not irrigated at all. I know it is in an unusually dry part of England. I am going to start growing E. characias w. as a container plant, to take into my planned new greenhouse. Too spectacular to pass up, I've coveted it for years. I'm sure I will need advice as to how and when to water. I am far more used to water-hogs. David Michigan Zone 5-6   Gardenbug  My Favorite Photo My Weather Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 05:35 pm:    I haven't read the gravel garden book but do have her woodland book. I believe her woodland is on a different part of the same property. The euphorbias don't look at all like mine in February! ;-) gardenbug Ontario, Canada zone 5b, USDA zone 4   Bonitoad  Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 07:17 pm:    What an interesting ( & envious) trip you must have had. Great photo's.... I'm afraid my stand of E. wulfenii have croaked , just in the last couple of weeks. I've grown them for about 6 yrs. We do get a lot of rain on the coast... well thats putting it mildly.. I will plant more and enjoy the photos on this forum, even more... Bonitoad Canada Zone 7b   Euphorbphreak  My Favorite Photo My Weather My Time Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 08:51 pm:    Wow David, you're right. I found an Essex weather site that said the annual average was 19"...and it's 20" here in SF, all between November and April. And the average minimum is above freezing. That is definitely gardening heaven. I will be in the UK again in September. This is a side trip I must make! David, the other CA, USDA z9b, Sunset z17   Kniphofia  My Favorite Photo My Weather Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2003 - 03:50 am:    I love Beth Chatto's gravel book, the story of how she made this incredible garden from the old car park. David, I know you'd love it! Sue Central Maine z4   Vtskiers  My Favorite Photo My Weather Posted on Monday, March 24, 2003 - 05:43 am:    Wow, I'm getting ready to dismantle a pathway that's part pea gravel and I was wondering how to get the gravel out. Maybe I should get a copy of Beth's book and start turning my lemons into lemonade-lol. Sue Wethersfield, CT USA Zone 6a   Kvb  Posted on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 04:39 am:    David(s) and anyone else, if you are venturing to Britain, and East Anglia in particular I can REALLY REALLY recommend the Old Rectory at East Ruston, which is just North East Of Norwich, and by generous US standards no distance from Beth Chatto's garden (which, incidentally is pretty mind blwing in the summer months!). It is run by two guys who do pretty much all the work themselves, and is simply the most fantastic garden I have ever seen. It has a sunken walled garden, a great dry river bed garden, wonderful formal and informal plantings, a mediterranean garden, and because of its cliff top virtually frost free position can grow loads of things that would be borderline hardy here. AND, while you're up there, go to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve to see Piet Oudolf's fantastic take on Prairie planting - it was pouring with rain the day I saw it, and it was still amazing! Sorry to rave, but there are some great gardens up that way - and great nurseries too, although I guess that's of less interest? Let me know if you want some addresses/numbers Kate in Suffolk Zone 8   Kvb  Posted on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 04:44 am:    Just a footnote to David's remark about the climate here in East Anglia - apparently we have similar rainfall profile to that of Israel!! It sure feels a lot wetter though, and it's much cooler. Kate in Suffolk Zone 8   David_b  Posted on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 07:41 am:    Hi Kate. I would LOVE to have the names, addresses, contact information for these gardens. And I am DEFINITELY interested in great nurseries too (having shipped home 7 boxes of plants on my 2 trips to England, I guess I am a fully qualified plant shopaholic). So any further info you can provide is much appreciated. Now I don't know my geography well, except to know that Suffolk is in the south too, but where are you relative to Chatto's/Essex? I did go visit Harvey's Garden Plants in Bury St. Edmunds, that was a bit disappointing. David Michigan Zone 5-6   Kvb  Posted on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 09:17 am:    Ok David you asked for it! Hopefully the link below is of East Anglia - the bulgy bit above and to the right of London. You'll probably have to cut and paste it, but when you do, you'll see the link between Beth Chatto, who is near Colchester and the two gardens I mentioned which are just north of Norwich, an hour and a half away or so. Also in Suffolk, which is sort of in between Colchester (Essex) and Norfolk (Norwich) are three very good nurseries: The Place for Plants at East Bergholt (tel +44 1206 299 224) RHS nursery finder code EPfP. The Walled Garden at Saxmundham, website www.thewalledgarden.co.uk (site has contact details/map) RHS nursery finder code EWll and Woottens of Wenhaston +44 1502 478258 near Halesworth. The website for the Old Rectory at East Ruston is www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk and they sell plants there too. All these places could be done in a weekend. If you go too www.rhs.org.uk they have a nurseryfinder section under the plants heading and if you enter the two codes for the walled garden and the place for plants you can see more details and a plant list for each! Ok, have to go cook dinner now - the cats are yowling to be fed, but I'll dig iout some details for pensthorpe and a better map source if I can. http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=600000&Y=200000&width=500&height=300&client=public&gride=&gridn=&srec=0&coordsys=gb&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&scale=2000000&up.x=20&up.y=8 Kate in Suffolk Zone 8

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