Dahlia Haze

  
Dahlia ‘Purple Haze’

We’ve got some great late season colour in the garden at the moment. D. ‘Purple Haze’ is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial with toothed, pinnate, dark green leaves and upright, red-flushed stems bearing double, reddish-purple to magenta flowers in summer and autumn.

  
Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

D. ‘Arabian Night’ is a branching, tuberous tender perennial cultivar with deep-red flowers, almost black looking, with slightly incurved petals. The fully double flowers are as large as 10cm. wide. 

  
Dahlia ‘Snowflake’ 

D. ‘Snowflake’ is a pompon-flowered dahlia with an erect habit, deeply-divided, blue-green leaves and in summer abundant small white ball-shaped flowers.

August – An exuberant month in the garden at Uppark.

Above: Hydrangea aspera Villosa group

Byron once commented, with typical (but unfair) panache:

The English winter – ending in July,

To recommence in August.

Byron’s audience expected a certain insouciance, I suppose, but really…..our English summers aren’t that bad and, anyway, it’s simply too easy to chalk up cheap shots at your homelands’ expense whilst dandying around under endless Mediterranean blue skies and sunshine.

To further dispel too cynical an interpretation of the English summer, my sense is that the gardens at Uppark are absolutely thriving; the chalky, hilltop location places a premium on the natural bounty of summer rainfall and this, combined with generally warm days and plentiful daylight, has conspired to keep things in good shape without the need to use the scarce water resource unnecessarily.

Additionally, we’ve been having such a happy time working together in the garden. Andy has assembled a Thursday team which combines some fairly serious garden knowledge and the capacity for solid work with a delightful bonhomie, a large slice of marvellous cake and biscuit baking skill, impeccable gardening couture, a shared sense of humour and a mutual capacity for (generally good humoured) grumpiness. We like to talk to our visitors, they tell us how much they’re enjoying the gardens and amazing views, we take encouragement from this, we enthuse some more about what we’re trying to achieve and in so doing radiate back the energy and passion our visitors bring into the garden.

In this sense, the relationship between Uppark and its visitors is a win/win partnership; it’s mutual, self-generating and self-perpetuating.

Hot colours, exotic flavours.

It strikes me that although the plants that put on such a fabulous spring and summer display went over some time ago, August ushers in an even more vibrant stage show despite our reluctant sense that the best of summer may already be in the past. Our August Newsletter contains the really important nuts and bolts detail with regard to the following but here’s a parallel “Learn with David, I really need to try and remember some of this” interpretation.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) 

I was aware of the medicinal and culinary uses of fennel (not my favourite taste I’m afraid to say) but until it was pointed out to me, I wouldn’t have guessed that Foeniculum vulgare was a member of the carrot family. Thinking about it now, I can see a wispy resemblance although I don’t associate fennel with yellow flowers (I do now). Having ploughed my way through Herodotus “Histories” a couple of years ago, I was genuinely (honestly!) intrigued to discover that fennels’ Greek name is “Marathon”. This is, indeed, the Marathon we all associate with the great Greek/Persian battle and the Olympic race of the same name. Literally “a plain with fennels” this is a plant indigenous to the Mediterranean (so Byron would have come across it in its natural habitat also).

You can find excellent examples of fennel in our restoration border (to the left of the Coade Urn mound as you enter the garden through the Golden Gate) and in the border in front of the scented garden (on your right as you approach the house down the North drive)

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) 

Found in the South meadow and commonly known as field scabious, I was amazed at the number of local and household pseudonyms under which Knautia arvensis is also known; I thought gypsy rose, lady’s cushion and clodweed were amongst the most evocative but there are lots more. Did you know that Knautia arvensis was named after the C17th German botanist Christian Knaut or that scabious comes from the Latin Scabere (literally “scratch”) and that, as a result, certain species have traditionally been used to treat skin afflictions including (unsuccessfully for far too many) Bubonic Plague? (Well….there you go).

 

Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

Above: Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ planted in the tea garden a couple of years ago, it can now be found just outside the cut flower garden.

Now here’s a plant to bring some South American exuberance to Uppark in August. A native of Mexico, Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ is a member of the Asteraceae family and as such related species include sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. Until I checked, I hadn’t realised that Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ uses its deep colour (dark burgundy appearing almost black in a certain light) to make up for its lack of scent. Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ can be found next to the cut flower garden.

Purple Top (Verbena bonariensis) 

Another native of South America, Verbena bonariensis is one of the most striking plants at Uppark and one of my favourites. Introduced into our Reptonesque restoration border in 2013, Verbena bonariensis nearly always get remarked upon by individual visitors and garden tour groups and it’s easy to see why; its height and vibrant colour make Verbena a real feature plant and since it can be seen from both within and without the garden, it has natural magnetism. Purple Verbena and yellow Achillea are both residents of the restoration border and I think it’s currently a toss up with regard to which attracts the most admiring comments. Verbena readily self-seeds so you can now also find specimens in the tea garden amongst the Acanthus and Nepeta (the butterflies and bees are having a lovely time).

Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) 

August is certainly South American month at Uppark, hot colours abound, so don’t miss our mexican fleabane which currently flower in tubs outside the ticket office. Also known under various alternative common names including Spanish daisy, Santa Barbara daisy, Karwinsky’s fleabane (after Wilhelm Friedrich Karwinski von Karin who collected the plant in Mexico) and bony-tip fleabane (don’t ask me why!), Erigeron karvinskianus is another member of the Asteraceae family.

Helenium ‘Wyndley‘ and Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’

Above: Helenium ‘Wyndley’ Below: H. ‘Moerheim Beauty’

Found on opposite sides of the same mulberry tree island bed, here are two more plants bursting with August colour – yellow in the case of Wyndley, copper-red for Moerheim. I was rather pleased to discover that the epithet Helenium derives from Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda within Greek Mythology. Helen was reputably the most beautiful woman of her time, so beautiful in fact that her abduction kicked off the Trojan Wars! Rather more prosaically, did you know that some Helenium are also known as sneezeweed, due to the fact that their dried leaves were used in the manufacture of snuff? I had no idea…..

Potentilla thurberi ‘Monarch’s Velvet’ 

Also known as Strawberry cinquefoil since the foliage looks so like that of a strawberry plant, Monarch’s Velvet flowers from July until September. Given our exposed and dry location, Potentilla thurberi is an ideal plant for Uppark since it can thrive in sunny, drought resistant borders.

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ 

Finally, I tell you, these are looking absolutely fantastic this month and the size of these Grandiflora heads have to be seen to be believed. Beautiful specimens can be seen in the island beds and the display that’s currently being put on in the tea garden is wonderful. Last year we didn’t do any deadheading or cutting back for some time after the plants had gone over since their dried brown heads continue to provide real architectural interest. We get amazing value from this beautiful plant.

We’re receiving fabulous feedback from our visitors; they’re clearly enjoying the way the garden is evolving, the vision Andy is implementing and the direction in which we’re going. Although I’ve known the gardens at Uppark for many years, this is only my second summer working as part of the volunteer team; the difference that everyone’s work has made even in this very short period of time is incredible and it’s so satisfying to see our effort paying dividends.

We were joking over lunch the other day how monochrome my life must have been prior to joining the Uppark garden team. My riposte to this was that now, naturally, I must be living in multi-coloured high definition (ha, ha). Sometimes the most off the cuff, throwaway comments contain the simplest, most profound truths and I am grateful for that.

Summer is here….

Summer afternoon…..the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Henry James  

Above: Sweet pea ‘Cupani’ flowering in the scented garden last year.

I retain a very clear memory of writing the July 2014 Uppark garden blog in June last year. I sat outside in the garden under a sunshade and once the first draft was done we went to the beach for an early evening swim. This year, summer has arrived a little later, but it is here at last. My blog last July focused on two favourite areas of the garden, I tried to imagine what ingredients made up the perfect outing for a summers’ day and, as with previous pieces, adopted a descriptive, ruminative approach. Following my first attempt to produce a vaguely instructional “Learn with David” piece in May. I’m still determined to develop my horticultural knowledge and write something both useful and entertaining into the bargain. I can’t guarantee, actually, that I can still remember the finer points of all the plants covered in “Belonging To May” but having just checked, yes, I think some of it has stuck. So, with that positive in my back pocket, here’s a small selection of the plants it’ll be worth looking out for in the garden at Uppark during July.

Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’

This is a species native to central and south west Asia that has become naturalised in parts of Europe and North America. Also popularly known as yarrow, or “fern-leaf” yarrow (given the fern-like nature of its leaves) Achillea filipendulina enjoys a sunny position in moist but well-drained soil and grows large flattened heads of bright, “old gold” yellow flowers whose robust nature makes them popular within the flower arranging fraternity. I was surprised to discover that Achillea is part of the sunflower family but thinking about it, similarities exist between their hard flat textures and bright yellow colouring. In addition, and here’s the clincher for an amateur, both share the scientific family name of Asteraceae (I looked it up so now we know!). Achillea can be found throughout the garden but most notably in the island beds and the dairy bank and restoration borders.

Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’ 

Variously known commonly as Rosa mundi and French Rose, this is a very old rose and one of the earliest cultivated species; the Greeks and Romans were known to have valued and cultivated Rosa gallica and it was also a feature of mediaeval gardens. On further investigation, this enticing mediaeval link was reinforced when I learnt that Rosa gallica also goes by the name of “Rose of Provins”, a name allegedly coined in praise of “Fair Rosamund”, a mistress of the Angevin King of England Henry II (yes, he of Thomas a Becket and Murder in the Cathedral fame). Bearing pink and white splashes on a crimson background, we have a small young Rosa gallica in the restoration border, and specimens can also be found in the tea garden and in one of the island beds. Leaving aside the “Clemaytis”/“Clemmitis” pronunciation debate, we have three types of Clematis for you to look out for in July (actually, though, what is the correct pronunciation and whilst we’re on the subject, on which side of the fence do you sit regarding the “scoan”/”sconn” argument? Answers on a postcard please, as we used to say, or via email and/or your social media vehicle of choice. Thanks and that’ll settle that!).

Clematis viticella ‘Alba Luxurians‘

This Clematis originally hails from central southern Europe and west Asia and can be found on Upparks’ long dairy bank border. Clematis viticella has an extended flowering season, its green tipped white and mauve fringed flowers bloom from mid summer to late autumn. It adds long-lived interest to this most romantic (or scandalous) part of the garden. Clematis viticella is an extremely tough and hardy plant and this makes it perfectly suited for survival in the dairy banks’ full summer sun, the bracing wind and rain that whips across the west lawn in winter and some heavy South Downs frosts also.

Clematis viticella ‘Madame Julia Correvon‘

A more compact version of Alba Luxurians showing rich red flowers with pale pink undersides, which, like its cousin, bloom throughout the summer into early autumn. Although Correvon refers to the prominent nursery family, the plant was introduced to France in 1900 by Francisque Morel only to disappear from the trade during the perilous decade of the First World War. Clematis viticella ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ made a re-appearance some years later and, somewhat precariously, I gather that it was restored to the English market from a single Hidcote Manor specimen. Francisque Morel was also responsible for the introduction of our third highlighted July Clematis, Clematis viticella ‘Etoile Violette’.

C.‘Violet Star’ in English and also known as Italian Clematis or “Italian leather-flower” this heirloom cultivar is an earlier, 1885, Morel development and presents deep purple sepals around a cream stamens. This Clematis viticella ‘Etoile Violette’ can be found on the dairy bank border.

Known commonly as Rock Rose, Helianthemum ‘Henfield Brilliant’ (below) displays grey green leaves and single bright orange flowers from the mid-summer. Perfect for long hot summers (we wish!) given its ability to thrive in poor soil and direct sunlight, even the Greek derivation of Helianthemum reminds us that this is a proper July plant – helios (sun) and anthemon (flower). Perfect, I never knew there was such simple poetry in plant nomenclature!

Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Spessart’ (below) 

Like so many other Geranium species, this one performs such a useful role in providing quick and colourful ground cover for shady areas that it’s easy to take its elegant beauty for granted. ‘Spessart’ produces white flowers flushed with pink in summer whilst continuing to display into the autumn when its leaves turn a rich bronze and red. An aromatic herbaceous perennial native to eastern North America and named after the Sevillian Nicolas Monardes, who described American flora as long ago as 1569, Monarda didyma ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ (below) bears rich scarlet flowers from mid-summer to early autumn. Whilst Native Americans used the plant for medicinal purposes and its fragrant leaves are sometimes used for potpourri (apparently they’re edible too), the perfumed flowers of Monarda didyma are also attractive to butterflies, bees and (in the right part of the world) to Hummingbirds too.

Finally, Philadelphus coronarius ‘Variegatus’ or ‘Mock Orange’ (below) to the uninitiated, is a native of southern Europe and I was intrigued by the idea that the coronarius element of this deciduous shrubs’ name relates its use in garland making (this makes sense; think “crown”/”coronarius”). Also known as Bowles Variety, this common nomenclature is in memory of E.A.Bowles, a significant self taught British horticulturalist who developed the important garden at Myddelton House in Enfield, Middlesex, during the first half of the C20th.

There’s a lot to take in here and if I can remember half of it to infiltrate into one of the Thursday garden tours (2pm at the garden entrance – free event, normal admission charges apply) I’ll be doing well. Come up and test me on it and don’t forget to let us know your preferred pronunciation of Clematis (and scone!) too.

Summer pruning

Above: A wonderful photo taken by Elly MacDonald of a hummingbird hawk moth feeding off the Nepeta (catmint) ‘Six Hills Giant’ outside the shop this week. Below: Liz from the garden team doing some summer pruning in the scented garden. The frenetic pace of work in the garden during May and June where everything grows at such a frantic rate is nearly over. These wonderfully rich and vibrant months, full of exciting developments in the garden, give way to a more relaxed approach to caring for the garden. At this time of year there are still plenty of garden tasks to do to keep it looking good. Lawns and edges still need cutting once a week and gaps in the borders need filling with young plants. Plants propagated and nurtured in one of the show glasshouse at Alitex are planted out in the borders and cut flower garden at Uppark. Above and below: Osmanthus x burkwoodii (Burkwood osmanthus) is being pruned by Judy from the garden team after spring flowering to retain a compact form. Summer pruning We’ve started to prune a number of shrubs that have already flowered this year and are now starting to look a little untidy. It’s a good opportunity to prune for form and to promote good strong flowering growth for next year. Any poorly formed or damaged stems can be pruned out at this stage. With some of these plants, you’ll find seedlings growing at the base of the shrubs (especially Sarcoccoca – covered later) you can pot up and grow on for future use in the garden, so it’s worth carrying a trug or bucket of water and a hand fork with you to harvest these. The plants we’re focusing on are: Osmanthus decorus (sweet olive) a delightful olive-coloured evergreen shrub originating from North Eastern Turkey with fragrant white flowers in spring. We have two at Uppark, one is located in a sheltered spot in one of the island beds and the other near the entrance to the tea garden. The leaves are narrowly oval to oblong, pointed, leathery and glossy. In maturity, the shrub reaches 3 metres and spreads around 5m. We’ve been lifting the canopy of the sweet olive to give the sweet box below a chance to thrive. The foliage of the sweet box is often used by the cut flower team for their displays in the house, so we need to ensure this work is planned to take this into account.   Below: Sarcoccoca confusa (sweet box) these evergreen shrubs originating from China are compact, with simple, leathery leaves and have tiny fragrant creamy-white flowers in winter or spring. These are followed by red purple or black berries which may persist until the following winter. The leaves are ovate, glossy and wavy, 3-5cm in length. We cut the plants back to a growth point and the cuts soon disappear as it’s a quick grower.  Viburnum davidii  (David’s Viburnum) A very popular leathery-leaved evergreen, used for form and structure within planting schemes. This small spreading shrub has elliptic, deep green, three-veined leaves and has subtle off-white flowers followed (on cross-pollinated plants) by long-lasting ‘metallic’ blue-black berries.  Below: Viburnum tinus Laurustinus Native to the Mediterranean area of Europe and North Africa, this evergreen shrub has ovate to elliptic leaves, borne in opposite pairs. The flowers are white or pale pink produced from reddish-pink buds. The flowering period is from October to June and the fruit is dark blue-black. We prune these for form to keep them compact and in scale with the rest of the planting. To the right of this Viburnum is a sad looking group of Lavendula (lavender). We’re retaining these long enough to be able to take cuttings from them. Once we’ve got the second-hand glasshouse cleaned and installed, we’ll be propagating these plants and removing these rather tired specimens.

Above: Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’ (golden mock orange) these wonderfully coloured and scented shrubs will be pruned after flowering.

Special thanks to Tristan Beard for his great photography, the garden team for maintaining the garden so well and to Alitex for their constant and fantastic support. If you’d like some more information on pruning, Simon Akeroyd‘s book ‘The Good Gardener’ is a really good guide. This can be purchased in most National Trust shops and is also available online here: The Good Gardener.

A Taste of Summer at Uppark

Summer weather has returned to Uppark and it’s wonderful:

Wonderful to see so many people enjoying the garden yesterday and our lovely views.

Grab some bits and bobs for a picnic and enjoy al fresco dining – we’re relaxed here, you can picnic in the garden so don’t feel you need to stick to our main picnic area – just take your litter home with you and everyone’s happy.

We’ve even created a new picnic area within the garden in a peaceful and private place, near the restaurant so you can top up your picnic with a cup of tea/coffee and if you’re daring… a slice of cake!

When the weather’s this good, the South Meadow is a great space to be too. If your little ones need to burn energy then there is a toy box for them (and you!) to enjoy.

We are closed on Saturday and have restricted opening on Friday (House closed)