This famous English garden has conditions much like ours in the Northwest, allowing us to learn from the plant choice and design
When the summertime heat starts in the Pacific Northwest , I reflect at my alternative to plough my front garden space into a “ summer - teetotal garden . ” I like this term advantageously than “ xeriscaping ” or “ drought - tolerant horticulture ” because we do get a lot of rain . This garden style relies on knotty , drought - tolerant industrial plant that can handle the wet , nerveless winters and ironical , hot summer the Pacific Northwest throw at them . It is a landscape design style that incorporates plant from standardized climatical zones from around the world to create an interconnected and cohesive design . Some of these similar regions include the Mediterranean , the West Coasts of North and South America , parts of Australia and New Zealand , part of Asia , and a very humble area of South Africa . What an amazing and biodiverse plant collection that can be made from those areas . A few years ago , I was even rosy to visit Beth Chatto ’s Gravel Garden in Colchester , England .
Every plant for itself
This is the driest area in England and has very similar seasonal conditions to Seattle ’s Zone 8b . Beth Chatto could be considered the founder and godmother of the summer - dry horticulture style , with her decades of research on flora and their surround . Her all-embracing research go under the foundation for this panache of garden design that is both beautiful and sustainable . Beth has said of her garden , “ This garden was not to be irrigated in time of drought . Once shew , the industrial plant must resist for themselves or die . ” That really speaks to me and my willingness to tug the envelope . Every yr I keep telling myself about the plant life in my garden , “ allow ’s see if they come through ! ” as luck would have it , most of them do . I water freshly install works during the first twelvemonth per Beth ’s instructions , but after that they are leave to resist for themselves as Beth would have want .
Siting correctly reduces maintenance
Like many designers , Beth Chatto was a advocate of the “ ripe works , veracious place ” mantra . This is a great mantra to follow . Why lay waste to valued resources such as water , fertiliser , or time to create and assert an unsustainable garden ? While no garden is upkeep - free , I have establish that my summer - teetotal garden task are less intensive but more spread out through the class . These small , spreading - out tasks help make a undecomposed connection to the garden by reinforce the task of notice , and they help me closely watch what is happening seasonally .
Do some summer reading
I visited Beth ’s garden in July 2018 . It was one of the driest summers on record . Notwithstanding , the garden look amazingly awake and full of undimmed flowering perennial , Tree , and shrubs . Having reread Beth ’s bookThe Gravel Garden , I was super excited to finally set foot in the existent gravel garden . ( The Holy Scripture has been rereleased with an update deed of conveyance , Drought - Resistant Planting : Lessons from Beth Chatto ’s Gravel Garden , which render greater contingent of the plants she used and commend . ) Either playscript is a great addition to your home library ; the latter has more update works names . I cite my written matter at least two or three times a twelvemonth .
Bringing design principles home
I really enjoyed the journey that this garden took me on ; it felt like a rich and beautiful garden in the Mediterranean . It is made to look but designed , but as you investigate , it is complex with many layers of plants . I have tried to incorporate that feeling in my much smaller garden . The relaxed naturalistic style of loose planting , lots of self - seeding yearly and perennials , and beautiful yet tough evergreen trees and bush , is highly beautiful . I really bed the like and contrasting texture that this garden offers , which is something I have tried to recreate in my own garden .
I hope this clause and my exposure inspire you to inflict this amazing garden not only for theGravel Gardenitself but also for the other amazing gardens on Beth ’s property . In part 2 , I will go into how I designed my summer - dry garden and my clients ’ garden with inspiration from Beth Chatto .
— Jason Jorgensen is a landscape painting designer in Seattle . Photos of Beth Chatto ’s Gravel Garden by Jason Jorgensen .
okay Gardening Recommended Cartesian product
Gilmour 811673 - 1001 Sprinkler
Fine horticulture receives a direction for point purchase through links on this site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programme .
D&X Garden Sprinkler
Lee Valley Large Gardener ’s Wash Basket
Get our late tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos send to your inbox .
Signing you up …
Related Articles
Four Dynamo Dahlias for the Northwest Garden
3 Great Heat-Tolerant Grasses for the Northwest
Unique Dwarf Hydrangeas for the Northwest
Summer-Dry Gardening, Part 2: Bringing Inspiration Home
Join Fine Gardening for a free engaging springy webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a famed plant pathologist as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technical manager …
When I spot a particular sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful colour pattern …
When we only prioritize plant we want over plant our landscape painting needs , each season is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , nip , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you insert the backyard of garden room decorator Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to touch off on something , but because you might be dive - flush it by a pair …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
Sign up for afree trialand get access code to ALL our regional subject matter , plus the residue of the member - only subject matter program library .
Start Free Trial
Get unadulterated site access to expert advice , regional message , and more , plus the print mag .
Start your liberal trial run
Already a member?access
The flower stalks of giant silver mullein (Verbascum bombyciferum) are faded here in Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden, but still beautiful. This self-seeding biennial works well in gravel gardens. In front is ‘Hidcote’ English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia’Hidcote’, Zones 5–8), a tough and heavily scented lavender named after the famous garden at Hidcote.
Silvery and spikey flower stalks of biennial Miss Willmott’s ghost (Eryngium giganteum, Zones 4–7) are surrounded by faded stalks of ‘Pink Kisses’ toadflax (Linaria‘Pink Kisses’, annual). Both plants will self-seed in your garden. You can either let seeds go where nature puts them, or collect them to redistribute. You can also propagate and replant in the perfect spot.
It may be tough to grow, but once it finds a perfect spot, California tree poppy (Romneya coulteri, Zones 8–10) is a great summer-blooming shrub. It produces large white flowers with bright yellow centers that together create the overall look of fried eggs when blooming in July through August.
Summer horticulture intern students are collecting silver feather grass (Stipa barbata, Zones 5–9) seeds for propagation and sale for fund-raising at the garden. Their summer internship is helping create garden connections for the next generation of gardeners, landscape designers, and horticulturists.
Wispy, blue tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis, Zones 7–11) flowers on long narrow stalks that bloom all summer long. Depending on your location and winter weather, this plant can act like an annual, biennial, or perennial. The fat poppyseed pods are ripening in the summer heat. Nettle-leaved mullein (Verbascum chaixii, Zones 5–8) is almost finished blooming. Another great self-seeder, this plant has white flowers with dark purple eyes.
‘Marginata’ agave (Agave americana‘Marginata’, Zones 8–11) is a tough California native that does well in this garden year-round. It is surrounded by bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum, Zones 4–8), lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina, Zones 4–8), false dittany (Ballota pseudodictamnus, Zones 7–10), and other drought-resistant annuals and perennials.
