The English Garden – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 THE ENGLISH GARDEN 49

‘Geranium’ make it a fascinating space to explore,
set o beautifully by the surrounding dark purple
hedges of Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’.
Opposite the Tapestry Garden is an area devoted
to vegetables, which boasts an impressive fruit
cage at its heart, built in 2016 out of oak from the
estate, and adorned with acorn fi nials and plaques
bearing the names of previous head gardeners. Four
surrounding decorative beds, designed by Angel
Collins, are fi lled with silver, purple and blue, and
backed by step-over apples. Immaculate rows of
crops, including asparagus, cabbages, kale, peas and
Jerusalem artichokes are grown to supply the house
and café. Andrew is always moving things around
and trying new crops, keeping weeding and digging
to a minimum by thickly mulching with compost
after harvesting and planting through it in spring.
Traditional beds of peonies and delphiniums
can be found beyond the vegetable garden, with a
collection of hemerocallis, planted as part of an RHS
trial. The glasshouses, lined with colourful blocks of
Dahlia ‘Patricia’ and pink crinum lilies, are managed
by gardener Simon McManus. One houses peaches,
nectarines and vines dripping with fruit, while the
others are packed with dazzling streptocarpus,
pelargoniums, fuchsias and chrysanthemums, and
specimens of bougainvillea and Jasminum sambac,
ready to fi ll the rooms of the castle.
The real joy of this garden is that while the
Duchess of Roxburghe and her skilled horticultural
team are looking to future developments, they
continue to make full use of it in its traditional,

AboveImmaculate

drillsofcabbagesand

asparaguslineupin

frontofalargeoakfruit

cageandglasshouses.

productive role. Her Grace’s enthusiasm is clear

when she says: “It’s a fantastic walled garden, which

we’re really trying to bring back to its heyday.” ■

Floors Castle, Kelso, Roxburghshire TD5 7SF.

Opens to the public, 10.30am to 5pm, April to

October; 10.30am to 4pm, November to March.

Tel: 01573 223333; fl o o r s c a s t l e. c o m

Brilliant BORDERS

Perennial planting advice from Andrew Simmons

Lift and divide plants every two to

three years to keep them healthy

and vigorous.

Contain the growth of thuggish

plants, such as Lysimachia ciliata

‘Firecracker’ by submerging barriers

around them beneath the soil.

Stretch netting between posts

along the back of a border and

allow plants to grow through it

for additional support.

Pile a thick 8cm (3in) layer of

home-made garden compost on the

borders every year to enrich the soil,

starting in November and covering

the plants; they will grow up through

it in the spring.

Monitor plants throughout the

year and mark any that need to be

divided or are in the wrong place so

that you know what to do in spring.

Constantly tweak the borders and

put something new in every year, to

keep them looking fresh and keep

people interested.

There are always gaps to fi ll, so have

a few plants like dahlias and malope

ready to drop in.