CH&Iloves...AWisteriA-clAdPergolA
Thewisteriafamilyhasaroundten
species;favouritesareWisteria
sinensisandWisteriafloribunda.
Theyaredeciduous,with
sweetly-scentedflowersinshades
ofwhite,purple,blueorpink.
Here’swhatyouneedtoknow...- Wisteriasneedsufficientsunlight
toflowerwell– notlessthansix
hoursa day– andgrowbestin a
southor west-facingposition. - Choosematurenamedcultivars
grownfromcuttingsor by
grafting,preferablywhilein
flower,andplantina deephole
withaddedcompost.Astheplant
develops,securetoitssupport
withexpandableties. - Onceestablished,wisterias
arevigorous,butcantakea few
yearsto getgoing. - A pergolahasto besturdyto take
theweightof a maturewisteria. - Tocreatelightdappledshade,
a wisteriamustbeprunedfairly
severely.A summerprunekeeps
theplanttidy,theninwintercut
eachsideshootbacktotwobuds,
reducing the length of the leaders.
Theseatingareabeneath
a pergoladrippingwith
Wisteriafloribunda‘Alba’
isedgedwithbordersof
whitealliums,aquilegias,
meadow rue and lupins.
fittedbeautifullyintothedesign.’Theotheris a tallbirchthatforms
thenucleusofanislandbed,castingdeepshadeontoClaytonia
sibiricaf. albiflora, a starry-flowered,ground cover plant, one of
manyunusualplantsthatSuegrows.
Sueknowsa lotaboutherplants,havingruna smallnursery.Whiteflowers,wisteriainparticular,arefavourites,andfillthe
centralpergolaanddiningarea,thefirstareathatSueandPete
created.Japanesewisteria,Wisteriafloribunda‘Alba’,is trained
overthepergola,itsperfumealmostoverwhelmingona warm
evening.Meanwhile,theneighbouringbordersareplantedinan
all-whitecolourschemeofaquilegias,alliums,a whitelupin‘Noble
Maiden’,Papaverorientale‘RoyalWedding’,delphiniums,Crambe
cordifoliaandmeadowrue,Thalictrumaquilegiifoliumvar.album.
‘It’ssimplybeautiful,a frothofpurewhiteflowersandfern-likefoliagethatlooksstunninginquitedenseshade,’sheadds.Sue
combinestraditionalfavouriteswithlessusualvarietiessuchas
theburningbushDictamnusalbus,PersicariaalpinaorAlthaea
cannabina,ina distinctivestyleshedescribesas‘cottagemeets
contemporary’.‘I liketocreateorderwithcolour-theming,whereas
traditionally,cottagegardenstylejumblesallthecolourstogether,’
shesays.Thelowerhalfofthegardenis distinctlyinformal,to
ensurethattheplanting‘bleeds’intothecountrysidebeyond.‘I’ve
usedgrasses,waftyperennials,smalltreesandRosarugosasoyou
canseethroughtofarmlandbeyond,’shepointsout.Thereis also
thelessfamiliarArtemisialactiflora‘Guizhou’withtall,airystems
thatcomplementtheornamentalgrassesinlatesummer.Trees
have been carefully positioned to screen power lines in an>