designers-from-england

"The distinguished nurserywoman Beth Chatto, who has died aged 94, was one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 years. Well known and respected for the she started in in 1967, she was also an inspirational writer and lecturer whose great theme was the importance of providing garden plants with an environment as close as possible to their native . During the 1970s, she won 10 successive gold medals at the , where she introduced ecological ideas into , demonstrating the possibilities of natural plant groupings, while also achieving the highest aesthetic standards. In those days nurseries arranged their plants for maximum visual impact regardless of differing plant needs. Chatto’s approach was a revelation and immediately established her significance as a guide to better and more environmentally friendly gardening techniques. She stressed the importance of looking at the whole plant, foliage as well as , and judging the quality of a plant by observing it throughout the seasons."

"Beth Chatto, who died last year, was singularly forward-thinking and knowledgeable, and her near in have been a continual draw to enthusiasts for half a century. ’s authorised biography, Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants (Pimpernel, £30), based on diaries, notes and conversations, is a faithful, workmanlike account of a truly remarkable plantswoman and artistic gardener (as well as a very nice person) who emphasised the importance of understanding ecology in growing plants successfully, and whose naturalistic exhibits in the 1970s and 1980s were a revelation."

"orientale can produce a lush effect under trees—it is much too coarse for small gardens but can be splendid where something elephantine is needed. The flowers come before the leaves; rather naked-looking pink stems of blue -like flowers in early spring are followed by huge hairy leaves, handsome in the right setting."

"s are undoubtedly among the garden aristocrats and every garden should have one, somewhow, but not on an east-facing exposure. They are and their oval shiny leaves are a joy at all times of the year, but they come into full glory when covered in flowers. The sheer number of varieties and is bewildering. For years I only admired them from afar, put off from growing them, by my very limey soil and by the successful growers who made me fell too ignorant to own them"

"Long before it was a fancy , was famous for its . Designed by the hallowed Rosemary Verey, its vistas of purple , avenues of trees, walls and emerald lawns still cause gardeners to gasp with pleasure."

"s make a blaze of rose-pink, both ' and , while ’Blackthorn Apricot' is an orange-pink, , perhaps. It now looks well beside the grey-leafed ' with its spires of pea-green hiding tiny lemon-yellow flowers, or with the distinctive ' ’Euphorbioides', a plant I much admire."

"Make a list of herbs you want to grow. Begin with the s and greys, as these will make the framework of the garden and be most apparent in the winter. These plants include , , , , , and ."

"Chrysanthemum parthenium aureum, the golden feverfew — now known as aureum, is the golden variety of the old physic herb grown widely an antidote to fever and headache. it is native to Europe and reliably hardy."

"Rosemary Verey, who has died aged 82, was the doyenne of the gardening world. A pioneer gardener, designer and writer, she made "good" gardening popular, and by her example — both in the aesthetic and practical horticulture so admired at her home at , , and through her serious, but highly readable, books - she also made it achievable by a whole new generation. ... Verey's work as a designer established her particular style throughout Britain and in north America, with the Prince of Wales, Sir Elton John and among her clients. In the United States, she designed for many private individuals, as well as creating a large plan for a new (still to be implemented) at the ."

"Concerning whether to or not, of course I do not disapproved of all watering. That would be hypocritical, since we must irrigate the nursery crops and do water parts of the garden, such as the Wood Garden, in very dry times. But my thinking on the subject is based on the assumption that water is our most precious commodity as the world population continues to explode, and modern demands for water are often in excess of actual need. Combine this with the , then surely we must be prepared to reconsider some of our gardening practices."

"According to the type of terrain and the of the line, them may cost anything from twice to sixteen times that of s."

"At the you were, of course, first taught to draw. You experienced the pleasure of the , , the , cartridge and , and how to slice off enough of the latter without losing the lot. You were taught about the right pencil and how to rub down ; and how to rub out."

"The Italians who crossed the by invitation brought with them a technical scenic ability, the s being as well equipped as the ers themselves. Of the former, was probably the greatest. He was a native of , made his name in Rome, and attracted the attention of von Liechtenstein, for whom he built . He appears to have carried out little garden design, but his influence on detail was profound. ... Another architect was , who built the Salesian Nunnery and altered the . Both are as well designed as anything in Austria. Of the scenic designers the working in were the most famous. In Vienna designed theatrical scenery, the monument in the , and the Imperial palace of Favorita (now the ). Of architectural draughtsmen the best was . In the train of the Italians came the craftsmen, men who set a standard of technique as high as at any time."

"Away from her prison work, divided her time between London and , where she and her husband raised two adopted daughters, Isabella and Esther, at their home, , near . There, they commissioned a celebrated from Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe in 1969, which many consider his finest work."

"Geoffrey Jellicoe was one of the century's greatest landscape architects. His contribution to landscape design — a discipline he credited above building design as the "Mother of all Arts" — has been described as equal to that of one of his great heroes, the 18th-century gardener . Among Jellicoe's triumphs are the grounds of at , in , near , public gardens at and the at , together with many small private commissions."

"is the only element, besides birds and human beings, which brings life and movement into the garden, while an expanse of still water gives a unique sense of space and unity. It clarifies a design by accentuating the basic level to which all else relates."

"The provision of adequate fast and pleasant traffic roads, could be combined with low speed-limits for by-roads. This would reduce both the temptation to through-traffic to use the by-roads and the danger and unpleasantness caused by those did use them."

"My first choice must be that of the landscape architect Sylvia Crowe who published Garden Design in 1958. It remains the most comprehensive book on design I know... She covers Far Eastern developments, the , , English garden development and finally the contemporary garden in the West. But it is not all history – she weaves in design theory as she describes historical settings."

"Ideally, should be approached from the heights of Whitcliffe Common for views of its and the among the cluttered roofs and chimneys, the rosy-pink bricks, the half-timbered houses and somber gray stone of the ancient town walls. The circling the town is spanned by the medieval and Dinham bridges — the latter immortalized in paintings by . From where I live, beside the renovated 12th-century chapel of St. Thomas of Canterbury and a gnarled magnolia tree, I cross Dinham Bridge to wander alongside water meadows of s, , and grazing cattle. Swans glide on the river, the water roars and tumbles over the weir, and the mercurial flight of a appears like a hallucination."

"... pick up one of those superb books such as Private Gardens of England, by , on a wild, wet afternoon in February when the wind is shrilling outside, moaning through the gaps and spattering the window with rain. Turn to a picture of Saling Hall showing blues and silvers against the static severity of s, or see the black and white photographs of roses, cobbles and at , in which there's a table and chairs glimpsed through an open door in the garden wall. Books such as these are indeed a strong element of the whole pleasure of gardening; they need to be devoured and mulled over as well as those which are carried round in an earthy hand as vital advice flows out on what to do with five hundred s at the s."

"Living in after we married, where we had a small farm with neither nor and where each spring a stallion bedecked with ribbons walked the lanes servicing the mares, we often made the journey between the country and London, a slow and un-trafficky journey through the before the age of motorways."

"I am a great believer in the power of networks, For instance, a belong to a network of female founders. We meet once a month for breakfast and talk about particular challenges that we face and the solutions"

"They use video shot by their consultants. They leverage the enthusiasm, passion and professionalism, of those consultants to promote the business"

"It is lonelier when you become the sole founder, But I always try to remember that I haven’t done this alone."

"It’s important to know where you want to go and what you want to do, And then you build the tech team around that vision.Tech is an enabler. You don’t need to be able to code, but you do need a team that you can trust."

"In London, the support network is remarkable,” she says. “There is a lot of help for founders who are working on their own."