'My Dormouse Lady'
'My Dormouse Lady'

October 2013, friend of the garden Sue Ward received a very special, yet unexpected card, the name penned at message end… ‘Beth’.

READ ARTICLE
18th December 2024 IN Advice & Guides
A look back at 2024 with the garden team
A look back at 2024 with the garden team

Look back through 2024 with the garden team!

READ ARTICLE
16th December 2024 IN Advice & Guides
A look back at 2024 with the propagation team
A look back at 2024 with the propagation team

Look back over 2024 with the propagation team!

READ ARTICLE
16th December 2024 IN Advice & Guides
November news from the garden and propagation
November news from the garden and propagation

Find out what the garden and propagation teams have been up to this month. 

READ ARTICLE
21st November 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Chattowood plant list
Chattowood plant list

Find out which plants we used for our planting on the Chattowood estate in Elmstead Market.

READ ARTICLE
11th November 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Favourite winter seedheads for wildlife
Favourite winter seedheads for wildlife

Provide food and shelter for beneficial wildlife by leaving seedheads over winter.

READ ARTICLE
5th November 2024 IN Advice & Guides
News from the garden and propagation
News from the garden and propagation

Autumn jobs with the garden and propagation teams.

READ ARTICLE
15th October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Early autumn with the garden team
Early autumn with the garden team

See what the garden team have been up to in early autumn.

READ ARTICLE
4th October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Planting on the Albert roundabout
Planting on the Albert roundabout

Find out about our newest project, designing and planting a beautiful, low maintenance scheme on the Albert roundabout in Colchester.

READ ARTICLE
3rd October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Albert roundabout plant list
Albert roundabout plant list

Find out which plants we used for our recent planting on the Albert roundabout in Colchester.

READ ARTICLE
2nd October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Planting at Chattowood Housing Development
Planting at Chattowood Housing Development

Find out about our drought tolerant, low maintenance planting on our neighbouring housing development, Chattowood.

READ ARTICLE
1st October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Colchester's Meanwhile Garden
Colchester's Meanwhile Garden

Find out about Colchester's newest community green space- The Meanwhile Garden.

READ ARTICLE
1st October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow euphorbia (spurge)
How to grow euphorbia (spurge)

Find out more about euphorbia and why we love growing it in Beth's garden.


READ ARTICLE
1st October 2024 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow eryngium (sea holly)
How to grow eryngium (sea holly)

Find out more about eryngium and why we love growing it in Beth's garden.

READ ARTICLE
23rd August 2024 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow oenothera (gaura)
How to grow oenothera (gaura)

Find out more about oenothera and why we love growing it in Beth's garden.

 

READ ARTICLE
21st August 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Origanum- the perfect Gravel Garden plant
Origanum- the perfect Gravel Garden plant

Find out more about origanum and why we love growing it in Beth's garden.

READ ARTICLE
30th July 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Meanwhile Garden plant list
Meanwhile Garden plant list

Discover the full plant list for Colchester's Meanwhile Garden.

 

 

 

READ ARTICLE
28th July 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Behind the scenes in propagation- June
Behind the scenes in propagation- June

See what the production team have been up to so far this month.

READ ARTICLE
10th June 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Early June with the garden team
Early June with the garden team

Discover what has kept the garden team busy this week.

READ ARTICLE
7th June 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Plants from Beth's Garden to yours!
Plants from Beth's Garden to yours!

Producing plants for sale is a year round job, but one that's particularly busy at this time of year when plants seem to be growing before our very eyes! 

READ ARTICLE
31st May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
This week with the garden team- late May
This week with the garden team- late May

Find out what the team have been up to recently.

READ ARTICLE
28th May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Apprentice Hannah- 'My favourite places in the garden'
Apprentice Hannah- 'My favourite places in the garden'

Apprentice Hannah shares her favourite areas and sights in the garden,

READ ARTICLE
27th May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Propagation jobs this month
Propagation jobs this month

See what the production team have been up to. They've been busy!

READ ARTICLE
14th May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
New area of drought-tolerant planting
New area of drought-tolerant planting

Find out about a renewed area of drought-tolerant planting in the car park.

Plant list included.

READ ARTICLE
13th May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Gravel Garden Creation and Maintenance
Gravel Garden Creation and Maintenance

Learn how Beth created her world famous Gravel Garden and how the garden team now maintain it.

READ ARTICLE
3rd May 2024 IN Advice & Guides
RHS Urban Show 2024
RHS Urban Show 2024

Find out about our recent show stand and garden at the first RHS Urban Show when we ventured all the way to Manchester!

Full plant list included.

READ ARTICLE
29th April 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Miscanthus championship - propagation
Miscanthus championship - propagation

On the 10th April, members of the stock bed team hosted Beth Chatto’s first Miscanthus Championship, an Olympic-like event where two teams competed to see who could dig up miscanthus plants the fastest.

READ ARTICLE
23rd April 2024 IN Advice & Guides
What's looking good in the garden-late March
What's looking good in the garden-late March

Here's a round up of what's looking good in the garden now.

READ ARTICLE
1st April 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Growing for RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Growing for RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to grow a large range of plants for a show garden at one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural shows? Well hopefully this article might give you some insight into what’s involved.

READ ARTICLE
13th March 2024 IN Advice & Guides
What's looking good in the garden- early March
What's looking good in the garden- early March

Here's a round up of what's looking good in the garden now. 

READ ARTICLE
13th March 2024 IN Advice & Guides
A guide to taking cuttings
A guide to taking cuttings

Cuttings are a great method of asexual reproduction which allows you to create more of your favourite garden plants by simply cutting off a stem.

Production assistant Megan guides us through the cuttings process.

READ ARTICLE
8th March 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Spring plant folklores with apprentice Hannah
Spring plant folklores with apprentice Hannah

Apprentice Hannah shares some of her favourite spring flowers and the myths and legends associated with them.

READ ARTICLE
7th March 2024 IN Advice & Guides
What's looking good in the garden- late February
What's looking good in the garden- late February

Here's a round up of what's looking good in the garden now. 

READ ARTICLE
27th February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
The Beth Chatto Handbook- Flowers for cutting
The Beth Chatto Handbook- Flowers for cutting

Flowers for cutting

The Beth Chatto Handbook

Beth Chatto's descriptive list of unusual plants


READ ARTICLE
23rd February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Our favourite spring bulbs
Our favourite spring bulbs

When little else is showing above the cold soil, spring bulbs can always be relied upon to add colour and beauty to the garden.

READ ARTICLE
22nd February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Plant name changes for 2024
Plant name changes for 2024

A list of plants, either sold on our nursery or in the garden, which have changed name this year.

READ ARTICLE
22nd February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Year-round pollinator plant menu
Year-round pollinator plant menu

After observing Beth's Garden for a year, the garden team and wildlife expert, Dr Chris Gibson, noted which plants helped to extend the season providing year-round food, and also those that were frequently visited by pollinators and other insects. 

READ ARTICLE
13th February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Winter propagation- Matteuccia struthiopteris
Winter propagation- Matteuccia struthiopteris

Production assistant Miya tells us about the lovely ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris and how to propagate it. 

READ ARTICLE
8th February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
A guide to seed sowing
A guide to seed sowing

Production Assistant Megan talks us through seed sowing. 

READ ARTICLE
2nd February 2024 IN Advice & Guides
A month with Apprentice Hannah
A month with Apprentice Hannah

Read about Hannah's time with the garden team this month.

READ ARTICLE
30th January 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Splendid snowdrops at the Beth Chatto Gardens
Splendid snowdrops at the Beth Chatto Gardens

Growing manager Marc tells us about his love of the humble snowdrop and some of the legends and superstitions associated with them.

READ ARTICLE
12th January 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Beth's Archive- RHS Chelsea 1976 plant list
Beth's Archive- RHS Chelsea 1976 plant list

After delving into Beth's archive, we have found the plant list for her first ever Chelsea Flower Show stand from 1976.

READ ARTICLE
11th January 2024 IN Advice & Guides
The Beth Chatto Handbook- seaside gardens
The Beth Chatto Handbook- seaside gardens

The Beth Chatto Handbook

Beth Chatto's descriptive list of unusual plants

READ ARTICLE
4th January 2024 IN Advice & Guides
Our five year rainfall totals
Our five year rainfall totals

Gardener Scott gives us an update on the newly installed rain gauge and the rainfall total of the year.

READ ARTICLE
7th December 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Winter propagation-carnivorous plants
Winter propagation-carnivorous plants

Find out how to look after and propagate carnivorous plants with production assistant Megan.

READ ARTICLE
4th December 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Winter Propagation- Root Cuttings
Winter Propagation- Root Cuttings

Find out how the team increase our stock over winter using root cuttings.

READ ARTICLE
21st November 2023 IN Advice & Guides
The Beth Chatto Handbook- Seed Heads
The Beth Chatto Handbook- Seed Heads

Seed Heads

The Beth Chatto Handbook

Beth Chatto's descriptive list of unusual plants

READ ARTICLE
14th November 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Brilliant autumn colour
Brilliant autumn colour

Autumn colour has finally arrived in the garden!

READ ARTICLE
10th November 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Preparing for winter with the propagation team
Preparing for winter with the propagation team

With winter fast approaching, find out how the propagation team are preparing.

READ ARTICLE
9th November 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Sensational Seedheads
Sensational Seedheads

See which seedheads are adding interest to the garden this autumn.

READ ARTICLE
2nd November 2023 IN Advice & Guides
This week in the garden- mid October
This week in the garden- mid October

Find out what the garden team have been up to this week.

READ ARTICLE
20th October 2023 IN Advice & Guides
What's still in flower in October?
What's still in flower in October?

As the season continues to shift, all is not lost. A walk around the garden reveals a number of plants still happily flowering away in mid-October, injecting pops of colour which bridge the gap between summer’s abundant displays and the imminent arrival of autumn’s intense shades.

READ ARTICLE
18th October 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Autumn jobs in the garden
Autumn jobs in the garden

Find out about some of the jobs the garden team have been tackling this autumn.

READ ARTICLE
12th October 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Planting in autumn
Planting in autumn

Contrary to popular belief, autumn is actually the time of year when you should be doing the most planting. With moisture and warmth still in the soil, plants have the opportunity to put down roots and establish before the winter cold sets in.

READ ARTICLE
10th October 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Asters- how to grow and care for
Asters- how to grow and care for

The aster genus consists of a range of species, each one offering something different in height, colour and flower size. There are also a large number of cultivars available to provide you with good displays of late summer and autumn colour.

READ ARTICLE
12th September 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Seed collecting with propagation expert Emily
Seed collecting with propagation expert Emily

Find out how we collect and store seed from the garden.

READ ARTICLE
16th August 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Our favourite perennials for late summer colour
Our favourite perennials for late summer colour

Which plants will bring colour to your garden in late summer? Read on to find out about our favourites.

READ ARTICLE
9th August 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Late summer garden jobs
Late summer garden jobs

Head Gardener Åsa tells us about recent jobs carried out by the garden team.

READ ARTICLE
9th August 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Summer pot displays
Summer pot displays

Gardener Malin tells us how the team have put together their recent summer pot displays.

READ ARTICLE
18th May 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Rejuvenating a Tired Garden Border
Rejuvenating a Tired Garden Border

Read about how the garden team have renewed an area of planting in the Water Garden below Beth and Andrew's house.

A list of plants used is also included.

READ ARTICLE
11th May 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Achillea- How to Grow and Care for
Achillea- How to Grow and Care for

An easy to grow, much loved perennial which will add a pop of colour to your borders. Each flat flowerhead is comprised of hundreds of tiny, daisy-like flowers available in a wide range of colours.

READ ARTICLE
19th April 2023 IN Advice & Guides
What to Expect When Ordering Plants
What to Expect When Ordering Plants

What to do once your plants arrive? Here's a quick guide to help answer any questions you may have.

READ ARTICLE
5th January 2023 IN Advice & Guides
Adapting to Drought- what we have learnt
Adapting to Drought- what we have learnt

Read about how the garden team have coped with this years drought and what they have learnt.

READ ARTICLE
29th November 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Symphyotrichum-How to Grow and Care for
Symphyotrichum-How to Grow and Care for

A wonderful, varied group of plants, previously included in the genus aster. Several years ago, the genus was separated into a number of genera. Aster now includes most European and Asian asters, while plants native to North America now belong to symphyotrichum.

READ ARTICLE
13th October 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Perennials for Great Autumn Colour
Perennials for Great Autumn Colour

As the nights draw in and temperatures fall, people begin to look forward to the colours of autumn starting to show in the trees around them. But in the borders, herbaceous plants can go out in a blaze of autumn colour too.

READ ARTICLE
12th October 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Stipa- How to Grow and Care for
Stipa- How to Grow and Care for

A genus of around 300 perennial grasses whose foliage, flowers and seedheads add texture, movement and structure to borders. 

READ ARTICLE
28th September 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Ornamental Grasses for Autumnal Interest
Ornamental Grasses for Autumnal Interest

Ornamental grasses are adapted to grow in a wide variety of situations from dry to damp, sunny to shady. There is a wide variety of size, shape and colour to choose from.

READ ARTICLE
22nd September 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Verbena- How to Grow and Care for
Verbena- How to Grow and Care for

An easy to grow, varied genus with long-lasting flowers. Some species are hardier than others, but we have found that a sheltered spot and a very free draining soil help plants survive the winter in this part of the country.  The nectar-rich flowers are loved by pollinators and if left to go to seed, they will be eaten by birds.

READ ARTICLE
7th September 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Hylotelephium telephium (Sedum)
Hylotelephium telephium (Sedum)

The month of August heralds the pinnacle of summer, sweltering days with cool evenings, a suggestion of slipping into an autumnal rhythm. In the garden, it might be imagined the show is over; however, a perennial coming into its own just now is Hylotelephium telephium (formerly Sedum).

READ ARTICLE
26th August 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Salvia 'Blue Spire'- How to grow and care for
Salvia 'Blue Spire'- How to grow and care for

An upright, deciduous, woody perennial (sub-shrub) which adds colour to the Gravel and Scree Gardens in late summer at a time when plants offering similar shades of purple and blue, such as lavender and nepeta, have finished flowering.

READ ARTICLE
17th August 2022 IN Advice & Guides
How the garden is coping with the drought 2022
How the garden is coping with the drought 2022

We are currently experiencing the longest drought period we have seen- the garden hasn’t received rainfall since the week ending 20th June (our rainfall is measured and recorded every Monday). Thankfully we have rain forecast in the coming days.

READ ARTICLE
16th August 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Top 12 drought-resistant plants
Top 12 drought-resistant plants

Drought-resistant plants originate from regions with low rainfall and hot summers, such as the Mediterranean. To survive these extreme conditions, plants have evolved features to help reduce water loss and reflect sunlight away from leaves.

READ ARTICLE
12th August 2022 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow and care for bearded irises
How to grow and care for bearded irises

Whether you love them or loath them, it cannot be denied that the tall bearded iris is a statement plant, a structural plant, a plant that creates an opinion and a plant which drives the need, in some of us to collect. I had never considered myself an iris collector until now but upon writing this blog I have discovered that I have clearly become one.

READ ARTICLE
4th August 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Salvia nemorosa- how to grow and care for
Salvia nemorosa- how to grow and care for

The species name- nemorosa (‘of woods’) refers to the natural habitat of this salvia, typically found growing in groves and woods across central Europe and Western Asia.

READ ARTICLE
5th July 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Nepeta (Catmint)- how to grow and care for
Nepeta (Catmint)- how to grow and care for

This much-loved perennial is easy to grow, loved by pollinators and a very attractive addition to the garden.  In early summer, these reliable plants produce an abundance of mostly lavender-blue flowers, held above grey-green foliage.

READ ARTICLE
23rd June 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Top 10 unusual plants for a shady area
Top 10 unusual plants for a shady area

Beth opened her plant nursery, then named Unusual Plants, in 1967. Her catalogues of plants were divided into sections determined by different growing conditions enabling customers to search for plants specific to the conditions on offer in their own gardens.

READ ARTICLE
13th June 2022 IN Advice & Guides
How to use biennial flowers in the garden for a naturalistic look
How to use biennial flowers in the garden for a naturalistic look

Beth was known at Chelsea not only for her naturalistic planting style, but her choice of ‘natural’ plants - species plants rather than cultivars - notably those plants that the RHS at that time didn’t consider to be garden worthy; wildflowers like foxgloves and mulleins. Opinions and priorities in plant choice have shifted and now they have become much-loved, not only for their appearance but because they are an excellent source of pollen for insects.

READ ARTICLE
9th June 2022 IN Advice & Guides
The Chelsea Chop- How To Do It
The Chelsea Chop- How To Do It

Read about the Chelsea chop and watch our video showing how we do it.

READ ARTICLE
23rd May 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Species tulips and how to grow them
Species tulips and how to grow them

The key to success with all plants is understanding their origins, helping you to realise their preferred growing conditions and specific requirements. Tulips grow wild high up in the mountains and valleys of Europe and Central Asia, indicating they are adapted to growing in free-draining, rocky soils in extreme conditions. Summers here are long, hot and dry, with cold winters bringing heavy rainfall.                        

READ ARTICLE
21st March 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Getting Started in Gardening
Getting Started in Gardening

For people who enjoy plants and gardens, and for people working in horticulture, one big question we ask is “how can we get more people interested in gardening?”

READ ARTICLE
3rd March 2022 IN Advice & Guides
Measuring the rainfall at The Beth Chatto Gardens
Measuring the rainfall at The Beth Chatto Gardens

The rainfall at Beth Chatto's has been measured continuously since 1953. Initially, it was recorded as a practical tool for the Chatto fruit farm monitoring how much rainfall the trees were receiving.

READ ARTICLE
4th February 2022 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow and get the best from your hostas
How to grow and get the best from your hostas

Hostas are a firm favourite loved by gardeners and collectors. A vast range of cultivars and forms are available offering different shapes, sizes, colours and textures.

READ ARTICLE
4th January 2022 IN Advice & Guides
The Sand Bank
The Sand Bank

Following the removal of two large Leyland cypress trees and a few old shrubs from the Gravel Garden, a substantial area was made available for replanting.

This presented the ideal opportunity to experiment with a slightly less intensive approach to growing drought resistant plants

READ ARTICLE
4th November 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Easy-to-grow autumn bulbs and corms for naturalised drifts of colour
Easy-to-grow autumn bulbs and corms for naturalised drifts of colour

Over time, some autumn bulbs multiply and create drifts; they naturalise, flowering en masse through grass, under trees, in gravel or through ground cover plants. 

READ ARTICLE
18th October 2021 IN Advice & Guides
What happened when we stopped mowing the grass?
What happened when we stopped mowing the grass?

No-mow May - what happens when you stop mowing? Which plants and wildlife appear that weren't there before? We stopped mowing an area of Essex grassland and the results are incredible...

READ ARTICLE
17th August 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Ten top plants to bring wildlife into your garden
Ten top plants to bring wildlife into your garden

Which plants will encourage the most wildlife to your garden? Our wildlife expert Dr Chris Gibson, reveals the naughty and nice of the plant world

READ ARTICLE
17th June 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Plant combination ideas in June
Plant combination ideas in June

It’s that wonderful time of year when the long, warm days of summer are spread out ahead of us and the colour of garden flowers begin to intensify.

READ ARTICLE
2nd June 2021 IN Advice & Guides
The 21 best self-seeders in Beth's Gravel Garden
The 21 best self-seeders in Beth's Gravel Garden

Self seeders - integral to Beth's Gravel Garden design. The 21 drought-tolerant perennial, biennial and annuals which thrive in the drought tolerant conditions here in Essex.

READ ARTICLE
14th May 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Plant combination ideas in May
Plant combination ideas in May

Glorious May plant tapestries for your garden

READ ARTICLE
30th April 2021 IN Advice & Guides
The big spring cut-back
The big spring cut-back

With the worst of the weather (hopefully) out of the way and plants now waking up from their winter sleep, now is the perfect time to cut back all of last season’s spent plant material.

READ ARTICLE
12th April 2021 IN Advice & Guides
The most bee-friendly early spring plants
The most bee-friendly early spring plants

Some bees are emerging early this year and early nectar sources are so important for their survival: here are the plants we have observed them making a zoom for. Let's increase the buzz!

READ ARTICLE
23rd February 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Top 10 early spring plants
Top 10 early spring plants

It was the first time I really felt like planting this weekend... beautiful spring sunshine and the garden was calling out for attention! If you'd like some guidance on early spring plants, here are Jake's top 10 favourite plants for this time of year.

READ ARTICLE
3rd February 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Some of our favourite plants for spring
Some of our favourite plants for spring

As spring plants fly out of the nursery (we grow 90% of the plants we sell), we focus on our champions for spring.

READ ARTICLE
1st February 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Structure in the winter garden
Structure in the winter garden

Using seedheads to create winter interest is something we've always done at the Gardens, and it can benefit wildlife too. These plants create some beautifully frosty sillhouettes and are well worth leaving in place over winter for their architectural value.

READ ARTICLE
21st January 2021 IN Advice & Guides
Springtime shade plants in the woodland
Springtime shade plants in the woodland

Spring is the time for shade loving plants to come to the fore. In the woodland garden light levels are increasing, the soil is warming, plants are bursting forth. Every colour is reperesented, including a myriad green shades. Magic is in the air.....

READ ARTICLE
6th April 2020 IN Advice & Guides
Beth Chatto's must-have spring plants
Beth Chatto's must-have spring plants

Some of the best spring plants for your Garden, chosen from Beth's 100 must-have plants

READ ARTICLE
1st April 2020 IN Advice & Guides
Indispensable Elephant’s ears, bergenia
Indispensable Elephant’s ears, bergenia

Elephant’s ears, bergenia are one of the most indispensable and widely used evergreen plants here. Unfortunately, the genus does suffer from the fact that many people consider them untidy, rather boring and a perfect home for slugs and snails.

Very often seen in large sprawling mats of creeping rhizomes and fitting of this such bad press perfectly is...

READ ARTICLE
30th March 2020 IN Advice & Guides
Top 10 plants for Autumn Interest
Top 10 plants for Autumn Interest

Which plants will carry on looking good throughout autumn and into winter? Our Plant Manager, Jake, reveals his favourites.

READ ARTICLE
12th September 2019 IN Advice & Guides
Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival – the plants!
Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival – the plants!

Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival- plants used in our show garden.

READ ARTICLE
9th July 2019 IN Advice & Guides
How the gardens are coping in these extreme conditions
How the gardens are coping in these extreme conditions

The impact of the summer heatwave on our plants and gardens; our head gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg explains what we're doing to mitigate the effects here in the driest part of the UK, and the Gravel Garden plants (never irrigated) which are still doing well.

READ ARTICLE
24th July 2018 IN Advice & Guides
50 days without rain and counting
50 days without rain and counting

How the Gravel Garden is surviving without rain (it is never irrigated) and the plants that can help prepare your garden against future drought.

READ ARTICLE
20th July 2018 IN Advice & Guides
RHS PLANT FINDER
RHS PLANT FINDER

Do you use the RHS Plant Finder to find which nursery sells the plants you are looking for? Each year, we send off our submissions, and the current issue also includes this feature from the Beth Chatto Gardens...

READ ARTICLE
15th February 2018 IN Advice & Guides
How to make a Christmas wreath
How to make a Christmas wreath

Each year the staff at the Beth Chatto Gardens get together for a wreath-making evening in December. Here's how to make your own wreath.

READ ARTICLE
14th December 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Make a Dogwood Heart
Make a Dogwood Heart

A simple, but lovely alternative to a wreath is a dogwood heart decoration

READ ARTICLE
14th December 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Planting successfully in Summer
Planting successfully in Summer

Planting in summer may well be more hard work than at other times of the year, but providing it’s done properly, you should find you’ve set your plants up for life.  Beth and her husband, Andrew, embraced the conditions that were given to them here in Essex and made the decision to work with what they had, rather than trying to fight against it. 

READ ARTICLE
17th August 2017 IN Advice & Guides
How to grow herbs and what to do with them
How to grow herbs and what to do with them

We love herbs! Not only do they look pretty in containers and borders, attract bees and butterflies, but they also smell and taste delicious

READ ARTICLE
31st July 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Hemerocallis (Day lily)
Hemerocallis (Day lily)

 If there’s one reliable perennial you should have for your garden, it’s got to be the day lily...but it is a travesty to eat them...

READ ARTICLE
13th July 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Top 10 Moisture-Loving Plants
Top 10 Moisture-Loving Plants

For a lot of people a constantly damp or boggy soil is potentially a problem, but that needn’t be the case. There are many plants that will survive and indeed thrive in such conditions. These plants should be considered for your own garden if you have a wet or damp soil.

READ ARTICLE
22nd June 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Marginal Maintenance
Marginal Maintenance

Having spent the first few days of June jumping in and out of the ponds here at The Beth Chatto Gardens, catching up with some long overdue maintenance, I suddenly remembered I was due to write a piece on this very subject! I was also reminded that attempting to walk backwards wearing waders with my feet stuck in the underlying mud and clay is somewhat foolhardy...

READ ARTICLE
13th June 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Alliums
Alliums

The Gravel Garden simply wouldn’t be the same without alliums. A fabulous bulb for anyone creating their own drought-resistant garden. They are dramatic, decorative and best of all, easy to grow. They can add so much to the look of a border with their spherical heads. Just make sure you can give them a free-draining, light soil with plenty of sunshine, and you will be guaranteed success.

READ ARTICLE
11th May 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Aerating your lawn
Aerating your lawn

After a winter of compaction April is a good time to consider aerating your lawn. We use a 1.8m wide verti-drainer which is in effect 6 large forks mounted on the back of our lawn tractor. The lawns here were created over the existing soil and as such, there is not a dedicated drainage system to relieve wet areas. We have over the years added drains to help this situation.

READ ARTICLE
13th April 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Spring-cleaning grasses
Spring-cleaning grasses

We have ornamental grasses growing in every area of the garden, and it’s possible to find one suitable for every type of condition, from shade to sun, damp loving to drought tolerant. 

Here at Beth Chatto, we tend to use them as single specimens so that their full shape and habit can be appreciated, something that is often lost in mass plantings.

In the last two years, timing when to trim grasses has been the trickiest issue, because the winters have been so mild...

READ ARTICLE
23rd February 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Hellebores in winter
Hellebores in winter

A welcome sight in late winter and early spring, the hellebore provides a feast for the eye.  Christmas rose or Lenten rose as they are commonly known come in hundreds of different varieties and providing you have a part-shaded or fully shaded spot with a humus rich soil and good drainage, then growing hellebores is easy.

READ ARTICLE
11th January 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Potted dwarf bulbs and why we prefer to plant bulbs in the Spring
Potted dwarf bulbs and why we prefer to plant bulbs in the Spring

Although autumn is the best time to buy and plant spring-flowering dry bulbs, from the usual such as daffodils, tulips, crocus to the less common and slightly trickier to establish woodlanders such as trilliums and wood anemones. it’s not the ideal time for deciding exactly where to place them...

READ ARTICLE
10th January 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Easy shrubs for exquisite winter fragrance
Easy shrubs for exquisite winter fragrance

Commonly known as Christmas or sweet box, the delicate creamy-white flowers of sarcococca appear from December to March.  Their scent never fails to lift the spirits even on the dullest of mid-winter days...

READ ARTICLE
1st January 2017 IN Advice & Guides
Plants from the RHS Wisley Flower Show
Plants from the RHS Wisley Flower Show

Plants that are looking good in September

READ ARTICLE
17th September 2016 IN Advice & Guides
THE OLD RESERVOIR GARDEN
THE OLD RESERVOIR GARDEN

By many regarded as somewhat of a transition between the Water Garden and the Woodland Garden, the area was predominantly planted with low maintenance trees and shrubs, interspersed with a few herbaceous perennials and grasses.

READ ARTICLE
11th August 2016 IN Advice & Guides
 
COMPARISON BASKET COMPARE

You are now leaving Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens to access the Beth Chatto Education Trust website.

Stay on current site
Continue to Education Trust site