Vivienne Hambly

Nov 19, 2024 | theenglishgarden.co.uk | Vivienne Hambly

Create your own thoughtful Christmas gifts and decorationsJanuary is the time for making marmalade with seasonal Seville oranges, but before that comes December, a month to dry slices of clementine and orange for stylish Christmas decorations. Heat the oven to around 100C or use the simmering oven of an AGA with the door left ajar. Line a baking sheet with paper, then leave oranges to dry for around five hours, turning them occasionally.

Nov 17, 2024 | theenglishgarden.co.uk | Vivienne Hambly

Having always wanted to garden, Alexander Hoyle trained at both Pershore and RBG Kew, with a spell at Aberglasney along the way. This experience, combined with a good eye and an interest in decorative arts, has helped him develop creative planting schemes. He is particularly skilled at bringing the aesthetic of the modern country garden to smaller spaces: eye-catching containers outside the doors of Colefax & Fowler, the interior design firm on the Pimlico Road, London, are a case in point.

Nov 12, 2024 | theenglishgarden.co.uk | Vivienne Hambly

With Christmas on the horizon and shorter days to come, this is the moment to think about plants that do well indoors. Winter blooms make attractive seasonal displays, fragrance goes a long way to lift the spirits on dull days, and sharp-tasting salads are an excellent foil for earthier winter vegetables. Few know this better than Sarah Raven, who has been selecting and selling choice cut flowers and vegetables for 30 years.

Oct 15, 2024 | theenglishgarden.co.uk | Vivienne Hambly

She was influenced by her Arts and Crafts contemporaries, William Morris and John Ruskin, and her association with William Robinson and Edwin Lutyens has proved hugely influential on gardening past and present. Her gardens, typically exuberant and emboldened by deft use of colour, embody the words inscribed on her Munstead Wood gravestone designed by Lutyens: artist, gardener, craftswoman.

Sep 25, 2024 | theenglishgarden.co.uk | Vivienne Hambly

A good climbing rose will turn walls, arches and even outbuildings into eye-catching features to look forward to year after year. Few know a good climbing rose better than Ian Limmer, nursery manager at Peter Beales, the Norfolk rose specialists. Ian joined Peter Beales Roses as a Saturday boy in 1977, after which he took a three-year apprenticeship learning from Peter himself.